Removing tint?

[gregfarz78]

Ok the guy before me used some cheap a** walmart tint ya know that purple kind, it looks pretty old and its dried up on there real good. I tried the ammonia trick and heating it up with a heat gun and that didn't really work that great. Is there any solution specifically made for removing tint maybe something that eats thru it or dissolves it?

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Battery acid.

[norcals13]

I use a razor blad and spray it down with a little bit of soap and water. Of course you can't get your back window clean like that because of the defrost. It works quite well actually.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Yeah, I wouldn't try any harsh chemicals. Some dawn, a razor and a little time/patience should work just fine. Just be careful not to scratch the window itself.

[str33tprintz]

the only thing that is gonna get that glue off is nail polish remover... good luck your in for some work though

[gregfarz78]

ugh I've been at this for about an hour and got a small spot done I'm about to say F this and just buy new rear glass the defroster looks screwed up anyway....how much would a glass shop charge me you think?

[maj Andres]

Battery acid.

[sxdime]

on all the windows except the rear just use a razor blade and windex or your fav window cleaner. On the rear window lots of glass cleaner and steel wool to get the glue off. The cheap tint is harder to get off than the good is. Just take your time. Make sure to put something on your door panels to keep the mess off.

[Kiwi]

i remember seeing an article in here about removing tint from the rear window. it was really informative. something about using ammonia on a rag and pressing it up against the window for a couple of hours. but sadly i cannot find it. i think after you use the ammonia to soften it up, you just get a razor and carefully peel it away. Now that i think about it, i really need to do that to my rear window

[ChampaignSilviaS14]

I tint windows and install glass for a living and we follow these guidelines at my shop for removing tint. I copy and pasted it from another website.

Tips:The difficult thing about removing tint is that most film is constructed of two layers of tinted polyester. When you try to peel the film off the glass, the top layer will usually pull right off leaving the second layer behind. This second layer will not peel off, it will just flake and tear like a price tag.

Step 1:To over come separation between layers you must soften the adhesive so that both layers peel at the same time. This is very important, if you peel the just the top layer, you may as well just use razor blades as there is no way to peel the second layer off without picking at it for a few hours. You MUST try to peel both layers at once.

NOTE: You are more than likely to damage one or more of your defroster lines, when this happens, the cut line will not work anymore. Some cars have radio antennas mounted alongside the defrosters made of the same material. If you damage these, your radio antenna will not work! Be careful! Taking it to a tint shop to be done greatly increases the odds of saving the lines, but even a tint shop can not promise to save your lines, sometimes the film is just to far gone.

Step 2:First, clear the window of any obstructions, like the brake light, speaker covers etc.

Step 3: Next cut open the garbage bag so that it will be big enough to cover the entire window. Spray some water on the outside of the back window and the lay plastic bag over the glass. Cut away excess plastic so that it is now roughly the same shape as the glass.

Step 4:Next, lay a tarp over rear deck and seat, spray ammonia liberally on the inside of the back window. (Ammonia is very strong, I suggest you hold your breath during this step) and cover ammonia soaked tint with the plastic bag so that it won't evaporate.

Step 5:Park the car with rear window facing the sun for about an hour. The film should now be ready to peel.

Step 6:When you are ready to start peeling, leave the plastic in place so the ammonia wont dry. Get the peeling started with a razor blade in a corner where there are no defroster lines. Try to peel film off in one piece. If the ammonia dries as you peel, the glue will get hard again, so spray a bit of ammonia on the area as you peel.

Step 7:Once the film is peeled you will need to scrub the adhesive off with ammonia and fine 0000 steel wool. Mop up scrubbed areas with paper towels before they dry. Finish up with window cleaner and paper towels.

Removing tint from side windowsSoaking is not nessesary here. You may want to use a simple razorblade holder. Cut a notch onto the upper area of the film so that you have a piece to pull. Try to peel the film, it will probably come off in two or three pieces. Spray the remaining adhesive with soapy water, and scrape the adhesive off with a razor blade, avoiding the edges of the glass until last to keep the blade sharp. You may need to use a few blades as they dull quickly. Finish up with window cleaner and paper towels. Inspect for missed glue (its clear and hard to see)

You can also use a steamer, it makes quick work of tint, but not everybody has one.

[240sxFTW]

ya i took that s***ty tint off a few weeks ago. off my back window and my rear quarter windows. The quarter windows were easy, windex, garbage bags and sun worked wonders. The back window was a b**** and a half. im almost certain i messed up 90% of those defroster lines with my razor blades. Took me 2 seperate days to completely remove it. For the back window i used ammonia, garbage bags and a heat gun. 50% was the garbage bag and windex. the other half was just a heat gun, a little bit of ammonia, and a razor blade. because i had to sun the second day. it was a pain in the a** but well worth it.

[SirSilvia]

on all the windows except the rear just use a razor blade and windex or your fav window cleaner. On the rear window lots of glass cleaner and steel wool to get the glue off. The cheap tint is harder to get off than the good is. Just take your time. Make sure to put something on your door panels to keep the mess off.

I worked with a bunch of different tint brands. Good and bad, I'll put whatever tint people want on their car. I'd advise against wally-tard brands. However "Private Eyes" tint is pretty good, and easy to remove. Peeled right off nice and clean My friend got that crappy blue stuff and then wanted metallic black.Removing that sh*t took all effin day. just when I thought I got a good hold of a piece and was pulling off smoothly. The damn thing tore and then I'd sit and try peeling a new piece off. It tore off in little pieces and left a buttload of glue behind.

GooGone worked amazingly, then use windex to get rid of the googone residue.

[Salem240]

ChampaignSilvia14, that is the exact method I use and it works great. But I used Simple Green instead of ammonia last time and it worked the same but with less odor. And as for the defrost lines a steamer works wonders or you could have someone keep the window heated up on the outside with a heat gun as you pull slowly on the tint. Other than that OP consider your question answered...

[Nacho_240]

The defroster lines can NOT be saved. No tint shop around me could guarantee a working defroster after removing my rear window tint.

[gregfarz78]

The steamer is a good idea maybe I'll rent one from home depot...actually last night I decided to give aircraft stripper a try (the stuff in a can) figured why not I got nothing to lose and it actually worked! That stuff is pretty nasty it really loosened up the tint and peeled off much easier.

[SirSilvia]

The steamer is a good idea maybe I'll rent one from home depot...actually last night I decided to give aircraft stripper a try (the stuff in a can) figured why not I got nothing to lose and it actually worked! That stuff is pretty nasty it really loosened up the tint and peeled off much easier.

that is some tough stuff

-and Nacho_240 your sig needs cropped BIG time

[ZOMG.SR20]

The steamer is a good idea maybe I'll rent one from home depot...actually last night I decided to give aircraft stripper a try (the stuff in a can) figured why not I got nothing to lose and it actually worked! That stuff is pretty nasty it really loosened up the tint and peeled off much easier.

umm if use that on your windows it will eat through them

[gregfarz78]

umm if use that on your windows it will eat through them

eat through the glass? lol no it wont

[SirSilvia]

umm if use that on your windows it will eat through them

wtf? no It comes in a metal can, and metal is far more susceptible to corrosion than glass is. if you put it on glass and it ate through it then...1) I want pictures2) if it IS true, you have some major problems with your glass.I still have all my windows and smooth glass surfaces.

[ZOMG.SR20]

it ate through mu old cars back hatch by the defroster thingy i dont have any pictures

[zenkistic]

wtf? no It comes in a metal can, and metal is far more susceptible to corrosion than glass is.

hm... what? please don't say that again. And don't take it for granted for any substance.

if that thing can etch glass faster than metal, then it is perfectly logical if it has done what the poster above says. I assume that the metal line (defroster) worked sa protective layer that the stripper could not etch (or simpler "eat"), so it ate the glass around it.

When you are using strong sh*t, it is good to read the material safety datasheet p.ex. http://www.wmbarr.com/ProductFiles/A3900.2.pdfIt is very informative and can tell you how much your life is in danger, what materials to avoid, if you are gonna get cancer by using it, the toxicity etc. This thing is incompatible with oxygen and alkalis, so I wouldn't use it on glass which has both.

I don't want to sound like an as* but using strong etchants is a part of my job and I want to live to enjoy the money it pays, so I take that stuff into consideration.
Modified by zenkistic at 8:45 PM 5/2/2009

[gregfarz78]

Well I dont know what to tell you guys but I used it and it didn't eat thru my glass at all or etch it. I got just about all the tint off and my defroster is 100% intact, not going to lie its still time consuming but better than buying a whole new rear windshield. I'll post a pic later and the exact name of the stuff I used if you don't believe me

[zenkistic]

there's no reason why we wouldn't believe you, maybe the other poster left it for a longer time or something else caused it....

but yeah, if you got your job done fast and easy, then that's great

I am happy that with the crappy weather in IN the previous owner did an expensive tint job, however a little darker wouldn't hurt

[Nacho_240]

-and Nacho_240 your sig needs cropped BIG time

Haha. I didn't even notice I did that. thanks for the heads up

[gregfarz78]

OMG my window melted away

nah not really

[matty v]

razor blade and a steamer. took 20 mins a window. the stuff just melts away. and no chemicals that will melt your windows.

[gregfarz78]

Thats good and all but I don't have a steamer and this didn't melt my windows