Several effective ways to remove tinting from car glass

It may be necessary to remove tint from car windows for various reasons. One of them is to increase the level of light transmission in accordance with legal requirements.

In order to remove coatings from glass, various methods can be used, including heating and exposure to chemical reagents.

We'll tell you how to remove tinting from car windows in this article.

How to remove from a car?

Car owners decide to remove tinting from car windows for various reasons. Most often, these are requirements for light transmission of glass in accordance with current legislation.

The following circumstances may also serve as a reason to remove the coating:

1. Coating defects (flaking, blistering, etc.).
2. Lack of driver comfort when driving due to poor visibility even in slight darkness.
3. Glass defects that can only be corrected by removing the film.
4. Unaesthetic appearance of tinting, etc.

To begin with, before using chemical reagents, you should try to remove the film in a less aggressive way.

Heated

It can be difficult to pick up and carefully pull off the film by the corner, especially in cases where the coating was glued a long time ago.

To remove the darkening film, You will need the following tools:

• hair dryer (household or industrial, which should be able to adjust the temperature);
• rags or napkin;
• glass cleaner;
• knife.

1. Turn on the hairdryer.
2. Gently heat a small area of ​​the film, starting from the edge. In this case, the adhesive composition will begin to melt. The optimal heating temperature is about +40? C, the distance to the glass is at least 15 cm.
3. Pry the edge with a knife.
4. Continuing to warm the surface, moving from one zone to another, gradually remove the entire coating.
5. Wash the glass.

If the heating is insufficient, a lot of glue may remain on the glass, and the film itself will tear in your hands.

This video will show you how to remove tinting from glass using a hairdryer:

Using tools

You can remove the coating using a cold method yourself., using the following tools for these purposes:

• stationery knife;
• rubber scraper;
• rags;
• glass washing liquid;
• dishwashing detergent or liquid soap;
• nail polish remover with acetone or another product that can be used as a glue solvent.

Procedure:

1. Using a knife, carefully pry the film off the corner. To do this, you can moisten the edge with water and detergent.
2. Pulling the loose edge, begin to gradually remove the coating. In this case, you should continue to moisten the part of the glass that is being removed from the coating so that the moisture gets under the film coating.
3. Apply dishwashing detergent to the cleared glass.
4. Leave for 5-10 minutes.
5. Using a rubber scraper, try to remove any remaining glue on the glass.
6. If the adhesive layer cannot be completely removed, the surface must be treated with acetone or another solvent.
7. Remove any remaining glue with a scraper.
8. Wipe the window with a rag.
9. Apply glass cleaner to the glass.
10. Wait a couple of minutes.
11. Wash off the composition from the window with a soft cloth so that there are no streaks left.

Chemical methods

In cases where the film cannot be removed using a cold or hot method, chemicals are used. An ammonia solution is used for this.

Usage:

1. The selected reagent is applied to the surface of the glass coating.
2. A cellophane film is placed on top (you can even use a garbage bag, for example) to prevent the applied liquid from quickly evaporating from the surface.
3. Stand for 15 minutes.
4. After the film softens - bubbles appear, wrinkles - you can begin to remove it.
5. The remaining adhesive is removed with a solvent and a plastic spatula.
6. Wash with detergent.

Ammonia can damage surfaces close to the glass, so they must be protected with cellophane film.

Features of removing old film

Old film has its own characteristics when removing. Adding to the complexity is the fact that she was exposed for a long time:

• sun rays;
• temperature changes;
• fogging, etc.

As a result, its surface can become fragile, and the glue, on the contrary, can literally “weld” to the glass. The first problem you may encounter is the difficulty of prying up the edge. This situation is most often characteristic of coatings that have been in use for at least 2 years.

The film must be properly moistened from the end of the glass. This can be done conveniently by spraying water with a spray bottle. The well-moistened film is left in this form for a quarter of an hour. After a while it will be easier to pick up the free edge with a knife.

The inability to pick up the edge may be due to the characteristics of the cheap glue used (for example, construction glue). A chemical method will help to cope with the removal of such coating.

How to wipe off glue residue?

If mistakes were made when removing the film coating or the film was old and of poor quality, a sticky layer may remain on the glass.

Depending on the condition of the adhesive stains and their size, one of the influence options is selected:

1. For a soft adhesive mass, of which very little remains on the surface, you can deal with it by wetting the surface with soapy water and scraping it off with a spatula.
2. Technical or medical alcohol, as well as purified gasoline, can be rubbed into the dried glue to soften it.
3. Using adhesive solvent requires careful work. When choosing this method, it is important to prevent accidental contact of the composition with paint and seals.

After using any method, you must thoroughly rinse and dry the glass so that it remains transparent.

Prohibitions when deleting

Removing film from car glass requires extreme care in carrying out the work. To avoid unpleasant consequences, It is necessary to take into account the following restrictions and prohibitions:

1. The use of sharp objects during the work process can only be limited - to pry off the corner of the film coating.Do not drag a knife across the glass, as this may cause scratches.
2. Using too hot air in the area with seals is not permissible, as it can lead to their damage.
3. It is impossible to scrape off the coating itself or traces of glue with force.
4. You should not bring the heating to high temperatures, as the film may simply melt, which will only complicate working with it.
5. Do not be careless when working with solvents. If the reagent gets on the paintwork or sealant, it may damage it.

13 recommendations

Advice from experienced car enthusiasts will help you cope with film removal without unpleasant consequences:

1. You can remove the film by heating it even in winter, if it is possible to arrange a positive temperature in the room in which the car is being serviced.
2. It is not advisable to act quickly when removing the film, as there is a possibility of pieces tearing off, which will slow down and complicate the work.
3. When applying a tint film, it is recommended to contact trusted professionals who are guaranteed to carry out the work with high quality. This will make it easier to remove it in the future if the need arises.
4. Work with chemicals must be carried out wearing protective rubber gloves.
5. Instead of a hairdryer, it is possible to use a steam generator.
6. Particular care should be taken when removing tinting from the rear window to avoid damaging the heating system. The best option is to use a hair dryer.
7. Solvents can leave behind a specific odor, so it is advisable to ventilate the car after removing the tint.
8. If removing the film from the glass is problematic, it can be dismantled for the period of work and then reinstalled.
9. If you need to remove the film from the headlights, you can proceed in the same way as with car windows.
10. If the film breaks during removal, it is recommended to pry up the torn end and pull it together with the main part.
11. Not every type of film can be removed by heating. Among the exceptions is athermal. It has a complex composition with the inclusion of a special layer from ultraviolet radiation.
12. If you can’t cope with removing the film on your own, or you don’t have confidence in your abilities, you can contact the service for help.
13. To remove film or adhesive residue, only plastic or rags can be used.

Are you interested in how to remove various stains from glass? Look into this chapter!

Conclusion

You can remove tinting from your car glass yourself, without going to a service station. This can be done in several ways – effectively and quickly enough.