tint removal on engine glass

[tomc92bb000059]

OK, new owner who is trying to adjust to the limited view out the back.....My rear engine cover glass is tinted with a very dark tint, and I am concerned that if I try to remove it by just pulling it off, I may damage the defrost wires. Any sugggestions, as i can't see shit at night with the damn limo tint that's on right now.... Thanks.

 

[ewarman]

I had mine redone last year. I had a professional tinter do it, because you can destroy the electric defogger if you are not careful.

 

[Lud]

I'd agree - it's worth paying someone else to do it. It's messy and difficult if you haven't done it before. If you are considering re-tinting it with a lighter tint, they may not even charge you to remove the old tint (I've negotiated that deal before).

 

[smoore]

i'll let you in on a secret which tint people don't like to let people know

in the middle of the day you park you car outside and let the tint get hot you spray a water/parmolive mix 80/20 and then place plastice from a trash bag you cut up earlier on the window which will stick because of the parmolive mixture. once the plastic is pressed on leaving no part of the window unpressed let it sit for around 30 minutes and start to peel back the tint the reaction is that the heat and parmolive force the glue back through the window tint and means you can peel back with minimal glue on the window i've done this many times and it dosen't distroy you de-froster
stuart

p.s. it really is easy but sounds harder than it is

 

[Lud]

I sat and watched the tint guy pull old tint off my car and that is exactly how they do it. But considering it is a huge PITA to do it on the engine hatch glass since you have to lean backwards over the engine bay the entire time, I'd still pay someone else to do it. Even once you get the tint off, you have to go back and get all the little adhesive left over. If the tint has been on the car a short time it's not too bad; if the tint has been on the car a long time it can be a real chore.

And as I mentioned, if you are having them re-tint with lighter tint, they may remove the old tint at no cost which means I would DEFINITElY let them do it!

 

[nsx4fun]

I had mine tinted Limo Black and I like it. I think the car looks better. Poor visibility doesn't bother me, I just drive faster so I don't need to see what's behind me, I know cause I just passed it. ;>

On another car that I had retinted, the glass shop only charged $30 to remove an old rippling & tearing tint that was over defrost wires. I agree, pay the pros to do it if they won't do it for free.

Fritz

 

[burbel]

Stuart -

Thanks a bunch for that writeup! The tint on my rear hatch was badly bubbled (I suspect the coolant from the burst a coolant hose started the problems), and it was hard to see out of.

I spent around 2 hours (between yesterday and today) to get the tint removed all the way, and I am very happy with the quality!

I mixed the Palmolive 25/75% (I cannot count), did the trash bag, and was able to peel the old tint right off. To get rid of the glue that remained, pure ammonia and a few shop rags - no troubles at all! It was just like wiping off dirt, no hard rubbing or anything.

I think the trick was removing the window glass, and then working with the glass on a little shop table. Removing the glass requires a philips screwdriver (3 screws where the wiring harnesses connect), a flat screwdriver to pop off the 3 harnesses, a 10mm ratchet to get the 4 nuts that hold on the glass, and a 12mm open-ended wrench to get off the truck struts.

With the glass on the "ground", this was *easy*.

Thanks again!

[This message has been edited by burbel (edited 28 April 2002).]