A few months back the tab broke off the rear window plate when I was cleaning the window. I used the permatex tab adhesive for the fix and it worked great up until a few weeks ago. The whole rear window defogger stopped working. I checked the fuse and replaced it even though it was not blown. Here is my question: Since the pab is still attached and from what I can tell, not loose, If I smear a conductive adhesive around the tab and plate, would that fix my problem? I have had the car to 3 auto glass shops and to Ford and they all say nothing will be a permanent fix except replacing the rear window. Any advice would help....

 

Well I dunno if it helps or not, just sharing my experience. Same thing happened to me, and one of my tabs broke. So only half of the strips were working. It was covered under my warranty so I had the dealership fix the problem. Look like they just reattached. It's worked since then so unless one of the strips is damaged, I think it's fixable without replacing the entire window.

 

I had mine in twice this winter. They replaced the tab with an Explorer one first, and it came off within a couple of weeks. They replaced it a second time and increased the length of the wire figuring it might have been a little too tight. So far it is good, and I've even had the top down a couple of times. I just keep an eye on it for right now.

 

oh man mine is broken too...but here in cali i really dont need it other than at 3am in the morning with that cold mist and all the foggy windows and stuff...

 

Just have them soidered back on,have done my 96 gt a few times

 

At this point i am trying to avoid taking my car to anyone. No one wants to touch it without just replacing the whole rear glass. My main question is .... Is there a conductive adhesive that will harden around the tab and plate to make a good electrical connection?

 

here you go, i found it on a wierd forum about car electric stuff. the dude said in a post that "this stuff works for the back window wire thingy that heats up" lol, i bet he meant defogger tab lol...

http://www.cotronics.com/vo/cotr/ea_...conductive.htm

 

thanks omar... just what i was looking for!

 

i think its pricey though, but im sure you can find other brands

 

I realize this is an old thread but the same issue happened recently to me. I found a repair kit at the local NAPA store. Its called "Complete Rear Window Defogger Repair Kit", item number 765-1823. It contains repair material for both the tab that has come loose and the broken defogger strip or run. It turned out to be simple to do and hopefully will last.

I believe Advance Auto carries something similar but were out of stock when I stopped by to check. AutoZone did not carry the item any longer.

I hope this helps the next person that has a similar issue.