Two other resources may be of help. For more information on Clear View Kits see the Clear View Product page. For more on defrosters and repair see the Fit It Troubleshooting Guide.

Clear View Defroster Kit Questions & Answers

This FAQ applies to the Clear View Rear Window Defrosters. Our Customer Service staff tracks the most frequently asked Clear View questions and answers them here... Looking for Tab and Grid FAQ or the Main FAQ?

Can I replace my damaged defroster with a Clear View Kit?
Clear View (CV) defrosters can be used to replace severely damaged defrosters that are not repairable using Frost Fighter repair kits. While Clear View kits need to be installed using the kits bus bars and tabs the vehicles existing wiring and switches can be used in most cases.

Please read the "Damage from window tint removal" question below for a full description of this problem and how to fix it.

Can I install the Clear View Grid and operate it from the original switch and wiring already in the vehicle?
Yes! Your existing switching and circuitry should be compatible with the Clear View defroster. The Clear View grids use between 8 and 17 amps for make sure your vehicles fuse and wiring are up to these ratings. We make Stick Kits for exactly this application. See the next question or go to the 2600 Series Stick Kit page.

Frost Fighter Clear View Stick Kits are available
Stick Kits are for vehicles with existing defroster wiring and switching. These kits include the defroster and elements only, the items that stick to the glass, including the mounting tape, brass buss bars, heating elements and black covers ONLY. Stick Kits are handy if errors are made installing grids or for testing the Clear View System in special applications. Order Stick Kits from the 2600 Stick Kit page or preview the Clear View Stick Kits (Adobe PDF).

Can I scrape off the old defroster? Do I need to?
If your putting a Clear View kit into a vehicle that had a defroster the rear window will have the original grids on the glass.  Installing the Clear View kit requires that the glass be CLEAN so it is a good idea to remove the old grids. The vertical side bars can stay in place. Sometimes the old grid will come off with a razor blade and be gone and sometimes the old grid's conductor will come off but there will be a brownish red tint in the area of the lines and that's in the glass so it is not going anyplace. 

Will the Clear View kit match my old defroster on my car?
Will the lines match up? It is not likely that the Clear View Defroster will match your existing vehicles defroster in spacing or layout. 

What is the grid layout? How big? What spacing?
This question comes up a lot. The grid layout looks like the illustration below. The minimum length is 40 and the maximum is 60 inches. The only thing that sticks to the glass is the heating element.

Clear View electrical and Amperage
Clear View Defrosters operate on 12 Volts DC. The amperage is relative to the size of the grid so each installation varies. The range is from 8 to 16 amps.

Can I replace only a couple of lines in my defroster using the Clear View Kit?
No. You cannot just string the heating element material across the old grid lines, connect them to the existing defroster side bars. Clear View element material is much more conductive than the original so its would essentially be a dead short with high temperatures and blown fuses.

Installing Clear View kit in a Pickup Cap or sports car hard top?
Many of our customers do this with excellent results. You need to measure the height and width of the glass and determine which Clear View Kit will work with a pickup cap. The main power wire is 15 feet so its plenty long. See the Clear View kit selection guide here...

What sticks to the glass after the Clear View Kit is installed?
Only the thin (1/16") copper heating elements and the side bus bars adhere to the glass after installation. There is no plastic film or covering left on the glass. This insures the product lives up to its name - Clear View.

How does the Clear View Kit mount on the glass?
The Clear View kits bonds to the inner surface of the rear window on the inside the vehicle

Damage from window tinting application or removal
Tint is the bane of all defrosters as it sticks to both the glass and the defroster and if removed can pull off the conductive elements on the defroster damaging it sometimes irreparably.

Unfortunately replacing an existing grid with the Clear View defroster can be problematic. It can be difficult or impossible to fully remove the existing defroster from your vehicle. We recommend using an single blade industrial razor blade to scrape the old defroster off the glass and even this technique can come up short on some vehicles. Often some evidence of the old defroster lines will remain even after scraping, the use of a cleaner like Comet or rubbing with a solvent. Normally the large side vertical side bars of the old defroster do not need to be removed.

See our Fix It Troubleshooting Guide.

After the glass is clean it can be difficult to match up the old grid lines with the Clear View line layout. We have many customers who do this but it takes some time and patience. Under no circumstance should the defroster layout or grid/bus bar layout be changed from the Clear View layout. The spacing between the heating elements can be adapted but the overall layout needs to be maintained. Clear View kits come with fully illustrated step-by-step instructions.

You can install the kits on curved glass being somewhat careful on the installation. It takes some care to make the installation look good on a vehicle which had a prior grid and the glass must be very clean which normally means scraping the old grid away with a razor blade and cleaning the glass very well as per the instructions.

Clear View kits MUST be installed using the kits bus bars and tabs although the vehicles existing wiring and switches can be used in most cases. DO NOT CHANGE THE NUMBER OF HEATING ELEMENTS OR LAYOUT OF THE ELEMENTS ON THE CLEAR VIEW BUS BAR. The spacing between the elements can be changed as long as the layout on the bus bar is maintained.

Can I put tint over the Clear View Kit?
We have tested tinting over the Clear View kit. The Clear View heating elements are slightly higher off the glass than factory defrosters so the tint may not form a good tight seal along the sides of the heating element. We have had satisfactory results but not perfect. Another challenge is the kits bus bars are 1/4 inch above the glass when installed but the tint can be trimmed to fit these we have found in some vehicles without making it look odd.

Minimum length of Clear View Kits
Unfortunately about 38 inches is a small as the defroster can go. We are working on a grid system that will go small in width but it will not be released for several weeks at best.

Modifying the Clear View Kit, removing defroster lines, changing around bus bar layout
Many of our customers have asked about changing the configuration or layout of the Clear View kits. While knowledgeable customers with a background in 12VDC systems have done amazing things with our grid systems we cannot recommend changes to our grid design or layout. The number of lines, layout on the bus bars and over all width are tuned to deliver the proper electrical resistance and heating. Changing this layout is not recommended.

How do I make the power connection in the Vehicle?
Each Clear View kit comes with complete wiring harness including connectors and a "T-Tap" that can be used to easily make the power connection.

What does the switch look like? How does it work?
The Defroster switch is on an 11 minute timer relay which goes under the dash. The switch is on a wire "leash" to allow positioning the LED lighted touch switch any place in the dash or under using the mounting flange. The mounting switch plate is 1.5 inches (3.81 cm) long, 1 (2.54 cm) inch wide, with a 9/16 (14.28 mm) inch mounting hole. The button is a touch button so do not expect it to click, move or switch until you put power to it.

Can I clean my back window after installing a Clear View Kit?
Yes! We suggest that you use a little more care than just spraying cleaner and rubbing with a towel although. The technique is to spray the glass cleaner onto the cloth then rub the glass from side to side ALONG the grids not up and down ACROSS the grids.

I have a Miata Hardtop without a rear glass defroster. Can I use a Clear View Kit?
Yes! But it takes a little doing. The 2609 Clear View Kit is the one to consider. The grids are spaced 1.25in apart on the kit for 13in total height. The Miata has about a 10x29in rear window so at first blush the 2609 is to tall and does not meet the 40in minimum. Many owners have cut the heating element paper and side bus bars to allow closer spacing. The shorter length will make the grid run a little hotter. It is critical that no heating elements be removed and that the bus bar layout be maintained as per the directions.

My vehicle has tightly curving glass at the edges.
Can I still install a Clear View kit? The deal with the tight wrap glass is that the defroster will need to stop before the tight radius of the glass. The kits bus should be placed in the relatively flat area of the glass. See the Clear View Product page for more... Still have questions? Send them in now

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