[dakine858]

I used to install auto glass and tint and I have some tips and tricks to make your life a hell-of-a-lot easier. Here's what you're going to need; 1 bottle of amonia, a few trash bags, spray bottle and sunlight. First, we need to spray down the window with amonia (you don't need to saturate it, just get the whole thing evenly wet. Next, cut the trash bags at the seams so they open up to one large sheet of plastic. Spray one side of the plastic with amonia. Now you're going to take the sheet of plastic into the car and press the wet side up against the window. Right before you do, spray down the inside (tinted side) of the window again and this time really make sure there's full coverage. Now you should have the plastic trash bags clinging to the tinted side of your rear window (sandwiching the old tint in between). Now move your car into direct sunlight (if its not there already) and let it sit for at least an hour. Every 20 min or so, peel some of the plastic trash bag back and spray some more amonia on the old tint. What this is doing is using sunlight (heat and UV rays) and amonia to penetrate the old tint and dissolve the old tint adhesive. After an hour (or more), peel off the plastic and spray down the window again. If it's sunny but not too hot, put the plastic back on for another 30 min. If the glass is warm-hot to the touch, you're ready to start removing the old tint. Start in a corner and slowly peel the tint off slowly and in as big of pieces as possible. If you did this right, the tint will come off in 1-3 large pieces. Repeat the amonia and trash bag procedure if its still difficult to remove the tint. You can use a straight edge razor blade to scrape the remaining tint off and amonia to remove the remaining adhesive residue. Before re-tinting, make sure ALL OF THE AMONIA IS WASHED OFF AND NEVER USE AMONIA OR AN AMONIA BASED CLEANER TO CLEAN TINTED WINDOWS UNLESS YOU WANT TO PEEL IT OFF.

[smokeshow]

I'll have to keep this in mind... Many years ago I spent an unpleasant afternoon removing tint from some apartment windows that some joker decided to apply! I think I used Zippo fluid, Windex and a plastic spoon.

[Free5oh]

Or what else works, for us simpletons, is a spray bottle with JOY(dish soap) and a razor blade, grab an edge of the film and pull back, it could leave some glue but that is what the razor blade and soapy water, it take a bit to do it, but at least you wont suffocate, that freakin ammonia is brutal but it does work quite well, i like the soapy water and razor blade myself, plus the soapy water cleans the panel it drips on, bonus!!

[dakine858]

Originally Posted by Free5oh

Or what else works, for us simpletons, is a spray bottle with JOY(dish soap) and a razor blade, grab an edge of the film and pull back, it could leave some glue but that is what the razor blade and soapy water, it take a bit to do it, but at least you wont suffocate, that freakin ammonia is brutal but it does work quite well, i like the soapy water and razor blade myself, plus the soapy water cleans the panel it drips on, bonus!!

Soapy water will not remove tint that has been baking in the sun on your car windows. All the dish soap does is act as a lubricant so its easy to scrape the glass with a razor blade. After 15 min of that, you'll have arthritis and a lot of frustration. All you need to do is roll down your windows and open your car doors so you have good ventilation for the amonia.

[Cobrals1eater]

One word : S T E A M Put something down to catch the water. The steam will loosen the glue and the film pulls right off.

[badloser]

cant you just use a razor blade.. I will be removing some ugly tint from my 95 GT tommorrow I will try the above method if the blade does not work...

[dakine858]

Originally Posted by badloser

cant you just use a razor blade.. I will be removing some ugly tint from my 95 GT tommorrow I will try the above method if the blade does not work...

Sure, you can use just a razor blade and if you don't have arthritis by the time you're done then you're doing pretty good. By the way, if you use only a razor blade and maybe some soapy spray, you're going to absolutely destroy your defroster lines on the back window. Making your life easier, saving your defroster wires, preventing stress, aggravation and premature arthritis is the reason why pro's use the method I layed out.

[89LXpony]

Thanks for the info. I have a 89 LX hatch with original tint on rear window. You can imagine what that looks like!
One more thing, WHY!! do my windows squeal when I roll them down?
Thanks.
89LXpony

[jessekelli]

thanks i have to try that

[wells89]

i niped a piece of my defroster line while useing both methods. my car has no breakes so i cant move it to the light. but did i just ruin my defrost?

its just a little nik

[dakine858]

Originally Posted by wells89

i niped a piece of my defroster line while useing both methods. my car has no breakes so i cant move it to the light. but did i just ruin my defrost?

its just a little nik

Not to worry, the defroster lines run as 1 big circuit so if there is a nik in one of the lines, you should still be ok. Worst case scenario, you might end up with having a small foggy line across your window after turning the defroster on, but the rest of the lines will still be working correctly. I've nik'd a few defroster lines in my day and there are some easy to use kits available to repair window defroster lines.
Frost Fighter 2100 Grid Kits

[wells89]

thank goodness!


and thank you!

[dakine858]

Originally Posted by wells89

thank goodness!


and thank you!

No problem boss. I did forget to elaborate on a few things regarding the defroster repair; clean the area you're going to repair with soap and water then let it dry. Pour some rubbing alcohol on a lint-free cloth and wipe down the same area to remove any grease, film, dust particles and anything else that the soap and water didn't clean off. Lastly, make sure you have good ventilation and don't perform the cleaning or repair in direct sunlight.