Answers to the most frequently asked Frost Fighter questions as tracked by our Customer Service staff.

Top Tab and Grid Questions & Answers

1. Doctor Defroster's Customer Challenge of the week
2. Tint damage, removal, replacement
3. Bonded tab with epoxy, super glue, competing product
4. Defroster stopped working suddenly
5. Defroster slowly stopped working
6. Only a few defroster lines work
7. Tab is broken but the base is still stuck to the defroster
8. Tab came off and pulled a lot of the defroster with it
9. Grid repair color matching
10. Complete defroster replacement
11. Everything else

For more information on complete new or replacement defrosters see Clear View Defroster Kits. See our Fix It Troubleshooting Guide for information on defrosters and repair.

Doctor Defroster's Customer Challenge of the Week

"First the tab fell off the window. I tired to solder it back on but that damaged allot of the buss bar. Then before I damaged it more I decided to use another brand tab reattachment kit. After I let it cure I tried to turn it on and got nothing. So now I have a partially damaged bus bar and a tab stuck to the glass (which has to come off and be replaced because it is about to break into 2 pieces). What can I do to possibly repair the buss bar, get the tab off the window and reattach it correctly?" - Customer email

Doctor Defroster on how to fix this... While it sounds like a disaster this is relatively easy to fix. First use a screw driver to remove the tab now non-conductively bonded to the defroster. This may take a little doing and using a hair dryer to heat the tab slightly helps in removal. When you have the tab off clean it and sand the bottom to bare metal for a good electrical contact. Since the tab is damaged make sure you have a Uni-Clip Kit and the Tab Bonding Kit handy. If the connector is damaged use our Uni-Con kit.

Mix the Tab Bonding kit and apply the silver adhesive to the defroster overlapping onto the defroster for a good electrical connection. Now put a little sliver adhesive on the tab and place it into position. The bonding material sets quickly. Wait a minute or two for the bond to start the cure then use the hair dryer to cure the bonding site (100-120F 30+ minutes) and your back on the road.

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.

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. See our Clear View FAQ for more. 

Someone glued the defroster tab back using regular glue, 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.

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.

My defroster stopped working suddenly, the wire on the side is dangling/loose.
The tabs located along the sides of the defroster connect the defroster electrically to the vehicles defrost circuit. One tab is the positive and the other ground. If a tab comes off the defroster this will mean total instantaneous failure of the defroster. In this case check the power tabs on the side of the defroster. Use the 2000 Frost Fighter Tab Kit to conductively re-bond the power tab.

My defroster slowly started to fail
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 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.

Only a few defroster lines work now?
This is a common problem normally indicating a scratch across the non-functional grids. These lines can quickly be repaired with the 2100 Grid Repair Kit. It may also be that your defroster is seeing the signs of advancing age (see above) and that a Clear View Kit may be needed.

My tab/clip has broken. The base is still stuck to the defroster. What now?
There are three options here. One, try and pry off the tab base that is still stuck to the defroster. Flat blade screw driver and needle nose pliers can be helpful. Removal may damage the underlying defroster but this can be repaired easily by light sanding and masking off a square overlapping the defroster and damaged area then applying the 2000 Tab Bonding adhesive. Option two, bond a new tab from the Uni-Clip Kit to the defroster near the broken tab. Three, sand, file or grind the tab base still on the glass flat and bond the replacement tab over the top.

In each and every case use the Frost Fighter Tab Bonding Kit to reattach a new tab from the Uni-Clip Kit to the defroster.

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.

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.

None of the tabs I see on your website match the ones in my car. Will the Tab Bonding Kit still work?
Yes! Any tab properly bonded to the defroster will work. While almost every vehicle has a unique tab design Frost Fighter offers three tabs that match or are close to nearly all the vehicles on the road. See the Tab/Clip information.

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.

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.

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. 

I want to replace my entire defroster, do you have something? 
Yes! The Clear View 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. See the Frost Fighter 2600 Clear View Rear Window Defroster Kits page.

What is the shelf life of the products?
The shelf life of the Frost Fighter Kits is one year unopened. 

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!

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