How To Remove Front Windshield Tint

How To Remove Front Windshield Tint

Window tint may need to be removed from your car for a number of reasons – a cheap film may start to turn purple or bubble with age (that's why we use s high performance window tint for all of our pre cut window tint kits) or you may just want to remove it to sell your car.

Whatever the reason, window tint removal from your car should be approached carefully as simply trying to peel off the film will result in a sticky mess which will be even harder to remove from your windows.

How to remove window tint

As we've already covered there are a number of reasons why you would want to remove the window tint from your car including it's age and how much light it has been exposed to over time. You may want to also revisit the installation quality or change it for a darker or lighter colour too.

As a rule of thumb, expect that you will get what you pay for. Cheap quality and installed car tints is expected to begin degrading in just a matter of months with long exposures under the sun and with humid weather. Meanwhile, high quality tint films which are installed properly and with greater effort can last for a couple of years easily under normal conditions. Hybrid films can last 5 years or more, and sputtered or deposited films will last up to a decade and sometimes more.

Cheap window tint will degrade quicker, you really do get what you pay for. Anything which is exposed to the sun and heat over time will suffer and cheaper products don't fare too well under this type of pressure. Higher quality window tints will last longer, hybrids will go beyond 5 years and sputtered or deposited films can easily last beyond 10 years.

Step 1: Prepare your materials and other supplies

Be prepared before you get to work on removing the window tint, make sure you have everything to hand and the process will be a lot less stressful as you won't have to spend time looking around for the bits and pieces that you need during the process. Having the right materials to hand will make your removal process much more efficient.

Decide upon which method you will use for your window tint removal below and check out the list of recommended items to get going.

Step 2: Prepare your car and the window you will work on

Start preparing the job. You may want to start by removing stickers and decals from your window (feel free to use any of the methods below), as you may well imagine having decals or stickers on top of film makes the whole removal process that little bit more tricky so we recommend removing these first.

If you are going to use any method that requires electricity such as the hairdryer and steamer methods, you will need to have a lengthy electric extension cord. Make sure that it is plugged and grounded well. Also, make sure that it can reach the inside of your car as you'll be working inside the cabin.

Think about electricity extension cords and where they will be plugged in and also that it is long enough. You need to consider safety in terms of water and electricity don't mix and be mindful that people could trip over the cable. Take the most appropriate common sense steps here, if you need to then perhaps use gaffa tape to stick the cable down in an area that people could trip over it in.

If you are using a steamer then remember you will be working inside the car and this means that the interior will become hot and steamy so make sure you wind down the other windows before starting otherwise you may find yourself having to stop midway to turn the engine on and get those windows down.

Step 3: Decide on your method of tint removal – see below:

Method 1: Window tint removal using Ammonia (the bag method)

The bag method as it's known, uses a bin bag, ammonia and heat from the sun to melt the glue and allow you to remove window film from your car. Ammonia should be used carefully, and you should use a face mask when applying it inside the car. You'll also need a sunny day for this method to be effective, so consider another method for window tint removal if it's cloudy and raining (which it probably will be if you are in the UK!).

You will need

• 2 bin bags
• Ammonia
• Face mask
• Soapy water
• Sunny day

Method

1. Cut two bin bags to roughly the shape of the window you want to remove the window tint from.
2. Spray soapy water on theoutside of the window, place the bin bag on and smooth it down.
3. Inside the car, cover any areas around the window (e.g. speakers, upholstery, rear lights) to prevent them being sprayed with ammonia.
4. Using a face mask, spray the window tint on the inside of the window with ammonia and then cover the inside of the window with the other bin bag while the ammonia is still wet.
5. Leave for a few hours so it can absorb heat from the sun.
6. Peel the film away starting at one corner – try to peel it away in one piece. Keep the window tint moist with ammonia as you peel away.
7. Remove any residue left over using a very fine steel wool and ammonia.
8. Clean the inside of window with glass cleaner, remove the bin bag from outside and clean too.

Similar to the steaming method, you can use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt the glue of the window tint and remove it from your car.

Method 2: How to remove car window tint using a heat gun

You will need

• Heat gun or powerful hair dryer
• Scrub pad (soft so it does not scratch your window)
• Washing up liquid or adhesive remover

Method

1. Apply the heat gun at a distance of about 5cm to an area at the corner of the tint (on the inside of your car window) until you can start to peel it away.
2. Taking your time, peel slowly as you heat just ahead of the area you are peeling. Make sure you have heated the area sufficiently or the tint will break when pulling.
3. This should remove the film and some or all of the adhesive. Any remaining adhesive can be scrubbed away (using a soft scourer) using washing up liquid and water or an adhesive remover if proving stubborn.

Method 3: Window tint removal using a steamer

The steaming method is one of the easiest and quickest ways, if done correctly, of removing window tint from your car. It works by melting the glue which holds the window film in place, allowing it to be peeled away.

You will need

• Steamer (wallpaper steamers work well)
• Scrub pad (soft so it does not scratch your window)
• Washing up liquid or adhesive remover

Method

1. Apply the steamer to an area at the corner of the tint (on the inside of your car window) until you can start to peel it away.
2. Taking your time, peel slowly as you steam just ahead of the area you are peeling.
3. This should remove the film and some or all of the adhesive. Any remaining adhesive can be scrubbed away (using a soft scourer) using washing up liquid and water or an adhesive remover if proving stubborn.

Summary

There are a few reasons why you would want to remove the window tint from your glass. Cheaper materials don't last as long as they cannot withstand the sun as well as more expensive types.

There are a few ways to remove your window tint and we recommend that no matter which method you decide upon, to be as well prepared beforehand as possible with all of the right materials to hand and windows down in your car. Remember to remove the stickers and decals before hand otherwise the job will be much more difficult than it needs to be.

How To Remove Front Windshield Tint

Source: https://window-tint.co.uk/knowledge-base/window-tint-removal/