Broken defroster connection

[Keith]

Hey guys,

I have gotten my windows tinted, and although it looks cool I've found that they broke the rear defroster connection while putting the rear glass tint on. I'm talking with them soon but it may end up that I fix this myself.

I've looked at that Great Trade School in the Cloud, YouTube, and see how you can fix this.

Anybody have any personal experience in which fix-it kit to buy?

Do you have to remove all the old solder / glue down to glass / metal before doing the new kit?

Thanks MM experts -


Keith in Houston

[sailsmen]

You will probably have to remove the tint.

[Zack]

Permatex makes a kit.

[RubberCtyRauder]

quickest way to remove tint with no residue is a steamer, can buy handheld one at walmart for $20, set towels on package tray, it drips water a lot. steam it up and peel it off as you go.

[ByronRACE]

If they were shoddy enough to break the defroster, they most likely also used the wrong kind of blades and cut the defrost lines; so as soon as you fix it, make sure you fog the glass and turn it on to see if they did or not.

If it was mine, I'd made them replace the window.

[BLACKMARAUDER04]

That happened a number of times in my 1984 LTD LX. The dealer fixed mine. They re-attached the wire to the window connection.

[PonyGuy]

Do you know where the connection is broken?

If the entire grid is inoperative, it is most likely the connection behind the driver. It can be re-soldered, or you may need a kit which uses a conductive epoxy cement to re-attach the connector. Occasionally the connection on the passenger side is broken, but less frequently.

If only a single or a few grid lines are inoperative, you'll need to locate the broken grid line, and use a silver-bearing repair kit. This will require the removal of the tint, of course.

Best repair, of course, is a replacement gla$$.

[Keith]

You guys, and this site, really rock. I always get great advice from MM.net.

Keith in Houston

[Agent2006]

Maybe if you find out where the break is, you can just remove the tint at that point, say the size of a quarter, fix the break then cut a new piece of tint to fill the hole. Not perfect but less work than a whole re-tint. I'm slowly removing ancient tint from a F-body rear hatch, using a Conair "Extreme Steam" fabric steamer from Walmart.