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Easiest.... quickest way to remove old window tint???

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Old 09-22-2009, 05:23 PM
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Default Easiest.... quickest way to remove old window tint???

So I've got this old tint that is purple and falling apart on my windows. How do I go about removing it and all adhesive?
Old 09-22-2009, 05:36 PM
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For me...this worked like magic. Effortless, I put this stuff on and it literally fell off by itself in some places under its own weight. All the rest I used a razor to simply lift it off piece by piece. But it mostly came off in big sheets.

And my tint was 10 years old and nasty. Stuck on like cement where a razor would snap in half if I tried to use it.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...t=tint+remover

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Old 09-22-2009, 06:12 PM
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Wow! I've used that stuff for paint but....never thought about useing it for tint remover. I would think it would fog the glass badly. Anyways....how did it work around the defroster? Didn't remove or damage it?
Old 09-22-2009, 07:26 PM
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A lot of times you can spray a diluted mixture of water/baby soap. This allows the glue to dissolve and you can just peel it away. Good luck!
Old 09-22-2009, 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by dream69
Wow! I've used that stuff for paint but....never thought about useing it for tint remover. I would think it would fog the glass badly. Anyways....how did it work around the defroster? Didn't remove or damage it?
I was at a point where I did not care anymore about the defroster wires because I needed this stuff off. I could hardly see through the old tint anymore.

BUT......absolutely NOTHING happened to the defroster wires. PERFECTLY fine and they still work fine. The glass cleaned up crystal clear.

If you want to read through that entire thread, thats cool. But I'll save you some time on some things:

It does not hurt plastic if it drips onto it....as long as it doesn't sit there for a minute or two. I dripped it on the plastic parts by accident a few times and the back seat a couple times....I wiped it off within 30 seconds and nothing at all happened. Next time I would probably lay an old sheet everywhere.

I strongly suggest you wear protective work goggles. I'm an idiot and didn't and a few times the wind blew some into my eyes....burns pretty bad for like 5 seconds. I wore some for the last half though.

It burns the skin almost immediately...but no matter how much got on my hands or arms it never burned that bad where I cared. Its just not that bad, but I did keep a rag there the whole time to grab and wipe it off when it did drip on me.

Just spray it on a rag pretty thick. Then take that rag and dab it on generously. You'll have to do the dag thing like 30 times to get the whole back glass.

If you do the doors. I suggest masking tape, like 2-3 layers o nthe top part of the door panel, then tape some contsruction paper onto it so it will hang down to the ground. Or just take the panels off.

Don;t do it on a windy day.

After you dab it on, just wait like 15 minutes or until the tint can just move by itself with your razor or finger. Should come off in big pieces.

Thats all I can think of for now.


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Old 09-22-2009, 09:03 PM
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sorry to be off topic lol but my defroster wires on my 02 z hardly even work to get fog off the damn back windsheild takes forever, my old 08 lancers back defrosters actually melted ice lol
Old 09-22-2009, 09:20 PM
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My brother in law does tint and I had this problem. He told me to get straight ammonia and put it in a squirt bottle. Spray your window and put a trash bag or some other light plastic and smooth it out on the surface you just sprayed (to keep it from drying out). Let it set in the sun for awhile and then it should peel right off. If plastic film starts to come up with out the tint/glue wait longer or youll have a chore on your hands.
Old 09-22-2009, 10:54 PM
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Originally Posted by kkslds
My brother in law does tint and I had this problem. He told me to get straight ammonia and put it in a squirt bottle. Spray your window and put a trash bag or some other light plastic and smooth it out on the surface you just sprayed (to keep it from drying out). Let it set in the sun for awhile and then it should peel right off. If plastic film starts to come up with out the tint/glue wait longer or youll have a chore on your hands.
My uncle is a tinter and he does the same thing.
Ammonia based window cleaner, let it sit and peel from the top down in one sheet if possible. Keep it stuck at the bottom to keep everything from running down into the door.
Old 09-22-2009, 11:51 PM
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Originally Posted by kkslds
My brother in law does tint and I had this problem. He told me to get straight ammonia and put it in a squirt bottle. Spray your window and put a trash bag or some other light plastic and smooth it out on the surface you just sprayed (to keep it from drying out). Let it set in the sun for awhile and then it should peel right off. If plastic film starts to come up with out the tint/glue wait longer or youll have a chore on your hands.
I tried all that stuff. Nothing worked. I even tried to melt it off with a 700 degree industrial heat gun, didn't budge.

When this stuff is old, it must be eaten off by something very strong.

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Old 09-22-2009, 11:52 PM
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Originally Posted by DriftR
My uncle is a tinter and he does the same thing.
Ammonia based window cleaner, let it sit and peel from the top down in one sheet if possible. Keep it stuck at the bottom to keep everything from running down into the door.
Also, my first layer of tint peeled off, it was the second layer that was stuck on like cement.


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Old 09-22-2009, 11:53 PM
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Its just that....why bother trying all the things that may not work...when for a $10.00 can of paint stripper.....the tint falls off like butter. In about 1 hour, I was done. No mess, no fuss.


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Old 09-23-2009, 01:25 AM
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I used a steamer on my windows and the tint came off in 1 whole piece in under 5 minutes for each window.
Old 09-23-2009, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by vader99
I used a steamer on my windows and the tint came off in 1 whole piece in under 5 minutes for each window.
Steamer did absolutely nothing on mine. Wouldn't even take a square cm of it off, zero effect.

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Old 09-23-2009, 01:40 PM
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Kinda off topic, but it regards tint.
When I bought my car it had tint on it, and I debated taking it off and getting darker. Now, lack of funds tells me just suck it up with what I've got. However- it was always kind of hazy when I looked out the windows. If I had the windows up and trying to look into my side mirrors, everything was just... not foggy, but... slightly distorted/hazy.
One day at work, it was down pouring and the inside of my car got really foggy. I got a napkin and wiped the area on my DS window to view my side mirrors. The fibers from the napkin stuck to the window. I wiped again, and noticed... what looked to be some layer of... goo/crap coming off the window. It wasn't the tint, but like a layer of something was coming off of it. I eventually got around to dampening paper towels/course rags and scrubbing the crap off my windows. Now they are ALOT less hazy.
wtf was this crap i scrubbed off?
Old 09-23-2009, 04:53 PM
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nicotene tar from previous owner/heavy smoker?
Old 09-23-2009, 05:47 PM
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Spray 409 on the window stick a trashbag to it close the door set it in the sun for 15 minutes grab a corner and start peeling
Old 09-23-2009, 08:40 PM
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i just used some water and soap with some razor blades behind the tint to keeep the motion forward while i pulled the tint. was for a friends car, had 5% on it, cop gave her a ticket and she had to take it off to get it dismissed....she's going out this weekend to put 5% back on
Old 09-23-2009, 09:14 PM
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I too have used Aircraft Paint Stripper to remove tint with terrific results.
Old 09-24-2009, 12:28 AM
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Originally Posted by vader99
I used a steamer on my windows and the tint came off in 1 whole piece in under 5 minutes for each window.
Ding! ding! ding!

Originally Posted by LS6427
Steamer did absolutely nothing on mine. Wouldn't even take a square cm of it off, zero effect.

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You need a real steamer. Not one for clothing, but rather a Shark steamer or one of these:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...6671169&RN=878

Safe to wires and your own health. Fairly quick and large sections if not one section of tint.

Stupid Ziebart which I originally took my car to take the tint off said there would be a huge risk if they took it off. They used some chemical and a razor.

F that!
Old 09-24-2009, 01:30 AM
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Originally Posted by integraxtc
Ding! ding! ding!



You need a real steamer. Not one for clothing, but rather a Shark steamer or one of these:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...6671169&RN=878

Safe to wires and your own health. Fairly quick and large sections if not one section of tint.

Stupid Ziebart which I originally took my car to take the tint off said there would be a huge risk if they took it off. They used some chemical and a razor.

F that!
Wrong!

It was a real steamer that a tint shop uses everyday on other cars, I stopped by to see if it would work. They were shocked it did nothing. They wanted like $150.00 to go at it with razor blades and they said my rear defroster would get trashed in the process.

FACT is.....sometimes when tint is on a car for a very long time, 10+ years in my case....there's nothing that will take it off except a chemical or substance that truly eats plastic film and even aluminized plastic films.

Did you not read where a 700 degree industrial heat gun did nothing to my tint?

I wish a steamer would have worked, then I wouldn't have had to try everything known to man until I found the paint stripper.

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