Re-using tinting

[marcusus]

Can you remove and reuse window tinting? My roof is getting a bit worse for wear after all these years, but I'd really like to reuse the existing tinting because I quite like it, and also I probably won't be able to get it again (not without returning to Sydney anyway! ).

[Okibi]

We have tint places in WA too

[marcusus]

The tinting is (what I believe is) an industrial tint that normally gets used on building windows, so it's not really something that I think is possible to get easily from the usual car tinting outlets. Hence the question

[and1]

No you can't reuse tint as the adhesive loses its tackiness.

You might be better off just going automotive tint. Just use a quality brand. Can't see it being much different except maybe the thickness of the material and the reflective properties (which you can get for cars, just not very legal).

[Okibi]

You can get thicker window tint, I had it put on 1 or 2 of my cars, can't remember which ones It's meant to make it harder to smash the glass.

[Wivvix]

Try these guys.

http://www.dmsenergy.com.au/

They tinted the windows on my na8 and did a good job. About $90 per side in darkest legal 3M.

[marcusus]

No you can't reuse tint as the adhesive loses its tackiness.

You might be better off just going automotive tint. Just use a quality brand. Can't see it being much different except maybe the thickness of the material and the reflective properties (which you can get for cars, just not very legal).

Interesting. When I got my tint put on, they just used what looked like soapy water between the tint and the glass, then pressed it all out with a plastic squidgee thing, and it stuck. There may well have been adhesive on the other side, which would make sense.

Either way, this all depends on whether I get a new roof or not.

[and1]

No you can't reuse tint as the adhesive loses its tackiness.

You might be better off just going automotive tint. Just use a quality brand. Can't see it being much different except maybe the thickness of the material and the reflective properties (which you can get for cars, just not very legal).

Interesting. When I got my tint put on, they just used what looked like soapy water between the tint and the glass, then pressed it all out with a plastic squidgee thing, and it stuck. There may well have been adhesive on the other side, which would make sense.

Either way, this all depends on whether I get a new roof or not.

Yes they use a soap solution so that the tint can be moved into the right position, not to mention making it easier to get rid of the air bubbles.

Also if you pull your tint off yourself make sure you set aside a few hours to clean up the mess that remains. Steam gun helps this process and a scraper blade is definitely handy.

[Okibi]

Just be careful not to damage your demister when removing any glue, I think last time I sat wet newspaper on there for an hour first to help free up the tint, do a google search im sure there's a few posts online with the best methods. Also consider a product like desolveit that'll break down the glue and make it easier to remove.

If your getting a new top why bother removing the old tint, leave it on the one you're chucking and get some new tint on the new top.

This is the thicker tint similar to what you've already got - http://www.tintacar.com.au/unbreakable.php

I'm pretty sure they do it in the same darkness as their "Octane" darkest legal tint. The thicker tint works best with windows that are held in a frame so the side windows on an MX-5 wouldn't benefit from the thicker tint as much as they would the 1/4 windows. I figured if it makes it harder to smash then it's better, or if i'm in an accident and it stops less glass from flying around the cabin then it would also be a bonus.

[marcusus]

Cool, thanks for the tips. We'll see how it all goes. It's currently more an information gathering exercise rather than something that's going to happen. At least it seems like it's possible, if a bit bothersome.