Recently I had ceramic tint placed on the curved shape liftback. The installer did a good job, but the black lines on the liftback window create a tremendous glare issue at night. Is that just a large decal that can be easily removed? (Yes, I know I would have to pay to redo the tint, but the glare is a big issue.)
When rear windows are tinted the installers often need to do it in strips: the curvature is too great to just use a single piece. They overlap the strips slightly, about 1/8", and coincide the overlap with the heater wires to make it less obvious. Maybe that's what you're seeing? It definitely can't be removed.
I feel so silly now. Of course those are heater wires. Yes, when I see headlights in my rearview mirror the light bounces off every heater wire from top to bottom. I never watched the installation take place so I am assuming it is a single piece with small gaps causing the refraction.
Usually small overlaps. I've watched them doing a rear window: they wet the outside, lay rough-cut, slightly oversized strips, then trim them while they lay on the glass, with scalpels/razors, cutting through both layers at the overlap. Then they transfer the strips to the inside, taking care to overlap them slightly. It's an art, for sure. I'm not a fan of tint now; would not want it. But I've got it in the past, and did a few side windows myself. But left the tricky rears to those pros.
