TINT TINT TINT! How much and where??

Black1987Stang

Active Member
Aug 22, 2004
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Where can I get some quality tint? I know advance auto sells it but I'm afraid it might be cheap thin stuff or something, I will be doing it myself since I'm putting in new door windows and can do it while the windows are out. I'm thinking 20% but I still am thinking.....I need some comments about this :nice:
 
You get what you pay for. Autozone and other places usually have two or three different "grades" of tint for each percentage. You just have to read the label pretty closely (or just look at the pricetag :D ) to see which is the better of the bunch - I think they also have "Good," Better," and "Best" on the packaging to tell which is which.

I wouldn't go darker than 20%, personally, because it just seems the darker you go the more it tends to just turn blue or purple in a couple of years and look friggin' goofy, not to mention the fact that it makes it really hard to see out the back/sides at night (not a good thing when you're backing up or trying to see out the side to park somewhere and such).

FWIW, I'm pretty sure that most tint places don't use top-of-the-line stuff because they buy their tint film in bulk. Places that have lifetime warranties on their tint might be the exception ... or they might buy the absolute cheapest crap, actually, because they're not counting on anyone filing a warranty claim with them, and even if they do, it'll be super-cheap for them to re-do it, so they can keep the profits of marking up a "lifetime" tint job.

If you're doing it yourself, spring for the mid- or top-level grade film offered. I'll be tinting the windows in my truck pretty soon, probably around 20%, and I'm just trying to decide whether to use the adhesive kind or that static-cling stuff ... because the adhesive kind is a MAJOR PITA to scrape off when it inevitably bubbles up and turns all wavy and weird.
 
i think tint is one of the few things i will never try myself. seen too many DIY bad tint jobs.... and from what i've heard, most agree...

FWIW, now that i have 3 new windows without tint, and one with, i will be paying for a pro job soon, not even going to bother trying myself.
 
:stupid: Take it somewhere to get done, I take all my cars to "lifetime guarantee" places for the past 6 years, and I never had to use the warranty.. Never faded *yet*. You get what you pay for.

Oh, and I always say go 0%, it will be a bit harder to see out the back windshield, but it looks great IMO.
 
got mine done for 155...25%

4.webp


2.webp
 
I agree. Professional all the way as far as tint is concerned. You can tell a do-it yourself job over a professional tinting job.

I had mine done about a year or more ago. 35% (Actually 32% to be exact) damn state laws. The police around here are traffic nazi's, my friend was pulled over 3 times for having his at 20% (Legal limit being 35%). I'm going back in to do the front window to make it just a bit darker.
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Don't get the stuff at Advance. Just did that 3 days ago and tinted the front windows on my DD. It turned out fine, but it's got a bluish hue to it that's pretty distracting. Definitely planning on getting it redone to match the rears with a smoked look instead of a blue. I went 20%. They do sell 2 different grades of tint there that are differentiated by their heat resistance. The expensive stuff looked green to look through, and the cheaper stuff is bluish. I couldn't tell under the fluorescent light though, so that's the one I got, since it looked like just a smoked tint in the store.
 
I agree. Professional all the way as far as tint is concerned. You can tell a do-it yourself job over a professional tinting job.

I had mine done about a year or more ago. 35% (Actually 32% to be exact) damn state laws. The police around here are traffic nazi's, my friend was pulled over 3 times for having his at 20% (Legal limit being 35%). I'm going back in to do the front window to make it just a bit darker.
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I had mine at 20% and the cops pinched me for it also. :mad: $110 bux. Apparently the legal limit is 35% around here.So i had them redone at 35% for about 200.
I would definately have a pro do it........coughlifetimewarrantycough.
 
The hardest part of tinting is the 1/4 windows. Those little dots used for dithering the glass around the edges are made of ****ing teflon! Because of that, tint won't stick to the edges worth a damn which is why a crappy tint job will always be evident if you look at the 1/4 windows. I had to get my tint guy to apply normally and then put some adhesive down around the edges so that it would stay down.

Take it somewhere and avoid the headache.
 
I didnt read all of the replys but just have it done. It was only 165 to re-tint the Cobra and it looks killer with no bubbles and has warrenty :nice:
 
Just have the ASE Certified Mechanics that work at Autozone to come out in the parking lot and tint your ride right there. Those guys are wizards with cars.

:lol:

And you can also tell by the quality of their cars. Everytime I go to a parts store they always have some busted @$$ ride. I wouldn't even let them put wiper blades on my car.
 
:lol:

And you can also tell by the quality of their cars. Everytime I go to a parts store they always have some busted @$$ ride. I wouldn't even let them put wiper blades on my car.

That's a bit of a superficial of a judgment to pass on someone. I used to be one of those Autozone slaves, and I can tell you for a fact that the reason why their people drive busted-arse rides is because Autozone doesn't pay jack-chit - it has little or nothing to do with how much they actually know about working on cars. :notnice:

(Why would you LET someone put wipers on your car, anyway? What, you can't figure something like that on your own? :p )