How To Remove Tint Adhesive From Rear Window
Tinting your windows is cool. It looks good, it’s fun to do, and it can often really add to your cars overall look and appeal, just like adding Racetex to your car. But once your fun is over, some people might say you will want to remove your window tint once you have grown up.
The problem is that removing the tint adhesive from your car is a lot harder than putting it on in the first place. That’s where we come in.
This short and sweet blog post will cover how to remove tint adhesive from rear window on your car as well as everything else you might need to know about window tinting cars.
Highlight
- Tinting rear windows is common for increased privacy and UV protection.
- Tint adhesive is a strong glue used to attach window tinting film to glass.
- Removing tint adhesive requires patience and specific supplies.
- Soften the adhesive with heat, peel off the tint, then remove the adhesive with rubbing alcohol or adhesive remover.
- You can pay a professional to remove tint, but it may be expensive.
- Risks of removing tint adhesive yourself are minimal if you use caution and avoid scratching the glass.
- Dish detergent mixed with water can help remove remaining residues.
- It’s essential to be careful when using a razor blade to peel off the tint.
Why Do People Tint The Rear Window?
People may tint their cars rear window for several reasons. And not all of them are simple vanity projects. It can genuinely serve a purpose. Most people tint their windows because it gives them increased privacy, greater protection from the sun’s UV rays, and reduces glare while driving.
None of these make a huge difference when we are talking about the rear window, though. Apart from perhaps the increased privacy for whatever you have stored in the back. It mostly comes down to liking the aesthetics of the rear window tint.
What Is Tint Adhesive?
Tint adhesive is basically just a special type of glue that is used to attach window tinting film to the glass. It is typically made from a strong adhesive material designed to withstand exposure to heat, UV radiation, and other factors without losing grip.
The problem is, since it is designed to withstand a huge number of factors, it was essentially designed not to come off, which is a problem when you want it to come off. Over time, the adhesive might even become more difficult to remove as it bonds more tightly to the glass surface.
Alternatives To Adhesive Tint?
There are some alternatives to adhesive tint. However, they are often generally not considered to be as good. You could use static cling window film or heat control window film. These alternatives provide similar benefits to adhesive tint without the need for glue or adhesive.
Each has its own pros and cons, but in short, they simply don’t last as long or do as good of a job. And the heat control window film doesn’t look very good, at least in our opinion.
How To Remove Tint Adhesive From Rear Window
Removing tint adhesive from the rear window of a car requires patience and specific supplies more than skill. It can be a pain, but it isn’t necessarily difficult, even if it is hard work. Hopefully, that made sense.
Basically, you want to soften the adhesive either with a heat gun or, if you don’t have one of those, a hairdryer will suffice to warm up the tint and adhesive. Then, peel off the tint from the corner with your fingers. Some people like to use a razor blade, but that requires a ton of care not to scratch the glass.
You are left with the tint adhesive once the tint is out of the way. It’s gross, it’s sticky, it’s annoying, and it looks tacky. Let’s get rid of it. Remove the adhesive by applying rubbing alcohol to a microfiber cloth and rubbing it firmly onto the adhesive.
Let it sit for a few minutes before using a scraper to gently scrape the adhesive away. Now, this doesn’t always work, and it can be quite frustrating. You can head out to buy adhesive remover, which is basically a solvent that breaks down the glue.
It’s expensive, it can be bad for the glass, and even that doesn’t always work. So before you try that, we’ll give you a tip. Fill a water spray bottle with water and a small amount of simple dish detergent. The liquid kind.
Shake the bottle a little to activate the detergent, spray it all over the window, let it sit for a moment, and then wipe it away. Rinse and repeat a few times and more often than not you will have removed any of the remaining residues.
Can I Pay For Someone To Remove Tint?
There are places that will handle it for you. Many body shops that also do window tinting, and those kinds of upgrades, will be pretty adept at removing the tint they install.
If you are willing to pay for their time, you could certainly pay someone to do it. It might take them a while though, and since you are essentially just getting billed for labor, it could end up costing a couple hundred bucks.
Risks Of Removing Tint Adhesive Myself?
There aren’t any risks of removing the tint itself, so long as you aren’t overly excited with how you try to rub the adhesive off the window. If you use a soft cloth, you’ll be fine.
The biggest risk is when trying to peel the actual tint itself using a razer blade. We use a razor blade because it’s sharp enough and thin enough to fit under the film. Not because we can cut the film to shreds and then pull it off. Be careful with the demisters heated lines that go across the rear glass though, you want to make sure you don’t cut that, as it will no longer work.
Final Words On How To Remove Tint Adhesive From Rear Window
Hopefully, you found our guide to removing the tint adhesive from the rear window of your helpful. We know it can be a real pain, and although you rarely see, let alone touch, your rear window having the sticky adhesive residue all over it, it can be super frustrating.
It just sucks to have it there, so you are bound to want to remove it asap. If you are having trouble with store-bought removers, genuinely give dish detergent a go.
