Cleaning goop off window glass

2000 Sonata, inside of glass, right front passenger side.

I'm replacing the regulator. A helper smeared some goop on the inside of the glass. I think that this side has plastic tint film. I suspect that the goop is either the black tacky stuff that holds the moisture barrier in place. Or, the goop is the movement-retardant "grease" that holds back the window regulator cable.

I can't manage to get this stuff off the glass. I've tried two different glass cleaners, isopropyl alcohol in 70% and 90% strength. The 90% isopropyl at lease lets me push the stuff around on the glass with paper towels. Really inefficient.

What's a good liquid to use that will remove the stuff and not damage the glass coating? Any special technique?

Reply to
Richard Steinfeld
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I'm reluctant to recommend what we'd normally use in the shop (solvent and then wash with window cleaner) because you have tint on the window.

Maybe try using some oil (motor oil, WD-40, whatever you have on hand) on a rag to break it down. Be careful not to get the oil onto the molding agai nst which the window rubs as this will cause the glass to streak. Once you 've broken down and removed the goop, clean with your typical window cleane r.

Bottom line, you're going to want a nonpolar substance to dissolve the goop .

Reply to
hyundaitech

Alas, our posts "crossed in the mail." I had to coordinate with the tight schedule of my helper and do the repair almost immediately.

Beforehand, I'd always thought that "tinted windows" were a sandwich: a sheet of tinted plastic between two thin sheets of clear glass. It was a shock to discover that the film is just glued over the inside surface with strong press-apply adhesive. Hyundai provided no instructions in the owner's manual for cleaning the windows!

We could not clean the film without making the problem worse. We wound up removing the tint film altogether. I wonder if the previous owner put wax on the film to hide scratches because what was coming off seemed to be a white powdery substance. Strange scratches were appearing in the plastic as we cleaned (we tried three different solvents). I wonder if this film is tinted Lexan. Anybody know?

Guess what: I like the clearer view better without the film! Now, I don't know what to do to clean the driver's window, where it would be nice to have the tint: this is California and driving north-south in the afternoon can be a nasty hot bugger.

Thank you for writing your suggestion, HT.

Reply to
Richard Steinfeld

Factory tinted glass is like a colored beer bottle. The glass itself is colored. Your car had after market window film.

Reply to
Paul in Houston TX

What you wrote is what I used to think: a glass sandwich with a tinted plastic film between the outer glass layers. But considering HT's reply, I'm pretty sure that what I have is what Hyundai put onto my windows in Korea. Also, the application seemed perfect: there were no bubbles and the adhesion was consistent, uniform.

HT: is this correct? Anyone else with a 2000 car and tinted windows, tinted film?

The film is cut within about 1/4 inch from the edge of the glass. The application is so perfect, I'd say that it was applied to the glass before the glass was installed in the car, probably done at the glass factory. I'm envisioning that the film was applied to the glass in a special environment such as a vacuum chamber.

Reply to
Richard Steinfeld

What you're describing on your car is tint added after-the-fact, like Paul says. He's exactly correct that in factory tinted windows, the glass itsel f is tinted and there is not laminate.

The only place I've seen a laminate (two panes of glass with a layer of sub stance between) is in a windshield. And its purpose is safety. It holds t he windshield together in the event of damage. On your Sonata (and on most vehicles) all windows except the windshield are a single pane.

Reply to
hyundaitech

Thanks to both of you!

So, if I understand correctly, the factory tinted windows would be like this:

- Windshield a laminate, with colored plastic being the filling in the sandwich.

- Side and rear window: single-piece dyed glass.

Is this correct?

So, did Hyundai sell my car in 2000 with plain non-tinted windows? I have to admit that I appreciate that one window without the film: I like the improved clarity. I almost feel like being a madman and ripping the tint film off the other windows.

So, it would seem that some professional put the film on my side windows. I'm saying "professional" because the application is good, even, smooth, no bubbles. The film is precisely-shaped, an even 1/4" from the edge of the glass. And I think that what was driving me crazy when trying to clean it was that someone crafty had coated it with hard wax to hide scratches. And the wax was coming off in the form of more and more hard white powder that was still sticking to the film.

On the back window with the heater strips, there is a bubble that formed and has been spreading.

A few years ago, for a different car, I bought aftermarket tinted film. This as applied simply as self-adhering film without adhesive. I remember that application included water. For some reason, I never used it.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Steinfeld

The windshield glass would be dyed similarly to the side windows. The lami nate would most likely be clear, as its main purpose is the keep the pieces of glass together. If you've ever seen a windshield where something actua lly went through it (rare because of the type of construction), you'd proba bly have a better idea. The only instance I've seen in person was a two by four or similar hitting the windshield endways.

It's hard to find a picture where the laminate is clearly visible. This is the best I've found in a quick search:

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You can see the laminate in the upper driver's corner of the windshield are a.

It's possible. Many windows have a small amount of tint in them. There is typically a marking on the glass in the manufacturer's stamp indicating th e amount of tint.

You can do this somewhat efficiently if you have a heat gun; the glue softe ns with heat. Simply work a corner loose with a razor blade and gradually pull off as you heat it. Afterward clean the glue off with solvent and fol low with normal window cleaner.

Even without the heat gun, you can do it similarly to how you removed it fr om the one window already, but it'll probably take a while and make a large r mess.

I'd recommend against doing anything with the rear glass, though. The tint will tend to pull the defogger grid lines off the rear window.

There are tint shops all over the place here in the DC area. The powder yo u describe may be part of the original coating on the tint.

Reply to
hyundaitech

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