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Looking at a car that has tint all around and my state doesn't allow tint so it would need to be removed. Particular concern being from the front windshield on a car with full leather dash (with all the extended leather dash bits). Every solution I read about removing tint either involves blades or ammonia or other things to loosen the tint that I'm feeling a little uncomfortable about it. Those of you who dealt with tint (and potentially on a 911), have you had any issues/nightmares?
I don't know any tricks or shortcuts other than leaving the car in the sun to soften the glue. A heat gun or hair dryer might help. The windex and a razer blade to remove the residue. As long as the cleaner is not left to dry I don't think it would hurt the leather. I don't think it would be more than $100 to pay someone.
I removed my old tint myself, pretty simple. Heat gun, and some elbow grease (very tedious). There was some leftover residue, I used an adhesive remover to get it all off instead of using any razor blades.
I just did this for my 996 turbo yesterday. I used a heat gun to loosen the tint up. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I’d do it on my 992 if I was going in that direction since I found the job much easier than I thought it’d be. That said, if I were busy or unsure or didn’t have my son as a helper, I’d just pay for it to be done. There are many YouTube videos that were helpful. The biggest thing that worked for me was heat and slowly pulling the tint off. It basically came off in complete sheets on all panels. Not sure if it was beginners luck or patience.
Glass shop owner here. (no more auto glass though)
Lots of lube, glass cleaner, baby shampoo & water works best imo
If its good quality film, it''ll be really no biggie.
New single edge razor blades only. 10-20 you'll need.
DO NOT scrape back and forth, thats what scratches the glass (and old blades). Go directional, scrape, lift, go back and scrape same direction, like shaving.
tape off any sensitive areas, the glue residue from the film is icky and sticky....
However hard it is, it’s worth it - tint is nasty.
I had my PPF guys remove the tint on my GT3 and they were happy to do it - I don’t remember what I paid but it was not exorbitant. Probably helps that I am a good repeat customer for PPF/ceramic coating on several cars.
This is too much for my OCD taste imo. There is no way full leather interior will come out of this without any leftover marks, not to mention bucket seats is a bitch to get to the rear of the car and that defroster is probably not easy to get tint off without damaging it. Best to find a car without tint, I’ll cross that car off my list lol. Even if the cost was $1200, thats no problem but I dont think given the amount of blades, spraying, taping, getting in and out of car is involved, something is bound to happen.
New tint is easy as it will come off in one big piece. Pull up/straight away from the glass and use light heat. If done right it will live little to no residue. Not a pro but I hate tint and have removed it from several cars. The tricky part is the rear window defroster wires.
Just had the old tint on my car (from previous owner) removed and replaced with new tint last week. Not a single installer I spoke with mentioned any concern about damaging any part of the interior, including the leather dash. If you get a quality installer there's zero reason to worry about that. The only thing that was mentioned as a faint possibility is the black dot matrix printing on the rear glass can get pulled up when removing tint. It's extremely rare, but every installer made note of it and it's not a Porsche specific problem. That all being said; old tint came off without a hitch and new tint is a touch lighter and looks a whole lot better. All the leather is in the exact same condition it was beforehand.
If you want to remove it yourself, it's not exactly hard to do, but it does force you to contort your body in weird positions in a tight cabin for an extended period of time. mikes70's suggestions above are great. I would also add that if you have a steamer, that can help a whole lot.
However hard it is, it’s worth it - tint is nasty.
I agree. Why tint windows in a sports car where visibility is critical to driving fast.
For comfort, both from heat and bright light. For a touch more privacy than what the fish bowl life brings. To help preserve the interior of the car. It makes the car look 10x better.
If you stay at or above the 35% range, visibility will not really be impacted. I've tinted every single car I've owned and not once have I been at a track event and thought to myself "gee, if only I didn't have tint on my windows I could eek out another .25s on that lap."
To me tint looks horrible. Its a personal taste aspect. Some people like white wheels, some like gold wheels, some like black wheels. But thats not the only reason I need to remove it, where I live tint is not allowed and the car will not pass state inspection at the time of registration. It's not something I can take my time with. Anyways, I have decided to pass on this car. Too much that can go wrong as every corner of the car has tint and it needs to be removed from the back window, little triangle windows, etc. I dont know of anyone that I can trust. I'm sure if I go and ask an expensive detailer in my area he will swear by how he has done this many times in a Mclaren senna or Aventedor but its his word I need to rely on.
04-08-2023, 09:59 PM
How hard is it to remove tint from all windows?
