Removing tints??

A3_Turbo

Swaying towards IHI....
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Hi after cleaning the car at the weekend i started lookign at my tints and wasnt sure if i still liked them.

They're way darker then i wanted cant decide wether to take them off or not, thing is i dont want to take them off then regret doing it afterwards?

Thing it has a debadged front black grill and black with chrome dish 18's on it so the black tints kinda suit it i just cant make my mind up!

They look really black in some of the pictures i have but when you look it from another angle they dont look too bad.

Are they easy to remove yourself??

Jason
 
I seem to recall someone mentioning they're applied with heat, something like a hairdryer (?!). The same process should also remove the film. Might look a bit stupid in your driveway 'drying' you car windowss with a hairdryer, but you never know, it may well work !!

;)
 
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They look really dark in the last pic but that's just how the light's hitting it i think.

Cant make my mind up! Could some-one maybe photo-shop it without the tints?

Would be greatly appreiciated!

Thanks
 
im getting my tints removed, sometimes they look ok, then other times I just think they are not me.

Im getting it done professionally, as I dont wanna make a hash of it
 
Just look at a standard one!
They do look better with tints, just not limo black ones.
Smoke looks pretty good.

To take off the tints you'll need to try and soak the windows with warm soapy water because thats how you apply them.

Here's some hints

Tips:
The difficult thing about removing tint is that most film is constructed of two layers of tinted polyester. When you try to peel the film off the glass, the top layer will usually pull right off leaving the second layer behind. This second layer will not peel off, it will just flake and tear like a price tag.

Step 1:
To over come separation between layers you must soften the adhesive so that both layers peel at the same time. This is very important, if you peel the just the top layer, you may as well just use razor blades as there is no way to peel the second layer off without picking at it for a few hours. You MUST try to peel both layers at once.
NOTE:
You are more than likely to damage one or more of your defroster lines, when this happens, the cut line will not work anymore. Some cars have radio antennas mounted alongside the defrosters made of the same material. If you damage these, your radio antenna will not work! Be careful! Taking it to a tint shop to be done greatly increases the odds of saving the lines, but even a tint shop can not promise to save your lines, sometimes the film is just to far gone.​
Step 2:
First, clear the window of any obstructions, like the brake light, speaker covers etc.

Step 3: Next cut open the garbage bag so that it will be big enough to cover the entire window. Spray some water on the outside of the back window and the lay plastic bag over the glass. Cut away excess plastic so that it is now roughly the same shape as the glass.

Step 4:
Next, lay a tarp over rear deck and seat, spray ammonia liberally on the inside of the back window. (Ammonia is very strong, I suggest you hold your breath during this step) and cover ammonia soaked tint with the plastic bag so that it won't evaporate.

Step 5:
Park the car with rear window facing the sun for about an hour. The film should now be ready to peel.

Step 6:
When you are ready to start peeling, leave the plastic in place so the ammonia wont dry. Get the peeling started with a razor blade in a corner where there are no defroster lines. Try to peel film off in one piece. If the ammonia dries as you peel, the glue will get hard again, so spray a bit of ammonia on the area as you peel.

Step 7:
Once the film is peeled you will need to scrub the adhesive off with ammonia and fine 0000 steel wool. Mop up scrubbed areas with paper towels before they dry. Finish up with window cleaner and paper towels.

Removing tint from side windows
Soaking is not nessesary here. You may want to use a simple razorblade holder. Cut a notch onto the upper area of the film so that you have a piece to pull. Try to peel the film, it will probably come off in two or three pieces. Spray the remaining adhesive with soapy water, and scrape the adhesive off with a razor blade, avoiding the edges of the glass until last to keep the blade sharp. You may need to use a few blades as they dull quickly. Finish up with window cleaner and paper towels. Inspect for missed glue (its clear and hard to see)
 
Chris, I saw those instructions on an American website recently when looking to remove my tints... I dont know how easy Ammonia is to get hold of here? Either way though I rang the local tint place to me and they said £50 to remove the front windows tints. Im only really bothered about getting the fronts removed because they are pretty scratched now from the dust particles getting trapped on the inside and finely scractching the film.

I didnt understand why in the above instructions, soaking the outside of rear window and covering it with a 'garbage bag' helped... seeing as though all the tint is on the inside? Maybe its different there??

Basically its seems to be £25 a glass cause for the rest of the car it would have took it to nearly £200.... BUT, I figure... £50 to get someone else to get their hands sticky was ok.. and a hell of a lot easier than playing with ammonia/hairdryers/razor blades/sopay water/and the cold Englsih weather. ;)
 
Dont fancy loosing the lines off my rear windopw personally!

Think i'll ask the tint place where i had them done how much to remove them.

Cheers
 
Keep the tints, and if ur set on gettin rid of them.. how about removing the windows, buying some that are standard, or trading with someone who wants tints and charge 200£ make some money back, and you dont loose the back window.
 

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