rear window defrost lines.

quartersquarters Council Member
in Bodywork & Cosmetic Modifications
I am down to two of the lines working, is there anything i can do to fix this without replacing the window? I live in a very very snowy climate.

Comments

  • ragenasianragenasian Moderator
    I have heard of repair kits for the defroster grid in the back. I dont' know how good they are but I will be ordering one soon for the wife's wagon as hers has a couple of lines not working.

    http://www.frostfighter.com/
  • turbo_tegturbo_teg Council Member
    that hot shot window blaster they have looks like it would crack a windshield.
  • quartersquarters Council Member
    ragenasian wrote:
    I have heard of repair kits for the defroster grid in the back. I dont' know how good they are but I will be ordering one soon for the wife's wagon as hers has a couple of lines not working.

    http://www.frostfighter.com/

    some interesting stuff there, i'll hold off and see how yours goes. Luckily for me the two lines that are still working are in the middle of the window so it's not that bad, but still poop.
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    :shock: I used a line repair kit from Permatex.It's been 2 years & still working fine.I had about 8 spots.

    TIP:My only tip is to peel the tape b4 it dries otherwise it peels the conductive paint off.Maybe it was because I used regular clear tape instead of the tape in the kit.
  • KahunaKahuna familEE
    Since I have tinted windows, could I still use this repair kit?
  • lalunettelalunette familEE
    turbo_teg wrote:
    that hot shot window blaster they have looks like it would crack a windshield.

    This is the second winter Canuck Tire has been selling a similar kit... and I haven't heard any negative news about them...

    but you're right, what if your window is at -45 Celsius with the wind chill and you blast it with super hot water... that's how plates break when you take them out of the oven and put them in water.

    Just wonderin' is all :?:
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    Kahuna wrote:
    Since I have tinted windows, could I still use this repair kit?

    Good question :o It's G :P :P D & bad :evil: .The bad is locating the damaged section.You'll need to pierce the tint film with a pin along the bad line to locate the break with the VOM meter.The GOOD is you don't need to mask off the break area.Just trim a slim slot in the tint film next to the break .Normally you use steel wool to rough it up,but in your case use a X-acto blade(same 1 u used to trim the slot) to scratch(rough) the broken area &alittle beyond.Clean with alcohol & paint.

    :arrow: TIP:There might be more than 1 break (in a line)& they could b hairline breaks.
  • shift_wagovanshift_wagovan Wagonist
    i wouldn't mess with tint for that... what if you have 10+ breaks in it?? then your tint is going to look ghetto as heck... either re do it yourself or have it professionally redone(tint)... unless you don't care what it looks like
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    You probably would hardly notice it.It's not like you're sitting in the rear facing back looking at it.It's tinted.Driver's not going to see it (in the mirror)unless your superman.The only thing you're seeing on the outside is the slit that was cut.If you're doing the repair on a untinted window you actually have to go wider than the defogger line,but on a tinted window(with a slit cut as wide is the defogger line)you'll only see the defogger line.So with a tinted window you can go tighter.Any paint overflow will be on the inside not seen from the outside.Hardly noticeble on the inside 'cuz of the tint.
  • quartersquarters Council Member
    i went out and bought one of those repair kits...

    i have 6 lines that are broken. the repair takes patience, something i didn't have at the time. so out of the 6 i tried to fix, 2 worked. anyway, the product works well if you don't try to rush it.
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    :( THe other prob with the dfg repair kit is when I was cleaning the rear window I wiped off the patch.Now they don't work again.SUCKS.So don't wipe the repaired area.
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    I'm dragging this thread up to ask a related question: Have any of you ever tried to reinstall the spade terminal to the glass? The painter broke one of mine off. I tried to solder it, but with no luck. In googling around, I found mention of a conductive cement for this use. Ever tried it?

    help :cry:
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    I ordered the silver epoxy... will let you know how it works.
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