Windshield & Mirror Glass Distortion

KimK said:

Sorry you have had all these problems dealing with them. The HR-V would be my first Honda, and I have always heard good things from friends.

Can you explain the distortion? I would just like to understand where it occurs and what it may look like.

Hope you are able to get it all worked out and in the end be satisfied with your HR-V.

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KimK, the distortion is varied across the entire span of the windshield with the most severe distortion around the perimeter of the windshield where a driver would look during turns (the left or right sides of the glass), cresting a hill (the bottom of the glass), or approaching/transitioning from a downhill grade to level or an uphill climb (the top of the glass). Simply put, I see the distortion wherever I am looking through entire span of the windshield.

What it looks like may be described as a mild version of looking into a fun-house mirror that distorts the view. No, it's not that severe; but, when driving, sign posts, signs, stripes in the road, and even other vehicles look like I'm seeing them through someone's glasses - or as if I'm looking at them under light ripples in clear water. As my car moves, and the line of sight to the objects outside the car changes, that line of sight moves across the variable degrees of distortion in the windshield. If you've ever seen heat waves rising from a hot road and seen the shimmering distortion of objects seen through those heat waves, that is generally what the windshield distortion looks like.

As I've indicated, my eyesight may be more sensitive to such distortions than others. You may not experience the same issue; and, I hope you don't. My quick check (which I mistakenly didn't think necessary for a new car) is to sit in the driver's seat, focus on distant horizontal and vertical lines such as posts, poles, or building lines such as large window frames or the corners of those buildings. I then move my head left and right, and then up and down, to view the various lines through the windshield as a moving target. If those lines that I'm viewing seem to wiggle or change shape as I change my viewing angle, I consider the windshield to be distorted. The more distant the lines being viewed the better the analysis due to the physics of lensing effects which reveal distortion more over greater viewing distances. One minute of angular distortion over a viewing distance of 10 feet may be imperceptible to most; however, that same one minute of angular distortion over 200 yards may be obvious to most (in the extreme, think Hubble telescope and the mirror distortion it suffered - no apparent distortion within the limited dimensions of the laboratory or assembly building; but, disastrous effects over light years).

For me, driving the car makes the distortion very evident as everything changes shape and position beyond what would be normally perceived where there is no distortion. If you don't see it, or if you see it and it does not disturb your vestibular system or your safety, I'd consider it a non-issue for you. No car windshield is optically perfect; yet, this is the only one that has ever caused nausea for me. So, for me, this is an extreme condition which, in conjunction with two other issues (mirror distortion and hands-free voice tag failure), makes an otherwise delightful car into a low-quality failure. For you, it may be fine.

KimK said:

Have you tried going back to the dealer and sitting in another HR-V? I assume you test drove one before your purchase and did not find any issues with the glass on your test drive?

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KimK, I have been back to the dealer. I did not perceive the problem in the very short test drive around the car lot. I have sat in other HR-Vs and have seen similar degrees of distortion. Moreover, my wife and I have met with both the dealer and the rep from American Honda. That rep ultimately agreed to replace the windshield ONCE AND ONLY ONCE. I recognized the risk in that stipulation but I accepted that risk due to the severity of the distortion currently experienced. The rep also agreed, after much discussion, to take my hands-free voice tag issue to the HDF engineering and support group to see if the failure of the voice tags could be resolved. When I raised the third issue to the rep, that related to the distortion in the inside rear-view mirror, I told him I would not accept a similar one-time restriction on something as small and inexpensive as the mirror. The rep clearly stated that he would not make multiple replacements on the mirror until I was satisfied and that he didn't see any avenue to satisfying me. He then withdrew from the first two agreements, reneged on them, and stated that we should just go our separate ways. That's a corporate rep telling a customer, in essence, to go away and not bother him with defect issues. That was the end of our meeting. I consider the reps behavior to be unethical and immoral in that he made two agreements with me on two issues.

Good luck with your purchase. For my own part, I will never buy another Honda - not so much because of the defects; but, for the shoddy treatment I believe I received at the hands of a Honda corporate rep.

Arjay3rd said:

physics of lensing effects...
minute of angular distortion...
Hubble telescope...
vestibular system...

What does this all mean? I really feel let down by my state university education!

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Arjay3rd,

Hmmmmm, not sure if you're pulling my chain or not.

physics of lensing effects... How light is affected by the material in a lens taking into account the refractive index of the material, the angles of incidence, the angle of refraction, and the angle between the two surfaces of the glass (in good, clear glass of a windshield, the two surfaces should be parallel - with no waves).

minute of angular distortion... Angles are often measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds. A deviation from the intended path of a ray of light is a consequence of distortion and that deviation can be measured as an angle.

Hubble telescope... The Hubble telescope had serious spherical aberration problem which required a very expensive corrective lens to enable accurate focus without distortion. This lens was called the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR). It allowed Hubble to "see" clearly.

vestibular system... The vestibular system is the sensory system that provides the leading contribution about the sense of balance and spatial orientation for the purpose of coordinating movement with balance. There are other elements that contribute input such as sight and feel (such as pressure on the bottoms of the feet) and that is why the phrase "leading contribution." The balance system is, in part, comprised of the semi-circular canals in the inner ears.

Hope that helps.