Old Library

Not as hard as I thought it would be but wanted to do a quick write up b/c when I searched I found
a million ppl asking the same questions.
Background:
I had my tint installed by a 'professional' shop. I dont' knwo if this means anything about the
types of glues used but thought I'd throw that in here.
Why am I removing it? Moved into a new house and the local cops stopped me and gave me a warning
and asked me to remove.
Since I live there now and drive through the borough I don't think I've got much of a choice.
Plus, I'm 30 now and not into as much of the tint like I used to be.


What I used:

1) Rubbing Alcohol (I ended up using a lot so get one of those quart sizes)
2) Straight edged razor (i used a scraper)
3) Brillo pads (best if they are "plain"...mine weren't but I just rinsed the soap off them)
4) Windex or similar cleaner
5) An old rag that you don't mind ruining with glue
6) Wallpaper remover (steemer) - I only used this for about 5 seconds so it's not needed but if
you have one it helps get you 'started'


What I did:

Fronts:
Started by rolling down the window just a tad to expose the edge of the tint at the top.
Use your razor to dig under the tint as flat as possible.
Once you get enough (about one cm) of the tint peeled up it should come off very easily in one
piece (mine did). If it breaks just start over with the razor and go at it again.
Roll window back up after you get the tint started and out of the top section so that you can get
it out of the bottom. THIS IS EASY.

Do this for all the windows. The back ones (on the golf/gti) obviously don't roll down so you
gotta get a bit creative I suppose. I just used the razor to cut down the middle of the tint and
then dug at it in one direction to start the peel. QUITE EASY.

Back window: Contrary to the belief (that I read in my search here) the rear window IS NOT HARD AT
ALL. Many ppl were saying the defroster is a pain in the ass. Not on mine. It peeled right off.

The most work involved is in removing ALL THE GLUE that remains on the window.

Here's where the alcohol, brillo pads, and towel come into play.

Soak your small rag with alcohol so it's wet and rub a lot of it onto the window/glue to "loosen"
it up. You won't really see it loosen up too much but doesn't hurt to get it started.

I started off by using no brillo pads here and it took me forever with a cotton rag to rub it off.
That is, until I found my brillo pads.

Put a towel over yourself and/or over your interior where you don't want alcohol to spill. B/c it
will.

Pour alcohol onto your brillo pad (this is where it gets messy as your brillo pad is very very
porous and it'll just drip through)...

Now go to town on the window in any motion you feel fit. The key is to soak the brillo pad (and
keep it soaked) as you wipe the glue off.

It will not come off w/o the alcohol.

As you scrub away at the glue it becomes very small pieces and can "reattached" itself to the
glass. It doesn't bond much at all though...this is where your pre-soaked rag comes into play. Use
this rag to simply wipe away the "pieces" of glue that have piled up and stuck to the window.

Continue on your window until all the glue is gone.

Use glass cleaner to clean the window inside and out and you're done.

And car looks perfect as it did before I had the tint installed.

If this thread helps you out, do others a favor and post up your thoughts to bump it back to
"active" status b/c others will benefit!

Thanks for reading!

Later,

Nice write-up.  The only thing I would recommend would be to use one of those plastic scrapers instead of
the Brillo pads.  The glue will come off as easy and the scraper won't leave micro sized scratches like
the Brillo might.  Something else that might help out is putting the alcohol in a spray bottle and letting
it sit on the windows for a few.

The only thing I can think of that a shop tint over a home tint job might be is the depth off which the
tint goes down.  The shop where I had mine done removes the door panels and tints the whole window.  The
same shop uses a large steamer to remove the old tint, so that was a good idea.

Now when you gonna write up your turbo install how to for the archives.  The Vortex post is nice, but it
is kinda hard to follow.  I find myself clicking back and forth between pages to get it all.  Nice to see
it's running and looking good.  Some done pics are appreciated.

Peace,
Steve Steele
98 GTI-VR6

The only "problem" I see with using a plastic scraper (I used a scraper that included a razor) is
that it never got the glue off completely and just rolled it up in a line and made a bit of a
mess.

Great idea as far as spraying it on and letting it sit.

Another tip guys: don't do this in direct sunlight (or in a hot area) as that alcohol will do what
it does best, evaporate.  Especially if you use a fine spray!!!

One thing is for sure, the MORE ALCOHOL you use the easier your job will be.  So, set yourself up
good (as far as keeping your interior and you clean and then go to town.
Oh, and as far as micro scratches...
I was concerned about that as well...and I havn't seen one micro scratch (and trust me, I've been
looking)...and I was using serious elbow grease with these brillos.

You are correct about the depth...my rear windows were removed for my tint job but keep in mind
this stuff came off in ONE SHEET and it didn't matter how far down that tint went, it all peeled
off in one full piece (with just a couple SMALL exceptions).

Some of you (depending on the film thickness I suppose) won't be as lucky as I was...
But the razor blade takes all that off as well.

Good input Steele.

Later,
Nater
"I'm legal again and boostin'" edition!!!!!

Oh, but another thread soon...2nd gear synchro is mush...turbo is already taking it's toll.