Removing Window Tint?

[Sweet95LS400]

As many of you have been following my posts, I have been in search of an LS400 for months now. I finally found the perfect one, it was in Arizona at Lexus of Tucson. Its being shipped right now from AZ to PA, however, the previous owner had tinted the windows. The state of Pennsylvania does not allow for window tint and since the car has to pass an annual safety inspection I must remove the tint when the car gets here. What is the safest way to do this? I have a Jiffy steamer already and I was reading that steam works very well for removing tint, is this the best way? Any tips?

Thanks guys!

[sapper_daddy]

okay i did this last week. the best way to do it is for me to show you but i'll try to explain..........

alright first , stanless steel razors one for each window that you can get at wal mart, i used a heat gun and it worked great, i've heard the same about the steamer.

this is what i did,

rolling the window down just a bit to where i could acess the top edge i applied heat (always used heat on low the whole time, slow but easier to peel the tine) to where the tint starts i then used the razor to peel up a corner of it............now here's where the catch 22 is........tint is in two layers, a dyed film on top and then the sticky stuff on the bottom, you gotta get them BOTH UP, if you don't it's not that its a huge deal but you will spend some serious time getting that stuff off with paint thinner......so moving on here

when you get that corner up you can apply heat and begin pulling but you won't get all the glue to come with it

so begin working that coner up applying heat to the tinted area directly at crease that is coming off, you'll see that if you move too fast and don't get it hot enough a little residue will stick, so you'll figure out the speed

i worked all the way across the top then started pulling down on the whole sheet, doing it like that is slow and you'll see where the glue starts to stick so just move your gun back and forth real slow and keep the tint warm, i'm gonna do a turtorial here soon on the back window cause it's a pain........defroster lines

wear a set of gloves and use paint thinner to clean off the extra stuff left behind

and don't have any fear of the razors, you don't need to apply much pressure with a fresh razor to make the tint come up so don't get too rough........you can't scratch your glass at all with that razor unless you are using excessive force trust me just make sure you use a fresh one on each window.........good luck!!! it is actually very easy once you try it

[bartkat]

That sounds good.

The key to removing the film is heat. When I did my Pathfinder I parked it in the sun for about an hour and then used spray on bug remover. The film bubbled up after awhile and I was able to pull it off almost in one piece. Then some serious cleaning with goof off or something to get the remaining glue. It takes time and patience, but you can get if all off cleanly using heat and a mild solvent.

[sapper_daddy]

yeah it takes a while but if you pull it off while applying the heat gun at the same time there is no clean up it just comes off, and there isn't any residue, like i said though you gotta make sure that you are applying direct heat to what you are pulling up, but if you don't feel like it i've heard that technique too from tint guys even one guy said he used STRAIGHT AMONIA then let it set in the sun like that...........so they both work, cheers tell us how you come out and what worked for you

do a google search i saw an article where a guy used the steamer, maybe you can get some ideas there

[Sweet95LS400]

My rear window was really hard to see out of because the tint was getting old and kind of cloudy looking. I used the steamer this morning and it came right off. Worked really well, no problems at all. All of the glue and tint came off in one shot. All of the defroster and antenna were salvaged and still work fine. What a relief, I was worried I was going to have to buy a new window if I screwed it up.

[bartkat]

Steamer sounds like a great idea. Don't know why I never thought of that before.

[Threadcutter]

My rear window was really hard to see out of because the tint was getting old and kind of cloudy looking. I used the steamer this morning and it came right off. Worked really well, no problems at all. All of the glue and tint came off in one shot. All of the defroster and antenna were salvaged and still work fine. What a relief, I was worried I was going to have to buy a new window if I screwed it up.

Sweet:

Can't argue with success...........

Uhhh, what kind of steamer? Something you'd buy at a variety store for pressing clothes? Something you'd buy at the hardware store for stripping wallpaper?

I guess the question is; What brand/what kind did you use? Can it be picked up on the cheap @ Wally World or Target?

Thanks in advance

[Sweet95LS400]

I bought a commercial grade steamer made by Jiffy. It is the J2-W. Was about $150 but worked perfect, plus I can use it for steam cleaning other things and even taking the wrinkles out of suits and other clothes for work!

[dcfish]

I bought a commercial grade steamer made by Jiffy. It is the J2-W. Was about $150 but worked perfect, plus I can use it for steam cleaning other things and even taking the wrinkles out of suits and other clothes for work!

What a great piece of info that these forums can use. Thanx

Sweet95LS400, You Da Bomb.

We all like it when a thread comes to a resourceful conclusion. B)

[Sweet95LS400]

This is a definately the best way to remove the tint. The steamer was about the cost of a tint removal job, but then I own it and can use it for other stuff as well. The cool thing is that if I know anyone else that needs theirs removed, I could probably make a little money removing it for others as well. So it will definately pay for itself.

[pgupta]

Just finished removing the tint film on my rear window as visibility was fogged up. (94 LS400).

I used http://www.autodetail-school.com/window-tint-removal.html - worked great.

Just regular windex, one razor blade, one black plastic yard clipping trash bag.

Start before lunch (!)

Cut the bag, both sides so to spread it into a single film, cover the entire rear window.

Spray the windex on the inside and spread the trash bag on the inside of the window. This traps the windex between the trash bag and the tint film.

Let the sun shine on the window for couple hours. The heat and windex sweats and separates the film.

Peel it out gently with the help of the razor without damaging the antenna / defroster heater lines (0range).

Keep soaking with windex and wipe off the glue layer wherever necessary.

[9779]

I am usually a do it yourself guy but the window tint on my car needed to be replaced after being on the car for about 10 years. I paid my tint shop 30 bucks extra to take my old tint off before putting the new stuff on. I figure that I could handle the side windows but I didn't want anything to do with the rear one. Some things are just better off left to the pros.