[Turboboy]

Is the rear defroster "inside" the glass or on the surface?
I ask this because I had a 92 Bonneville with rear tint and after a few years had it replaced and when they removed the old tint,the defroster wires came off with it!
Just concerned in case my tint has to be removed after awhile for whatever reason. Should I be concerned?
Thanks.

 

[noR]

I'm pretty sure the defroster is screen printed onto the inside of the rear glass.

Yeah, I can see that being a problem w/tint removal now.... But maybe if they know it's there, there's a solvent or something they can use that won't mess w/the defroster...


noR

 

[captbp]

Mine appears to be on the inside surface of the rear window.

 

[John Koch]

Is the rear defroster "inside" the glass or on the surface?
I ask this because I had a 92 Bonneville with rear tint and after a few years had it replaced and when they removed the old tint,the defroster wires came off with it!
Just concerned in case my tint has to be removed after awhile for whatever reason. Should I be concerned?
Thanks.

The conductive strips that heat up are applied to the inner surface of the rear hatch window. When any tint is removed, the conductive strips will come off in many places making the rear defrost useless. I have never seen a kit that could replace all the strips. It would take forever and drive you crazy. I guess a new rear hatch window and a new tint would solve the problem. JK

 

[Tom Servo]

I have a question about tinting the windows especailly the back window. So Would I have to get a whole new glass and defroster if I wanted tint put on? or could they just put it over the the defroster? When I bought my beetle it doesn't haven't got any tint and I wanted to get it tinted so that it would take away some of the heat during the summer. instead of just having plan glass. I thought that all beetles came with some tint but obiviously not. Boy the guy that had the beetle before me I don't know how he took care of the car. I know for a fact that he sure really didn't take much good care of it. especially if I had to replace the spark plugs and the transmission in the less of a year owning it. It only had almost 63k when I got the transmission. Spark plugs boy they were almost down to nothing that they really needed to be changed. I 'm just trying to keep up my Tom Servo so I can him for a long time. especially having leather seats to take care of too.

Tom Servo

 

[ttupper]

The solution to this is to be extremely picky about any tint you have done. Some tinting is manufacturer guranteed to never bubble, peel, or color shift. Elliminating the need to remove the tint effectively elliminates the worry regarding your defrost apparatus, right?

I guess what this means is... don't try tinting it yourself. Take it to a professional shop that can show you the manufacturers warranty, and who can show you examples of other cars they have done.

The place I went to was not only able to show me the manufacturer warranty, they topped it with their own service warranty, and had examples of other new beetles they had done.

Also to consider is this: the fact that these "wires" are actually on the inside of the glass means the create areas of raised surfaces... which makes the tint not completely adhere there. This is also true of the shading around the edges of the window (the dots). When the film is applied there, if it is not done carefully, it will not adhere and will appear whitish from the outside. If they can't tell you how they handle this, I would go somewhere else. The place I went to was able to show me exactly how they handle it, and they did a great job.

 

[Tom Servo]

Thanks, I was going to look into some of the tinting places here in Utah, and get qutoes and see how well they did there job. I wasn't going to try my self. I seen people that looked like they did it them self and it just didn't look good. they just had lots of bubbles on there back window.I wasn't sure if that was cause by the rear defroster or they putting it on. But thanks again, I'll look into that more when it gets to be spring time.

Tom Servo

 

[CoriBug]

Hi~


I had my Beetle tinted a the beginning of the summer at a place recommeded by the dealership. Also, they've been in business for awhile, so that tells you something too. Anyway, the back window is tinted too and the defroster works great. Last week the temp here was below zero and the defroster got the ice off the back when I had to park outside. It didn't take long, less than 5 minutes.

cori

 

[dnyed]

Hi~


Anyway, the back window is tinted too and the defroster works great.
cori

Same with me. Done by a recommendation from dealer. Any window tinter worth their salt, will make sure it is done right, and not interfere with your defrosters.

 

[blutopless2]

i have had several cars tinted over the years and all of them use a single piece of tint for the rear windows. The film is applied using a spray on solution which dries after a few hours. I have never experienced problems with bubbling after years of use - have always gone for the best film with at least 10 year warranty etc. It does not interfere with the operation of the demister nor does it bubble if you use the demister. I would imagine that if it ever needed to be replaced then i would get the professionals to remove it as they would know how.