Shining Light on DIY Tint-Removal

Tinted windows are finally being appreciated. Long dismissed as over-stylized attempts to look alternately cool or menacing, people are now starting to understand the value of window tinting for heat reduction and shatter resistance. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and car owners who have purchased tinting eventually notice the telltale bubbling that marks the end of their tint's lifespan. Removing your tinting at home is possible, but there are right and wrong ways to approach the job. Peeling your tint off will leave you with a sticky mess across your windshield that will require hours of finger-numbing scraping before your vehicle is ready for the road. Read on for an explanation of one popular method of DIY tint removal. 

The "sun and ammonia" method

• Create a windshield cover by cutting black garbage bags in roughly the same size and shape of your windshield. Spray your windshield down with soapy water and then apply your garbage-bag cover, taking care to smooth the plastic flat.
• Lay protective cloth or tarp around the insides of your vehicle, and spray the interior pane of windshield glass with ammonia.
• Before the ammonia dries, trap the moisture against the interior of your windshield with a second trash bag cut-out.
• Allow the garbage bags to heat in the sun, and then begin peeling the window film. Make a small incision with a razor blade and begin peeling from a corner. Keep the tint moistened with ammonia as you work, and be careful not to slice into defroster lines. Any residual adhesive can be taken care of by scrubbing gently with steel wool dampened with ammonia. Once you have finished, dispose of the trash bags, and clean the glass thoroughly with an appropriate cleaner.

The dangers of doing it yourself
Though some car owners have success with the sun-and-ammonia method, it comes with some inherent risks. This method leaves significant room for error, risking cut defroster lines, ammonia damage to your car's interior, and having the potential to leave gummy adhesive marks on your windshield. Though DIY methods can save you money, professional window tint specialists can remove or replace your tinting at a reasonable cost, with no chance of causing extra damages or headaches.