Rear Defroster Damaged by Dealership's Tint Guy..

[darkpuppet]

Here's a fun one.. After a couple attempts at fixing the tint on my 2024 convertible,
1. the tint guy cut the beltline trim piece with a razor (fixed after much complaining to the dealership)
2. The rear window defroster only partly works as it was likely damaged by their tint guy.

They say they'd have to replace the top and it would never look/work the same again -- the same explanation for not fixing the trim piece at first.

What would you do in my shoes?

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[Neggytive]

most tint places will tell you that you can't use the defroster if there is a tint film applied to the glass.

How badly do you want the defroster vs replacing the top?

There is a special conductive copper colored paint for repairing breaks in the grid, if you were to have them remove the tint, remove all the glue residue and mask the glass so the repair paint is in line with the the grid, you might be able to get it to work again.

Permatex makes it PN 09117

I would tell the dealer you want them to do the permatex repair and re-tint at their expense and you want a OEM top in the box and a credit for the "customer pay" labor that you can use for ANY future service (oil changes, etc) at their dealership.

Otherwise ask them for the name of their insurance company as you will be filing a claim AND going after them for diminished value

 

[Pmamba]

You could tell them to go ahead with the replacement it’s not your problem if it doesn’t look/work right. Sounds like they don’t want to do it.

If you’re not happy with it after, contact Ford and talk to someone about a buyback.

 

[Wiley Marmot]

@darkpuppet ---DAMN! That sucks (and from the sounds of it, so does whoever you've been dealing with at your dealership)!

If you've only been dealing with a Service Rep or the Service Manager; it might be a good idea to kick it upstairs to the General Manager and/or owner. Be polite BUT firm. If you've already done that; then it's likely time to bump it up to corporate.

As @Neggytive says; the Canadian equivalent of diminished value "might" be an option. The Canadian version of Michigan's Small Claims Court (if Ontario has it) would likely be the way to go, as I suspect hiring a Shark to Rep for you in court would cost more than it'd be worth.

You might consult (web site or via phone) with the Ontario/Canadian Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection to see what your rights and entitlements in an issue like this are.

Best of luck getting it sorted to your satisfaction!

 

[roadpilot]

You could tell them to go ahead with the replacement it’s not your problem if it doesn’t look/work right. Sounds like they don’t want to do it.

If you’re not happy with it after, contact Ford and talk to someone about a buyback.

The manufacturer is NOT going to do a buyback because a tint guy a dealership hired cut your rear windows defroster. Your issue is with the dealership, not the manufacturer.

 

[darkpuppet]

most tint places will tell you that you can't use the defroster if there is a tint film applied to the glass.

How badly do you want the defroster vs replacing the top?

There is a special conductive copper colored paint for repairing breaks in the grid, if you were to have them remove the tint, remove all the glue residue and mask the glass so the repair paint is in line with the the grid, you might be able to get it to work again.

Permatex makes it PN 09117

I would tell the dealer you want them to do the permatex repair and re-tint at their expense and you want a OEM top in the box and a credit for the "customer pay" labor that you can use for ANY future service (oil changes, etc) at their dealership.

Otherwise ask them for the name of their insurance company as you will be filing a claim AND going after them for diminished value

The irony of it is that the shop manual you can buy for $2k actually specifies permatex for this type of repair.

That they can do it without making it look like they finger painted the interior of my car would be my next concern.

Oh well, will be taking with them in person tomorrow to see what I'm in for here.

 

[darkpuppet]

@darkpuppet ---DAMN! That sucks (and from the sounds of it, so does whoever you've been dealing with at your dealership)!

If you've only been dealing with a Service Rep or the Service Manager; it might be a good idea to kick it upstairs to the General Manager and/or owner. Be polite BUT firm. If you've already done that; then it's likely time to bump it up to corporate.

As @Neggytive says; the Canadian equivalent of diminished value "might" be an option. The Canadian version of Michigan's Small Claims Court (if Ontario has it) would likely be the way to go, as I suspect hiring a Shark to Rep for you in court would cost more than it'd be worth.

You might consult (web site or via phone) with the Ontario/Canadian Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection to see what your rights and entitlements in an issue like this are.

Best of luck getting it sorted to your satisfaction!

Yeah, they fed me the same line when I brought it in to get the trim piece repaired (that their tint guy cut).. took a call directly to the GM to get them to fix it.. and it took an hour

Honestly...

I'm going to ask them exactly what it is they can and can't fix in this car tomorrow. Who pays 70k on a car that can't be fixed?

In had similar issues with my 07 vert years ago, but this new dealership did a great job doing the clutch on it.. better than new, so I figured my experience would be better this time around....

 

[RLE55]

Of the many things I ask my tint vendor, one of the questions is, any issues with tinting rear window and the rear defrost, most especially in verts. I've been going to the same tint vendor (ProTouch) for close to 20 years now, as they're reputable, stand behind their work and only use top products and experienced tinters.

 

[Neggytive]

the kicker is, that if you are a good tint shop, you have 3M films and their database to use a plotter/cutting table to cut all the pieces ahead of time.

 

[IFFV68]

Here's a fun one.. After a couple attempts at fixing the tint on my 2024 convertible,
1. the tint guy cut the beltline trim piece with a razor (fixed after much complaining to the dealership)
2. The rear window defroster only partly works as it was likely damaged by their tint guy.

They say they'd have to replace the top and it would never look/work the same again -- the same explanation for not fixing the trim piece at first.

What would you do in my shoes?

I would get in contact with the owner of the dealership.
Stop screwing around with the middleman.
I don’t have a convertible but on my 2024 GT coupe I had all the windows tinted except the windshield. no problem. My defroster still works.
I always use the same tint shop that I’ve used for the last 15 years
Not a dealer Tint person.
Good Luck .

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