Categories: Tech Tutorials

How to Remove Window Tint

Moving from state to state I have become aware of the differences in laws and what is considered acceptable in certain states. As I was being pulled over by a member of the sheriff’s department I could not understand why he was pulling me over. As I soon found out; it was because I had tinted windows on my front two windows. In both the states of South Carolina and Georgia a driver is allowed window tinting on the front two windows of a vehicle where as Illinois does not. In Illinois if a car has been purchased with window tint it is important to have it removed so a ticket is not given to the driver. This can be very costly because tickets can be priced in excess of hundreds of dollars, as well as, having the added expense of being removed. Tint can be removed from a car effectively without having to take it to a tint shop.

Removing the tint yourself can be tricky but it can be done with patience and a little effort. There are several ways to remove window tint: duct tape, steam/blow dryer, soaking & scraping and the ammonia method. All of these methods are best done when it is sunny out. The heat helps to remove the adhesive from the windows.

Duct Tape Method: Apply duct tape to the windows by layering the strips over each other. Each strip should overlap by an inch or so. Once the duct tape has been applied let the car sit in the sun. The heat will help the adhesive from the duct tape stick to the tint. After an hour of two try to peel back a piece of the tape along with the tint. Pulling slowly, the tint should peel off with the duct tape.

Soaking & Scraping Method: Cut a small tab into the tint so it can be used as a way to pull the tint away from the window. Once pulling some of the tint back use a spray bottle with soapy water on the adhesive of the tint and use a razor blade to remove the tint. Have spare razors because it will take more than one to do the trick.

Ammonia Method: This is the most work of all the methods. You will need to protect the inside of your car from the undiluted ammonia and wearing a mask is a good idea because of the strong smell. Wet the window with soapy water and place a black trash bag over the outer part of the window. This will help absorb some of the heat from the sun and will hopefully keep the tint in tact while peeling it off. While peeling back small section of the tint spray the ammonia onto the adhesive helping the peeling process.

Steam/Blow Dryer Method: This was the method I used to remove my tint and I found it to be extremely easy and not time consuming by any means. Using the blow dryer I heated an area of the tint, which by the way, has to be hot. After the tint became hot I was able to peel back enough of the tint to hold onto. Then blow drying between the window and the tint I pulled it away from the window slowly. Heating the tint/window well kept the adhesive from being left behind on the window. It took nine minutes to remove both panels and left a minimal amount of adhesive on the windows.

Also remember, if you are removing the tint from the back windows be careful not to remove the defroster lines. In the case of all of these methods, if there is any adhesive left on the window removing; it is simple. Using Goo Gone, spray the windows and let it sit for half an hour or so. Then, use a scratch free scrubby pad and a little elbow grease and it will come right off. Once all the adhesive has been removed use your favorite window cleaner to get rid of any impurities that may have made the window dirty. Once it is cleaned up you are home free unless you get pulled over for speeding.

http://www.tintcenter.com/articles/bt_removal.html

http://www.doityourselftint.com/window_tint_removal.htm

http://www.automedia.com/Removing_Window_Tint/ccr20021101tr/1