Removing window tint

What is the best way to go about removing window tint from a vehicle? The tint on the F150 is bubbled so bad I can't see out of the truck.

I've always found that a combination of this:

This:

And this:

Have yielded the best results for me. Oh, and plenty of this:

Ditto the above, but I've enlisted the help of a heat gun on a low setting to enable me to use a little less elbow grease and to accommodate the fact that I have no patience.

Does something like 3M adhesive remover help at all?

Clothing steamer makes the film itself come off easy. Removing the remaining adhesive is a pain.

Most easilly done in the summer if you can wait...

Here is how I did mine,

Ammonia-bearing window cleaner sprayed generously on the window with a black bag taped behind, parked in the sun. You want to soak the tint and have it remain soaked and get heated up by the sun.

This weakens the adhesive (ammonia) and makes the tint more pliant and less brittle.

After leaving it to bake out in the sun for at least 30min on a hot day (the whole time making sure it remains wet with ammonia based cleaner) you find the edge of the tint and pull it up. Use more ammonia-based cleanser sprayed behind as you go.

If you are careful and if you did a good job with soaking it and heating it, it should peel off in one big sheet. I was lucky enough that the adhesive stayed with the tint for the most part.

TAKE YOUR TIME, go slowly, and as I said, keep spraying and DONT LET IT DRY.

I would avoid the razor blade for fear of scratching the glass, instead have something plastic to scrape with that won't scratch it.

If you cannot wait for summer, do the windows one at a time and aim a 500watt shop light at it at close range to heat it.

Having some fingernail to scrape with helps a ton. Ammonia based cleanser is what will get you through scrubbing off the adhesive.

Ammonia stinks, but it does what you need here very well.

Put towels down, spray ammonia all over the window, then tape a plastic bag over the window. Let this bake in the sun for an hour or two, then peel and scrape.

Using a razor blade won't scratch the glass, just try to keep it as parallel to the glass as possible. I can peel off the window tint and have the glass sparkly clean using a razor blade in under 10 minutes.

Work up a corner of the tint, then try to peel it off all in one sheet. If not, keep using the razor blade to lift up one of the edges. Once the film is gone, soak down the leftover adhesive with ammonia-based glass cleaner and scrape it off. Easy peasy. One of these helps too:

$2 razor blade holder available at your local MenardLowes Depot.

Just did it the other day. Ripped it off, a razor, some tint/adhesive remover, and yes, elbow grease. Its not all that tough. Putting new tint on? I'll leave that to someone else.

I prefer to use a small clothes steamer. First I start in the corner and pull up the edge at the corner. Then I slowly keep pulling as I steam the point of contact between the tint film and the glass. Do it this way and there will be no glue residue in the corners and no chance of damage to the defroster wiring. I use a small handheld steamer that I bought for $15 at bed bath and beyond.

New junkyard glass?

In reply to Ojala:

Its an F150. What berkeleying defroster wiring?

http://youtu.be/vmR8LlGkGJQ

This way is usually easier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_VoyiuSFSM

heat gun

Cloths steamer and a little adhesive remover.

Just don't rush the first pull and it comes off like butter and keeps all of the defroster wires in good shape.

You can get them cheap. It gets the glue all soft. The last car I did took 25 minutes start to finish with clean glass.

razor blades beer next/////////////////// amonia in a can is nice to irradicate glue

ill second the razor blade holder. heat gun didnt seem to help at all for me.

easiest way to remove the adhesive was paint thinner on a paper towel. none of the others was very easy.

just make sure you open the doors.

michael