Also, I wanna tint my front headlights and put the words "Zoom Zoom" on them... funny, but gets the point across
Full Version: Window Tint
I just spent $20 on window tint to put on my car because I want to protect the interior from fading. Unfortunately my brother and I tried to put that on and didn't have much success... We sized it pretty badly, and when it came time to put in on for good (or at least... peel off the stuff so the glue on the film sticks to the window), we couldnt get the air bubbles out... so... we decided to pull off the film and spend the extra $100 to get the professionals to do it... Thing is I dont want to spend money I dont have to spend in order to tint my windows if I can do it myself for $20. Our tools include Scissors (to cut big pieces down to size), Exacto knife (to cut the film to fit the window... almost perfectly), windshield wiper and/or plastic scrapers (to use instead of a squeegee), and of course, a spray bottle full of water so as to temporarily stick the film on the window.
Also, I wanna tint my front headlights and put the words "Zoom Zoom" on them... funny, but gets the point across
Also, I wanna tint my front headlights and put the words "Zoom Zoom" on them... funny, but gets the point across
you need a pin to pop those little air bubbles...
read this
http://www.tintdude.com/tint.html
http://www.tintdude.com/tint.html
That's a good site for information, and I have to agree with TintDude's first comment - go have a professional do it.
I'm not trying to pick on you, or dis your skills and efforts, but if you're really hoping that $20 worth of window tint is going to look good on your car - then you really should let a pro do it.
I've done around 50 cars and several commercial buildings with tint ranging from the Gila River junk you can buy at AutoZone, to the IBM polarized commercial tints, and most of the good stuff in between. The best tint for cars, IMHO, is Madico - and the professionals will be using that. A good tint shop will also be using a laser plotter/cutter to get the pre-programmed window shapes cut out of the tint that will be going on your car.
Also - window tinting will not work on headlights. It's designed for interior applications only. The first bug that hits your headlight tint job will ruin it. I'd look into buying a set of headlight covers if you want that look. (Been there, done that... with my Mustang when I was younger). Plus, headlight covers are removeable... making it a whole lot easier to see at night... which is the purpose of headlights after all.
I can tell you right now the reason your first efforts failed - you don't use the water and squeegees for just 'temporarily' attaching the tint to the window for sizing purposes... you actually use it for both procedures - temporary and permanent. The bubbles come out a whole lot easier when they're full of water. Plus, the adhesive is not water-based, so it will bond the tint after using water to attach it.
Using a windshield wiper as a substitute for a squeegee is not a smart thing to do either. There's all sorts of edges on the wiper blade that can damage the tint in the process - not to mention it's a pain to grab onto for any control. If anything, use the cheeze-mo plastic squeegee that comes in the lame installation kit you can buy at AutoZone for less than $10. Don't use plastic scrapers either - they have sharp corners, which will scratch and tear the tint as well. For the small stuff, I use an old credit card - it's pliable, and has no sharp edges.
Also, it's easier to lay the tint on the outside of the windows when cutting to size... and use the edges of the windows as guides for the X-Acto knife - all you have to do is drag the blade around the edge of the window for a perfect edge. Then move the tint over and 1/8" (either to the front or to the rear, depending on which edge you cut first) and repeat the process to get a perfect trailing edge. You also need to leave the tint around 1/16" - 1/8" 'short' on the windows, because the weatherstripping will cause the exposed edge to come up and ruin the tint after time.
Once the tint is sized, the window is clean, squirt the water (which should be a very mild soapy solution - a small capfull of clear dishwashing soap to a quart of water) onto the window and leave it wet. Then squirt the same water onto the film as you're pulling the backing away from it - be extra careful to make sure you don't crease the film as this is happening - otherwise, the creases will show up in the film looking like lightning bolt-shaped hairs that will never go away. Use your friend to keep the tint as wrinkle-free as possible when pulling it away from the backing - one should hold the tint and spray the water, and the other should work the backing off carefully. Make sure you do this all in a clean environment - like a wind-free garage or something - because everything will try to fly into the area between the tint and the glass before you stick it down.
With both the window and the film wet, put the film up to the window. Notice how well it slides around and there's almost no air bubbles now. Now, squirt the window again (on the film) - this will make the squeegee glide over the film without leaving microscopic scratches and scrapes - which breaks the film down over time. Slowly draw the water off the film working from the center outward. As you move to the outside, the water will bring any air along with it and squish it out of the edges between the film and the glass. How easy was that?
Any bubbles that pop-up, can be worked out with the credit card and a hair dryer after this. If there's a few that remain persistent - leave them until you're done with the rest of the windows and pull the car into the sun. Then take the hair-dryer and credit card (don't forget to squirt more water onto the film for lubrication) and work them out. That's partly how the 'heat shrinkage' technique works.
And finally, don't open your windows for at least 2 days once you have it all on. And make sure that you and your friends get out of the habit of just slinging the seat belts around - when they bounce off the windows, they will damage the tint and leave little tears - trust me on this. And don't put any decals or other adhesive products onto the tint - the tint will come off with it when you've had enough of those goofy stickers. That goes for suction-cup dealies as well.
I still think you should just suck it up and have it professionally done.
I'm not trying to pick on you, or dis your skills and efforts, but if you're really hoping that $20 worth of window tint is going to look good on your car - then you really should let a pro do it.
I've done around 50 cars and several commercial buildings with tint ranging from the Gila River junk you can buy at AutoZone, to the IBM polarized commercial tints, and most of the good stuff in between. The best tint for cars, IMHO, is Madico - and the professionals will be using that. A good tint shop will also be using a laser plotter/cutter to get the pre-programmed window shapes cut out of the tint that will be going on your car.
Also - window tinting will not work on headlights. It's designed for interior applications only. The first bug that hits your headlight tint job will ruin it. I'd look into buying a set of headlight covers if you want that look. (Been there, done that... with my Mustang when I was younger). Plus, headlight covers are removeable... making it a whole lot easier to see at night... which is the purpose of headlights after all.
I can tell you right now the reason your first efforts failed - you don't use the water and squeegees for just 'temporarily' attaching the tint to the window for sizing purposes... you actually use it for both procedures - temporary and permanent. The bubbles come out a whole lot easier when they're full of water. Plus, the adhesive is not water-based, so it will bond the tint after using water to attach it.
Using a windshield wiper as a substitute for a squeegee is not a smart thing to do either. There's all sorts of edges on the wiper blade that can damage the tint in the process - not to mention it's a pain to grab onto for any control. If anything, use the cheeze-mo plastic squeegee that comes in the lame installation kit you can buy at AutoZone for less than $10. Don't use plastic scrapers either - they have sharp corners, which will scratch and tear the tint as well. For the small stuff, I use an old credit card - it's pliable, and has no sharp edges.
Also, it's easier to lay the tint on the outside of the windows when cutting to size... and use the edges of the windows as guides for the X-Acto knife - all you have to do is drag the blade around the edge of the window for a perfect edge. Then move the tint over and 1/8" (either to the front or to the rear, depending on which edge you cut first) and repeat the process to get a perfect trailing edge. You also need to leave the tint around 1/16" - 1/8" 'short' on the windows, because the weatherstripping will cause the exposed edge to come up and ruin the tint after time.
Once the tint is sized, the window is clean, squirt the water (which should be a very mild soapy solution - a small capfull of clear dishwashing soap to a quart of water) onto the window and leave it wet. Then squirt the same water onto the film as you're pulling the backing away from it - be extra careful to make sure you don't crease the film as this is happening - otherwise, the creases will show up in the film looking like lightning bolt-shaped hairs that will never go away. Use your friend to keep the tint as wrinkle-free as possible when pulling it away from the backing - one should hold the tint and spray the water, and the other should work the backing off carefully. Make sure you do this all in a clean environment - like a wind-free garage or something - because everything will try to fly into the area between the tint and the glass before you stick it down.
With both the window and the film wet, put the film up to the window. Notice how well it slides around and there's almost no air bubbles now. Now, squirt the window again (on the film) - this will make the squeegee glide over the film without leaving microscopic scratches and scrapes - which breaks the film down over time. Slowly draw the water off the film working from the center outward. As you move to the outside, the water will bring any air along with it and squish it out of the edges between the film and the glass. How easy was that?
Any bubbles that pop-up, can be worked out with the credit card and a hair dryer after this. If there's a few that remain persistent - leave them until you're done with the rest of the windows and pull the car into the sun. Then take the hair-dryer and credit card (don't forget to squirt more water onto the film for lubrication) and work them out. That's partly how the 'heat shrinkage' technique works.
And finally, don't open your windows for at least 2 days once you have it all on. And make sure that you and your friends get out of the habit of just slinging the seat belts around - when they bounce off the windows, they will damage the tint and leave little tears - trust me on this. And don't put any decals or other adhesive products onto the tint - the tint will come off with it when you've had enough of those goofy stickers. That goes for suction-cup dealies as well.
I still think you should just suck it up and have it professionally done.
yeah, I probably will end up doing that, but I'm going to try once again. Only this time, I'm going to actually use the soapy water. If I can save myself $80, I will. Hoping someone will buy my computer soon though
$20...and Ill take it off your hands....
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.