Sets fall apart, and I can't seem to fix it.

[Ubenmaat]

Hi Everyone,

I built some small Lego sets (Speed Champions, Brickheadz, and such) and left them in the car on a hot day. At the end of the day they completely fell apart upon touching them. The pieces are insanely loose. I read in a few places that heat makes ABS plastic shrink, so I put the pieces from the sets in the fridge (which did nothing), and then the freezer, overnight, to try and expand them back to functional. Now they only barely stay together as opposed to not at all, but that's hardly better.

Am I the only one this has ever happened to? Have I ruined these pieces forever? I'm hoping somebody out there will have some kind of insight into this. 

Many thanks,

 

[Peppermint_M]

That is really really weird.

I have heard about damage to elements, but never something like this! Hopefully someone here can explain more.

Meanwhile: Do you have photos? It might help diagnose the problem. 

[sed6]

Try Kragle! JK. I recently put some pieces in boiling water, left them in too long and they are ruined. I suspect the same for your bricks. Lesson learned but at least it wasn't a $300 dollar set. If you want to try to save them you can use a fine tip flat screwdriver to slightly deform the bumps on top. The displaced material will increase their holding power. 

[deraven]

Hmm - to soften significantly I'd expect you'd need to get up into the 200° F+ range which I doubt you'd see inside a hot car (even here in Phoenix it's more like 160° on a really hot day).  ABS is amorphous, so hard to say exactly what happens at what temperature, but I guess the other question is:  are you sure they're genuine Lego?  Since you've got a couple different lines I assume so, but I know some knockoff brands are far more susceptible to heat changes/damage.

[JopieK]

My father used to have a lot of pre-ABS bricks, they were very much sensitive to heat, storing them in the attic that was also very hot ruined them. But that was years ago. With ABS that should not happen indeed. Maybe best to contact LEGO about it?!

[Grover]

The Tg (glass transition temperature) is around 105°C (221°F), but Lego recommends not exposing them to temps over 104°F:

https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/help/bricks-building/brick-facts/cleaning-your-lego-bricks-40810000000783

I have never overheated ABS plastic, but I suspect that the 1-2 micron tolerances in bricks are ruined in the heat seen in vehicles.

[Ubenmaat]

Thanks everyone!

Is there a technique to mishaping the bumps with a screwdriver, or do I just jab at each of them a few times?