How to remove tint from car windows. Do-it-yourself tint film removal

For some reason, there is a need to remove the tinted windows. The service is offered by a car service, but if there is very little time, it is quite possible to do this in the garage. The costs are penny, and the quality depends only on you.

1 Toning - reasons to get rid of glass tinting

The desire to remove the tint from the glass on its own comes for various reasons. Rules traffic allow tinted glass, adhering to certain standards. The rear window can be tinted as you like, provided that the car is equipped with side mirrors on both sides. Restrictions also do not apply to the side rear windows. On the windshield, you can stick a strip with a width of no more than 14 cm of any transparency. The light transmission capacity of other tinted glasses is at least 70%.

The most popular reason for the need to get rid of tinting is obsolescence, in particular, rubbing of the coating. Most drivers are not afraid of traffic police fines for incorrect tinting - only 500 rubles. But some believe that it is better to remove the wrong tinting than once again to explain to the inspector and pay a fine. It is also necessary to tint when the film coating becomes unusable. It exfoliates, bubbles appear, which does not paint the car, impairs visibility. When the glass is damaged, but its restoration is possible, the film is also removed. You can also change the design by changing the film.

2 Removal without heating - a knife and water to help

Take off by yourself old tint it's not that hard. You should arm yourself with a razor blade or a clerical knife, a hard kitchen sponge, glass cleaner. A knife or blade as the main working tool is suitable if the tint film is pasted recently. For the process to go smoothly, there is no need to rush. We pry the edge of the film with a knife, trying not to scratch the glass. Pull down, keeping a slight angle in relation to the glass.

If you're lucky, the film will come off intact, there will be glue in some places. But not always luck accompanies, it often happens that the film is torn and pieces of it remain on the glass. We take a rubber spatula and scrape off the remaining pieces with it, moving from top to bottom. We pour glass with any household detergent and wash. Then wipe dry. Avoid getting liquid on the rubber seals. The method is simple: close them with a rag. The liquid will not come into contact with the rubber, the seals will not lose their properties. It will not get under the door trim either: a simple rag will protect the wiring from a short circuit, and the metal from corrosion.

3 Dismantling the tint - using a hair dryer to heat

It often happens that the film does not want to leave the glass as a whole: the edges move away easily, and the center is torn. We'll have to do it differently: we need building hair dryer- you can use the usual one to dry your hair - and an assistant. Turn on the device for minimum temperature heating. One person heats the glass from the outside, the second is in the cabin. The main thing for this technology is not to overheat, so that the film does not float or, God forbid, the glass does not burst.

Tinting is essentially a film that can be easily pulled off by hand without leaving marks. sticking to simple rules, it will be possible to easily and accurately remove the tint from the glasses:

The man in the cabin pry the edge of the film with a knife and hold it with his fingers, pulling it a little. The worker, who is outside, directs the air flow onto the glass.
It is heated in a place where the film has come off on one side, and the other is still on the glass. Constant tension allows you to smoothly separate it from the surface.
Significant heating of the rubber and plastic parts. A building hair dryer can heat up the surface very much, which will harm rubber and plastic.

If it is possible to use a steam generator, then you should use it. It works more efficiently than a hair dryer. Hot steam is supplied under pressure, heating the glass. The film lends itself easily, in addition to it, the steam generator will help get rid of traces of glue. Be careful: hot steam can easily burn you.

To dismantle the tint using a hair dryer or a steam generator should only be at a positive temperature. At big difference between the temperature of heated glass and air, it can crack.

4 Rear window - features of removing tinting

The tint film on the rear window is more difficult to remove than on the side windows. Heating filaments are placed on it in the form of thin strips of metallized paste, varnished. They are not always strong enough to withstand mechanical stress. Their quality depends on the paste itself, the age of the car, the time elapsed after tinting, and the brand of the film. It is impossible to determine the state of the threads under the film in any way. No one can guarantee that some thread will not break.

Only heating with a hair dryer or steam generator is used. You should act as carefully as possible, without making sharp jerks. Requires coordinated work of two people. One should feel good where and how much to warm up, the second - when and with what force to pull. If you work carefully and smoothly, then the film will move away from the rear window without pulling the heating threads with it. If they still break in some place, you will have to change the heated glass or repair the threads with conductive glue. The view will not be great.

5 Problem film - ammonia solution will help

It happens that the film clings to the glass with a stranglehold: they tried it with a knife and a hairdryer - to no avail. This happens more often when tinted in a car service. Instead of expensive automotive glue, workers use cheap construction adhesive, from which the film cannot be torn off. But there is always a way out of even the most hopeless situation. Ammonia solution will help or, simply, ordinary ammonia bought at a pharmacy.

Chemistry is everything. In case of an unsuccessful experience with the tool, we proceed to fix the problem at the root. We carefully treat the entire surface of the tinting with a solution. We take a piece of transparent cellophane and fix it on the film. It does not allow ammonia to evaporate, it reacts with the tint film, is absorbed into it, turns the glue into a semi-liquid state. After 10 minutes, it becomes noticeable that the film shrinks and softens. Now we remove it, wash off the remnants with water, wipe dry and wipe with ordinary alcohol. When using ammonia, do not forget about the protection of other surfaces.

6 Rinse off the adhesive – act without delay

The adhesive remaining on the glass is erased immediately, immediately after removing the tint. If you leave the work for later, the glue will become cloudy, dry, and attract dust. Usually it is washed off easily: a sponge and a soapy solution turn it into spools that fall off the glass. But it happens that it is not possible to cope in this way - it is glued to the conscience. They grab onto the solvent, it will really wash the glue off the glass. But the smell from it in the cabin is unbearable, drops that have fallen on rubber, plastic, spoil them. If we use a solvent, close the casing, seal the seals with adhesive tape.

When the glue does not lend itself to a scraper, water, we try other means: gasoline, alcohol, stain remover, glass cleaners, including those special for cars. We apply any agent on the glass, rub it with a rag. Repeat several times until all the glue is washed off. You can use old newspapers or rags. We apply detergent to the glass, glue newspapers or rags. Moisturize as it dries. After a few hours, moistening for the last time, remove, remove the glue and wash the glass. The advantage of the method is that it is possible to work with all glasses at the same time.

Removing unwanted tinting is easy and quite possible at home. Difficulties are possible when removing the film from the rear window and with glue, but some method will still work.

To date, black tinting will not surprise anyone, at the same time, it is contrary to the law, according to which a fine is imposed on the violator for exceeding the light transmission rate. To avoid a fine or just make the windows transparent again, you should remove the tint film from the car windows.

There are two options: drive the car to a car service or do the dismantling of the tint with your own hands. For self-dismantling, you will need the following tools:

clean rag;
any detergent (for example, "Fairy") with a spray bottle;
a new construction or razor blade with a holder;
technical hair dryer (in the absence of a building hair dryer, you can use a household one).

Using these tools, in just an hour and a half, it is possible to completely peel off the tint film from car windows. The order of work is as follows:

Pry off the top edge of the film with a blade.
Spray detergent into the opened gap.
Peel off the tinting as much as possible, then apply the washing liquid again and completely remove the film from the glass (if the tinting does not work, you should methodically heat the glass with a hairdryer from a distance of 20-30 centimeters. The film should warm up by 40 degrees or a little more, but should not while melting).
Remove the remaining glue on the glass with white spirit.
To remove streaks and improve gloss, you can rub the glass with a preservative polish.

During operation, it should be borne in mind that in some machines the glass may be softer than usual, therefore, wielding a blade, there is a chance to leave scratches on them (it happens very rarely). To avoid such an incident, it makes sense to experiment on the hidden part of the glass.

A razor blade helps to get rid of the most resistant toning. If the glasses are hard enough, as is the case in most cases, then scratching them with a blade will not work even if desired. However, you should work with the blade when wet, namely with a soapy solution.

It is recommended to stock up on new blades in advance and purchase a special holder for them. All razor blades have slightly rounded edges. This shape eliminates the face cut when shaving, and in our case, protects the glass from scratches. The main thing when working with a blade is not to rush and patiently, centimeter by centimeter, clean the glass.

On a note

Organic solvents are useless in removing tint. They do not react with the film, and for the tinting itself, this is very good. Otherwise, even a drop of gasoline could leave a trace on the film.

How to remove old tint from car glass?

The longer the film remains on the glass, the more difficult it is to peel off. After three years, when removed, it will most likely come off in patches. To remove it, you can use special remedy to remove tint. After applying this product, the film softens and can be “washed off” warm water.

Before removing the film, it is advisable to remove the tinted windows from the car and soak them for several minutes in warm water (40-45°C). It is more convenient to do this in the bathroom. It is best to work with each glass separately, soaking them and cleaning them in turn.

It is possible that part of the film in the form of flaps will remain on the glass, especially if it is very old. You can get rid of them with a blade, as described above. It is convenient to work with a blade directly in the water. The risk of scratching the glass is minimal.

If not relevant conditions and all necessary tools, then you can always turn to a car service for help. However, it should be remembered that professional tint removal is not cheap. Therefore, if you want to save a decent amount, it is better to work on your own.

On a note

Never try to remove the film with a blow dryer by melting it. The film, therefore, is unlikely to come off easily, but the glass may burst.

Now you understand how to remove the tint from the car glass with your own hands, so feel free to act and hope for the first, faster way.

Easy-to-remove tint

In addition to the usual tinting made of vinyl or polycarbonate, there is also silicone. This is the so-called "removable tinting". The advantage of siliconized film is that it is reusable. Possessing considerable elasticity, it practically does not tear and does not wrinkle.

You can install and remove the siliconized film up to 5 thousand times (information from manufacturers). It is glued in almost the same way as regular tinting, but it is removed much easier - in one motion. It is enough just to pry off the corner with the blade and pull the edge of the canvas.

The cost of silicone film is almost the same as that of the "disposable". Therefore, if the car is tinted with a film with a transparency of less than 75% (at your own peril and risk), then it is advisable to choose a silicone-based material. When it comes time to tint the car, it can be done within a few minutes. In this case, the film will remain intact, and it can be used many more times.

Alternative to tinting

In addition to temporary tinting, which was mentioned in the previous chapter, you can protect the interior from overheating and excessive curiosity of others using a number of other means. First of all, it should be noted that the permitted tinting also largely protects the interior from the sun. And if the problem is only this, by darkening the glass by 20-25% you can no longer worry about interior trim.

At the same time, you can do without a film at all or combine the permitted tinting with additional tools. Yes, you can buy protective screens suction cups or retractable curtains. When buying screens on suction cups, you should pay attention to the material of the latter. Silicone suction cups hold the best. They are softer and do not peel off when heated.

As an alternative to conventional window tinting, electronic tinting can be considered. It is a special film connected to the source direct current. By passing electricity through the liquid crystal structure built into it, the film instantly becomes dark. After the current is turned off, the electrochromic film becomes transparent again.

Many Russian drivers appreciated the advantages of tinting, which shades the interior and lowers the temperature in it. Reduces the blinding effect of direct sunlight, exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation. It is more difficult for car thieves to see things lying in the car. But the amendments to the SDA have strengthened the requirements for the opacity of the front windows of the car. Many tint films do not pass inspections by the traffic inspectorate.

A car with tightly tinted front windows is now rarely seen on Russian streets and immediately attracts the attention of the traffic police.

Reasons for removing tint

The main reasons for removing tinting are:

Non-compliance of the tint film with the requirements of the traffic police. Since the introduction of amendments (2010), light transmission is allowed windshield not less than 75%. Side front windows must pass 70% of the light flux.
Aging and tint defects. Incorrectly glued or aged tint film gathers in folds, air bubbles appear under the tinting. The film may become cloudy or distort the appearance of the road.
Cracks and chips in car glass. Damage to the windshield or side windows cannot be repaired without removing the film. Even glass, pasted over with a film on the inside, needs to be repaired after removing the tint.

At first, after the introduction of new standards, the driver could promise to remove the tint, get off with verbal suggestion.

AT last resort, the car owner was threatened with a minor fine.

The tightening of penalties (a fine of 500 rubles, the removal of numbers before removing the film) coincided with the entry into service of the traffic police of special devices for measuring the light transmission of tinted car windows.

Challenging the testimony of the adjusted state standards parting is almost impossible. After several fines, the driver has no other choice but to remove the tint from the glass on his own or contact a specialized service.

An important reason for removing the tint is an incorrectly glued or aged tint film.

Air bubbles, cloudy areas of tinting make it difficult to see sideways. Creases and bubbles on the rear window of the car are especially dangerous, which distort the view through the interior rear-view mirror, do not allow you to correctly assess the traffic situation when overtaking or at night.

Practical ways to remove tint

It is impossible to remove tinting on your own in only two cases. It will not be possible to enlighten glass tinted according to factory technologies, in which the entire thickness of automotive glass is painted. It will be necessary to completely replace the glass even after spraying adhesive compositions, in which the colored particles penetrate deeply into the outer layers of the triplex.

Inexpensive tint films, popular with Russian drivers, are removed quite simply. The easiest way to remove the tint film was to soften the adhesive layer with a regular soap solution.

To remove the tint, you will need the simplest tools:

household sprayer;
sharp blade (construction knives, removable blades from stationery paper cutters, special scrapers are suitable);
rags, napkins.

Soap solution is prepared from warm water, in which any household detergent without abrasive particles is dissolved (about 30 grams per liter of solution). Glue dissolution can be enhanced by adding special solvents silicone. There is no point in spraying white spirit or common solvents on the film. When removing the film, it is not recommended to use ammonia, which leaves whitish indelible stains on the glass.

To remove tint, you need to follow simple procedures:

lower the side front glass halfway;
find the edge of the glued film, spray it with soapy water;
wait 3 - 5 minutes to soften the adhesive layer;
carefully pry off the edge of the tinting with a blade, expand the peeling zone of the film to the entire top of the pasted film;
carefully pulling the film away, spray the soapy solution into the gap between the tinting and the glass;
after removing the tint from half of the glass, lift it completely and remove the entire sheet of tinted film.

For most motorists, it is logical to start work from the upper right edge of the side window. Right hand works with a sprayer, with your left hand you pull off the film. It is more convenient for left-handers to start work from the opposite side.

If a adhesive layer does not lend itself to soapy water, you will have to remove the film by heating the glue. To do this, you can use a building hair dryer.

During the heating procedure, the tinting is heated from the side of the film sticker (external or inside glass). Glass and film are heated to a temperature of 40 - 45 degrees. Higher temperatures can melt the film and make it much harder to remove. Warm air is directed at an angle to the places of separation of the film from the glass from a distance of 10 - 15 centimeters. The same results can be achieved with a household steam generator.

According to the method of removing the film, heating with a steam generator is similar to heating with a hair dryer. The only difference is the distance from the heater to the film. The steam generator must be placed close to the film. The steam generator softens many adhesive compositions so effectively that the film is removed without the use of a blade, with a smooth movement of the hand.

The main rule for any technique is the slow and smooth removal of the film, the absence of haste and power jerks.

The whole film is removed faster and easier. If the film resists, it is necessary to additionally moisten or heat the resisting adhesive fragment. You will have to remove the remnants and shreds of torn film by scraping them off, which can leave scratches on the car glass.

Particular care is required to remove damaged tinting on the rear windows of the car or on the fifth door of a hatchback or crossover. For models equipped with electrically heated windows, it is easy to damage the glued conductive threads.

You can see in detail how to remove the tint from the glass yourself in the video:

The last step in removing the tint is washing off the traces of the adhesive layer.

Removing tint from car windows at home

How to remove tint yourself? Of course, this procedure can be carried out in any car service. But after the increase in fines, the cost of this service has risen markedly. In principle, everything can be done at home.

What mistakes are made?

The most common mistake motorists make is that they want to remove the film by simply prying with something sharp on its edge. As a rule, after that, film particles and glue residues remain on the surface, and it is quite difficult to remove them from the glass. There are two ways to properly remove tint!

Method number 1: how to remove the tint yourself with heating

Alone, it will be difficult for you to perform all the actions, so you will need a companion. In order for the film to separate completely and no glue remains on the glass, the surface should be heated. Most the best option- This is a building hair dryer. While your assistant heats up the glass, you will take care of the film removal. Of course, you can take a simple hair dryer from the women's arsenal or an electric heater of the "Veterok" type, but this will increase your work time. Be careful - hot air must not get on parts made of plastic or rubber, so as not to damage them. Try not to press the hair dryer against the glass.

Removing tinting: working conditions are very important

When you remove the tint, pay attention to weather- temperature environment should not fall below zero degrees. Under these conditions, work should be carried out indoors. Otherwise, there is a risk of cracks on the glass.

How to remove tint correctly

The surface should be heated to a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees. This is the optimal mode so that the glue softens and the film does not start to melt.
When you heat the glass to a sufficient temperature, you should carefully hook the edge of the film with a knife and gently pull on the peeled edge. Excessive haste will come to you sideways - you can tear the film or leave glue particles on the surface.

Method number 2: how to remove the tint yourself without heating. We act wisely

How to remove car window tint without heating? We act as follows: having hooked the film, carefully remove it from the glass. We immediately thoroughly water the cleaned surface with detergent, then with a rubber scraper (a metal tool can damage the glass), we remove the remaining glue particles from the entire surface of the glass. It is recommended to carry out this process from top to bottom, remove the tint immediately across the entire width of the glass.

The film is removed: the glass needs to be wiped

After removing the film, the cleaned surface must be wiped. After all, no matter how hard we try, some particles of glue will still remain. And if now it is imperceptible, then after a while dirt and dust will stick to the remnants of the glue. For this purpose, you can take the GT 154 special tool, which, without special work can be purchased at any automotive store. More cheap option It is a glass cleaner. In extreme cases, simply wash the cleaned surface with warm water and wipe dry.

Summing up

We have described two simple ways how to remove tint yourself. After reading the article, you can easily cope with this work!

Car window tinting is a very popular option. There are various reasons why motorists tint their vehicles, but one thing remains the same - the attitude of the legislation towards tuning this kind.

Current laws are very harsh on tinting on Vehicle Oh. This is due to the most different reasons, but they will not be considered in this article, since it is devoted to solving a certain problem - removing tinting from car glass.

Due to the introduced fines for the presence of tinting, many motorists began to remove it from the windows of their vehicles. Maybe it was beautiful and so on, but the prospect of getting a fine for a dark film on the glass is not a very pleasant circumstance.

How to remove tint from car glass

To begin with, it is necessary to mention the fact that there are several different ways, which will help get rid of toning. Every car enthusiast is free to choose. It cannot be said that any method is more preferable or effective.

In principle, you can highlight the pros and cons of each method, but you can choose the option of removing tinting, focusing on your capabilities and free time.

There is three popular ways Removing tint from glass yourself:

Mechanical removal.
Removing tint with a hair dryer.
Removal of toning without heating.

These methods will be discussed in more detail below.

Mechanical removal

To begin with, the simplest method will be considered - mechanical. For its implementation, practically nothing is needed, except for a scraper (clerical knife, blade, etc.) and patience. This method is used by those motorists who have to get rid of tinting right on the road.

This happens when a tinted car is stopped by a traffic police inspector to check the level of light transmission of the glass. If this level does not correspond to the permitted value, then the motorist does not have the right to continue driving until he gets rid of the tint.

Mechanical removal is not difficult. The most difficult thing is that the entire film cannot be removed. The film is needed grab something sharp, for example, with a blade, and then simply pull it off the glass.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to immediately remove the film completely, since, most likely, it will come off. If this happens, you will have to pick up the film again and then pull until it is completely removed.

By the way, many motorists practice tearing off the film instead of tightening it. The peculiarity lies in the fact that after prying the film with a blade, they do not pull it together, but try to rip off with a jerk. In principle, the film will again be torn, so this method cannot be called a priority.

Removing tint with a hair dryer

Removing the tint using a hair dryer (household or building) is an easier way, as it allows you to remove the film faster. Everything is done very easy and does not require any significant time investment.

It should be remembered that both methods mentioned above can successfully used to remove tinting from glass, but do not solve the problem of glue, with which the film is glued to the surface.

The glue will have to be removed later. With this, however, there should not be any special problems, but it will take some effort. Below is a method that will help solve the problem with glue.

Removing tint without heating

This method can be considered the most effective, since it solves not only the problem of the presence of tinting, but also the glue that remains after removing the film.

It is very important that the adhesive for the tint film is made on a silicone basis. This greatly facilitates its removal. No need to purchase special solvents and then rack your brains about how to remove this hated glue from the glass.

Silicone-based adhesive, which is used to apply tinting on car glass, does not require the use of various solvents. It can be removed using the normal warm soapy water, with the preparation of which there will be no problems, which will greatly facilitate the task.

To get started, you just need to make a soap solution. It is hardly necessary to describe in detail how such a solution can be prepared. After the solution has been made, it must be apply to tinted glass.

To do this, use a regular sponge. It is better, of course, if a spray bottle is at hand, since it is more convenient to use it. Also scraper required. With this scraper, you will need to pry off the edge of the tint film and pull it back a little.

The solution is then applied you need to pull the film continue until it no longer separates easily. Then you will need to apply more solution and continue to remove. Time after time, and the film will come off all. All you need is patience. And besides, the procedure is not so difficult.

A tint film installed a year or two ago will be removed much easier than one that has long found its place on car windows. It may seem that some other means or methods will have to be used to remove the old film, but everything is quite simple here.

Separate old film You can use the same hair dryer - consistently and smoothly. The only difference between removing the old tint and the new one is that it will not work to remove the old film intact. She is will definitely break, and more than once.

You can remove the old tint using scraper and hair dryer. There will be no particular difficulties here. Unless you consider the unpleasant circumstance of the frequent tearing off of the film, which will constantly irritate. But that's a completely different story.

To remove the tint film, it is not necessary to go to a car service and trust this business to the masters. It is quite possible to remove the tint yourself. The main thing patience and diligence.

The above methods should help motorists in this matter. You just need to choose more suitable way, find everything you need to carry out the procedure and proceed to its implementation.