Rear Window Tinted and now Defroster line melted the tint. Thoughts?

26374 Views 73 Replies 27 Participants Last post by Tira19, 2 d ago

coolesnce

Discussion Starter · Dec 12, 2018 (Edited)

2

I had my rear window tinted with a single piece of SunTek ceramic tint. a month ago ( took delivery of Model 3 end of October) With the weather getting colder I started to use my read defroster and noticed that a segment of the defroster line has melted were it covers the defroster line. I went to Tesla today for service and they said the overheat was caused by the tint and because I tinted the rear window I voided the warranty and ff I have to replace the glass that would not covered by the warranty. I also showed the tint place that I had the tint installed at and they said that the tint should not have melted since its automotive grade tine and that most likely I had a defective defroster line. Attached are some pics. I wanted to get some feedback if anyone has had a similar experience and what they did to find a resolution, Thanks in advance.

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JasonF

· #21 · Dec 12, 2018

PNWmisty said:
The dashboard? Isn't that by the windshield? I thought we were talking about whether or not Tesla approved putting solar tint over the rear DEFROSTER elements?

It surprised me when I thought you said Tesla approved solar film on the defroster wires.

They did, kind of. I called asking of ANY of the tint would compromise the warranty or cause any damage - because the tinting person didn't want to work on the car if there was too much risk of damage. I called Tesla service and told them I'd be tinting all of the windows, and asked if it would cause any problems. They told me the only thing to look out for was to make sure water didn't run down into the dashboard.

I was fully prepared to abandon the whole thing if they warned me I was going to void the warranty if I applied any tint.

MelindaV

· #22 · Dec 12, 2018

JasonF said:
They did, kind of. I called asking of ANY of the tint would compromise the warranty or cause any damage - because the tinting person didn't want to work on the car if there was too much risk of damage. I called Tesla service and told them I'd be tinting all of the windows, and asked if it would cause any problems. They told me the only thing to look out for was to make sure water didn't run down into the dashboard.

I was fully prepared to abandon the whole thing if they warned me I was going to void the warranty if I applied any tint.

So as a precaution to others, get something like this in writing from Tesla prior to having the work (by others) done.

Jay Jay

· #23 · Dec 12, 2018

I think Tesla is doing the wrong thing here. I've never heard of or seen this happen on any car I've owned (with tint), or anyone else I know. It's not the tint. Or VERY (EXCEEDINGLY) unlikely to be and they should just do what's right here.

coolesnce

Discussion Starter · #24 · Dec 12, 2018

I have owned numerous vehicles in the luxury line of cars and was excited to add Tesla to it, but unfortunately my experience of having to chance down basic things like a signed MVP and see why the referral code hasnt taken that I used when buying my model 3 (3 months already and no update after numerous phone calls and emails..sigh) and now this :-( Love the model 3, the vision, the tech, but the customer experience in my personal situation has been a bit disappointing.

On a side note they said it isnt a issue/ defect on Tesla side because each car defroster lines is oms tested before delivery.

iChris93

· #25 · Dec 12, 2018 (Edited)

Jay Jay said:
I think Tesla is doing the wrong thing here. I've never heard of or seen this happen on any car I've owned (with tint), or anyone else I know. It's not the tint. Or VERY (EXCEEDINGLY) unlikely to be and they should just do what's right here.

I tend to think Tesla is doing the wrong thing here too. But, while the tint is extremely unlikely to cause damage, the installer may have if they were using a razor near the defroster lines. Scraping them could remove some of the trace leading to a higher resistance leading to more heat in one area.

coolesnce said:
On a side note they said it isnt a issue/ defect on Tesla side because each car defroster lines is oms tested before delivery.

While this may be true, I doubt it because I have seen others post here with lines that are not working.

coolesnce

Discussion Starter · #26 · Dec 12, 2018

Tesla said I can submit a written letter to them to dispute warranty denial and go to arbitration as per their warranty documentation states. They make it challenging to get a second pair of eyes on this for review.

Skione65

· #27 · Dec 12, 2018

coolesnce said:
Thanks Mase. Im picking up my car tomorrow. They said the Application of the tint caused the line to be damaged possibly from putting the tint on and then lifting it off to align the tint. Its hard to point fingers since I dont have any close ups of the defroster line before and after. Its tough having owned my Model 3 less than 3 months and needing to possibly shell out $$$$ to replace the whole glass roof if I want to address the defroster line and an new tint job thats only 1 month old that wasnt cheap as you all probably know for the single piece install. Sigh.

@coolesnce,

What is the cost of a new rear window? (Window and install)

Ski

coolesnce

Discussion Starter · #28 · Dec 12, 2018

Dont know yet, they will provide me some numbers when I pick up, but I cant imagine it would be cheap

Mase

· #29 · Dec 12, 2018

Arbitration is something they put in the contract but they can’t get around a law. The Magnusson Moss warranty act states that if a product has a warranty they cannot deny a claim unless they can prove your modification caused the failure. The proof lies on them. I think there’s no way they can say tint caused this. Millions of cars get tinted each year. It is literally made to withstand defroster temps. There’s should be a way to turn the defroster on and test the temps at each line. If it’s hot enough to melt tint you should be able to discern one line being hotter than the other.

coolesnce

Discussion Starter · #30 · Dec 12, 2018

Thanks Mase. The ability to test is above my pay grade. Maybe that is something I can request tesla to do tomorrow when I pick up my car. Only push back I can see is them saying well the line is already damaged so if the reading is showing it running hotter than normal it was from the damage caused by installing the tint.

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Mase

· #31 · Dec 12, 2018

I have a ton of experience with dealers and makers pulling the “you modified it the warranty is gone” card. I used to work in a high end customization and performance shop. From Subaru to twin turbo lambos. A lot of times they will say it to just try to see if someone will accept it as fact. As soon as someone starts mentioning the MM act, they generally get straight. It is absolutely true they can void a warranty if your modification caused it. But it cannot be voided simply for modifying something. For example if you put software on a turbo Audi and the engine explodes because the psi was raised in the turbo, then yes they have a valid claim not to fix. But tint isn’t even considered a mod in my mind. It’s generally accepted that a majority of people will add it. Hell, most dealers add it on the lot and try to rip people off by overcharging.

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Karl Sun

· #32 · Dec 13, 2018 (Edited)

You can easily repair the defroster line. There are paint-on repair kits readily available.

Have your tint installer remove the tint, apply the repair compound, let it dry, test heat from it (those IR temp guns are perfect for this) , re-apply tint. MUCH cheaper than replacing that yuuuge piece of glass.

As far as the Moss-Magneson act, that does not apply here. That act specifically refers to "equivalent replacement parts" such as non-OEM oil, filters, brake pads, etc. Since there is no Tesla-spec'd or supplied tint, MMA does not apply here. Don't bother with arbitration - you will lose.

Besides Tesla is a technology company - NOT a car company (and all real car companies have dealerships). They just happen to sell their tech in the form of a car. <grin>

Additionally what a typical Tesla employee says over the phone [or in person] is often wrong (there are hundreds of threads about this here) and definitely NOT official Tesla policy. There is very limited knowledge of the products or the tech in the most of the staff and almost no historical knowledge for them to rely on or ask. This is a direct result of constant (often forced) employee turnover.

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Mase

· #33 · Dec 13, 2018

Karl Sun said:
You can easily repair the defroster line. There are paint-on repair kits readily available.

Have your tint installer remove the tint, apply the repair compound, let it dry, test heat from it (those IR temp guns are perfect for this) , re-apply tint. MUCH cheaper than replacing that yuuuge piece of glass.

As far as the Moss-Magneson act, that does not apply here. That act specifically refers to "equivalent replacement parts" such as non-OEM oil, filters, brake pads, etc. Since there is no Tesla-spec'd or supplied tint, MMA does not apply here. Don't bother with arbitration - you will lose.

Besides Tesla is a technology company - NOT a car company (and all real car companies have dealerships). They just happen to sell their tech in the form of a car. <grin>

Additionally what a typical Tesla employee says over the phone [or in person] is often wrong (there are hundreds of threads about this here) and definitely NOT official Tesla policy. There is very limited knowledge of the products or the tech in the most of the staff and almost no historical knowledge for them to rely on or ask. This is a direct result of constant (often forced) employee turnover.

MM does apply here. Anytime a product manufacturer trys to pass the buck on warranty (not just car companies) it applies. It is much broader than the no non oem parts. It states that a manufacturer can not offer a deceptive warranty.

Specifically:

'if the product, or a component part, contains a defect or malfunction, must permit the consumer to elect either a refund or replacement without charge, after a reasonable number of repair attempts'

By saying tint affected the window they are trying to charge for a replacement when one should be free. Again this is IF the defroster is defective.

coolesnce

Discussion Starter · #34 · Dec 13, 2018

Karl Sun said:
You can easily repair the defroster line. There are paint-on repair kits readily available.

Have your tint installer remove the tint, apply the repair compound, let it dry, test heat from it (those IR temp guns are perfect for this) , re-apply tint. MUCH cheaper than replacing that yuuuge piece of glass.

As far as the Moss-Magneson act, that does not apply here. That act specifically refers to "equivalent replacement parts" such as non-OEM oil, filters, brake pads, etc. Since there is no Tesla-spec'd or supplied tint, MMA does not apply here. Don't bother with arbitration - you will lose.

Besides Tesla is a technology company - NOT a car company (and all real car companies have dealerships). They just happen to sell their tech in the form of a car. <grin>

Additionally what a typical Tesla employee says over the phone [or in person] is often wrong (there are hundreds of threads about this here) and definitely NOT official Tesla policy. There is very limited knowledge of the products or the tech in the most of the staff and almost no historical knowledge for them to rely on or ask. This is a direct result of constant (often forced) employee turnover.

Tesla brought in a 3rd party glass repair guy to see if they could do just that, but the guy mentioned Tesla's defroster lines run way hotter than other cars because it has to radiate the heat up to the part of the glass that doesnt have the lines. Because of this the compound would not be compatible to repair the defroster line and it would burn off.

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Defjukie

· #35 · Dec 13, 2018

I can totally believe that the defroster lines work harder in the Model 3. I've actually seen distortion from the heat whenever the defroster is on in my car... Something I've never seen in any other car before.

Avid

· #36 · Dec 13, 2018

Defjukie said:
I can totally believe that the defroster lines work harder in the Model 3. I've actually seen distortion from the heat whenever the defroster is on in my car... Something I've never seen in any other car before.

Since everything on this car is software driven/controlled, they could just turn the temp down. I wonder if this has anything to do with assisting cold weather owners?

Glad I haven't tinted my car yet, will have to do a thorough inspection of the heating elements for defects.

swedishstile

· #37 · Dec 13, 2018

iChris93 said:
No, focusing heat is not multiplying it. You can't get something from nothing, that's thermodynamics.

First Law!

If no one is willing to shell out, you need to decide who is at fault and what your best evidence is and go to small claims court. Tesla will probably crumble before you get there because they cant PROVE that the tint caused it. The tint shop has a cheaper overall cost associated with going to small claims court and doesnt have anything to loose.

Personally I would compel Tesla to put in writing your warranty denial and then take them to small claims. Unless the tint shop nicked the element or otherwise damaged it (highly unlikely IMHO) and they can demonstrate that, they dont have a leg to stand on. Given that you inquired with Tesla about the tint, they cant definitively prove the tint or application caused the failure, your chances if winning if for some unfathomable reason Tesla decides to go to court, are high.

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iChris93

· #38 · Dec 13, 2018

Avid said:
Since everything on this car is software driven/controlled, they could just turn the temp down. I wonder if this has anything to do with assisting cold weather owners?

Glad I haven't tinted my car yet, will have to do a thorough inspection of the heating elements for defects.

I have ceramic tint in cold weather and my tint has not melted. I think this was an issue with the window but use to inspect before installation.

coolesnce

Discussion Starter · #39 · Dec 14, 2018

So I took back my Model 3 today and spoke with 3 advisers all who said the only resources is to submit a hand written letter to the Tesla address in their warranty guide, or try emailing the general customer service email alias and explain the situations. As for the service center they said they can't do much more on my behalf.....sigh.

Triangles

· #40 · Dec 14, 2018

Defjukie said:
I can totally believe that the defroster lines work harder in the Model 3. I've actually seen distortion from the heat whenever the defroster is on in my car... Something I've never seen in any other car before.

That extra distortion is not because it's hotter, it's because of the difference in physical properties between laminated glass and tempered glass. The model 3 is the only car I am aware of that uses laminated instead of tempered glass for the back window.

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