The tinted glass film on my neighbor’s car windows is bubbling after 8 years, but where it has not bubbled it resists attempts to peel off. A razor blade doesn’t work well because of the double curve of the glass and the fact that it would destroy the printed defrost wires on the back window.
Does anyone have a good method to remove tinted film?
Thanks
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I just bought a new car and have been reading up on tinting pros and cons, the cons mostly come from trying to remove tint from rear windows with defog wires on them.
They first recommend heat to soften the film, then tedious scraping with a razor, avoiding the defog wires. They don't recommend sprays, as they can dissolve/soften the defog wire adhesive too.
Pro shops I've spoken with say they do it charging by the hour,and they hate it. They say it's usually cheaper for the car owner to just buy a new rear window instead of trying to remove tint from a rear window with bad tint film.
And they said that every once in a while they'll get someone in asking about tint removal on a rear window. After they explain the situation, the guy comes back after a couple of days after having filed an insurance claim for a broken rear window, wanting them to tint the new rear window.
"...the guy comes back after a couple of days after having filed an insurance claim for a broken rear window..."What an amazing coincidence! :)Thanks for the not-too-encouraging feedback.BruceT
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quieter too.....
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Because the rear window on my car also has the radio antennae embedded in it, I'm looking at ceramic tint film. Doesn't discolor like the dyed films, doesn't interfere with radio/gps/cellphone reception like metallic film. But I just got quoted $375 for ceramic film. So I'm staying untinted for the time being.
"But I just got quoted $375 for ceramic film. So I'm staying untinted for the time being."You may be onto something there. Might be cheaper to tint yourself instead of the windows. :)BruceT
Cheap sunglasses?
Just my .02. Tinting windows makes it harder to see inside the car for police officers aproaching from the rear.
It also makes it harder for people to know what your intentions are while driving. I can pick up head movements to see if someone has looked a certain way.
I ride bicycles and it is easier for me to know what people are going to do when I can see them.
And it doesn't make your car look better. Makes it look dumb to me.
Just my opinion. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
I ride bicycles and it is easier for me to know what people are going to do when I can see them.
Same here. Being able to see the driver can really make a big difference in safety.
In NJ, it's illegal to tint the windshield or either of the 2 front windows so it's not very common, but some still do it.
A lot of "kids" these days are doing it. They have the whole black thing going on to make their car look bad#ss. They don't look bad (tuff) or good. They just look like stupid consumers trying to make a statement with their car.
If you want to make a statement, get out of your car and talk to people face to face. Look them in the eye, use the English language (or what ever one is appropriate), and use full sentences.
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Edited 8/19/2009 6:26 pm by popawheelie
A lot of "kids" these days are doing it. They have the whole black thing going on to make their car look bad#ss. They don't look bad (tuff) or good. They just look like stupid consumers trying to make a statement with their car.
Even better/worse are the numbnutz that blank off the top 1/3 of the windshield with some opaque film matching the paint to look sporty.
MikeInsert initially amusing but ultimately annoying catch phrase here.
I'm not going dark. Just a light tint. More UV control than minimizing visible light transmission.As far as the cops go, I do 90% highway driving and I do drive about 10mph over the posted limit. I've been pulled over twice in the past 15 years or so. I turn the interior lights on and my hands go on the dashboard. I'm not looking for a better looking car. If I wanted a nice looking car I wouldn't have gotten rid of the car I had for the car I now have.
I didn't mean to bust your chops. I try to state these things when I can because I think it helps people think about it.
I think cars take up way to much of our time and energy. And it's easy to fall into. I used to do it. Talk about money pits!
I use our car and truck for basic transportation now. And I do as little of it as possible.
I drive at or under the speed limit. I just don't care any more what everyone else thinks in this area. I think it is the right thing to do so I do it.
But that is just my personal opinion. I understand how you might have to get places. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
No worries, my chops are still intact. I understand your intent. I've never been a "car guy" myself, whereas two friends who were over last night are nothing but. One guy is car broke yet gets his cars professionally detailed every other week, the other turns his car over every year, sometimes more than that. He's got to be in the latest-greatest.In my driveway I have a '90, a '01, and the '09 that I was thinking of tinting. The new car just has so much glass on it, it's a greenhouse when it's in the sun. No garage.
I've heard about tinting windows to make the cars cooler temp wise.
I don't buy it. I mean how much cooler?
If you park your car in the sun it will get hot! Duh!
I grew up in L.A. and was opresively hot some times. I'd look for shade to park in but there wasn't much.
I've moved north and it is cooler. I have no AC in the new (old) truck. I don't need it. "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
No worries, I'm not trying to sell you a tint job. As it stands now I wont be tinting the car anyway. Although you're probably already aware of it, ceramic tint is different than the dyed and metallic tints. It's actually designed for office buildings with large expanses of glass to minimize UV exposure and radiant heat gain while still maximizing transmitted light.See, that's the beauty of this place. I'm not trying to sell you anything or convince you of anything.
Won't help with your wire issue but for other places, I used brake fluid to get the #########ing Adhesive off. I tried every other solvent I had from Acetone to Xylene, most just made a gooey mess. The brake fluid and flopping the rag often did the trick.
My F350 had almost total blackout on the windows when I got it, I don't mind some tint but this was a Florida truck at one point in it's life and it don't fly well with the Five-OH here.
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I've been told ammonia in a spray bottle is the way to go. Here's one online description; http://www.tintcenter.com/articles/bt_removal.html I've also heard of people putting a pan of ammonia inside the car, closing the windows and letting it sit for a while but I don't have personal experience with that.
Thanks for the link.BruceT
hammer.chisel,vacum cleaner. goes really easy,1 hit and it's gone.
the older i get ,
the more people tick me off