TOPIC: X-Men On Roofing

I found this on the south facing roof of the garage and home that I inspected.  North facing side looked great for 15 (or so) years old, but the south side looks like Wolverine attacked! 

Venting was zero in the garage, main house had 4 field vents but seemed to be doing very little.  So I understand the curling...but I've never seen anything like the grooves cutting the granules off these.

Looks to me that it is a manufacturing defect.  The pattern of the grooves is exactly the same as the pattern of the different colour granules on the good side.  (Maybe the asphalt was a bit drier when the lighter coloured granules were applied??)  I think it won't be long before the exposed felt will start to let water through now.
Even if the manufacturer would agree that this is a manufacturing defect, after 15 years they may not be willing to pay out much (unless it is a 30 or 40 year shingle) but it certainly would be worth a try.

I was wondering that as well, since the pattern is just so similar from shingle to shingle.  Is calling it out as a possible manufacturer defect something you'd do?  I've stated so far that the shingles are beyond their useful life and requires a roofing contractor to evaluate/repair/replace. 

I think it is worth a shot.  Usually once the house is sold the warranty is done so this is the last chance that the seller has to try and get some compensation. 

I've never seen that before!  It's like there is a weird pattern of the tar glue used to apply the granules.

I know Jay.  And to have it literally start and stop halfway across the ridge is just crazy.  You'd never guess it from the front that anything was wrong, and the elevation drop in the back is so great that you can't really see much from the ground.  My clients were very happy I went on that roof.