Hinge on the rear window snapped. Where can I get it repaired at a reasonable cost?
Impossible to say. We don’t know where you live. We don’t know what you consider “reasonable” and we don’t know if the parts are still available from Mazda.
Get on the phone and call repair shops in your area starting with the Mazda dealer. Tell them your problem and ask them for an estimate. They may want you to bring it in so they can actually see it. (shocking!!)
Try a windshield/glass company. I wouldn’t trust an average auto repair shop with replacing hinges that are attached to the glass, they might break the window.
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I would try a body shop.
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@Barkydog is probably on the best path. FWIW, the Tribute is based on the Ford Escape so you might find the part is interchangeable. The part might also be available from a junkyard.
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Trust me, the parts are interchangeable between a Mazda Tribute and its mechanical clone, the Ford Escape. The only parts that are not interchangeable are the badges and and a few other body trim parts.
Thanks. I was pretty sure but since I wasn’t positive I decided to err on the side of caution. The OP could find an Escape in a junkyard and recycle the hinge.
The body shops that I have worked with would direct this customer to a general repair shop or a glass shop, they don’t want to take a body man off a $10,000 collision job for a small repair like this.
I didn’t see where the OP asked about interchangeable parts, the title fabricated does not match the OP’s question.
The OP needs a hinge replaced for the rear window of a Tribute. A junked Escape, which uses the same hinge, would be a potential inexpensive source for the part. A new part from a Mazda dealer, assuming they even had a window hinge for a 15 year old vehicle, might be pricey and wouldn’t be any better.
The big question for me is… What’s up with that? I’ve never heard of such a thing! Seems like something other than just a hinge has gone haywire.
CSA
I forget what make of van it was but I was in the independent shop I use when I need work done that is beyond what I can do he was replacing the rear window hinge on a van that had broken due to a broken strut on one side that had to be ordered that took 3 week’s to get when opening the window it was cocked to one side & broke the hinge the hinge that came off looked like it was made of pot metal.
It would be up to the repair shop to source the part, you can’t tell them to go to a salvage yard and look for hinges on a Ford that aren’t corroded and about to snap like the hinges on the OP’s vehicle. New hinges are available for less than $75 each.
If the OP is a DIY type it would be worth the trip. $75 seems a bit much for a hinge. Add labor and you’re looking at $150, easily. And it seems like you’re making a bit of an assumption about why the old hinge failed.
Years ago I had a Pontiac Sunbird and the bolt/bushing gizmo that connected the shift linkage to the transmission gave out. $26.50+tax from a dealer just for the part. I bought a nut, bolt and washer from a hardware store for under $2 and the car was up and running again in a few minutes. The fix still worked when I got rid of the car.