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Our Customer Service staff
tracks the most frequently asked Frost Fighter questions and answers
them here... Looking for the
Clear View FAQ?
Two other resources may be of help. For more information on compleate
defrosters see the Clear View Product
page. For more on defrosters and repair see the
Fit It Troubleshooting
Guide.
Tab and Grid Questions & Answers
I have never
repaired my defroster, is it hard?
Repairing defrosters is easy as all
Frost Fighter kits come with step-by-step illustrated instructions.
My defroster
slowly started to fail and now barely works. Any chance
of repairing it?
Old age may have gotten the
better of your defroster. Defrosters use a silver filled coating that is
heat cured in the inside of the rear window glass when the window is
manufactured. This silver filled coating is made up of very tiny flakes
of silver which when drawn together tightly by the coating form a
perfect balance in electrical properties.
Over the years with sun,
cleaning or scratching some of these conductive silver particles can
come off the glass creating more and more electrical resistance until
finely the defroster stops working all together. If the grid is
scratched you can use the 2000 Grid Kit to fix the areas that have the
small breaks. If the grid is generally shot then you might think about a
Clear View kit that can replace the entire grid BUT please read the
FAQ
on Clear View Kits before diving in to this replacement.
My
vehicles defroster does not work.
If the defroster only
partially works then it normally means you have a damaged defroster
grid. This damage can be repaired with a
Frost Fighter GRID Repair Kit.
If the defroster does not work at all then it could be a separated main
power tab. Use the Frost Fighter TAB Repair Kit to reattached these
tabs.
To understand more about defrosters see the illustrated Frost Fighter
Fit It Troubleshooting complete guide.
My defroster stopped working and the wire on the side is
dangling/loose.
Total failure of the defroster is likely due to one of
the tab/clips on the side of the defroster coming loose. Use the
2000
Frost Fighter Tab Kit to re-bond the power tab.
One of the power
Tabs/Clips was lost - what now?
If one or both of the main power tabs
was lost when the tab separated from the defroster then use the
Frost
Fighter Uni-Clip Kit to replace the missing clip. The clips supplied are
generic and will work on all makes and models.
I bonded my tab back on
with five minute epoxy/super glue/competing product and my defroster
still does not work. Why?
These adhesives (yes even a competitors) are
not electrically conductive and in most cases insulators. The main
defroster tabs must be ELECTRICALLY connected to the defroster so the
glue must be highly conductive. The
2000 Tab Kit is just the ticket
here.
Someone glued the defroster tab back using regular glue now what?
It is very common for folks to stick on the metal clips using a
non-conductive adhesive expecting it to make an electrical connection to
the defroster. Here is what you can do. Gently remove the suspect tab
with pliers and then use the sand paper supplied with the 2000 Frost
Fighter Tab Kit to remove any excess non-conductive glue. Mask off the
area with tape to limited the sanding marks. If the non-conductive glue
is thick, use a screw driver to carefully scrape pry it away from the
defroster. Make sure to sandpaper the base of the removed tab and there
is a good metal contact. Once removed, mask off the area and apply the
Frost Fighter 2000 Tab adhesive after mixing then bond the tab back into
position making sure there is a good contact between the defroster
material and the silver conductor.
If your not concerned about the
aesthetics you can bond on the cleaned defroster tab directly to the
vertical main power in another position.
I used a Permatex Kit and it
still does not work. How is Frost Fighter Better?
Lets just say we get a lot of customer calls with this
question. Frost Fighter Kits use a very high sliver loading for the best
possible electrical properties. This means that your tab will bond to
the defroster and make a good electrical connection in one operation.
My tab fell off and pulled some of the defroster.
Now what?
Here is what to do. Using masking tape mask off a square area that
covers the damaged area on the defroster and incorporates some of the
good defroster as well. Add a second layer of tape on top of the
original making tape so there are TWO tape thicknesses around the
bonding site. It should look like a little rectangle.
Follow the
illustrated instruction on the tab kit and apply some of the silver
adhesive to the masking area and, using a smooth edge, "squeegee" the
adhesive into the masked off area using the masking tape as a guide to
set the depth of the silver paste. Make sure the bonding area is smooth,
has an even two tape thickness and then dip the new connector foot in the
adhesive and position it on top of the bonding area while wet.
Next, and
this is critical, hold the connector in place (light pressure with screw
driver) and using a hair dryer or heat lamp or other heater warm up the
bond site for several minutes until the adhesive starts to lock down.
Then keep the area warm for several hours (lamp, hair dryer or such) and
your back on the road. Sounds complicated but its not.
Are Frost Fighter
Kits expensive?
The use highly engineered materials with very high silver loading and when compared to the cost of back glass replacement
which starts at several hundred and goes to over a thousand dollars for SUV or
Mini-Van glass, the Frost Fighter kits provide an excellent value -
epically since most insurance does not cover glass.
Do the repairs match
the color of the defroster?
Yes. The grid repairs are color matched to
the brownish defroster color for nearly invisible repairs. The tab
repair kit is pure silver much like the factory original equipment.
Why
isn't the silver adhesive conductive right away?
Both the grid and tab
repair kits require the material to be fully cured for maximum
conductivity and adhesion. The curing process forces the tiny silver
particles together resulting in improving electrical conductivity.
Warming the repair with a hair dryer or heat gun is recommended.
How
long a gap can I repair in my defroster grid?
The excellent conductivity
of the Frost Fighter grid repair material allows 4 -6 inches of grid to
be replaced. Normally defroster grid damage is small at less than an
inch in length.
What are Clear View Kits?
Frost Fighter 2600 Clear View
Electric Automotive Rear Window Defroster Kits are complete rear window
heaters that are easy to install. These kits match the look and
performance of factory installed defrosters, melting snow, ice and
clearing mist in seconds for safe winter driving. These high performance
defrosters melt snow and ice and clear mist instantly.
What is the shelf
life of the products?
The shelf life of the Frost Fighter Kits is one
year unopened and six months after opening.
How long does it take to
complete a repair?
The grid repair can be done in under five minutes
with the required drying time of thirty minutes. The tab repair can be
done in just over five minutes with curing times of up to two hours.
Curing times can be reduced with the application of heat which is
recommended.
How many repairs can I do with a kit?
Frost Fighter Kits are designed to deliver over ten repairs per kit but
it depends on the extent of the damage.
Chrysler Sebring Convertible Problems
We get a lot
of calls on Sebrings and defrosters which are normally clip/tab
separation issues. Back glass for this vehicle is very expensive, but
the good news is all you need is the 2000 Tab Kit to fix the problem.
You can do several repairs with one tab kit should the challenging
design of the defroster on the Sebring cause this again.
My tab fell off
when I heated it to cure, did I get it too hot?
The silver tab adhesive,
as it heats up initially (just after you apply it) gets thinner and less
sticky for a few minutes. This may lead the tab to fall off the
defroster. You can tape the tab on the window or pin it in place with a
screw driver while heating with the hair dryer. In about 5 minutes the
adhesive starts to cure and then locks up hard in 10 minutes after the
heat is applied. Keep up the heat for 20-30 minutes and your on your
way. Heat curing makes a much stronger and more conductive repair!
I
removed a sticker from my window and my defroster stopped working.
While
trying to a remove stickers/coatings/tint from the inside of the rear
glass it is very common to damage the defroster. Use the Frost Fighter
Grid Repair Kit to fix this damage!
See our full online catalog
here
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