The old-fashioned car accessory that solves foggy rear windows – Jalopnik

Automotive history offers a fascinating look at the evolution of design and technology. Nowadays, during rainy or cold conditions, there is a handy little button on your dashboard that allows you to demist the rear window, recognizable by a rectangle with three curved arrows pointing upwards. Although automakers have recently started tinkering with the formula, which frustrates some drivers as the defrost function is one of the many car settings that can’t be controlled via a touchscreen.

This idea, originally invented by German engineer Heinz Kunert in the 1960s, transformed vehicular travel in historically challenging conditions. Kunert’s defrost technology has been a standard feature in new vehicles for some time and works by passing current through elements or grilles that are embedded in or painted on the glass.

But even until the late 1970s, some cars were not equipped with this technology, which made navigation in bad weather more difficult (especially if the car had no heater), with reduced visibility from the rear window. The solution at the time was an anti-condensation panel or an invisible rear window defroster. They were often packaged in cardboard tubes and came in different sizes to suit different window designs. Basically you would apply this clear film to the inside of the rear window so that it does not fog up. Although not all of those who remember them agree that they were actually helpful in the past, in some cases the opposite.

Another forum, Rod ‘n’ punishmentcontains more insight, with a classic enthusiast explaining that these stuck-on wiper panels would turn brown over time and the edges would curl, causing them to fall off the rear window. Even if you find one of these vintage windshield defoggers on an auction site, it’s not clear how they will perform considering their age. For example, some claim that the clear plastic no longer stays in place because the film may have deteriorated over the decades. While the most popular cars from the 1960s are still stunning to this day, it’s hard to imagine that some of them didn’t have the means to clean the rear window and would have needed something like the plastic demister panel.

However, some claim that these vintage add-ons perform well and say they have been using them successfully for several years on various classic vehicles. Other descriptions of these anti-fog products say they were somewhat effective but required some work to fit properly into the rear window.

Depending on the size of your rear window, you’re looking at between $89 and $359 for a defroster kit, which can still be less than a window replacement. Essentially, you stick the elements to the glass like large stickers and then apply side rails to contact the elements. Finally, you run the wires from the back of the car to under the hood and connect them to your vehicle’s battery.