Tinting your own windows

[casurfer911]

I bought a roll of diy window tint just because it was like 8 bucks, and i thinking of giving it a shot? Has anybody done it before and actually had it turn out good? How easy would it be to just take the windows out completely and tint them?

[Tiger]

No need to take window out... Fairly easy with steady hand and lots of soapy water. I saw the pro did it on my car... looks very straightforward. To cut the film... he sprayed the window on the outside... with window slightly down 1"... and cut the film along the edge of the glass... on the bottom of the tint, he leave extra so he can tuck it in with bondo type scraper/squeeze.

Then he would roll the window up and sprays the inside of window... lots... peel the film... and put it on... do some final trimmings... then tuck the extra film downward... spray on the film and squeeze the entire tint to remove all bubbles.

[Anton CH.]

Sidewindows maybe easy but to do the rear one is the hard part. You have to deal with the dot matrix patern and the fact that the window curves. That $8 film will probably bubble/purple in a couple of years anyway.
P.S. I've seen people do it themselves and spend a lot of time on it, still didn't look as good as professionally installed film.

[StuartB]

Another thing you have to watch out for is the legality of the film. In the UK I believe the figure is about 75% light must penetrate the windows or somesuch, so you can go as dark as you like on the rear windows but have to be very careful on the front side windows.

The actual film itself is relatively easy to apply, you just have to have a steady hand and be prepared to swear lots. The rear window is always a bugger to do as well because of the aforementioned curvature. When I tinted my old E30 I had to use 5 segments of film to cope with the curves.

Ultimately, you can get a fairly good result with DIY tint-film, though it's not going to be as good as professionally applied stuff.

[Tiger]

Rear window is not as bad as you think... Majority of time is in two or three pieces and they hide the line by your defroster lines. It takes a pro to put in one sheet. The principle is the same... on the outside of rear window... spray alot of soapy water... then lay the film the exact way as you will put in from inside... so the peeling film is outside. Then to handle the curves, you use hair blower to heat up the curve part and it will shrink accordingly... at last you cut exactly on the edge of the windows by the trim... you will have slight extra.

Once the curving is done, then you do the same inside... alot alot of soapy water and take your time... they roll up the film and then bring inside to unroll.

As for the film, do yourself a favor, get the metallic one or the non-fading (meaning non-dye) film... these last forever.

[632 Regal]

just a FYI.

I paid to have mine done, 200 bucks. Very nice job, no dust anywhere and the back was done in 1 piece. I have tinted a bunch of vehicles but never did i get it as perfect as the guy that did mine.

[rockyfeller]

Don't waste your time. Trust me tinting is an art. I've been trying to tint cars since high school and with all the retinting and screwing up, and wasting of time it's not worth it. I've used enough rolls to pay 1/2 the price of a pro job. Professionals will do a PERFECT job. My ol Cadillac was my best project. It had flat windows everywhere but I still spent hours sweating it out. It came out fairly good. Used scratch-proof, UV guard high quality stuff ($20 a roll) used 35% front windows, 20% back side windows, 10% on the rear window and sunscreen. From outside it looked seamless and from inside I still had decent visibility even on a rainy night. Getting those edges just right and tucking it right and worse yet getting those bubbles out is such a PAIN! For my 540i though, I just spent $150 and got it done by the pros. It is so worth it, with a lifetime warranty and it looks FLAWLESS. People ask me if the tint is built into the glass! The pros have clever tools to help them out but most importantly, they have experience and do it everyday. It's true the secrets involve a very sharp knife with a steady hand, a LOT of soapy water, a good quality squeege, a hairdryer and a LOT of patience

[Tiger]

I agree... I'd rather pay $150 for the job.

[casurfer911]

sounds like getting it done professionally is the way to go, anybody know a good place in north san diego to get it done?

[rockyfeller]

It's harder in the cold NE to find tinters. Down south and out west tinting is more popular and you guys have plenty of custom/detail shops lowrider/accessory shops. I heard out in CA you can get a tint job for $75.

[Tiger]

Tinter in NE is usually stereo shop... few indy.

[Am Piobaire]

Yup - it's much better to pay a pro tinter to do the job - I know as my partner's Brother runs a tint shop - it's an art - there are cowboys out there of course, but in general there are lots of tricks that you need to know. For example, good tinters will heat shrink the tint with a heat gun before putting it on - this is important with the back window as the demisters will shrink it later on with disastrous results - as you see on the roads every day - cars with bubbles in their back windows. Good quality tint is also important - the aluminium based tints are a must. The cheap rolls of tint from South East Asia are crap - and it's one hell of a messy job removing tint. In Australia a tint shop will charge 60 bucks for just removing the stuff plus there's no guarantee that your demister will work afterwards. Best to get it done right first time.

[shragon]

after watching the guy do my car, i would never do it on my own. most of these guys are pro's. plus i agree, that $8 tint is probably crap and will fade, turn purple, and bubble fairly soon.

[Ted K]

Yes, I paid to have mine all done and glad I did. It only cost me $235. For five windows. All the same tint to the legal limit here in Washington. I think that is 30% on the drivers and passenger side front windows.

[rockyfeller]

Wow $235?? I thought I paid too much!