Skip to content
Aussieveedubbers

Removing window tint

0 likes
Share Share on Facebook Share on X Share on Reddit
Log in to reply

jamsha71 Slammed & Awesome Dubber

88 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#688799
Hi all,
I was wondering if anybody had tips on removing old window tinting. I had a bit of a go on one window, but found that the tint stayed and the plastic film came of in strips.
Any ideas?
76 Kombi (current)
75 Kombi
71 Beetle
69 Beetle
69 Beetle

vw54 Administrator Always Waiting 4 Friday

16,723 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#688820
if you remove the glass from the car i think it may wash of in Petrol
I read it on FACEBOOK so it must be true


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=91278&page=1#pid848630


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=63561&page=1#pid624099


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=4832&page=1#pid452603


http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=60650&page=1#pid574409

xornge666x Wolfsburg Wizard

460 posts · joined Sep 2006 ·

#688825
heat gun... it stinks, and takes ages!!!
thats the easiest way I have found. Start at one corner lifting it with a razor, and heat the film, and pull it off slowly.
It will still leave a slight sticky residue, that prep sol (wax and grease remover) will get off.

1303Steve Scirocco Rare

8,650 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#688826
Hi

I removed it once, it was a bitch. Worst part was the glue, nothing would remove it cleanly, but I did have some success with some waterless car wash after trying everything in kitchen.

If its not a rare model, maybe consider buying 2nd hand glass to replace it.

Steve

Newt Wolfsburg Wizard

478 posts · joined Mar 2008 ·

#689031
Pick a warm day.

Squirt with Windex (it has amonia in it).

Cover with newspaper (keep wet).

Give it some time and it should be easier to lift.

Take real care not to scratch the window (especially on windows with demisters).

There is plenty on info on the net.

Newt
It is as it is - If you didnt enjoy today, you've missed the opportunity.

jamsha71 Slammed & Awesome Dubber

88 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#689258
It looks as though I have a few methods to try!
Thanks for the tips, and when I've had a go at all of them I'll report on which was the best one.
76 Kombi (current)
75 Kombi
71 Beetle
69 Beetle
69 Beetle

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#689266
I don't know if the Newer tints are any easier to get off...

but those old ones - if they were applied correctly...

come off in small strips... then the glue is still there..

as suggested prepsol - wax remover -

probably just as potent as petrol..

[I hope You don't smoke] lol

I just remembered i have some glue from a sticker still on My windscreen... will try prepsol tomorrow,,,
nothing else i tried would take it off - only moves it.. lol

Lee
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

ancientbugger Custom Title Time!

1,986 posts · joined Mar 2004 ·

#689301
If it was me I'd use a single edge razor blade. The other ways could end up being even messier, just be careful and you should be alright.

h fractals - an ever changing lifestyle

7,671 posts · joined Feb 2005 ·

#689309
drop by any tint shop and sus em out as they do it all the time
im sure they'll steer you in the right direction
h
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse

Fantasy http://seventhchronicle.com

Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity

Barrels www.barrelman.com.au

VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au

Newt Wolfsburg Wizard

478 posts · joined Mar 2008 ·

#689431
Guys, its your call.

Ive used a razor, Ive used a credit card and Ive used window cleaner.

For my money, window cleaner wins (amonia).

Try surfing the net for something like "removing car window tinting"


Newt

Hm, I wonder if Handy Andy would work? Its really good for degreasing.... (pink seems best).
It is as it is - If you didnt enjoy today, you've missed the opportunity.

jamsha71 Slammed & Awesome Dubber

88 posts · joined Oct 2008 ·

#722968
We used a steam iron and a soft scraper.

With a little patience it was an easy job. Thanks for the tips, lads!
76 Kombi (current)
75 Kombi
71 Beetle
69 Beetle
69 Beetle

ratty 63 Custom Title Time!

1,083 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#839597
Sorry to bring this one up again... but it's my turn to try to remove window tinting. I have just received a 1990 Caravelle that my brother has been bringing back to life and it has crappy purple, bubbly tint on a couple of the windows (not sure why only a couple of them... judging by the sun damage to the seats it looks like the others were never tinted).
h wrote:drop by any tint shop and sus em out as they do it all the time
im sure they'll steer you in the right direction
h
I spoke to a tint shop and they are more than happy to remove the old tint, however they will not guarantee that the rear demister will work (less than 20 percent chance). I didn't ask how they will remove the tint, but I assume that, like most businesses, it is important to them to get the job done ASAP. Therefore being careful not to damage the demister is not high on their priority list - after all, they don't have to drive the car, do they?

I'm going to give it a go on the back window (with the demister) and leave the other windows for the tint shop to deal with.

I just wanted to ask, are any of the chemicals listed in the posts above likely to damage the demister? Obviously I have to avoid scraping the window with anything too sharp (razor blades, paint scrapers, etc).

Any other suggestions?

R 🙂
40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements 😂

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

Founding member of the Gold Coast Dub Club Inc. 🙂

ahoogah Seriously Crusin Dubber

135 posts · joined Oct 2009 ·

#839617
jamsha71 wrote:Hi all,
I was wondering if anybody had tips on removing old window tinting. I had a bit of a go on one window, but found that the tint stayed and the plastic film came of in strips.
Any ideas?
Eucalyptus oil is good for some glues,worth a try.

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#839620
To take anything off glass I use the single sided blades...
You can get them in scrapers which are easier to use...
You won't scratch the glass unless You really try...

as the rear demister is usually stuck to the glass...
scraping it off wouldn't be an option...

unless the wires are in the glass then just be careful around the mounting terminal blocks at the top...

I found Prepsol or car paint thinners to be great at removing the glue...

I don't know why they used Purple tint are maybe all OLD tint goes purple... it was probably not as thick as todays tint...
and that is why it shreds...
and the glue stays...??

it was probably an aftermarket user applies tint...

LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

h fractals - an ever changing lifestyle

7,671 posts · joined Feb 2005 ·

#839682
a mate does window tinting n uses a heat gun to remove the old tint with plenty of colourful language 🤪
fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse

Fantasy http://seventhchronicle.com

Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity

Barrels www.barrelman.com.au

VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#839700
Rosco, do you know if the demister actually works in the first place?

Never tried it but someone once mentioned if you spray the tint with window cleaner, then spread cling wrap over it and wait a bit for it to dry it peels off with the cling wrap.

Sounds like a wives tale but may be worth a try.

ratty 63 Custom Title Time!

1,083 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#839776
ahoogah wrote:Eucalyptus oil is good for some glues,worth a try.
Funny you should mention that - I had someone else make the same suggestion last night. I'll give it a go just out of curiosity.
68AutoBug wrote:I found Prepsol or car paint thinners to be great at removing the glue...

I don't know why they used Purple tint are maybe all OLD tint goes purple... it was probably not as thick as todays tint..
I did a google search on the subject and most people agreed that Prepsol (or the same product with different names) worked fine at removing the left over glue - however most of the 'how-to' type posts/websites point out that if you remove the tint correctly the glue will come off with the tint, so thinners/prepsol shouldn't really be necessary.... suppose this is going to depend on how old the tint is and what sort of condition it is in as many of the articles relate to removing tint from late model vehicles so that they will pass the US version of the RWC.

From what I understand the purple tint is older plastic tint that has faded. The metal tint that is mainly used today will still fade, but not as much and does not go purple. Be aware that many of the do-it-yourself tint packs you can buy are plastic tint....
h wrote:a mate does window tinting n uses a heat gun to remove the old tint with plenty of colourful language 🤪
I have a plentiful supply of both of those items 😀

From what I have seen written on other websites this method should work successfully, however I am concerned about how easy it would be to overheat the glass from the the heat from the heat gun, possibly causing it to crack... I might try a few of the other suggestions first.
Joel wrote:Rosco, do you know if the demister actually works in the first place?

Never tried it but someone once mentioned if you spray the tint with window cleaner, then spread cling wrap over it and wait a bit for it to dry it peels off with the cling wrap. Sounds like a wives tale but may be worth a try.
The idea of testing the demister first came to me just after I made my post yesterday - I would hate to spend a couple of hours carefully removing the tint only to find that the demister is NFG and I could have just scraped the tint off quickly... I just have to wait for it to rain again (that shouldn't take long 😀) and drive around with the kids in the back for half an hour to test that one....

The window cleaner method is mentioned on various websites too. Apparently it does work but is messy and can be quite toxic. It is the ammonia in the window cleaner that releases the adhesive - you just have to ensure that you use the correct window cleaner as many of them these days are 'tint friendly' and do not contain ammonia.

The most popular method on the internet is to use a steamer to loosen the adhesive, then the tint can slowly be removed. This method apparently removes the adhesive with the old tint if it is done correctly (ie: slowly enough).
I might give this method a go first... just have to find and purchase a steamer....

I'll give it all a go when the van comes back from the A/C workshop as the cold went warm yesterday and it looks like the dash will have to be removed to fix it.... bugger 🙁


R 🙂
40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements 😂

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

Founding member of the Gold Coast Dub Club Inc. 🙂

beetleboyjeff Custom Title Time!

1,790 posts · joined Feb 2009 ·

#839798
[quote
just have to find and purchase a steamer....
R 🙂 [/quote]

If it is a steamer as used in wallpaper stripping, you should be able to hire one easily.
From your ole' mate Jeff

ratty 63 Custom Title Time!

1,083 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#839804
The steamers that are mentioned on other websites are the type you use on clothes and are apparently inexpensive...

I imagine that the wallpaper stripping version would work too... just faster 🙂

R 🙂
40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements 😂

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

Founding member of the Gold Coast Dub Club Inc. 🙂

ratty 63 Custom Title Time!

1,083 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#850857
Well, I went through the motions and followed the information on the web-sites that I had read and I can only assume that the success of the published tinting removal methods must be related to the type, age and condition of the tint you are trying to remove.

The tint that was on my Caravelle was badly faded, blistered and there were also areas of the tint that were damaged (rips and gashes in the tint). I know that the van had been sitting outside for approx. 10 years before it came to live with us so everything is sun damaged.

I purchased a clothes steamer (turns out that my wife wanted one anyway) and spent the next 4.5 hours removing the tint from the back window. The plastic tint came off the window fairly quickly and easily without the use of any other tools, the the entire window was coated with the adhesive. When I realised that the adhesive was being left behind I tried a number of things to stop this from happening (pulling the tint off slower, using less heat/steam, using more heat/steam, etc) but nothing I did made any difference.

I then tried all the suggested methods for removing the adhesive but none of them made much difference. I then became more adventurous/desperate and tried amost every chemical I could think of that may have helped, including everything that was suggested in the thread above....

In the end, I found that the only way I could get the adhesive off was to use masses of steam and a razor blade/paint scraper - being very careful around the demister lines on the window. This process alone took almost 2 hours! I really don't know if the window demister has been damaged now - it doesn't look damaged but I suppose only time will tell...

On the positive side, I left the two tinted side windows for the guys at the tinting shop to sort out and they mentioned that this tint was amongst the hardest that they had removed... so I don't feel too bad! Oh, and of course the new tinting looks sooooo much better!

I really feel that the age and condition of the old tint plays a big part in how easily if can be removed.

R 🙂
40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements 😂

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

Founding member of the Gold Coast Dub Club Inc. 🙂

waltermitty Legend when my beer goggles are on

1,993 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#850877
metho
23 windows ...8 too many!

VolksVair Officially Full-On Dubber

252 posts · joined Apr 2010 ·

#850921
Someone said they used a credit card, I would like to add to that, yeah use a credit card and replace the bloody windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Adventure Before Dimentia

ratty 63 Custom Title Time!

1,083 posts · joined Oct 2003 ·

#850992
waltermitty wrote:metho
Tried that - with a lot of effort it had a very small effect. It would have taken much longer to remove the adhesive this way than it did with steam and a blade.

R 🙂
40hp, 6V and ...er... slowly making improvements 😂

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

Founding member of the Gold Coast Dub Club Inc. 🙂

vlad01 Compulsive Aussie Vee Dubber

4,270 posts · joined Jun 2010 ·

#851701
Hit them hard with a hammer, gets rid of tint every time without fail. 😵‍💫

71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE

t_tuffnut Wolfsburg Wizard

425 posts · joined Jun 2009 ·

#852351
Anyone tried acetone? It normally rips through everything. I made up my own super degreaser one time with acetone, heavy duty engine degreaser concentrate and brake cleaner. Damn stuff bubbled the rubber gloves I was wearing in minutes. Got the socket set nice and shiny though!
1966 Bug

1973 L Bug