How do I remove my old tint?

[wahed3001]

Hello! I'm planning on doing a DIY re-tinting of my windows since the old one is peeling off. I tried pulling them off but only the top layer came off leaving a sticky hazy smudge behind. What will be the easiest way to take it off? I guess I can use a razor blade but don't want to use it on the rear window as it might scrape/cut the heating lines. Is there a solvent that'll melt the glue (or whatever that is) right off?

By the way, what's a good place to buy precut window tints for a 94 Camry? Thanks much for your help!

[prnc_chrmng]

dpends on how bad the windows are. i know they (the tint shop that did mine) tired to remove the old tint, but it was too bad and had to use the razor blades. altho i think they use a steam tool or something.

[Venom_5]

mine just peeled off in pretty much one piece - i used nail polish remover / acetone to remove the residue

[rebel8ball]

one place i talked to had an industrial clothes steamer to do it with, another said they wet it with simple green, lay plastic over it and let it sit all day... the tint is supposed to dang near fall off, i might call them back to double check it, cause i know it will cost me half price to just have them tinted... ill post tomorrow and let ya know for sure.

[kpszar]

Try to peel it in one piece. Take some goof off and let it stay on the windows about an 1/2 hour. Spray the windows with room temp water and use a razor blade. I took me about 45 min to take all the side off.

[wahed3001]

Originally Posted by kpszar

Try to peel it in one piece. Take some goof off and let it stay on the windows about an 1/2 hour. Spray the windows with room temp water and use a razor blade. I took me about 45 min to take all the side off.

I've already peeled the top layer off without using any solvent and am now left with this nasty, sticky layer. I'll try acetone/goof off on it and see how things go. Thanks for your suggestions.

[merenjay]

I had to resolve to using kerosene and gasoline to do it once. It worked, but the car smelled like a truck stop for awhile, and it's definitely not the safest way. Goof Off seems to work on most other "sticky situations" ... maybe it will work on the tint stuff.

[eurohazard]

Goo gone, wd-40, nail polish remover will all work. I am a fan of 3M's adhesive remover. I bought precut window tints (front windows) for my 2006 Armada from ebay. They are pretty darn good quality....sorry I don't remember the seller. They do have full kits for the gen 3 Camrys.

[Novice_cardude]

I recently removed the tint on my rear window. Turns out it was two separate pieces, one for the top half, one for the bottom half. I started peeling one corner with my fingernails, and it was just not gonna work. It was rainy out, so i had the car in the shop. I sprayed the entire inside of the window with windex, and covered it with a plastic bag. I've heard you're supposed to use pure ammonia, but I didn't have any lying around.

I let it sit probably about two hours, and the tint came off really easy. It left a little residue, but some scrubbing with a paper towel and more windex took care of that.

My rear defroster still works too.

I have to take the tint off the other windows, and I'm seriously considering retinting the entire car. Dunno if I'm gonna try it myself though, because I don't really want to mess around with taking the trim off the doors to get the whole windows ...

Might just leave it all sunny and hot, and drive the convertible on nice days :P

[kpszar]

Originally Posted by Novice_cardude

I recently removed the tint on my rear window. Turns out it was two separate pieces, one for the top half, one for the bottom half. I started peeling one corner with my fingernails, and it was just not gonna work. It was rainy out, so i had the car in the shop. I sprayed the entire inside of the window with windex, and covered it with a plastic bag. I've heard you're supposed to use pure ammonia, but I didn't have any lying around.

I let it sit probably about two hours, and the tint came off really easy. It left a little residue, but some scrubbing with a paper towel and more windex took care of that.

My rear defroster still works too.

I have to take the tint off the other windows, and I'm seriously considering retinting the entire car. Dunno if I'm gonna try it myself though, because I don't really want to mess around with taking the trim off the doors to get the whole windows ...

Might just leave it all sunny and hot, and drive the convertible on nice days :P

The side windows are easy, the glass is not curved. The rear is a little harder. But the back is curved and you need to apply heat to the tint to make the curve of the rear window. Cut the tint a little bigger than the window. Make sure the window has a mist of water on it. Lay the tint on top of the rear glass from the outside. MAKE SURE THE GLUE SIDE IF FACING YOU NOT THE WINDOW. Take a hair blower and work the shape. Once it is the shape, cut the shape of the window removing the extra tint. Then remove the back middle light. Once thats done put a towel on top of the speakers so they do not get wet. Spray a mist of water on the inside of the window. Then peel the sticky (glue side) and spray that with a mist of water. Once thats done carefully place the tint to the glass. One the tint is on the window spray the tint. Take a credit card to removed the water and bubbles between the glass and tint. Once all that is done take a hair blower and heat the tint so the glue will adhesives better to the glass and make the tint last longer. Make sure you heat the sides because those are the places that might peel off. If it does, stick a towel in the crack to press the tint to the window. Make sure you do not use any cleaning solutions after the installation.