“Invisible” Vandalism?

[chrisof94]

Potential "invisible"vandalism....Need some thoughts from everyone. Today, I was parked at a local place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland and once I got back in the truck, noticed a sentry event of a women with a cigarette looking at the left drivers end of the truck. No foul play was observed so I ignored it and moved on. Once I got home, I proceeded to clean my car and noticed the the left b pillar was showing a distinctive mark appearing to spell "BVT" when wet which could not be removed after trying to clean it off multiple times. It virtually disappears when dry.

This caused me to further review the video and I noticed that the women was observing the exact same spot than proceeded to wait by her car and speaking with the her friend as if she was waiting for sentry mode to time out and go to sleep so she can do something between events. I know this is circumstantial evidence at best, but she have been the culprit?

Initial research suggests that that a cigarette butt is unlikely to have a heat intense enough to etch the glass, and that either someone applied a water-repellent substance or it was a factory residue. I just got the truck two weeks ago. Any thoughts here?

I can’t post the full videos since they are too long, but the main event of interest is attached.

Sponsored

 

[Travis64]

That says but

 

[chrisof94]

Ok thanks, I don’t think the message matters as much as the origin though. How could this have occurred? I only have circumstantial evidence and no license plates so I can I’m not hair much can be done here if I can’t point towards this being clear and intentional vandalism.

 

[Coagulation]

Why but though?

 

[chrisof94]

Why but though?

That’s my question as well, I would suspected something more explicit if someone went through the trouble of doing vandalizing something invisibly…

 

[dalton108]

Because of ignorance? “Butt” intended?

 

[chrisof94]

Because of ignorance? “Butt” intended?

I just want to know how they did it and how to fix it TBH. Also why didn’t sentry mode capture it? Could she have waited until it timed out?

 

[Beetlebug62]

I read it as Bitc. Check the other window for an "h".

I'd just try various cleaning solutions.

 

[dalton108]

I just want to know how they did it and how to fix it TBH. Also why didn’t sentry mode capture it? Could she have waited until it timed out?

Well, the lamination on the CT glass is on the outside instead of sandwiched in between Glass like most vehicles. So my guess is a cigarette is more than enough to damage that coating - if that’s what she did.

I might be wrong, but the reason that I think that’s the case is damaged that occurred to mine with some antlers that I made last Christmas. Without going into exhaustive detail foil which was used in the process transferred to the outer coating of the glass and when I removed it with a very low grit Brillo the outer coating was damaged. Unlike you would expect from regular glass.

 

[chrisof94]

I read it as Bitc. Check the other window for an "h".

I'd just try various cleaning solutions.

No marks anywhere else other than here. Could be that they were just doing it in a hurry before anyone saw.

Well, the lamination on the CT glass is on the outside instead of sandwiched in between Glass like most vehicles. So my guess is a cigarette is more than enough to damage that coating - if that’s what she did.

thanks. That ups the possibility of cigarette damage by quite a bit then. Is it a simple enough fix or does that entire unit need to be replaced if I don’t just cover it up somehow(I.e. carbon fiber PPF)?

 

[dalton108]

No marks anywhere else other than here. Could be that they were just doing it in a hurry before anyone saw.

thanks. That ups the possibility of cigarette damage by quite a bit then. Is it a simple enough fix or does that entire unit need to be replaced if I don’t just cover it up somehow(I.e. carbon fiber PPF)?

See my extended above I could be wrong I’m researching. @mongo or someone else might have a better answer about the external coating/failure mode off the top of their heads.

 

[chrisof94]

See my extended above I could be wrong I’m researching. @mongo or someone else might have a better answer about the external coating/failure mode off the top of their heads.

Thanks. I think my doubt with your conclusion would be that the mark only show up when wet and water seems to bead up around it.

 

[dalton108]

Thanks. I think my doubt with your conclusion would be that the mark only show up when wet and water seems to bead up around it.

In my case it feels like what I did was scratch off some sort of outer coating with the abrasive that I used. I say that because with Potter’s glasses you can see the small area where I scratched the glass but I can’t find anything to indicate that there’s any kind of coating there.

It seems I was right about it being more prone to scratching but not because there’s a plastic outer layer. Here’s what Grok has to say:

The Cybertruck’s side windows (including the driver-side one) are made of Tesla’s proprietary “Armor Glass,” a multi-layered composite designed for impact resistance rather than true bulletproofing. The outermost layer is borosilicate glass—a type of chemically strengthened glass that’s more durable against thermal stress and blunt impacts than standard soda-lime automotive glass, but it’s still prone to surface scratches from sharp objects or abrasive debris. Borosilicate is tougher overall (it’s used in lab equipment for its resistance to cracking under temperature changes), but it can feel “softer” in terms of scratch resistance because it lacks the harder, more brittle edge of tempered soda-lime glass found in most car side windows.

Yes, the windows feature lamination throughout: They’re a polymer-layered composite (ultra-strong glass sheets bonded with flexible polymer interlayers, similar to a windshield’s construction). This helps absorb and redirect impact energy, preventing full shattering on hits like rocks or branches—hence the “shatter-resistant” marketing. However, the outer borosilicate layer doesn’t have an additional hard coating (like some phone screens), so it can scratch more easily than you’d expect from regular tempered glass. Owners have reported similar issues, often from wiper blades with trapped grit, dog paws, or even cleaning tools, and Tesla service can buff minor scratches or replace under warranty if needed.

And then with specific regard to heat:

However, borosilicate glass, while highly resistant to thermal shock (it’s used in ovenware and lab equipment), can still be damaged by localized, intense heat. A cigarette tip burns at around 700–900°C (1,300–1,650°F) when puffed, which could theoretically cause micro-cracks, pitting, or localized melting on the glass surface if held in direct contact for long enough. This wouldn’t “burn off” a coating but could mar the borosilicate layer itself, especially since it’s less hard (and more scratch-prone) than standard tempered automotive glass. Any damage would likely appear as a small burn mark or faint discoloration rather than a large-scale failure of the glass.

If you’re concerned about a specific incident (e.g., a cigarette touching the window), inspect the area for visible pitting or cloudiness. Minor surface marks can often be polished out by a professional detailer or Tesla service, but deeper damage might require window replacement.

 

[chrisof94]

In my case it feels like what I did was scratch off some sort of outer coating with the abrasive that I used. I say that because with Potter’s glasses you can see the small area where I scratched the glass but I can’t find anything to indicate that there’s any kind of coating there.

It seems I was right about it being more prone to scratching but not because there’s a plastic outer layer. Here’s what Grok has to say:

The Cybertruck’s side windows (including the driver-side one) are made of Tesla’s proprietary “Armor Glass,” a multi-layered composite designed for impact resistance rather than true bulletproofing. The outermost layer is borosilicate glass—a type of chemically strengthened glass that’s more durable against thermal stress and blunt impacts than standard soda-lime automotive glass, but it’s still prone to surface scratches from sharp objects or abrasive debris. Borosilicate is tougher overall (it’s used in lab equipment for its resistance to cracking under temperature changes), but it can feel “softer” in terms of scratch resistance because it lacks the harder, more brittle edge of tempered soda-lime glass found in most car side windows.

Yes, the windows feature lamination throughout: They’re a polymer-layered composite (ultra-strong glass sheets bonded with flexible polymer interlayers, similar to a windshield’s construction). This helps absorb and redirect impact energy, preventing full shattering on hits like rocks or branches—hence the “shatter-resistant” marketing. However, the outer borosilicate layer doesn’t have an additional hard coating (like some phone screens), so it can scratch more easily than you’d expect from regular tempered glass. Owners have reported similar issues, often from wiper blades with trapped grit, dog paws, or even cleaning tools, and Tesla service can buff minor scratches or replace under warranty if needed.

And then with specific regard to heat:

However, borosilicate glass, while highly resistant to thermal shock (it’s used in ovenware and lab equipment), can still be damaged by localized, intense heat. A cigarette tip burns at around 700–900°C (1,300–1,650°F) when puffed, which could theoretically cause micro-cracks, pitting, or localized melting on the glass surface if held in direct contact for long enough. This wouldn’t “burn off” a coating but could mar the borosilicate layer itself, especially since it’s less hard (and more scratch-prone) than standard tempered automotive glass. Any damage would likely appear as a small burn mark or faint discoloration rather than a large-scale failure of the glass.

If you’re concerned about a specific incident (e.g., a cigarette touching the window), inspect the area for visible pitting or cloudiness. Minor surface marks can often be polished out by a professional detailer or Tesla service, but deeper damage might require window replacement.

Interesting. This is it from the side. The cloudiness around the wording seems to support Grok’s conclusion. Hopefully a minor cleaning with a auto clay bar solves the problem

 

[dalton108]

Interesting. This is it from the side. The cloudiness around the wording seems to support Grok’s conclusion. Hopefully a minor polish with a auto clay bar solves the problem

I hope there’s a good solution for you and also that one of our engineering brainiacs weighs in on what they think could be going on.

It’s really hard to capture, but here’s my best effort at showing you what mine looks like. In addition to the two small vertical lines where glass is clouded from my scratching it there are slightly wider zones around the blurry spots where in certain lights you can see the coding has been removed and it kind of looks like the main strokes in your graffiti. It’s as if there was an oleophobic/hydrophobic coating there that has been removed.

Anyway I hope you’re able to get that taken care of without too much or effort cost.

Sponsored