Anybody removed their window tint?

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Quattro Pete

Quattro Pete

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So, the Illinois cops have finally caught up with me. I need to take off the tint from the front side windows (remnants of my living in FL).

Any good way to do it? I've heard some auto part stores sell window tint removal kits. Are those any good?

Thanks.
 
The easiest way is to pay a tint shop to strip it, and re-install legal tint. If no tint is allowed in IL, all I can say is good luck. I've done it myself before, and it sucks! The tint film comes off very easily; it's the glue that's a bear to remove.
 
The ones I've talked to that have been cited said that you can just tell the court you took the tint off. It's not a moving violation, so it doesn't affect your record.

I've had tint on 4 vehicles for 15 years and never had an incident.
 
Originally Posted By: SevenBizzos
The ones I've talked to that have been cited said that you can just tell the court you took the tint off.

That's not the point. I'm not even required to go to court. But I don't want to give cops a reason to keep pulling me over. In addition, a ticket for illegal tint is now $250 in the city of Chicago; $75 elsewhere in IL.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: SevenBizzos
The ones I've talked to that have been cited said that you can just tell the court you took the tint off.

That's not the point. I'm not even required to go to court. But I don't want to give cops a reason to keep pulling me over. In addition, a ticket for illegal tint is now $250 in the city of Chicago; $75 elsewhere in IL.



Is this tint on the '02 BMW 530i?

Why do I ask? There is a loophole in the Illinois law. The window tint law does not apply to anything built prior to Jan 1, 1981.

I have the side and rear windows on my 1981 Regal tinted with 5% film, and it is perfectly legal because of that loophole. It was built 10/80. Never had a ticket stick.
 
I've got my front windows tinted with a lighter shade than the back windows, so it's not so obvious, and I always roll down my driver's window before any cop gets close, which I think they appreciate. The tint law was passed after I had mine tinted, but so far I haven't had any problems. What were the circumstances of your citation? What kind of cop?
 
Originally Posted By: Cogito
What were the circumstances of your citation? What kind of cop?

I was pulled over specifically because of the tint. The cop saw me crossing an intersection at night and chased after me. I tried telling her that I moved from Florida and wasn't aware that it's illegal in IL, alas that didn't work. On top of that she tried to tell me that tint is also illegal in Florida unless you have a medical condition... yeah right.

I guess being all black with black tint all around my car looks too much like a limo and raises eyebrows.
 
The tint is easy, just peels off. As for the glue, a razorblade scratched the heck out of my glass, so much I had to replace it. After that I tried everything on the glue. Goo gone, ammonia, gasoline. Nothing worked on this stuff. Ended up using a Shark portable hand held steam cleaner. Worked like a charm.
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I help my buddie tint cars some days at his shop.

A razorblade and a spraybottle of water and 2 squirts of Johnsons baby shampoo(shake it up).

Peel the tint off from the top to the bottom.

Use the razor like a squeege(add pressure) after you soak your window in the soapy spary.
Very easy.


On glass with defroster lines you cant use a razor, it will break the line and stop it from working.

You use the soapy water and a very fine steel whool pad.
 
We have the stupid tint law here in AL, too. Nothing more than a light tint is allowed, although I do see quite a few cars that are clearly in violation. I don't know how strictly the cops here enforce the tint law. My guess is they don't unless they already have you stopped for something else.

Before the most recent tint law passed, I always had limo tint on whatever car I was driving. Loved it!!! On my old Mazda MX-6, I had limo all around, and a single sheet of 35% on the entire front glass. It was great! Then AL passed the tint law, outlawing anything darker than 35%, and I had to pay a shop to strip and re-tint. I left the 35% on the entire front glass, and never got a ticket for it, even though that, in and of itself was illegal.
 
Thanks all. Ended up taking it to a tint shop to have the front side windows stripped. I don't like how the plain windows look, but I don't like getting harassed by cops even more.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Not only Illinois does not allow tint front windows, many states have similar law, include CA but it is rarely enforce here.


I've gotten two tickets in the past year for tint on my side windows.

The tint is really old (+20 years) and is starting to bubble. Since tint is a PITA to remove, i was just going to wait until most of it fell off on its own.

Since it's around $125 per ticket, I figured after the last citation, I'd just bite the bullet and get out the removal solution and razor blades.

I will say that both bills I got were from the CHP. The city cops could care less, really. Heck, the CHP even went around the Park-and-Ride lot and ticketed parked cars for no front plates, expired registration, tint....you name it. Business must be slow on the Interstate......
 
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I never saw any CHP in town and I rarely saw any CHP on highway 405. I have 2 cars without front plate and one car with front window tinted for 4+ years without any ticket.

I just don't drive to LA, a lot of people complained about tickets for tint front windows and no front plates in LA city/county.
 
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