Window Tint Removal

[Nick]

I have found the easiest way to remove window tint is to use a wallpaper steamer. I filled the tank with a solution of amonia and water. I doubt it made a difference as I soon discovered amonia has a lower boiling point than water. If you can get enough ventilation and use chemical splash goggles, this is a pretty good method.

[pepsi2185]

I hope you were careful bro, amonia will jack your lungs up bad!

[Nick]

I had two strong fans inside the car, all the windows, doors, and roof open, and I tried to get minimize inhalation. Ideally, I would have had a respirator. It worked though. Someone should try pure steam just to see if that's good enough. Amnia inhalation is not fun.

[ June 06, 2004: Message edited by: Nick ]

[Dereck]

Hi Nick

That's a handy tip smile.gif I got some very, very, mild tinting film on my windshield (didn't even realize it was on there), probably put on when the car new by the dealer, I was wondering how I could get it off because I put a couple of scuffs in it while changing my heater core.

Where my tinting film is scuffed it looks like some sort of adhesive is left on the windshield, do you think your steamer idea will get this adhesive off or could it need a solvent?

I think you can just make out the scuffs in this picture.

http://lincoln.superstitiongold.com/pictures/Windshield.jpg

Regards

Dereck

[AceFrehley03]

Ammonia is good for removing adhesive, but like said earlier, it'll tear your lungs a new one, I speak of experience.

I dont think it's that delicate with interior parts, however..

[Nick]

Ace is right about interior damage from amonia. If the concentration is stong enough, it could discolor things. However, I think the industrial type amonia you find in the supermarket isn't pure enough. It had no effect that I could tell on my interior. However, I had a trash back covering the rear package tray and towels to catch and absorb the run off. I think my method would work out well for you, Dereck. Before you try, you can try spraying the film with amonia and then using a black trash bag to cling to it while it is in the sun. This might disolve some of the glue and allow you to peel it off. The amonia is actually a solvent for the glue used to bond tint film to windows. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you have plenty of ventilation, chemical splash goggles (the other ones let air pass through and hence fumes), and, if possible, a mask for fumes would be ideal. Just cover your dash as best you can and then shove towels everywhere to catch anthing. Towels and trash bags over anything else that could get amonia on them should be covered as a precaution.

[Dereck]

Hi All

Nick: Hhmmm! That sounds like an awefull lot of effort with a high risk of personnal injury or dashpad meltdown just for a couple of scuffs at the lower edge of my windshield, if I can't find a "professional" window film guy I think I shall leave it for the time being :(

Regards

Dereck

[Jon90LSC]

3M makes a really good general purpose adhesive removal solvent that works great. I don't remember the part # offhand, but it is in a white can with a red label. It will get the tint adhesive off easily, and will not attack the interior. It is also easier on the lungs than ammonia.

[Nick]

Maybe I should try that. I am debating on whether or not I should trust my car to the apes at the tint shop. I don't know if I can trust them for removing my rear window tint. I removed it all on my own in the first place to save money and to make sure it got done right. Should I remove the rear tint again if I have the window redone? What a dilema!

[JoshMcMadMac]

Simple Green is much safer than amonia, and works just as well. I pulled tint off a car last week and found an excellent method.

Spray the glass down well with Simple Green, and cover it with cling wrap. This prevents the Simple Green from drying or running off. Let it sit, preferably in the sun and heat, for a little while. 30 minutes worked well for me. Then let the defrost run on it for at least 5 minutes at full heat and power. This is especially useful on the rear! Now use a razor to pick a small portion of the tint, just enough to get your fingers on. Now you can pull slowly and carefully, and the adhesive will come off with the tint. Only a little residue will be left anywhere on the glass, and a few good cleanings with Windex will have the glass completely clean.

I have heard of a lot of different substances being used to remove the adhesive that is left after the film is removed. I used the following and found that Windex still works the best: windex, amonia, simple green, WD-40, dish detergent and water. They all did a good job, but the Windex did better, and is not as harsh as the amonia.

Dereck, it is nothing to be overly concerned with. If I can do it successfully and with relative ease, anyone can! ;)

[Nick]

I just thought I'd provide an update.

After taking the car back to them last week, they were unable to do anything. As far as I can tell, whatever they did didn't change the appearance of the tint. I called the owner the next day and he was very hostile and rude. He has refused to do anything. In fact, he verbally assaulted me. :rolleyes: In his desperation, he tried shifting the blame again on the car's age, it's condition ("sh*tty"), and me for not having cleaned the window well enough.

In the words of Bugs Bunny, "You know, of course, this means war!" I have filed a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, I am trying to contact the IRS about the shady tax dealings I saw, I want to contact the Chamber of Commerce, I will contact the D.A., I am sending a registered letter to the jerks, and I will see if I can get a letter in the local papers among other ideas. Hopefully, I can pull a few strings where possible and make this guy go through hell. I'd really rather see him get aggravated at this point than anything else. :D Revenge is sweet if it is not all consuming. ;) I will try and get some pics up when I get home. It looks decent, but it's not the quality I want or for what I paid.

So again, please avoid Mr. Tint of New England and be careful where you go. These guys were suppose to be highly reputable and NEVER have the car worked on as the last job of the day on a weekend.

[DaKat]

Sorry to hear that, Nick. If it's any consolation, I had to make 7 trips to get mine done half-way decently. After that I just got tired and gave up. :mad:

[JoshMcMadMac]

quote:Originally posted by DaKat:
Sorry to hear that, Nick. If it's any consolation, I had to make 7 trips to get mine done half-way decently. After that I just got tired and gave up. :mad:

That seems to be the running theme with those places. I managed to get the Camaro done *almost* perfect in two trips, so I was pretty amazed. :rolleyes: I'm still going to have to pull the rear tint myself and fix the defrost on the Mark though, and see what round three gets me. It sucks this is how it always goes. I might just try me hand at tinting myself next time.

Good luck Nick. Go get them, and get them good! This place isn't in RI is it? My borther-in-law is a cop in Warwick, and my sister in the courthouse, so they might be of some help if it is RI. Just a thought.

[Jon90LSC]

What year of Camaro, josh? If it is 82 or newer, the back windows are a complete pain to tint. I tried tinting my own with a pre cut kit once, and I decided it was better to take it somewhere. Then again, there are some things I am not really a perfectionist about. Paint, yes. Window tint, probably not, as long as it is decent. If I can see through it, and there are not a lot of dark lines or bubbles, I am pretty happy. Of course, I don't think I have ever gotten a tint job that I wasn't happy with, either.

[JoshMcMadMac]

Jon, you are a lucky man to have not had any incidents with bad tint jobs. And you are right, the rear of a newer Camaro would be a pain to tint. And this is a 1996 Camaro. I don't think I would try and conquer that as my first tinting attempt either. The rear of the Mark might be a good place to start, as it is messed up already and really can't get much worse. :rolleyes:

[Nick]

Josh, the shop is in West Springfield, MA, although they do have locations elsewhere. I have a few connections here and I will see what I can do. I sort of know the chief of police's son as I helped my friend help him wire his car stereo. I also know the owner/editor of the local newspaper and a couple other people that may be in a position to help. I'll see what can be done to settle the score. :D

[luxuryrules]

Nick - I'm from Pittsfield, my grandparents still live there. Small world.
Do you travel much? We've noticed a trend in both quality and price with tint jobs - they get cheaper & better the further south you go. My grandparents' got their first TC tinted in Florida for like $75 and it was real good. Their second one they did at some shop in Pittsfield that isn't in business anymore, it came out bubbly and purple after about a year, and cost them over $200. For their newest TC, they came down to one of our shops here who tints for $25/windows - I've used the shop for years and never had a complaint yet. So next time you get a car, if you find yourself traveling south you should look into getting it tinted while you're there.

[tristardc10]

Pittsfield and West Springfield, eh? Cool...I lived outside of Hartford for a number of years. Worked at Bradley International Airport. Anyway, when I moved to Conn from Florida in '93 I had limo tint on my Ranger. When I atempted to register the car in CT the DMV immediately told me to lose the tint...as I expected. I peeled it off in the parking lot and later that week removed the adhesive left-overs with a touch of gasoline on a rag. Got to be extraordinarily careful to go easy on it near the door panels, but it works, and lots of folks have gas cans for their lawn mowers. Of course, the doors were wide open and I had a fan blowing, but it removed the sticky stuff immediately. Cleaned it all up with standard glass cleaner when finished. Glad to be back in Florida now...miss the dark tint.

[Nick]

Wow, who knew anyone would know where my small town is. Thanks for the tip guys. I'm still trying to nail the jerks who screwed me on my tint job. I have a complaint into the Better Business Bureau already.

[Doug]

Hi. I Just purchased and installed window tint film for all the "west facing" windows of my home. The tint is made by Gila and they make tint products for home, office and auto. I highly recommend their product. It's priced well and easy to install if you follow the instructions. they also make a window tint film remover that is safe to use. Their website is Gilafilms.com. I sent emails to a gal there by the name of Amy and she was fantastic to deal with. She'll answer any of your questions and that's important where safety is involved.Hope this helps

[ August 27, 2004: Message edited by: Doug ]

[overheated]

window tint comes off pretty easy with the use of a hair dryer on medium heat if its a rear window you have to be careful not to damage the defrost veins !!!