My rear window heater has 3 faulty horizontal tracks.

From my knowledge there are two solutions to address this issue:

1) Repair faulty tracks using silver paste and a steady hand - too fiddly and low rate of success

2) Replace rear window - too expensive

Is there any verified and efficient third solution?

Not a repair per se, but you could always install a 12v air heater to blow air at the screen.

Option 2 is not necessarily expensive: do you not have breakers yards (scrap and salvage) in Poland?

Thank you for reply.

Not a repair per se, but you could always install a 12v air heater to blow air at the screen.

That would look funny to say the least.

Option 2 is not necessarily expensive: do you not have breakers yards (scrap and salvage) in Poland?

Yes we do, but you don't want to know the very poor condition they get there. Remaining good heater tracks from such car would blow to dust only breathing at them. That's because in general you have to hate a lot a Felicia to make it good for scrapyard. And when she (it?) gets there you better let her (it?) die peacefully.

Anyways, my 3^rd option would be to clean (peel?) somehow existing tracks and replace the heater with a similar aftermarket part that is self-adhesive and easy to apply on window (no air bubbles, not crooked, etc.). But that's only a theory, so I need some practical advice to fill in the blanks. I am wondering why the rear window heater is not sold separately, since it is applied on glass and not embedded in it.

That would look funny to say the least.

If it's at the side blowing across the screen, it would be mostly out of direct view. You can get some reasonably small heaters these days too.

Option 3: I have had an aftermarket one before, but it went on a "naked" rear-screen (Morris Marina). Was a bit of a faff to fit, but that could have been that the Marina was a saloon, not a hatchback. Once fitted, it was just the elements on the screen, no backing or anything else left behind. (No chance of bubble etc). Was an awesome beast and cleared the screen very quickly. However, I don't think that the original element will come as easily.

If you have a specific aftermarket heater in mind, could you not play with it a bit and overlay it directly on the original bars?

1) Repair faulty tracks using silver paste and a steady hand - too fiddly and low rate of success

You can make it easier for yourself if you put put some tape either side of the breaks in a track then just use the silver paste at the point of each break.

If it's at the side blowing across the screen, it would be mostly out of direct view. You can get some reasonably small heaters these days too.

Do you know anyone who did that? I would be very interested to see photos or videos showing how non-intrusive and esthetic they look, and how efficient they are.

On the other hand, is there any car manufacturer that is using this solution for rear window?

Once fitted, it was just the elements on the screen, no backing or anything else left behind. (No chance of bubble etc).

I know there is no backing, it's just a matrix of thin horizontal, self-adhesive tracks. Transferring that very fragile matrix from substrate to glass without breaking it, and align it perfectly, it's an art in itself.

You can make it easier for yourself if you put put some tape either side of the breaks in a track then just use the silver paste at the point of each break.

I knew about masking, it's fiddly because you have to put the perfect amount of paste over each crack. Too much and the track will break again in the same spot under load, too little and that track will heat less than the others.

Edited 8 November, 201213 yr by adurer

Do you know anyone who did that? I would be very interested to see photos or videos showing how non-intrusive and esthetic they look, and how efficient they are.

Yup, also had one for a while in the back of The Fun Truck. Cleared faster than any element-based system.

On the other hand, is there any car manufacturer that is using this solution for rear window?

No, because they were all put onto the glass as heated elements. Oh wait, what if you didn't have glass at the back, say for example a VW Golf Cabrio.........

Something is vaguely ringing a bell about a major manufacturer installing a hot air based demister in the back of a cabrio.

I know there is no backing, it's just a matrix of thin horizontal, self-adhesive tracks. Transferring that very fragile matrix from substrate to glass without breaking it, and align it perfectly, it's an art in itself.

I understand perfectly that it would be too much effort for you to install. Took me an hour to do mine on the Marina saloon (so no easy direct access to the glass).............mind you that was installing the rest of the electrics too.

Sounds to me like you'd like to put no effort into actually fixing this issue, as you're finding fault with every suggestion so far. Maybe you're best off just leaving it with some elements blown. :|

Sounds to me like you'd like to put no effort into actually fixing this issue, as you're finding fault with every suggestion so far. Maybe you're best off just leaving it with some elements blown. :|

You got me all wrong. First of all, you brought new solutions, other than my original two. That's already better than where I started and I am grateful. It's just my instinct is telling me I didn't find the best of all worlds in terms of simplicity, efficiency, reliability, and, why not, esthetics..

Trust me, I weighed carefully your solutions. As an engineer, I have to take into consideration all pro and contra arguments.

For instance, the idea of 2 (to left & right of rear window) slim electric hot air blowers is more and more appealing. I am thinking of something similar to modern PC video card blowers. They are centrifugal fans and could be easily transformed by designing a new slim plastic cowling. But there is a drawback: they heat hard the window's margin and not enough on the center...

So you see, it's a back and forth process of refinement analysis that will eventually get me to best technical solution.

As for being too lazy to try putting a self-adhesive heater, I realized I have not enough dexterity to nail such job. I couldn't stick right even some 20 cm Scotch tape on the window of my kitchen.

Ew, PC card coolers will do nothing, they're not powerful enough. They're designed to remove a small volume of air away, not to. Plus you'll still need a heat generator. IMHO one that's already designed and built to do the job would be far more effective, otherwise you could be spending a lot of time trying marry the right fan to the right heat source. (By then it will be summer! )

If you want to play with ducting you could mount a blower on the underside of the parcel shelf. Some holes and some ducting in the shelf would give you an even spread of hot air, across the screen, from the bottom up. (Helpful as heat rises.) Disconnect the electrics to the rear-screen and re-route to the blower and off you go. If you could find an easy way of cleaning the remaining elements from the screen - even better.

.......basically in the same way the front is cleared, but you'd have instant heat instead of waiting for things to warm up.

Thin ducts with exit points: look at the ones designed for front foot wells. I know that the Octavia II ones on the passenger side are relatively thin ducts and have (at least) two exit points.

Very good idea putting the blower central, below parcel shelf, to heat from bottom up

All I need now is a meaty 12V 'pancake' style blower (hairdryer kind of). I will make a special cowling and duct from fiberglass to spread hot air as even as possible across the entire rear window width.

I believe you can get 12v hair-driers.......

http://www.amazon.co...sl_4uyy6oig5v_b

The "currently unavailable" Braun looks quite good. (Yeah, I know, it's the UK site. Might be available in Poland though)

Scratch that. This looks better:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Instant-Caravan-Motorhome-Defrost-Windscreens/dp/B004DWSMUQ/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1352496447&sr=8-9

Couple of meaty tie-wraps/zip-ties would hold it under the parcel shelf very securly too!

Maybe coupled with something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CONRAD-12V-Digital-Timer-Switch/dp/B0000WPAVW/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1352496534&sr=8-12

So you don't melt the fan after 5 minutes

(IIRC the Octavia turns the rear heater off after 10 minutes on the premise that the window should be clear by then. I suspect a fan-heater will need about 2 to clear the rear of a Felicia. As Poland has "proper" winters, the extra minutes could ensure any ice on the outside is at least losened too)

I was not thinking centrally though, as you'd have to split the airflow to the left and right. If you mount it to the side and blow across you'll only have one air-flow to deal with, hence thinking footwell ducting. If you've got a good enough heater, maybe not even need ducts at all, just a row of holes in the parcel shelf. Heater in the boot, heat rises straight out the holes to the screen. Also the advantage of only having to remove the heater in summer too!

(Plus having a heater mounted at the side is less likely to get knocked when loading / unloading the boot.)

If you're feeling brave with making your own duct: mount the heater on the wheel-arch and create a duct that "docks" when the boot is closed :)

I was thinking more to something like this: