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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Klaus-rf

· #61 · Jan 5, 2020

iChris93 said:
Sure. P=I^2*R and when resistance (R) goes up from being nicked then so does the power (P) and thus the heat.

If resistance goes up, then current flow goes down. So power goes down while supply voltage remains same.

Thee may be some localized overheating at the exact place of a "nick", but not over the entire trace path.

iChris93

· #62 · Jan 5, 2020

Klaus-rf said:
If resistance goes up, then current flow goes down. So power goes down while supply voltage remains same.

Could be current source.

Thee may be some localized overheating at the exact place of a "nick", but not over the entire trace path.

Yes, it would be localized.

garsh

· #63 · Jan 6, 2020

iChris93 said:
Could be current source.

I'm pretty sure that runs off the 12v battery.

iChris93

· #64 · Jan 6, 2020

garsh said:
I'm pretty sure that runs off the 12v battery.

Batteries are pretty good current sources.

garsh

· #65 · Jan 6, 2020

iChris93 said:
Batteries are pretty good current sources.

Yeah, SLAs aren't all that great at maintaining a constant voltage.

If we could find a connector for the the rear defroster, it would be pretty easy to get a multimeter and measure the resistance to see if it's out of spec.

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Towerman

· #66 · Jan 9, 2020

jsteez said:
Add me to the list of rear defroster burning the tint. I had not even used my defroster, wondering if it came on maybe during a time remotely turning climate on.
Tesla said that diagnostics show that the "rear defroster was operating within spec" and that I should reach out to my tint guy to get it fixed.

View attachment 24767

Looks like I'm going down the same road (on the left side). Tint was applied 9/16/2019, just noticed the problem. I don't use defroster much as I'm in Socal.

Hood Road surface Asphalt Automotive exterior Floor

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iChris93

· #67 · Jan 9, 2020

Towerman said:
Looks like I'm going down the same road (on the left side). Tint was applied 9/16/2019, just noticed the problem. I don't use defroster much as I'm in Socal. View attachment 31666

What is the problem? I cannot tell from the picture. Just looks like bubbles in the film near the line.

Towerman

· #68 · Jan 9, 2020

Towerman said:
Looks like I'm going down the same road (on the left side). Tint was applied 9/16/2019, just noticed the problem. I don't use defroster much as I'm in Socal. View attachment 31666

As an Update: I found out the defroster still works (for now), but when I turn on the defroster and it heats up the filament straightens out. My guess is the filament has adhered to the ceramic tint and when off (cold) it "crinkles up" I'll be going to see my tint guy. here's a picture of it warmed up:

Hood Motor vehicle Automotive tire Automotive exterior Automotive design

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Towerman

· #69 · Jan 9, 2020 (Edited)

iChris93 said:
What is the problem? I cannot tell from the picture. It just looks like bubbles in the film near the line.

Appears the filament not adhering to the glass and it will fail if I continue to use it. As I mentioned below, I'll visit tint guy for his opinion. Update 1/10/2020: appointment with Tesla made and here is a better picture from the inside:

Automotive lighting Wood Pollinator Grey Electricity

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Avid

· #70 · Jan 10, 2020

Well, the film definitely looks burnt.

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Motorbeand

· #71 · Feb 15, 2020 (Edited)

Any updates by chance? I just discovered this happening with my window as well. So far it's pretty minor but worried about it getting worse. I haven't contacted Tesla about it yet. I tested it with an IR gun and the small overheating section is running at least 50 degrees (f) hotter than the filament in other sections and it heats up so quick it'll burn your finger pretty after a second in that spot.

Towerman said:
Appears the filament not adhering to the glass and it will fail if I continue to use it. As I mentioned below, I'll visit tint guy for his opinion. Update 1/10/2020: appointment with Tesla made and here is a better picture from the inside: View attachment 31681

Towerman

· #72 · Feb 19, 2020

Motorbeand said:
Any updates by chance? I just discovered this happening with my window as well. So far it's pretty minor but worried about it getting worse. I haven't contacted Tesla about it yet. I tested it with an IR gun and the small overheating section is running at least 50 degrees (f) hotter than the filament in other sections and it heats up so quick it'll burn your finger pretty after a second in that spot.

Tesla replaced my rear window under warranty. There was a little talk about what caused the issue (chicken/egg). I was polite and firm that a huge number of cars of all makes get tint and this is not usual. Anyway, I'm debating whether or not I retint (at my cost) the rear window.

Towerman

· #73 · Feb 19, 2020

jsteez said:
Glass ended up cracking shortly after I noticed the tint being burned. Tesla ended up replacing the glass and I decided to not get the new piece of glass tinted. My tint guy was cool and ended up refunding me the cost of the burned piece. I think its possible that while getting tinted, the tinting process can nick the defroster lines, this can then cause them to run hotter than normal.

Although my glass didn't crack after my tint burned, Tesla replaced my glass under warranty and I doubt I'll replace the tint either.

Tira19

· #74 · 2 d ago

Towerman said:
Tesla replaced my rear window under warranty. There was a little talk about what caused the issue (chicken/egg). I was polite and firm that a huge number of cars of all makes get tint and this is not usual. Anyway, I'm debating whether or not I retint (at my cost) the rear window.

How long was the replacement? Was it done the same day?

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