jeremymilo

The PO tinted the windows long ago, and now it's bubbling/cracking. It needs to go, so I cleaned most of the glass with a combination of Windex and scraping.

I'm afraid to scrape the rear hatch because the defrost wires seem fairly fragile. Any suggestions how to remove the glue layer without damaging the defrost wires? (The actual tint film is gone -- just the dried layer of glue is still on the glass.)

FLYVMO

I used a steamer purchased at Walmart, slowly steam the inside of the hatch glass to allow the steam to soften the residue. I had some left over tint as well which made it a very tedious process and hence the need for the steamer. I suppose if you only have glue left you could try some adhesive remover (3M etc).
Definitely don't scrape with anything sharp in order to avoid damaging the defroster wires.

Cheers!
Carl

77tony

+1 what Carl said. T

The Patman

A couple of methods.

safest and most lengthy, is to purchase a small steamer. Safely peel up an edge, and use the steamer to get the timt ...umm...hot and steamy. Pull gently. It will take an hour to do the whole back window, but you CAN pull it in one piece.

second, is to use ammonia based cleaner, and a razor to scrape the areas not close (at all) to the grid wires. Then use the ammonia cleaner to soak (spray bottle) the tint and use a plastic scraper and the copper brillo pad (in a side to side motion) to gently rub the glue off.

Steam loosens it, and ammonia based cleaners removes the glue. that's why they tell ya to never use ammonia products to clean the tine.

The Patman

3 answers in 120 seconds...not bad.

Hold On

I used some hot water and a sponge !

Tony

some simple green on a a black garbage bag pressed up agaisnt the glass in the hot sun...it will peel off in one big sheet.

let it sit for a while...time is key.

the steamer works well as this time of year it is tough to find "hot sun" !

OTR18WHEELER

When you find the method that works best, let us know. I also need to do this, but I don't like the risk of cutting the defroster elements with a razor blade.

Mrmerlin

let the car sit in the sun for 20 mins ,
while thats happening get some newspaper and some ammonia based window cleaner.
Open the hatch find one of the edges that you can peel the edge,
slowly peel the tint film off the window, this will leave a layer of glue stuck to the window.

Get your window spray liberally coat the adhesive layer with the spray,
let it soak , this will soften the glue,

get your newspaper ball up a few sheets,
and gently wipe the glue layer this will begin removing it .
repeat as necessary.

NOTE as an alternative you could try one of the bondo spreaders to scrape the window,
dont use any metal on the glass and be careful around the defroster leads

harveyf

I was able to pull the tint off after lifting an edge with a razor. I pulled left to right (versus front to rear) so as to be parallel to the long axis of the wires. Also don't pull straight down but pull straight sideways i.e. putting the tint into a 180 degree bend, to minimize tension force on the wires. As far as I could tell, none of the wires lifted. I did not pre-heat or try and soften it in any way, so there was glue residue left behind. After trying amonia based Windex and GooGone with no luck, I used acetone and multiple terry cloth towels. This did the trick BUT spread an old blanket or such over the entire back area because if the acetone drips on the dyed leather/vinyl it will bleach the color. Ask me how I know

Finished up with the Invisible Glass cleaning treatment. The hatch glass looks great now. It has that distinctive checkerboard pattern. Not sure what causes that. I think the tint was a safety risk, it was easy to miss cars back there. I'm glad its gone.

Eplebnista

If you are going to go with a serious solvent, acetone is waaay over the top. I would go with lacquer thinner. It crushes most adhesives but is much more benign than acetone.

GeorgeM

... or you can take it to a reputable tinting place and they'll do it for you.

dr bob

Ammonia and steam are the weapons of choice. As Tony suggests, summer sun is more than adequate to get the job done. Open a black plastic trash bag, big enough to tape around the entire window underneath, with 3 edges wrapped around to the outside a bit and taped. I use plastic stucco tape, to the glass where possible. Spray the tinted surfaces well with a serious window cleaner with ammonia in it. I haven't tried reinforcing the ammonia in the window cleaner but it might help. The fumes from the ammonia are what gets the job done. So spray liberally, pull the last plastic up, and tape the last edges. Prop the hatch up so it's roughly level, and the junk will fall into the plastic rather than run into the trim. Push the car out into the sun and let it do its work. Disconnect the battery ground so it doesn't drain with the hatch lifted. Give it a few hours. The glue will be soft enough to pull the entire sheet of tint off intact. Any remaining will come off with more window cleaner and a sponge. Do not scrape with anything. Have patience, and let the ammonia-based cleaner do the work.

Randy V

That was going to be my suggestion - especially if you are planning on installing new tint.

Ducman82

I used acetone and a cotton cloth. Came off in seconds