How To Fix A Bad Window Tinting Job On Your Car

Window tinting can be a great additional feature for your car: it keeps the sun out, gives you extra privacy from other drivers not to mention potential thieves, and overall, it just looks better.

From black to opaque, window tinting comes in different shades and shapes and the coloured film can cover as much or as little of your window to deflect or soften the sunlight. For confident DIY enthusiasts, the tinting can be applied at home using a shop-bought kit or by a professional; either way, the job doesn’t always go to plan and can often fall short of the desired outcome.

When it goes wrong

Let’s face it, when a window tinting job goes wrong, your car can go from looking really stylish to really worn-out, so the quicker you get it sorted, the better. Here are some quick step by step guides to follow when your tint starts to peel or bubble, for fixing a tearing window tint or for a full tint removal:

Peeling or bubbling

1. If you got your window tint done professionally and it’s still under warranty, make sure you take it back to get it repaired or replaced entirely, depending on the extent of the damage.
2. Firstly, you need to heat the bubbled area to soften the film adhesive and use a credit card or something with a sharp edge to press out the bubbles.
3. Wash the back of the peeling film with a soap and water solution and using a cloth or similar, smooth the film back over the window.

Fixing a tearing window tint

1. In this case, you will need to remove the section which is tearing by marking out the affected area and then cutting it out using a razor blade or a sharp knife (window tinting has two layers so make sure you cut through both layers).
2. Apply water to the peeling section and then remove it entirely.
3. Clean the window and remove any remaining glue.
4. Cut out the new piece of tinting film (approximately one inch larger than the space you need to fill) and apply the new film.

Removing the whole tint

1. To remove a tint altogether you can do this using a steamer. However, if you don’t have a steamer to hand then you can simply wet the outside of your window, cover it with a black bin bag and spray the whole inside window surface with ammonia – make sure you cover the car seats and floor with covers too – and leave for an hour in the sun.
2. Using a razor blade, peel back the whole piece in one. If needed, spray more ammonia to stop the tint from drying.

We can help

Fixing a bad window tinting job is relatively straight forward but if you need any further advice, don’t hesitate to contact a car window tint specialist at Number Plate Clinic – or for any other queries – we are more than happy to help.