Learn why the tint in your back window bubbles.

If you live in a state that allows you to have the windows tinted on your car or truck, perhaps every now and then you’ve noticed some vehicles that have the tint on their back window appear to be distorted and have bubbles in it. Do you ever wonder why that happens and how to avoid it? If so, you’re in the right place to finally learn why the tint in your back window bubbles.

Here’s how it happens

No matter how high quality your tint is, it can’t stand up to the heat of your rear window defroster. The heating element bonded to your rear windshield glass gets extremely hot. That is why the tint begins to pull away from the glass and you’re left with many sections of the tinted surface with air pockets. 

How to avoid it

Now to avoid that from happening you shouldn’t turn on the rear window defroster at any time. And that’s an unfortunate situation to be in if you live in a cooler region of the country. It can also be a safety hazard.

Be a wise consumer

If you’re currently interested in having your vehicle tinted, just make sure the shop that you’re considering has a warranty in place to cover that type of situation. Keep in mind, rear window tint that fails due to operation of a defroster is normally not a warrantable condition, so if the shop says they’ll take care of that if it happens make sure their statement can be verified in the manufacturer’s warranty document. And have them show you exactly what paragraph that statement can be found. If they can’t provide that, you may want to consider doing business somewhere else. Quite often when someone asks me who I recommend for having their car tinted, I just tell them to check with the dealership. They’ll typically take better care of you if an issue arises. 

Dealing with the dilemma 

If your rear window tint is currently damaged, you really have to consider carefully who you can trust to remove it. If you’re thinking about removing it yourself, just be warned it may be very labor intense, (if you’re interested in learning about the process, you may be able to find a solution on Youtube). Extra care must occur to remove the old tint from the back glass because the heating elements are somewhat fragile. To remove the tint and remaining adhesive, the shop may use a metal razor, a plastic razor, or a metal or plastic scraper. Any of these items will damage the element grid and cause it to become partially or fully inoperable. Keep this in mind when you ask the shop what method they’ll use to remove the old tint.

To tint, or not to tint

So, with all of this knowledge you may wonder if it’s even worth having your vehicle tinted. Most automotive manufacturers offer tinted glass for their vehicles so that may be just enough for you. Whatever you choose, I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.

Professional tip:

If you park your vehicle outside and want to keep the interior cool and protect it from sun damage, consider purchasing a custom fit windshield cover. I buy one for every vehicle I own. They make a huge difference!

This one here will work great. Just be sure to input your vehicle information for a proper fit. If you prefer to buy an OEM sunshade you may find it online, otherwise ask the parts associate at the dealership to order one for you.

OEM Sunshades