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There's nothing worse than tinting your own windows or having them tinted by a friend or professional and discovering that there are a bunch of bubbles under the surface of the film. In fact, for most of us, as soon as we discover bubbled window tints the first thing we do is rip it off the glass while muttering a wide and varied assortment of curses and profanities. But, it doesn't have to be that way. Whether you paid someone to tint your windows or you did it yourself, follow these 5 steps to fix your badly done window tinting job.
Naturally, this first step will only work if you didn't do-it-yourself. But, if you paid a professional to apply your window tints and they are still under warranty, call them and ask for it to be repaired or replaced entirely. In this case, if you have the time we recommend the latter option because, why not?
Steps 1 and 2 could really be considered as preparatory but, for the sake of a convenient number, we've included them as the initial phases. In this step, you need to decide if you'll attempt a repair if it was a DIY installation or the tint is out of warranty or if you'll hire a pro.
Window tinting is not a task for the meek of heart simply because it's so thin. If you don't have a heated garage you'll want to be sure that you wait for a suitable day where the weather is nice and warm. It's just so much easier to work with tint and the adhesive is more malleable on a sunny day when the outdoor temperature is at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Be sure to let the car sit outside for a couple of hours in the sun before starting your work as the interior temperature will assist in removing the bubbles. If you can’t wait for a sunny day, use a hair dryer to heat both sides of the windows and the tint itself.
Once the window and the tint have been adequately heated up, use a spray bottle to apply a fine mist of water to the window tint. The cold water interacting with the hot window will loosen the adhesive, making it easier to get the air bubbles out.
You have a few choices about how to approach the actual removal of the air bubbles. Probably the easiest and best way to begin is to use a squeegee or library card (don't use a credit card unless you don't ever want to use it to buy anything again!) to push the air bubbles to the edge of the tint which will release the air. Alternatively, for the more stubborn bubbles, you can pop them with a safety pin or burnishing tool. Be very careful when doing this and be sure to make very tiny holes so as not to rip or tear the window tint film. Be thorough and pop every bubble on the film. The tint should close up the tiny hole after the air has escaped. Next, smooth out the tinting using your squeegee while holding it at a 45-degree angle, using long strokes with medium pressure to release remaining bubbles. If the tint dries before you pop all of the bubble, mist the entire window with water one more time.
Once you've followed the steps above you will have successfully fixed bubbled and poorly installed window tint. If you've tried this technique be sure to take before and after pics and send them into us to be featured on our site and this blog!