[mukeshgoel]

I tried to remove my sunfilm yesterday. Kept the car in sun for a while then tried to remove the film from the driver side window but it did not happen as expected. It left quite a lot og gum on the glass.

So went to an accessory shop and removed all 4 window films. Even the accessory shop guy could not remove it cleanly and had to remove the gum later.

So, dropped the idea of removing the rear sunfilm (with defogger) as of now.

It was a 3M RE35 film, 2 years old.

So now I have 3M CR70 on front and 3M RE35 at read. And today, a cop in Delhi visually inspected my car on a barrier and did not stop me. So, I guess I can continue with it.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by vivekrvcse

Is there a 3M in Indiranagar / Domlur/Ulsoor / Whitefield that can remove my beloved 3Ms

Vivek, the nearest 3M showroom to the location you mentioned is on HSR layout.

[newtonMeter]

Heard the SC ruling is challenged now with protestor asking to re look at the guidelines

1. They asked for min 70% VLT front and back and 50%VLT side glass should be made legal

[Samurai]

I removed the sunfilm on the GV today. Did it myself, the film came off clean, but left gum residue on most windows. The office boys are working on removing the gummy stuff. I can't even lower the glass with that gum.

[ethan3686]

I have found that the best way to remove the film is by using Surf water. Yes the cloth cleaner surf. Just rub it on your windows and let it be for 5-10 mins. And then ry peeling of the

[isiv]

Thanks to all for sharing your experiences. Going through this thread emboldened me to try this myself and guess what, it was easier done than said! Took around 30 mins to finish all the windows and all of them came off without tearing. As the film peels off, take care to spray plenty of cleaning liquid between the film and the pane. It comes off smoother and with lesser effort and wont stick back if you happen to let go in between.

[Rajat]

Another fast trick is to use a paper cutter blade and dip it in petrol before wedging it in to find a corner to hold. Once you find the corner, start pulling gently. Where ever you get stuck, use the blade and petrol to free the adhesive. Would not recommend for rear windshields with defogger. Use petrol and cloth to clean left over adhesive.

[dinu2506]

Me as well. The 5.5 year old Llumar tints on my Civic were taken off amidst tears. Did it myself in about 20 min - 4 side windows, 2 quarter glasses and the rear. Left it on the front quarter glass for memory sake - it was a beautiful 50% tint supposedly approved by RTOs.
Removal was a breeze, you just need to ensure that the film does not tear, else it becomes a pain trying to remove the remnants. Pry out an edge, I used a home painters putty knife, and then slowly pull the full film off. On the rear, pull along the length of the defroster strips.
Some amount of gum is left, maybe I'll clean it tomorrow as it was dark. The job was done late evening without any heating, sunlight or water.
Any recommendations for easily wiping out the gum?

[pradipk]

With the help of this Thread, I am planning to remove this week end. Have one question, can we use WD-40 spray? I just tried searching and the official site mentions use of that in removal of Gum/Sticker. Attaching screen shot of the same.


Thanks,
Pradip.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by pradipk

With the help of this Thread, I am planning to remove this week end. Have one question, can we use WD-40 spray? I just tried searching and the official site mentions use of that in removal of Gum/Sticker. Attaching screen shot of the same.

Thanks,
Pradip.

Logically, anything that can lubricate should work, no?
But won't you have another task then with cleaning the wd?
Why not stick with water, Colin,etc?

[thoma]

And when the WD-40 can take down rusted iron, why try it on the delicate defogger circuitry? Isn't it better to stick to glass cleaners?

Edit: Sorry that I assumed you would be using it also on the rear windshield with a defogger.

[IronH4WK]

@mayankk - hijacking your thread brother!

after reading all the DIYs and 101 ways not to screw your defogger, i thought i'll try it on my car (had to come off anyways because it had 33% VLT).

first of all, you've to bake the car; park the car in the sun for approximately 1-2hrs. once the stipulated time is complete, sit in the car with everything closed and no blower running. if you feel like you're gonna die of heat the next instant, your car is hot enough!


now, if you're heat resistant you can continue working with the car in the sun or you could save yourself the agony and take the car to the basement/shaded place. being the driver, i start with the drive side window first. roll down the window 25% so that you can easily reach one end of the sun film (hereby referred to as ze film).


using a pen knife, start gently scraping the edge so as to lift the film to get a hold on it. once you get the hold, start pulling it slowly but steadily all the while spraying Colin on the revealing edge (this is because since the glue is water-based, it enables smoother removal and without jerks).



if you're gentle (and careful) enough, the whole film will come off in a single piece. ta da!







now, the driver side and front passenger side is easy - its just one piece. on the rear, we've got the quarter glass, don't we! when doing the rear i found that spraying Colin on the film before starting to remove it help (don't know why). so spray ample amount of Colin (or similar stuff) on the glass and let it sit for 1-2mins. then like before, find the edge and start peeling.



for the quarter glass, one might find it difficult to get an edge (because of the rubber piping), but fear not. just make a cut in the film - not the sword-in-your-back kinda cut but rather a surgeon's cut with a scalpel.


now comes the delicate part - the rear glass. if you don't have a defogger, then don't fret, just peel the film right off like you did for the front and the rear passenger windows. if you do have a defogger, read on.

when removing the film, it is a boon for those who have a hatchback because one can just open it up and stand under and work! (sorry mayankk, i can understand the pain you've gone through).


in my case, the rear windshield was covered in three sections (as you can see in the picture). it is kinda good thing because you're not pulling on big chunk of film and since you've to be careful of the defogger elements. like with the other windows, wet the film with Colin and let it stay for a while.






start with one section; since they're overlapping, getting an edge is easy. peel from left to right or right to left, never top to bottom or visa versa.





second section coming off from right to left



just one to go


see the imprint of the defogger filaments on film removed:



now, after removing the film, there will be some residual gum on the glass. this is natural and nothing to be alarmed about. you just need to be patient and you'll need Colin, old vest (a.k.a baniyaan) for the rear windshield and old/used Scotch Brite scrub.

since one has to be careful not to damage the defogger filaments, use the old vest and Colin to clean up the residual gum on the rear windshield. roll it around your index finger and wipe.






after a couple of wipes, you'll need to remove the gum accumulated on the index finger.


for the front and rear windows, you can use Colin and the scrub. remember, after a few wipes, you'll have to clean the scrub of the accumulated gum. this will take some effort and time so make sure you've a good collection of songs running in your ICE

this is how it looks after the job is done; pretty exposed and the a/c has to work almost twice as hard to keep the interior cool.

Originally Posted by Samurai

I removed the sunfilm on the GV today. Did it myself, the film came off clean, but left gum residue on most windows. The office boys are working on removing the gummy stuff. I can't even lower the glass with that gum.

you did the easy part and outsourced the hard part; nice! i spent the whole afternoon removing the gummy

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

@mayankk - hijacking your thread brother!

after reading all the DIYs and 101 ways not to screw your defogger, i thought i'll try it on my car (had to come off anyways because it had 33% VLT).

first of all, you've to bake the car; park the car in th------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------snip -------- -------------------------------------------------------- ----- -------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- -

Fantastic.
You avoided all the places I stumbled, biggest one being about the hatch door.. ...

Learnt well, you have.


I think everyone should refer to this post, much more detailed and fool proof.

[ethan3686]

This is a great post. Well done in explaining but i think Surf water is also just as effective. I have no residue or anything sticky left after applying that method.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by ethan3686

i think Surf water is also just as effective.

indeed. i just was too lazy to do the mixing and hauling it down. also, Colin has a good delivery system (spray) and is less messy