ok so i was wondering why they have the dot matrix in the rear window?

also why is there a little portion of it on the front windshield around the rear view mirror?

sidemarker

 

As far as the rear window goes - it's to help prevent sunburn on your backseat passenger's necks.

The front - not really sure.

 

From what I've seen in a bunch of cars, the center part is to catch the sun from blinding you when you look up at the rearview.

 

just in case the sun is in that one spot where the sun visors don't reach.

 

no, it's a powerful de-icer. not many cars have it beacuse the quality is similar to the de-icers they use on commercial airplanes.

 

Whatever it is it blows. Makes tinting all the more harder on our car.

It's gone on the 04 TL and i was glad to see it go.

 

i like it on the front window, but yeah, it makes tinting look crappy on the rear window.

 

Black Vinyl strip will cure all. Thats what I had my tinters do

 

I beleive that the radio antenna in the rear window. The front may be to balance it out.

 

Yeah, I always thought that both were radio antennas and that it used whichever one it got a better signal from. So if the radio station was in front of you, you'd get better reception with the front one ... behind you, then the rear one. To the left or right, then I dunno

One of them is definitely an antenna for the radio though. Ever notice how we don't have an antenna anywhere else? No more of those powered antennas that go down into the car when the radio is off but inevitably break (with my luck always in the down position) after a few years?

BTW- A good tinter should be able to tint over the dot matrix with no problem. Mine came out looking fine.

 

 

and

 

I would have not thought it to be the antenna as someone had their tinter sand it down.

 

i thought it was the antenna

 

I had my windows tinted yesterday and they automatically put black vinyl over the dots. When I asked, they said that leaving it w/ just tint, the dots turn silver, like the ring around the side windows.

So...do you guys think that I should have them remove the strip, leaving a wide silverish section? Does it look that bad? Or am I better off leaving the black vinyl on? (They won't charge extra if I have them remove the vinyl) The installer was pretty adament that I would "hate it" if he removed the vinyl.

Thanks!

 

This is the first I've ever heard mention of the dot matrix being an antenna? interesting idea tho. I always understood it just to be a sunshield. I always thought the antenna is in the glass near the defroster just like on other Hondas with no stick antenna.
The dots can not be tinted over as well as glass, but I don't think I'd like a vinyl blackout on the window either. My tint shop said the matrix can be sanded down to make the tint material stick better. I heard the matrix is made out of teflon.
As far as turning silver? never happened on either of my 6 speeds.

 

There's metal underneath the black paint in the matrix. Sanding will only cause you to have rust spots under your tint.

 

Umm, dude, dot matrix is not an antenna. The antennae on our cars are built into the rear window.

Dot matrix is a type of tint. The dots expand under heat and sunlight, thus blocking the sun more effectively. When it's cold, they shrink. That's why it's a pain in the ass to tint over.

 

The DOT matrix is not an antenna. The antenna are the parts that are running up & down the back window. Not side to side. The front is also not an antenna. I have been told the dot matrix is to reduce glare. If you look at it from the outside it looks like a tint strip. Just like the regular tint strip at the top of the windshield. Except the martix is there to help reduce glare even more by giving the light a souce of reflection from the dots.

 

Ok, where is it in the rear window?? Not the defroster lines so the only item left is the metal grate.

 

Top of rear window.

 

On the driver's side, top of the back window. It's amongst the dot matrix.

 

FYI, the reason I didn't tint my windows for 3 years was because I didn't want that dot matrix part to look bad. I found a tinter out here who did mine absolutely perfect. If anyone in AZ wants theirs to look perfect, PM me.

-Aaron

 

pics are on this page........

http://quest49s.home.comcast.net/Autotintquality.html

 

Yes, that happened to me twice ALTHOUGH the dots were never sanded. What a pain in the ass.

This last time they just replaced the dotted area with 3% tint, so if for any reason it rusts again, it will be difficult to see it.

Pics before and after

 

The dot matrix on the from is to act as a sun shade for those annoying times when the sun finds the one place where the shades cannot go. The ones on the rear prevent neck burn on untinted cars as well as protect leather. VW just has pop out shades right behind rearview mirror for that particular spot

 

Any pics of that Chopper? How is the vinyl strip will stick w/o air pockets but the the tint won't?

 

Hmm, I was about to jump all over the guys who've said the dots are to prevent sunburn, since I thought you can't get a burn through glass..but it turns out you can...

http://www.hhp.ufl.edu/keepingfit/ARTICLE/Cars.htm

 

The antenna are the two vertical lines in the back window, all the horizontal lines are the defroster lines. i'm 99% sure... If you notice, when you turn on the defroster with a foggy window, and it starts defogging, its always in horizontal lines. No vertical lines. But if you look on your back window, there are two vertical lines toward the middle.

 

The Radio antenna is horizontal too. I believe it’s near the TOP part of the glass.
You can tell by closely looking at the lines and their connections. They’re the only two that aren’t connected to the others by vertical lines.
It’s been a while since I really looked at it, but I think I’m correct.

 

I checked mine after work today.
There are THREE horizontal radio antenna lines at the TOP of the glass right in the area of the “dots”.
They are connected with short vertical lines.
Everything below that is defroster element.

 

It's to gradually bring the light in. They do it for your optics so the light comming in isn't instant but gradually come in

other then that it's pointless

 

i think the antenna is that small black box in the back window