how difficult is it to apply window tint to a car yourself?

Question

I see bad tint jobs all the time, with the bubbles and whatnot. I am very meticulous and willing to spend some time on it.
If I take my time, can I do a professional-like job or will you be able to tell I did it?
Heard using soapy water makes it easier, too....is this true?



Thank you.

Answer 1

OK here's my two cents worth.

I have professional window film installers who do 6 cars plus each, a day -listening to music and rocking. They do one piece rear windows in less than 10 minutes, Heat shrink films and do so flawlessly- -even on Beetles. Figure a High Performance film ( never buy that cheap garbage that turns purple!!) installed by a master at $150 -179

Say it takes an hour and we never use blades since we use patterns cut exact by software and plotters. We never mess up that expensive rear defroster or scratch soft glass like Acua's and all Far eastern cars offer.

How long do you think it will take you? Say 4 hours? Add the risk and your cost in time. .I'd say you simply call a LLumar aler at http://www.llumar.com or a FormulaOne dealer like me at http://www.formulaone.com and find someone who does this evry hour on the hour like a clock!

If you are in Tampa just stop by . .http://www.advancedfilmfl.com

Answer 2

the only thing that is hard is the rear window. i have a project ford probe and after failing to get the tint right in the rear window three times, i decided the easiest thing was to take the entire hatch off the can and tint it on the ground.
yes, you can do a professional job if you take your time, and have someone help you.
clean your windows with alcohol.
next, make some templates of the windows out of some poster board, then cut the tint to match the templates.
tint has a clear backing on it, that you need to remove in order to set the adhesive.
and the adhesive needs a water mix to set, so i used some bottled water because all the impurities are out, and you wont have to worry about any build ups under the tint.
so spray your windows with water, then have your friend hold one end of the tint, then pull back the clear plastic on the straight edge. his job needs to be keeping tension on the tint, you then lay the edge on the glass, and use the supplied squeegee.
just roll back the clear plastic a little bit at a time.. squeegee as you go.
when the tint is on blow it dry with a hairdryer, there will be no bubbles, and no jagged edges because you used the templates.
depending on your car, the rear window is an ever loving ***** to do. like i said, i did it three times and ended up dismantling the car.
its easier to do a multi piece tint on the rear, but a single piece looks better.
if you have the ability to remove the rear window easily, do it, it will save you alot of agony... but if you dont, make sure you have enough tint, because you may have to redo it time a few times.
obviously, take off everything in the rear shelf, brake lights, speakers, head rests.. whatever you can... if you can remove the rear shelf and seats yourself, it would be a piece of cake to do, because you and your friend would have room to maneuver.

Answer 3

I have tinted my windows with very good success.... 6 years and still no bubbles or flaws. The most important detail is to get the windows SUPER clean. No lint, dust, or body oil on the window... I used glass cleaner and a clean microfiber rag and washed each window twice... I then took a razor blade and scraped the glass to get off any last imperfections and all the dust. Get the little $8 tinting kit (little squeegee etc) and get Gila tint if you can find it...it is a better quality than most. once the windows are clean, mix up a soap and water solution in a spray bottle. (go real light on the soap!! Like 5 drops of soap and the rest water. Cut your tint to the approximate size and then spray the window with the soap water... this will allow the tint to slide around on the glass so you can cut it to fit right. Once you get the tint cut to the right size, peel off the backing and (again give the window a light spray of soap water to help align the tint) and then position it... now use the squeegee to get out all the air bubbles. Get them all out or they will spread.

FYI, back windows with the defroster grid are a total nightmare... they RARELY EVER come out good and last for a long time... just so you know.

Answer 4

just take the ride to a tint shop and assk about the guarantee and if they don't have any then try another placeb---b b bubbles and purple windows are the result of using windex on the tint ----- use mild soap and water to clean the tinted insides of the auto glasses

Answer 5

i own a tint shop and id take it to auto zone and let their tint department do this for you they charge about 60 dollars