Whether your window tint is old and damaged, you’ve moved to a state with different tint limits, or you bought a car and don’t want tinted windows, you can always choose to remove window tint from your car.
Unfortunately, doing so yourself can be time-consuming and may damage your windows. For that reason, many car owners prefer to leave window tint removal to professional body shops.
Here, the average cost of window tint removal can vary. However, you can expect $25-$60 per window. For a full car, you’ll probably pay under $250.
However, if you have back window and windshield tinting, costs may increase.
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How Much Does It Cost To Remove Window Tints?
If you remove window tint yourself with a tint removal kit, you’re probably looking at 20 minutes to 2 hours per window. However, you will spend $10-$50 for the full job.
Here, most people average around 30-60 minutes per window. If you’ve tinted the back window, you should expect to spend at least an hour on it, to avoid damaging the defrosters. Afterwards, you might still have to spot-clean old glue.
If you take your car to a professional body shop, they’ll likely spend less time on it. That’s because they normally have heat press equipment, better chemicals, and better tools to get the tint and the old glue off.
However, they’ll still spend anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour per window. This means that window tint removal prices can vary significantly depending on the make and model of the car and your body shop’s rates.
| Rate | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hourly | $15-$210 |
| Minimum | $80-$150 |
| Maximum | $200-$400 |
| Average | $150-$285 |
*Please note: These are cost estimates based on average rates in October 2022. These are subject to change based on geographic area and the body shop you go to.
It’s also important to keep in mind that some body shops will include removing old tint as part of installing new tint. That could save you a considerable amount of money over having each step done separately.
In addition, the more damaged or more difficult to remove your existing window tint is, the more your body shop is likely to charge.
For example, if a large back window goes badly, some technicians quote the job as taking up to 6 hours. That could result in a significantly larger bill than expected.
Factors Which Affect Window Tint Removal Pricing
Removing window tint can range significantly in cost. If you’re lucky, your technician can do the full car in about 40 minutes. If you’re not lucky, the job might take over 8 hours.
This means you likely want to get a quote from a local body shop before settling on prices.
Local Cost of Labor
The local cost of labor can range significantly based on where you are in the United States.
Crowded urban areas tend to be more expensive because there’s more demand for the technician’s time. This means that the west and east coast tend to have the highest cost of removing window tint.
On the other hand, if you live in a rural area, you can likely get away with having the job done for cheap.
For example, the following price ranges cover “average” cost to remove window tint in a 4-door sedan.
- California – $175-$225
- Texas – $103-$175
- New Jersey – $125-$206
- New York – $153-$182
- Idaho – $112-$154
- Michigan – $115 -$135
- Florida – $120-$210
Essentially, costs vary quite a bit by location, meaning you’ll always have to check local rates and quotes.
Size of Car Windows
In most cases, the cost of removing window tint heavily depends on the size of the window. In addition, if your window includes defrosters, costs will go up.
For example, it’s not uncommon to see rates like “$25 per door and $90 for the back window”. These rates reflect the time and effort needed to do the work.
A back window, for instance, can require a lot of work to avoid damaging the defroster. It’s also large, which means that peeling the old tint off in one piece is extremely difficult or even impossible.
In addition, if you’ve tinted part of the windshield, you’ll pay extra for that as well. And, removing tint from large van or SUV windows will always cost more than removing tint from a four-door sedan.
Defrosters
The defroster or demister on your back window can make it significantly difficult to remove the tint.
In some cases, your body shop may recommend simply replacing the window. That’s especially true if they don’t feel that you can take the tint off without damaging the defroster.
In this case, the replacement would cost the same as replacing your full window. In most cases, that will mean $250-$450. However, most body shops will at least attempt to remove the tint before forcing you into a back window replacement.
Condition of the Tint
The older and more damaged your window tint, the more difficult it is to remove. For this reason, you might get a higher quote if your tint is bubbled and cracked.
Old, purpling tint on back windows is considered the highest to remove. Therefore, you might not be able to have it removed without agreeing to an hourly rate for the work.
Type of Tint
In some cases, the type of tint being removed may impact the cost of removal.
For example, dyed film, ceramic film, and metallic film all age differently.
How Is Window Tinting Removed? (3 Ways)
In most cases, window tint is removed using either a chemical, a heat, or a mixed process. In most cases, removing window tint is also a multi-step process.
1. Softening Adhesive
The first step to removing window tint is always to loosen the adhesive.
Normally, this involves using heat and chemicals to dissolve the adhesive. This means that the technician will use a chemical spray to loosen the tint.
Then, they’ll use a heat gun or heat press on the tint.
2. Scraping Tint
Your body shop technician will use a window-safe scraper to get under the edges of the tint. Then, they’ll slowly peel the whole thing up, using applied heat as they go.
Going slowly means they get as much of the glue up as possible, which saves time in the later stage of tint removal.
Here, depending on the age of the tint, the type of adhesive, and what the technician is using, the tint may peel up in one piece.
On the other hand, cracks, tears, and bubbles might mean the technician has to scrape up new edges to peel up constantly. That will add more time to the full process.
In addition, tint can peel up relatively easily. In other cases, it may require scraping the full length of the window to get the ting to come up at all.
3. Cleaning Up Glue
In almost every case after removing window tint, you’ll have to spot clean to remove glue residue or glue. In some cases, this glue can be quite difficult to remove.
In most cases, a body shop technician will use a chemical to finish dissolving the glue, after which it can be scraped or wiped off.
Older glue is harder to clean off than newer ones. That’s especially true if the glue has hardened and cracked.
In this case, it may take several stages of applying solvent and cleaning to get it off without damaging the glass.
FAQs
If you still have questions about removing window tint, this FAQ should help.
Can Tinted Windows Be Removed And Redone?
Yes. In fact, it’s extremely common for body shops to offer a discount rate for removing old window tint at the same time as installing new ones.
In this case, you can expect the average cost of installing window tint ($300-$800) to increase by $100-$200 if you’re also having the old tint removed. Therefore, it is slightly cheaper.
In most cases, this will save you a small percentage over having the work done separately. However, if your body shop charges an hourly rate for the work, you won’t get a discount for having them both done in the same place.
What Is The Easiest Way To Remove Tinting From Car Windows?
In most cases, the best way to remove window tint from car windows is to use a mixture of heat and chemical remover. For example, a heat gun and a tint removal kit.
However, it’s important to check that you can safely heat the chemicals in your tint removal kit. In addition, not all kits require heat to remove the tint.
In most cases, if you take your car to a body shop, they will use a combination of heat gun or press and chemical solvent to remove the tint. Therefore, that’s always going to be the fastest option if you do it yourself.
Can I Remove The Tint Myself (DIY)?
You can always choose to remove window tint yourself.
Window tint removal kits often start at around $5-$50 and will allow you to remove any grade of tint. However, it is time-consuming.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can probably expect to spend at least 20 minutes per window. In addition, the back window can be extremely challenging.
It’s also important to ensure you’re using the right tools so you don’t scratch the glass. Plastic scrapers are a requirement.
Eventually, you might spend 2-6 hours removing the tint on your car. If that’s a good tradeoff, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t just do the work yourself.
Does WD40 Remove Window Tint Glue?
WD-40 acts as a solvent for many types of glue. This means that you can use it to remove window tint glue.
However, it’s also more expensive than most commercially available window tint solvents. In addition, it’s more important to thoroughly clean the windows to remove the oily residue afterwards.
WD-40 left on windows can cause dirt and dust buildup, meaning you’ll have to clean your windows, with soap, at a later point.
Next Steps
Removing old window tint is most likely to cost around $125. However, costs can range from $25-$60 per window and over $100 for the back window. In addition, you can expect higher rates if you have a vehicle with large windows. Therefore, it’s important to request quotes locally to ensure you get the right rate.
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