Rear windshield replacement?

[Daryl]

I’m hoping to have the tint redone on the 4 side windows (passenger front is streaked badly) and the rear windshield, but a couple of the tint companies I’ve called cautioned that “not knowing how long the existing tints been on, it may peel some of the defrost thingys off” (I don’t remember exactly what he called them). So, I’m just trying to gather information for a “worst case scenario “ should that happen.

If I do have to replace the rear windshield on my coupe, what do you all suggest? And I would also replace the weatherstripping and all necessary hardware, clips, etc to do it right and get a proper fit and seal.

I got a preliminary out-of-pocket estimate from SafeLite online of $429 for the heated rear windshield replacement. That’s not including the ancillaries mentioned above + installation.

I also Googled shops near me and came up with a couple of “good sounding, good reviews” smaller places. So I’ll contact them when they open at 8:00am.

And lastly, regarding those ancillaries... LMR? Steele Rubber? NAPA? Thoughts, ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks everyone! Don’t know what I’d do without ya!

 

[ttocs]

they make repair kits for small sections of the grid if it comes off. Larger pieces are a bigger problem

 

[Daryl]

Oh sweet! Any idea where I can find them?

Oops, never mind. Found a few options: PermaTex, etc
I’ll call my guys over at NAPA and ask about it.THANKS!

 

[Daryl]

Can anyone explain the +/- of regular tint vs ceramic tint? In the quote I got for each, the ceramic is twice as much as the regular. Yikes!

…and why am I suddenly stuck in bold italics?!

 

[ttocs]

"In laboratory studies, ceramic window tint outperforms all of the other window tinting products on the market in terms of: Visibility. Sun glare reduction. Heat absorption/reducing solar heat gain." from a quick search

 

[Makoto]

1. i don't worry about defrost lines
2. ceramic is 100% the way to go

 

[Daryl]

Hmmmmm, food for thought! Thanks guys!

 

[ttocs]

how often do ya use the rear defroster?

 

[Daryl]

For the little I’ve driven the car in the 1 1/2 years I’ve had it… uh , let me see….
Once! I’ve used the rear window defroster once! And that was really just to see if it works. Which it does!

 

[Daryl]

I was able to EASILY remove both front window tints today. I didn’t try the little back seat windows or the rear windshield. Didn’t want to get too over confident and louse things up. But, it’s a start and save mea little $$ at the tint shop!

 

[PinkieT]

My yellow ragtop came with ugly yellow tint film on the side windows only. Came off easily using 3M adhesive remover. Very glad the PO didn't tint the back window!

 

[joemomma]

Side windows on my '94 weren't bad at all. I bought a heat gun from China Freight and some "plastic" razor blades from amazon. Worked like a charm. Soapy water in a spray bottle took all the leftover glue off. The back window - was a nightmare. The old tint was super old, and had become brittle. It came off in tiny flakes/pieces. I scraped with a real razor (not recommended) for hours, and gave up. I finally found a video on YT (there are several) about using a black trash bag and covering it. That worked. Wish I would have done that initially. It didn't peel off like in the videos, but it did soften it up enough where I could easily scrape it off. Still not an awesome process as I don't exactly fit in the back, but it was off.

My tint guy wouldn't touch the removal - he flat out refuses to do it. He says it's cheaper to buy a new back glass. I checked around and found a couple places that would do a new glass for $200. I think Safelite was one of them.

 

[Jakespeeds]

Daryl,

Call up Solar Tech mobile window tinting. Owners name is Robert. Tell him I sent you. He does all my cars. Almost all of them have rear window defrosters and he has never damaged a thing.

Jake