This thing was attached at the top of the rear glass of our Oldsmobile car. It seems to be a board with integrated circuit... but no electronic components are apparent. It was not connected to anything else by wires or anything. What would be this?

 

Part of a rear window defogger?
You may also see fine lines in or on the glass.

How about part of the radio antenna?

[not-so]Secret government tracking device?

 

No it's not connected to the defogger or anything else. Those fine lines of the defogger are working well without this device. And the antenna is far enough from this device and it is inside the car... it is not correlated with the antenna....
Do you think it's a spying device?.........

 

What's the other side look like?

 

It is a 33199 unit. In other words I have no idea. Ask a car repair shop?

 

If you found it in an American built car it is probably not a piece with modern technology, so relax

 

It's probably for an optional accessory, possibly not required in all countries.

 

It could be some sort of antenna. Maybe for the central lock system, the car radio, or perhaps a GPS unit that you do not have in your car. The best thing is to ask your local car repair shop..

 

If you have a newer car, it could be something to do with a sattelite antenna. When was the car built?

 

Looks like it could be the interior part for a through the glass cell phone antenna.

 

Maybe it's a UFO detector

 

ke5nnt, it's almost the same. All your guesses are possible... ELECTRONERD, the car was built in 1991, it's old...and it is with us from about 5 years

 

ke5nnt, it's almost the same. All your guesses are possible... ELECTRONERD, the car was built in 1991, it's old...and it is with us from about 5 years

Then it definitely wouldn't have a sattelite antenna.