I picked up a pile of groceries recently along with a couple of 4 litre bottles of water. I put one of the waters on the passenger side seat and started to haul my groceries in.
After the third trip out, I started smelling something burning and thought it was something in my engine. A small amount of smoke started coming from the passenger side and I realized it was coming from underneath that water bottle. The sun had burned through the windshield and the bottle of water, and burned a hole right in the leather seat. I couldn’t believe it! I had no idea that could happen. I know people have burned paper through magnifying glasses, but never imagined it through a water bottle.
Anyway, nice hole in my seat. Lesson learned: A water bottle can act as a magnifying glass in the right conditions and can be very dangerous.
Good thing I caught it before my truck burned down.
Catherine Watson, Red Deer