How to install window tints

[Balleriffic1]

hey i want to kno if anyone can help me on exactly how to install limo tints on my car, ive seen it done before and i kno that its sumthing i can do, but i dunno wut solutions they use or anything like that. i have tints on mine but the guys that installed it r total losers and f'ed up once already and in removing the messed up rear window tint they STOLE my defrost , well anywho now i just wanna do all of this myself

 

[RipperXX]

I wish i knew man.. id like to do something like 50% tint to my car..

 

[Defiant]

Goooooood luuuuuuck.....

http://www.tintdude.com/

 

[jimwross]

You really can do perfect window tinting yourself... I had little to no experience doing it and it turned out awesome.

Things you need:

Windex
Spray Bottle (distilled water in it)
Credit Cards and Rubber Squeegee
Exacto Knife
Scissor
Good Lighting
Place to work with no wind / sun (garage)
A friend to help you

First thing to do is to run out and buy some window tint, don’t cheap out because this is going to affect the look of your car. To be honest, I went out and bought some tint at Wal-Mart (its like 12 bucks a roll... on the 2g eclipses, one roll will fit a large side window, and two smaller side windows. So you'll need 3 rolls... more if you screw up).

After you have it... DONT OPEN IT YET! Take your Windex; clean the inside and the outside of the window you’re going to be working with. Make sure to clean the outside / inside door panel surrounding the glass (about 2 inches around).

After that’s complete, unroll the tint in a fairly clean place (if you get dust / little fuzzy things etc... don’t worry about it doesn’t matter quite yet, just make sure it doesn’t get creased / scratched). Eyeball about the length of the window your tinting (given it’s not the rear window... we'll discuss that later). This is when the friend part comes in, you'll need to now hold the tint up while its still on the roll (or have your friend hold the roll up) and cut a piece of tint off that will give generous extra area for you to trim later.

Now that you have your section of tint, put the remainder away and take your spray bottle and SOAK the entire outside of the window. You need to make sure you get it REALLY wet, not just a spray. Once it’s wet, go ahead and place the tint on. Something to remember: Your going to be trimming a bit of the tint at this stage, make sure that the AHESIVE SIDE IS FACING DOWN (on the outside of the window). You can tell which side is the adhesive side by separating the corner a little (the tint has a clear protective sheet on the adhesive). This is important because if you cut it on the non adhesive side, the window will be reversed (aka it'd be flipped from what you want). Now on the 2G eclipses, you'll want to line up the corner with the side view mirror first. Then line up along the bottom so it’s even out to the end of the door. Once you have it lined up use your squeegee to have it stick to the window.

After it’s sticking to the window use a scissor to trim around the edges and get the shape of the window. You will want to leave about an inch to and inch and a half in all directions, but just try to get the general shape.

Ok, after that is complete, spray the inside of the window. Remember, it’s very important to get it really wet in the inside or else you will get bubbling later.

Once you’re done with that, its time to remove the plastic protective sheet from the tint. Peel a corner back and start to spray the adhesive side with water, use generous amounts to prevent the tint from creasing / tearing (don’t worry the adhesive wont come off). Using a friend to peel, as you spray the bottle on the tint works very well.

When the protective sheet is all gone, send your friend to spray the inside of the window. This will be his job for the next maybe 15 minutes. Line up the window tint on the bottom again, make sure when you put it down the window is wet. Make sure to give ample room for your extra tint to be trimmed precisely later.

Then start squeeging from the middle up (don’t squeegee the bottom yet). As long as you keep the window wet, you'll be able to move the tint around. Use your credit card or squeegee to get all the bubbles out, if you miss one, just spray the tint at the top and you should be able to separate it from the window. Once you get a line at the top done, work down till it’s all attached.

Now comes the tricky part, trimming the tint. Use an exacto knife to trim along the window. The hardest part is by the side view mirror... cut with a straight edge (credit card works best) and don’t tear the excess tint off till its FULLY DETACHED... otherwise you run the risk of tearing the tint that just took you so long to attach. Go slowly, have patience. Don’t worry if you use the straight edge and are careful you wont tear the hell out of your weather-stripping, and your glass will still be scratch free.

After that’s all done, its best to wash the outside of the glass again, then start checking for bubbles, get any obvious ones out, then sit in your car look out and try to get the rest of them out. Remember, WATER IS GOOD, use it alot it helps.

Oh about the rear window: Its curved, so use strips of tint (Usually about 4 strips works), but use the exact same techniques!

-------

I scoured the internet looking for good information on this as well, and there just is shit for tutorials out there. I hope this helps, don't hesitate to ask any questions!

~Jim

 

[Knoob]

thx jim ross , that helped me alot to.

 

[93tsiawd1080]

DON'T USE WINDEX. the ammonia in windex will screw up your tint, just use soap and water to clean your windows.

 

[Balleriffic1]

well when they put my tints on they used some sort of spray solution, what could it have been?

 

[jimwross]

Originally posted by 93tsiawd1080
DON'T USE WINDEX. the ammonia in windex will screw up your tint, just use soap and water to clean your windows.

Windex doesnt contain ammonia (or atleast i have the ammonia free version).

 

[93tsiawd1080]

well if it's not ammonia, then i'm not positive what's in windex that's bad for tint. the solution they use is soap and water. i use baby soap because it doesn't leave behind any smell. the following was taken from the above link. that is actually a pretty informative site and those of you new to tinting should read it. "it is finally installed in the inside of the windows with soapy water." "Cleaning
Tinted windows may be cleaned with a soft clean cloth and alcohol based cleaner or plain water. Ammonia products should not be used."

 

[bluelaser92]

That is one of the best tutorials I have come across. Great job, it helped me out a lot too...

The stupid directions that come with those rolls of tint aren't worth poop!

 

[jimwross]

Originally posted by 93tsiawd1080
well if it's not ammonia, then i'm not positive what's in windex that's bad for tint. the solution they use is soap and water. i use baby soap because it doesn't leave behind any smell. the following was taken from the above link. that is actually a pretty informative site and those of you new to tinting should read it. "it is finally installed in the inside of the windows with soapy water." "Cleaning
Tinted windows may be cleaned with a soft clean cloth and alcohol based cleaner or plain water. Ammonia products should not be used."

ok i believe you, i just havent experienced it? i used windex becuase it doesnt streak.

thanks for the input!

jim

 

[fauchpj]

yeah regular windex has ammonia. just buy some cleaner without ammonia. armor-all makes a good one.

 

[jimwross]

Here are some photos of my windows that I tinted myself:

 

[b_low]

Just a quick note, you can trim the tint even before putting it on. To do this, rather than using a scissor to cut the tint from the outside use an exacto knife or blade and run it on the edges of the window (sides and top).

Be sure, also, to peel the tint inside the car with all the doors and windows close. This will prevent any dust from flying on to the tint which could end up with small bubbles.

 

[nyne]

I tint windows, on cars, houses, commercial, etc...

tinting windows on cars, takes a LOT of practice, more than people realize.

first off you have to clean the HELL out of your windows.. i mean 6" razor blade, get all the crap, and i mean ALL the crap out of the rubber surrounding the window... then having a heat gun to pre-mold your film to the rear windshield is also needed, unless you buy your film pre-molded, cut, etc.

DONT USE CHEAP FILM. it WILL turn purple. i prefer Madico, lifetime warranty is always nice.