Remove the TINT
#1
Remove the TINT
Got my xA tinted in FL last March. It comes out to 14% which is a mere 21% too little light for Massachusetts. While I enjoy the dark look, I have failed two inspections and need to remove the tint on my driver and passenger windows (the back can remain).
I'm weighing whether to go clear or 35% (the legal limit) and I need to know the best way to do this.
A bonus if you know any place near Boston that can do this.
Thanks,
I'm weighing whether to go clear or 35% (the legal limit) and I need to know the best way to do this.
A bonus if you know any place near Boston that can do this.
Thanks,
#2
Re: Remove the TINT
Originally Posted by sotied
Got my xA tinted in FL last March. It comes out to 14% which is a mere 21% too little light for Massachusetts. While I enjoy the dark look, I have failed two inspections and need to remove the tint on my driver and passenger windows (the back can remain).
I'm weighing whether to go clear or 35% (the legal limit) and I need to know the best way to do this.
A bonus if you know any place near Boston that can do this.
Thanks,
I'm weighing whether to go clear or 35% (the legal limit) and I need to know the best way to do this.
A bonus if you know any place near Boston that can do this.
Thanks,
Hey.. question.. How is you gas mileage with your 17x7 wheels. I just got some KMC 17x7 and I think????, my mileage went down. Don't know for sure since on the first tank of gas... and not broke in yet..
They can't to much more than stock.. 4 lbs at the most...
#3
I read an article long ago that said the pros have an easy way to get tint off. They took a black plastic garbage bag and placed it on the inside of the window. They taped the bottom to the window as low as possible. Then they sprayed a solution of water with dishwashing detergent between the window and bag. Then the bag was wrapped around the window and the window was rolled. up. They let the car sit in the sun for an hour or so. The moisture trapped by the bag got behind the tint and loosened the adhesive. Supposedly the tint peeled right off with little to no residue.
#5
Trick I learned from a tinter:
Spray down the inside of your windows with water & cover the tinted side of the windows with dark colored trashbags fit to the size of the windows (kind of like tinting your windows with trashbags)
make sure the bags are completely covering the tinted side of the window.
turn your car on with the heat on real high.... it helps if it's a hot sunny day too. run the car for about a 1/2 hour/45 minutes.
remove the trashbags & peel the tint off.
What you are doing is steaming the tint off the windows.... it works really well.
Spray down the inside of your windows with water & cover the tinted side of the windows with dark colored trashbags fit to the size of the windows (kind of like tinting your windows with trashbags)
make sure the bags are completely covering the tinted side of the window.
turn your car on with the heat on real high.... it helps if it's a hot sunny day too. run the car for about a 1/2 hour/45 minutes.
remove the trashbags & peel the tint off.
What you are doing is steaming the tint off the windows.... it works really well.
#6
Hi Jeff,
yeah, Mass has fairly strict tint limits (at least can put some tint on at all! some states are worse).
The 35% limit is on driver, passenger, and rear windows. They check combined glass + tint transmission, and glass is usually 5-7% or so loss, so the only way you can guarantee Mass legal tint is to go for a 50% film. a 35% film will end up pushing you under 30%, which an **** inspector will ping you for. (My MR2's side windows rate at 31%, the inspectors get all confuzzled over that and remeasure a lot because it's soo close, and end up letting me slide but tell me to fix it for the next year).
I got my Z06 tinted at a place called Tint King, in Billerica (not far north of Boston on Rt 3). They did a really good job, and if I buy my xA in a few weeks, I'll be going straight back there to get the xA tinted too.
They're a small outfit, but have a really clean shop and do everything with latest technology.
http://www.tint-king.com/
yeah, Mass has fairly strict tint limits (at least can put some tint on at all! some states are worse).
The 35% limit is on driver, passenger, and rear windows. They check combined glass + tint transmission, and glass is usually 5-7% or so loss, so the only way you can guarantee Mass legal tint is to go for a 50% film. a 35% film will end up pushing you under 30%, which an **** inspector will ping you for. (My MR2's side windows rate at 31%, the inspectors get all confuzzled over that and remeasure a lot because it's soo close, and end up letting me slide but tell me to fix it for the next year).
I got my Z06 tinted at a place called Tint King, in Billerica (not far north of Boston on Rt 3). They did a really good job, and if I buy my xA in a few weeks, I'll be going straight back there to get the xA tinted too.
They're a small outfit, but have a really clean shop and do everything with latest technology.
http://www.tint-king.com/
#8
yeah- i know - old post - but for future reference - if you remove your own tint - keep in mind ---
the 'trash bag' method is actually meant for REAR windows with defog lines on them - and that's after the other methods have failed. It's usually done with really old flaky tint. Anything else can be scraped with a blade.
but the question was regarding side windows, which are much easier - peel back a corner and yank. scrape the remaining adhesive off with new #9 blades and some soapy water or windex.
if the film doesn't want to just yank off in one easy peice - you can either wait for a hot day and do it when the glass get boiling hot or heat it with a heat gun (hair dryers are pretty useless - it'll work, just take forever and 3 days.). Heat the outside of the glass until hot to the touch and then slowly but firmly pull the tint, the plastic will peel free and if you are 10,000% lucky, the glue will come off too - just don't bet on it.
the 'trash bag' method is actually meant for REAR windows with defog lines on them - and that's after the other methods have failed. It's usually done with really old flaky tint. Anything else can be scraped with a blade.
but the question was regarding side windows, which are much easier - peel back a corner and yank. scrape the remaining adhesive off with new #9 blades and some soapy water or windex.
if the film doesn't want to just yank off in one easy peice - you can either wait for a hot day and do it when the glass get boiling hot or heat it with a heat gun (hair dryers are pretty useless - it'll work, just take forever and 3 days.). Heat the outside of the glass until hot to the touch and then slowly but firmly pull the tint, the plastic will peel free and if you are 10,000% lucky, the glue will come off too - just don't bet on it.
#10
in most states front door tint is legal - illegal in only 6 states - (you're in CA.) - even there it has been legal on front doors since 2000 - although it's only 70% ... which is essentially "clear".
#11
The International Window Film Association has a fairly complete chart of window tinting laws by state at http://www.iwfa.com/iwfa/Law_Chart/S...aw%20Chart.htm
#12
it's not a 'fairly complete' list - it's a totally complete list. IWFA keeps that list updated 24/7 and even notates in advance when a law will be changing (but hasn't yet). Also - the IWFA tint law list is what is mirrored in the tech section.
#13
hmm, I better never travel outside of Orlando unless I want some tickets! Seems pretty linient over here, I have had 5% all around since September, no problems, over here you see 5% all around jobs everywhere
I hear if I drive to some beaches over here in FL tho I might encounter some a-hole cops that will actually stripe the windows with a knife and tell me to peel off the tint right then and there...Is that even possible?
I hear if I drive to some beaches over here in FL tho I might encounter some a-hole cops that will actually stripe the windows with a knife and tell me to peel off the tint right then and there...Is that even possible?
#15
Re: Remove the TINT
Originally Posted by sotied
Got my xA tinted in FL last March. It comes out to 14% which is a mere 21% too little light for Massachusetts. While I enjoy the dark look, I have failed two inspections and need to remove the tint on my driver and passenger windows (the back can remain).
I'm weighing whether to go clear or 35% (the legal limit) and I need to know the best way to do this.
A bonus if you know any place near Boston that can do this.
Thanks,
I'm weighing whether to go clear or 35% (the legal limit) and I need to know the best way to do this.
A bonus if you know any place near Boston that can do this.
Thanks,
#19
Originally Posted by CatalepsicFox
In California we can't even put tint on our front side windows nor the windshields unless it's OEM. The interesting thing is that a lot of us do it anyways.
and NO STATE allows a front windshield to have a layer of film applied over the entire surface. Visor strips at most and that's it.
#20
Originally Posted by CatalepsicFox
In California we can't even put tint on our front side windows nor the windshields unless it's OEM. The interesting thing is that a lot of us do it anyways.