semi-OT: repairing the rear-window defroster

May 17, 2008 8 Replies
W

It seems to me the people in this group might have some insight into this problem, as it is not unrelated to the problem of repairing board traces.



When I recently bought a car, the dealership stuck the temporary plate on the inside of the rear window with Magic Mending tape. * When I removed the plate, I could see pieces of the defogger traces stuck to the tape.



Not surprisingly, those lines of the defogger no longer work. **



I'm going to complain to Ford, then to the dealer. In the meantime... Does anyone know of a way to fix these breaks "invisibly"? I'm willing to do it with a low-resistance paint, but would prefer to use paint that matches the resistivity of the original striping.



Thanks in advance.


  • Cars no longer have plate holders. And the temp plate is cardboard, anyway.


** My last car, purchased 20 years ago, had the same problem, and for probably the same reason.


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D

Car accessory shops sell silver loaded paint for this very purpose.

*I am a nobody, and nobody is perfect; therefore I am perfect* Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound.
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J

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@davenoise.co.uk:

or copper loaded paint.

Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net
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D

Ah - never seen that in the UK. Wouldn't the copper be more likely to oxidise and lose the connection to the original track?

*Why is it called tourist season if we can\'t shoot at them? Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound.
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M

They make a liquid specific for this kind of repair.

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W

I appreciate the responses.

I want to clarify a point... If you use a low-resistivity paint, the repaired section doesn't dissipate much heat, and you have small areas that don't defrost. This is more of an aesthetic than practical consideration, of course.

I'll check a parts store ASAP. Thanks again.

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J

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@davenoise.co.uk:

I don't know,but the defroster track repair paints I've seen were all copper colored. Perhaps the copper underneath where the connection is would not be exposed to O2,only the surface.

silver oxidizes readily,too.

Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net
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H

avenoise.co.uk:

.
e

If you put the paint on fairly thinly, there is enough resistance that the repaired sections also head up.

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