Window Tint DIY

[FalconGuy016]

I was cruising the aisles of AutoZone today for some polish wax (damn waterspots!!! ) when I happened across the ricer section. You know, all the LED windshield wipers and shift knobs and neon and all that. However, a large row of window tint caught my eye.

Window tint!? For $15 !?

How hard is it to do this yourself? I would glady invest a whole days or more work to get a good job done, if it were possible with DIY window tint. I wouldn't buy that tint though, I'd order some nice metallic stuff online, but that's still around $30-$40 it seems. Compared to around $220-250, it seems worth it, again, if possible.

Is this a big no no? Or should I go for it. Anybody know of any good guides online?

 

[Dusstbuster]

Id just shell out the $200+ for a professional shop to do it. Most of the time, at least it's like this with a few shops around here, they warranty the work for life. If it ever purples, bubbles, cracks, rips (even if it's your fault and you do it on purpose), they will replace it free of charge. On top of that it's guaranteed never TO do what is mentioned above, but they warranty it JUST IN CASE. You'll never be able to do that yourself, plus a pro shop won't have visible lines in the tint if it needs to be cut, and is at fault if they ruin your rear defrost or something like that too. I'd say tint is one thing never to DIY unless you do it for a living besides.

 

[Mustang5L5]

AZ tint turns purple after a few years in the sun.

EVen if you do a good job tinting, you'll have to peel it off 2 years later to redo it, and if you are lucky you won't mess up the defroster lines.

Pay someone to do it right and it will last a LONG time

 

[Snowman76]

The curvature of the back window is a problem in a lot of cars when making the tint fit well often requires a heat gun with a skilled operator. Its just not worth it to do it yourself. IMO

 

[CRZYHRSGT]

Two words......back window. Have you ever cleaned the inside of it? Pretty hard to get to the very bottom with a towel--I can't imagine trying to stick tint on it straight. The other problem is the "dot-matrix" on the top of same said rear window. I've seen pros not get it right. Like stated above, find a good shop and pay them the cabbage to do it right...guarenteed. View attachment 436260

 

[Mossberg]

First off, if you're going to DIY, stay out of the Autozone tint section. Get a quality brand like Llumar, Solarguard, or 3M.

Second, the flat windows on the sides are not hard at all, just takes patience to get the tint to be smooth and bubble free. A heat gun and a card helps here. Some use a squeegee (sp?)

Take the car to a professional tint shop for the rear glass. I would not attempt the rear glass as a DIY. Pay a couple bucks and let the pros tackle that one window (especially with the dot matrix being there).

This is the cheap ass way to do a tint job. The only problem is that it's sometimes hard to find the quality tint for a good price in low quantity. It mostly comes in bulk rolls since mostly pros use it.

 

[SaleenGT2001]

i tinted windows back in high school for extra cash. it isnt as easy as you think! you must be in an enclosed area to keep dust out and you need a steady hand to cut it right. unless you have done it before i would say get a pro to do it. my stang and the wifes jeep were both taken to a tint shop. i did tint the windows on my ranger myself MANY times.(had to peel it off everytime i got a ticket) but back before i had my own place i had the windows tinted 5% over the top of 5%. you couldnt see in it in the middle of the day!!! it did make a great make shift hotel for me and my ex, if you know what i mean. we could park anywhere at anytime of the day and nobody was the wiser

 

[GirlzGT]

am i the only person who lives in an area where a professional window tint job costs $75 ???
I keep seeing people say $200+....man, that is rape right there.

 

[miller766]

I work at Advanced Auto and let me tell you that cheap tint you find at the parts stores is about half the quality of the tint you will get if you have it professionally done. It's also not as easy as you might think. It will take you all of about 5 mins to realize you just wasted you $15. Plus the back window is a PITA.

 

[Dusstbuster]

am i the only person who lives in an area where a professional window tint job costs $75 ???
I keep seeing people say $200+....man, that is rape right there.

Does that include a full lifetime warranty that covers any damage, defects, and other various incidiences that can happen to the tint, no matter who or what is at fault for causing the damage?