Weekend Reading: Shattered Sunroof Edition
Shattered. Shocked. Spitting glass. We had just dropped off our kids at their grandparents’ house for the weekend and were heading back into town to see a movie when, BOOM, the panoramic sunroof in our 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe exploded. Glass everywhere! It sounded like a gunshot. I wondered if something fell out of the sky and hit us – like a meteor!
I went to the local Hyundai dealership and they took pictures and contacted Hyundai Canada to get further direction. The car is still under warranty, so they said they’d replace the glass at no cost to me. Still, replacing the sunroof with the same factory glass doesn’t exactly give me peace of mind about the long-term safety of the vehicle.
I did some research online and apparently spontaneously shattering sunroofs is a known issue in Hyundais, along with other manufacturers, yet no recalls have been issued for these vehicles. So, why we weren’t informed when we purchased the vehicle about the possibility of panoramic sunroofs spontaneously exploding?
In the meantime, I’ve reached out to Hyundai Canada and Transport Canada for comments. Stay tuned.
Nice Segue: Air Miles Potential Class Action
A Calgary law firm that specializes in class action lawsuits recently contacted me about the Air Miles program. The firm is interested in speaking with Air Miles collectors, ideally based in Alberta, about how the loyalty program and its new expiry policy has impacted their ability to redeem reward miles. Details below:
“JSS Barristers is currently evaluating a potential class action against Air Miles and its parent company LoyaltyOne. If you have any concerns or complaints regarding your use of or experience with the Air Miles program, please contact Andrew Wilson (wilsona@jssbarristers.ca) or Kajal Ervin (ervink@jssbarristers.ca).”
This Week’s Recap:
On Monday I shared my biggest investing mistakes.
On Wednesday Marie wrote a thoughtful post about charitable giving and asked if it’s part of your financial plan.
And on Friday Marie listed five things you shouldn’t put off until retirement.
Over on Rewards Cards Canada I explained the difference between Cash Miles and Dream Miles.
Finally, I renewed my mortgage on Friday! Find out next week why choosing an unconventional mortgage term will save me money.
Weekend Reading:
The Investment Funds Institute of Canada says that RESP rules need an overhaul:
“The RESP contribution limit and CESG limit have not changed since their inception in 1998, but average tuition fees in Canada increased from $1,464 in 1990-91 to $6,348 in 2012-13.”
An incredible story of how one family is sending 13 kids to college, living debt free, and still planning on retiring early.
Sentinel Financial, a mutual fund dealer in Saskatchewan, has shamefully refused to pay almost $450,000 in compensation to investors whom they’ve caused financial harm.
Canadian Couch Potato Dan Bortolotti was featured in an AMA (ask me anything) on the discussion forum Reddit. Well worth your time.
“Do I need to save as aggressively with a defined benefit pension plan?” PWL Capital advisor Ben Felix has the answer.
Mark Seed is targeting financial freedom in seven years – at the young age of 50. Good luck, Mark!
Now that CRM2 has been implemented, Michael James has some amusing possible answers to the question, “do you pay investing fees?”
Behaviour Gap’s Carl Richards has a secret to cutting spending: Wait 72 hours before buying anything.
Have you ever bought an item of clothing with the hopes that “one day” you’ll be able to fit into it?
Rob Carrick and Leslie Scorgie explain why you should put a 20% down payment on a house:
Everyone has an opinion about real estate. Just ask Barry Choi, who felt judged after buying a condo in Toronto.
Financial Uproar on how to “win” a multiple offer situation.
Sorry boomers, your days as the financial industry’s target market are numbered.
You only live once is a motto for a generation and a decent starting point for personal finance philosophy.
Frugal Trader shares some tips on how his family saves money on vacations.
Budget travel expert Barry Choi shares some common booking mistakes.
Finally, Walmart vows that its Canada-wide Visa card ban is coming soon, but is there more to this financial game of chicken?
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Amusing was definitely part of what I was going for. Thanks for the mention.
Sorry to hear about your SUV Robb. Happy to read nobody was hurt. Thanks for the mention!
Mark
Car manufacturers don’t issue recalls for every known issue. If they did, none of them would still be in business. Also, while a shattering sunroof is a frightening issue, it is not life threatening. Remember car windshields used to be made of the same tempered glass and used to shatter when hit by rocks etc. before manufacturers moved to laminated glass. Maybe you should ask your dealer if there is a laminated glass alternative available. Anyway, it’s good to hear that they are replacing it. Just make sure that they get all the shattered glass bits out of every nook and cranny in the vehicle.
@jim So you’re saying recalls should only happen if the issue is “life threatening”?? If our children would have been in the car, they could have been seriously injured. Their car seats were covered in large chunks of glass and also tiny shards that most likely would’ve got in their eyes. I myself was covered in glass and had quite a few cuts. We bought this particular vehicle for its safety rating. Knowing this can happen makes me wonder how safe it could actually be in an accident. Had we known this was an issue we would not have picked the sunroof as an option.
Thank you so much for including me! And wow, that’s actually terrifying what happened to your vehicle. But surprisingly, this is not the first time I’ve heard of something similar. Recall is absolutely necessary. Hopefully you get a response, and I’m glad to hear you’re okay.
Maybe your radio was too loud? 😉
“TURN IT UP!!!”
Did you happen to fill this out yet?…. https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/PCDB-BDPP/fc-cp.aspx?lang=eng
Hi Mike, yes I did fill out the form. Hoping Transport Canada adds this to its active defect investigations.