Rear window defogger

[Element41]

I recently purchased a 2008 G35 sedan. The rear window defogger is pathetically weak. Have others had the same experience? I'd like to get a feel for what I'm dealing with before I go do the tango with the dealer maintenance department.

Lenny

[zozoka1212]

Mine works like a charm. I have little cooler weather than you. No issue here.

zozo

[smockers83]

I remember one other person ever complaining about it and we determined that he just didn't understand why windows fog up.

What's your definition of weak?

[Element41]

Let's see: Something on the order of 35-38°F OAT. Dew or light frost on the rear window and 10 minutes to clear enough to barely see out the rear view mirror. By that point the engine was warm and the heater had warmed the cabin enough to do most of the job.

All the elements in the window are working as the dew slowly clears evenly from each the heating element lines.

Compared to any other car I've driven it is very slow. On a plus note the heated side view mirrors are clear of dew in a minute or two. They work great.

It's either a design problem or somethings wrong. I suspect I'll get the former answer from the dealership.

Lenny

[smockers83]

Yeah, it's hard to say without being there. I guess you'll have to go to the dealer to really see, or get someone to do a side-by-side comparison with you.

I also tend to think that the weather stripping is leaky on some of these cars...sometimes my windows fog up for really no reason.

[pfarmer]

Let's see: Something on the order of 35-38°F OAT. Dew or light frost on the rear window and 10 minutes to clear enough to barely see out the rear view mirror. By that point the engine was warm and the heater had warmed the cabin enough to do most of the job.

All the elements in the window are working as the dew slowly clears evenly from each the heating element lines.

Compared to any other car I've driven it is very slow. On a plus note the heated side view mirrors are clear of dew in a minute or two. They work great.

It's either a design problem or somethings wrong. I suspect I'll get the former answer from the dealership.

Lenny

I have an 08 XS.

I don't think mine is as weak as you may be describing, however compared with my other cars a little weak. If we are just talking about dew, not much difference there, however if speaking of clearing a window of ice, I resort to the scraper earlier than my other car.

On my second car I can actually see the rear window steam at times, so maybe it is not really a good comparison as it seems to work better than most others I know of. On the other hand, on my XS I can see the mirrors steam while with my other car I can hardly tell the heaters function at all.

I basically scrap enough to see well and then drive up nice and slow until it warms up. I only vary this routine if there is enough snow to present a problem going up the hill next to my home.

Perry

[Element41]

Thanks for the responses. On some of the other forums this seems to be an issue with the G35. Lots of complaints. Looks like mine is functioning "as designed."