Seat covers and new cars: WHY?

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

if we want to talk about things that are a waste of money : my pet peeve is headlight protectors - anybody know how fast a stone needs to be travelling to crack/break your hardened glass headlight? I can tell you its alot higher than 100 kmh and the stone has to be hurled toward your car - remember the coin off a skyscraper on mythbusters - the mass of the coin isn't great enough same with stones, that is unless you hit a wombat, but if you did that I think the headlight is the least of your worries.

As for seat covers my car has leather and it drives me around the bend keeping it clean I have considered seat covers to make cleaning easier.

That really makes no sense... the size and weight of the stone or rock will determine the damage, not just the speed of the impact.
Ive had plenty of cracked spot lights and headlights before at less than 100kph...
As for your interoir why did you pay extra to buy leather when you could have just bought cloth interior?

[RG]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

if we want to talk about things that are a waste of money : my pet peeve is headlight protectors - anybody know how fast a stone needs to be travelling to crack/break your hardened glass headlight? I can tell you its alot higher than 100 kmh and the stone has to be hurled toward your car - remember the coin off a skyscraper on mythbusters - the mass of the coin isn't great enough same with stones, that is unless you hit a wombat, but if you did that I think the headlight is the least of your worries.

As for seat covers my car has leather and it drives me around the bend keeping it clean I have considered seat covers to make cleaning easier.

Tell that story to my cracked passenger low beam glass.

[snappy]

An my passenger side fog light.

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by RG

Tell that story to my cracked passenger low beam glass.

Ditto my fog and drivers side. Seat covers-bleh. Unless you purchased a family car to travel with kids in, and for some reason think it needs extra special care inside, then they're useless. Especially those ridiculously large ones with cool sounding brands printed on them.

[Linz]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Actually bonnet protectors are a waste of money, they just defelct the stones higher up onto you bonnet, your windscreen or roof.

They are a scam.

HAHA...I've got two good sized dints in the leading edge of my bonnet from stones, and if the previous owner hadn't been so cheap and fitted a bonnet protector, they wouldn't be there. Who cares if the stones hit the screen and cracked it...it's easier getting a new screen than having to get your bonnet repaired and resprayed and hope that the colours match :
Obviously, I have a bonnet protector now to lessen the chance of further damage...much to some peoples disgust :

[BIGJB]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

if we want to talk about things that are a waste of money : my pet peeve is headlight protectors - anybody know how fast a stone needs to be travelling to crack/break your hardened glass headlight? I can tell you its alot higher than 100 kmh and the stone has to be hurled toward your car - remember the coin off a skyscraper on mythbusters - the mass of the coin isn't great enough same with stones, that is unless you hit a wombat, but if you did that I think the headlight is the least of your worries.

What a load of BS!

[mrbaxr6t]

if you guys think I am full of it then thats fine I don't care I have done experiments with headlight lenses and rocks and its extremely hard to crack the lenses

[Linz]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

if we want to talk about things that are a waste of money : my pet peeve is headlight protectors - anybody know how fast a stone needs to be travelling to crack/break your hardened glass headlight? I can tell you its alot higher than 100 kmh and the stone has to be hurled toward your car - remember the coin off a skyscraper on mythbusters - the mass of the coin isn't great enough same with stones, that is unless you hit a wombat, but if you did that I think the headlight is the least of your worries.

As for seat covers my car has leather and it drives me around the bend keeping it clean I have considered seat covers to make cleaning easier.

Yes, I've got headlight and foglight protectors too...I'm not taking any chances with stray stones, no matter what size they are. Have you ever seen a B series headlight that's been sandblasted with stones etc. after a few years?... It looks like cr4p! I buy my genuine headlight protectors at swap meets so they only cost me $10 a pair for XR covers...miles cheaper than a new headlight. I also use a throwover cover on my XR seats as I don't want sweat, dirt, plaster etc. all over the place...I've got better things to do with my time than cleaning crud off the seats. :

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

if you guys think I am full of it then thats fine I don't care I have done experiments with headlight lenses and rocks and its extremely hard to crack the lenses

That's been pretty much unanimous for some time now....

[RG]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

if you guys think I am full of it then thats fine I don't care I have done experiments with headlight lenses and rocks and its extremely hard to crack the lenses

Ok then, explain how my headlight cracked. Also explain windscreen stonechips/cracks while you are at it.

[Buzz Box]

I seen the funniest thing last week.....

An elderly couple with their Ghia and full leather interior and they had these tatty old sheep skin covers that were literally skin virtually all the wool had worn off kept me entertained let me say lol

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by RG

Ok then, explain how my headlight cracked. Also explain windscreen stonechips/cracks while you are at it.

But Russ.. he's done experiments!!!

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

if you guys think I am full of it then thats fine I don't care I have done experiments with headlight lenses and rocks and its extremely hard to crack the lenses

So your throwing rocks at cars?


Working with cars, you notice things, headlight/foglight covers are one good little thing to spend money on. The glass in foglights is brittle, and doesn't take much to crack or chip.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by linz

HAHA...I've got two good sized dints in the leading edge of my bonnet from stones, and if the previous owner hadn't been so cheap and fitted a bonnet protector, they wouldn't be there.

yep, your right, the dings/chips would be around the middle of the bonnet and above, possibly on the roof...

[jakkes]

I'm a chippy so i just chucked a thin cotton bed sheet over the fairlane material seats in my svo Ute stops stickaflecks, glue, paint ect ect.
but the bed sheet is not abrasive like the back of nearly all sheep wool covers, those things eat vinyl and leather even worse when you get grit sand ect under there

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

That's been pretty much unanimous for some time now....

[mrbaxr6t]

Windscreens crack due to the fact that they are so large from edge to edge, this weakens the surface and when you pinpoint impact it the force cracks it as it flexes minutely across the surface, and as they are glass/plexi/glass (safety glass) the outer layer of glass cracks.

Headlights are different the lenses as a general rule are much smaller and much much thicker this means there is less distance to flex the surface like in the case of a windscreen.

As for my experiments I got old headlight lense (XE Falcon headlight) and tapped them with an air ram from a nailgun at varying amounts of pressure. I concede there is a distinct possibility that foglights and other types of lights may not be as thick/strong as the one I tested.

Sandblasted headlight lenses are a valid argument for them, sandblasted lenses are not roadworthy here (vic)

4Vman : That was a very cheap shot - do you tear everybody that has a differing opinion to yours? - and I bought leather interior as the car was secondhand and thats what was in it, and having always had cloth I decided why not try it once.

[TERMINATOR X]

I KNOW! My mrs has shitty pink covers over them nice AU XR8 2 seats! Yuk! But at the same time its mine soon so better the kidz mess them up rather than the REAL covers.

[RG]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

Windscreens crack due to the fact that they are so large from edge to edge, this weakens the surface and when you pinpoint impact it the force cracks it as it flexes minutely across the surface, and as they are glass/plexi/glass (safety glass) the outer layer of glass cracks.

Headlights are different the lenses as a general rule are much smaller and much much thicker this means there is less distance to flex the surface like in the case of a windscreen.

As for my experiments I got old headlight lense (XE Falcon headlight) and tapped them with an air ram from a nailgun at varying amounts of pressure. I concede there is a distinct possibility that foglights and other types of lights may not be as thick/strong as the one I tested.

Sandblasted headlight lenses are a valid argument for them, sandblasted lenses are not roadworthy here (vic)

4Vman : That was a very cheap shot - do you tear everybody that has a differing opinion to yours? - and I bought leather interior as the car was secondhand and thats what was in it, and having always had cloth I decided why not try it once.

Then how do you explain the supposedly unbreakable glass in the headlights of an AU XR being susceptible to breakage?

You have no proof, data or stats to back up your claims and it is common knowledge that headlight breakages due to stones are a common occurrence.

[CHARGED TERRA]

Originally Posted by RG

We need to get back on topic now.

A wise man once said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Seat covers it is for me, since I have young boys and my 3yo likes to make a mess.

Would rather just have to replace my seat covers than have drink & food stains all over my seats.

But its a personal preference thing and each to their own.

[Linz]

Originally Posted by Nikked

yep, your right, the dings/chips would be around the middle of the bonnet and above, possibly on the roof...

Actually, you're right...I DO have a few chips on the roof, and they ALL happened with NO bonnet protector.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

if you guys think I am full of it then thats fine I don't care I have done experiments with headlight lenses and rocks and its extremely hard to crack the lenses

You can throw rocks at 200+ Kmh.... WOW!!

(ie:you do 100 the rock coming at you is also doing at least 100)

[fairmont1998]

I use a throwover on my drivers seat, so as soon as I'm not using the car for work travel the cover comes off.

[SLO AU XR8]

Originally Posted by mrbaxr6t

Windscreens crack due to the fact that they are so large from edge to edge, this weakens the surface and when you pinpoint impact it the force cracks it as it flexes minutely across the surface, and as they are glass/plexi/glass (safety glass) the outer layer of glass cracks.

Headlights are different the lenses as a general rule are much smaller and much much thicker this means there is less distance to flex the surface like in the case of a windscreen.

As for my experiments I got old headlight lense (XE Falcon headlight) and tapped them with an air ram from a nailgun at varying amounts of pressure. I concede there is a distinct possibility that foglights and other types of lights may not be as thick/strong as the one I tested.

Sandblasted headlight lenses are a valid argument for them, sandblasted lenses are not roadworthy here (vic)

4Vman : That was a very cheap shot - do you tear everybody that has a differing opinion to yours? - and I bought leather interior as the car was secondhand and thats what was in it, and having always had cloth I decided why not try it once.

Windscreens are made from standard laminated glass, just to a higher quality as to meet Australian Standards. The ability to resist fractures and breakage is that same as any piece of 3mm thick glass as they are 6.76mm laminate, i.e 3mm, .76interlayer, 3mm. 3mm glass is very weak.

As for headslight lenses, they are toughened, hit them in a weak spot and they will shatter into a million pieces.

I know this as i previously worked for Pilkington/Viridian - the main glass supplier for Holden and Ford

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by SLO AU XR8

The ability to resist fractures and breakage is that same as any piece of 3mm thick glass as they are 6.76mm laminate, i.e 3mm, .76interlayer, 3mm. 3mm glass is very weak.

But there's always something that tries to test the strength out

(Piece of steel thrown up by another truck going the other way)

[CHARGED TERRA]

I thought this was about seat covers on new cars. I must be mistaken :