HOW TO: Remove window tints

antodeco

So, after putting my car through the NCT, it failed solely on its windows. I looked around online and got quotes, and there were prices ranging frmo €40 - €100 to remove tints. I had researched this before, and there were a lot of tips of how to remove it. The mains ones were:

Put moist newspaper on the window and let dry and pull off
Put hairdryer on full heat and try peel off the tint.

I thought the two above sounded a little bid hit and miss, so I researched more and decided to go with the below one. To get started, you will need:

Clean new blade
Bug/Tar remover
Cloth



The initial stages are a little annoying as you can start taking small bits off. I found that the side of the car sitting in direct sunlight, was easier to do. Perhaps this was due to the heat on the window. Anyway, the first you need to do, is get the blade and go to the edge of the tint (top of the window) with the window down.



You will need to try and scrape off a bit of the tint, to try and get it to lift up. The trick is simply to create a little lip of the tint so you can peel back. You may have to do this several times, leaving small bits of tint on your fingers.



Once you do get a lip and can peel, slowly peel the tint back, so you removing it in strips. If you do it too quick, glue with be left behind, or you will be left with very small strips coming off, meaning a lot more work. Patience is key to this part here.





Continue the above step until the window is completely cleared from tint. Be careful around the base of the window, as the tint may catch under the rubber lips for the window.

The window is going to look fairly clear, but there is very fine layer of glue on it, that if you wind down the window can cause havoc with the motor.
Spray, fairly liberally, the bug and tar remover. I was very over zealous with mine, but wanted to make sure it was all gone.



I left mine sit for around 5/10 minutes. There will be a little overspill, so just use the cloth to wipe up and excess spray. Once left for a little while, wipe down the blade and start scraping along the now sprayed window, and you will start to see glue and spray building up on the blade. Keep the blade clean as possible, by wiping it with the cloth.




You may need to repeat the above step, depending on how much you got off. You will eventually be left with a fairly gooey looking window.



What I did hear was got a damp cloth and wiped all over the window. You will see glue left over. Repeat the above step of spaying the window and scraping it off. Once done, go back over the edge as above to make sure you got it all.

Clean down the window and you will then be left with a now tintless (and probably very clean) window




I would recommend wearing gloves doing this, cause that bug and tar remover is quite toxic. I didnt, and I was alright, but thats my safety disclaimer!

The key to all of the above is patience. I decided to try the other window quicker, and it made more work for me, as there was a lot of glue left over. In total. in took about an hour, which wasnt too bad really.

Oh, the car then passed the NCT!

I hope someone gets to use the above!

El Guapo!

Nice write up.
I had to do this a few weeks ago on my car for the NCT aswell. Was totally gutted as I think it took the look off the car somewhat, but sure what can ya do!
The glue can be a real pig to take off alright!

Lex Luthor

I've seen ads from companies that offer a service to remove your tints for nct and put them back on again afterwards.

What are the legalities behind this? I see new cars going around with tints all round obviously because they don't have to worry about the nct for 4 yrs.

Surely if the car can't pass an nct with tints on the front then how can it be legal to drive around with them?

El Guapo!

The garda can still stop you and give you a fine and penalty points.

Lex Luthor

Dean09 wrote: »

The garda can still stop you and give you a fine and penalty points.

thanks for clearing that up

sanches56

An excellent post and very well written. I removed the tints from my windows yesterday and it worked fine. The only helpful tips that I can add are it may be easier to use a "backed blade", they are easier and safer to hold.
I also found it useful to push the blade in between the window and the tint and pull the tint towards you in order to start. I then pulled strongly on the tint and peeled it off the window. It was also helpful to have someone warm the outside of the window with a hair dryer to melt the glue whilst peeling the tint off.
In order to get a clean cut at the bottom of the window I placed the blade against the window below the rubber seal and sliced the tint along the base of the window. When I peeled the tint off by pulling it strongly it came off very cleanly. I repeated this for the sides of the window also.

I hope people understand what I mean. Thank you for your step by step post, it was a great help.

MetzgerMeister

Excellent DIY. IMHO, it was a bit stupid for them to fail your car as there isn't that much of a difference from what I can see in the photos.

Although I have never done this, I can still give a few tips:

Instead of destroying your door card with the bug & tar remover, spray it onto a sponge and wipe it over the window. A lot of what you had on the window ended up as waste because it doesn't take that much to do the job

An easier option instead of TurtleWax B&T is Holts' version in the aerosol can. Again, spray onto a sponge and wipe over the window. You mightn't even need to use the blade with this stuff. Just leave it on for a few minutes and wipe with a cloth.

Also, if your door cards have cloth material on them, I would advise people to cover them with newspaper. That TW B&T can stain fabrics.

msg11

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I've seen ads from companies that offer a service to remove your tints for nct and put them back on again afterwards.

What are the legalities behind this? I see new cars going around with tints all round obviously because they don't have to worry about the nct for 4 yrs.

Surely if the car can't pass an nct with tints on the front then how can it be legal to drive around with them?

It's illegal if the light coming in the window is not at a safe lumen level IE the tint lets more than a certain % light into the car it's legal, below that is illegal.

I think Garda Traffic have lumen meters well rumour has it.