window film 101
 

Does anyone out there have experience with tinted glass film? this might be a little off topic for Emods, but on the other hand, keeping the inside cooler would use less A/C thus less fuel. Factory glass has a deep "smoke" look to it. Most aftermarket I seen in parking lots seem to have a "purple" tint to it. Do they come in different colors? I prefer the factory smoke look. Also, which percent(%) tint would look best on rear windows, side, & front glass. Also, what is the legal aspect of this installation? Thanks....

The purple is what dealers use (which is originally smoke tint), but becuase it is very low quality it turn purple very fast. All tints turn purple, but good ones will take 10-15 years, cheap one (aka autozone or dealer tint) will turn purple in 1 year.

The other thing that turns tint purple is using glass cleaner with ammonia in it. But generally, it is lower quality tint that uses dye for the tint, as opposed to a true manufactured tint.

All states have different laws regarding tint.

Where can you buy a good, quality tint?

If you have never done tint before, I don't recommend trying it yourself. It is a bit of am art. I have had good success with two different precut tint sellers off eBay. Do your homework, but don't try it as a first time installer.

Assuming you have experience with dissecting the doors in order to remove the glass (requires having the maintenance manual handy), applying tint is fairly easy. You just submerge the glass and tint in soapy water, remove the backing from the tint, apply it to the glass, smooth out the bubbles, and remove the completed piece from the tub to let it dry.
You then trim the excess.

The soapy water retards the adhesive on the tinting film, allowing you to shift it around to remove the air bubbles.

I'd agree that the tinting does reduce the temp inside the car. Having owned both tinted and non-tinted cars the one with the tinted windows was always a little cooler in the summer. However, backing up at night usually meant rolling down the windows to see the mirrors (but a good hypermiler shouldn't be backing up anyways:p)

As for the tint jobs, I wouldn't do it myself just cause I see TONS of cars with hundreds of bubbles in their tint jobs...especially the back windows. I'd guess that if they had a shop do that it'd be covered under warranty so it probably is only DIY ones that end up that way...at least that's my guess.

That is a WAY simplified process, and not exactly practical to do for the back window or rear quarter windows, don't you think?

And todays compound curved windows - that method definitely will not work.

No professional tint shops do it that way, and for a reason.

Did you come up with this idea, or have you seen/done it that way before - I'm curious to know?

I have used the diy window tint from WM/auto parts store, it depends upon the brand, etc., as whether it will turn purple soon. Mine did not turn purple, I did not use the cheapest nor the most expensive. The task itself is not that hard, but tedious and time consuming if you want it to look good (no bubbles, etc), You have to think about what you are doing, you can cut a pattern for each window (just reverse it for the other side of the vehicle) from heavy paper/poster board, etc if you want, measure w/ a tape measure, cut out a rough size piece of film, and then trim to fit, then take it off, clean the inside of the window several times, then put the film on, and work the bubbles out. Hope you don't get a piece of lint inbetween the glass/film as well as it will look like a bubble. You can buy the rubber squeegee when you buy the film, again, not hard, but not easy either. If you have a pick up, the back window is a good place to start, its flat, easy shape to try amd see if you like your handywork. Don't admire your work long in the sun, as if you let the glue dry, its a #$%^& to get off, (think razor blades and tint off solution) and a big mess, the interior will be wet from numerous wettings of the glue to dissolve it, etc. If your vehicle is still in good shape and you're still proud of it by washing/waxing it regularly, would suggest you have it done, if its a beat up daily driver, and want to try it , go for it, but figure a weekend easy.

I'm from East Tn as well, jimp. Where are you at?

cobra;
about 10 miles east of you in the big town of M'ville

I hear a few of you saying to leave it to the pro's. I mean, how hard can it be?? Surely not rocket science. The pro's had to start somewhere. Had they not, they wouldn't be doing what they're doing. I have experience with auto & MC decals. I've used the soapy water technique for those also. I had a friend have his box van windows tinted for security reasons. When he got it back it was already purple to begin with. It cost him alot of money too. I believe I could pull it off on the pickup rear & quarter windows. I never had to trim the decals. I would imagine you use a razor blade. Do you just squeegee it out as far to the edge as possible, let it dry, then trim? Also, what kind of squeegee is involved. Is it a special tool, or just something like a filler spreader used in a body shop. That's what we used on the decals. And does it scratch very easily? I have nothing but time, so if it screws up, I'll just take it back off & start over.

Jimp - it's a small world. LOL

Tint isn't as forgiving as decals. All it takes is a single piece if lint to ruin a window. Squeegies are soft rubber, bondo spreaders will scratch it badly.

To trim, to apply the tint backwards on the outside of the window, squeegie it down, and trim. Then, remove the protective film and apply to the inside.

Yes, it is relatively easy to damage. Not near as durable as a decal with the protective later on top. With tint, you are squeegie directly on the tint surface.

Todays curved glass usually requires a heat gun to heat shrink the tint and force it to conform to the curve. If you don't, it's like trying to wrap a bowling ball.

My point is that if you diy, and have never seen or helped someone do it, you will most likely be disappointed.

And it is a whole lot harder to remove than apply. The glue is a serious pita to get off.

Yeah, I guess nothing would be better then an experienced mentor. I was poking around online & found supply companies that offer a how to DVD. They also have all kinds of tools to work with. One company even offered a lifetime guarantee never to fade or turn "purple." Hmmmm, I wonder how good that is? Everything is pre-cut too. For less then 60 bux, I could do the rear side & back glass on the pickup.

Screw paste on tint. I want tinted GLASS. No film, no plastic. I want the glass itself colored. Expensive? oh yes. No bubbles? heck yes. No fading/purpling? Even more heck yes. Lifetime? Double heck yes. If you're going to do it right, might as well do it right.