ok so at my first ever shot at tinting my windows today was good. i got one back one done and it looks professional. my question is how should i do the hatch glass? i know it has to be 2 or maybe 3 piece but do i make it to where the lines are on horizontal or vertical? any advice is appreciated thanx
advice… get it professionally done with a LIFETIME warranty. nothing looks worst than some bubbly tint on a nice car. unless u have a beat up car, then by all means go for it.
please go to the professionals
i speak from experience
well i cant afford the “professionals”. and the tint i layed on the side window looks great, no bubbles, no nothing. what i was asking is how i should do the back window. im going to do this myself. if i fuck up ill do it again. im one that wants to learn different skills instead of “leaving it to the professionals”
so what u’re saying we don’t have other skills and rely on professionals for all things or something? not to be an arse, but i and MANY MANY others have done their own stuff, like swaps, conversions, fabrications, car washes and etc… * hehe car washes * if u wanna learn then great. but if u want it to look clean… tinting is something EVEN PROFESSIONALS don’t get perfect each n every time. that is why most offer lifetime warranties. if u want ur car looking clean n stuff… and wanna keep it that way, then take it to them. its like $100-125 average price to get all the windows tinted. i dunno how much the film is nowadays, but to me that is a good deal if u want a nice clean job.
but if ur car is beat up and u really don’t care about bubbles, then by all means, give it a try.
on a helpful side not tho… if u used common sense. it would tell u that u would go horizontally with the defroster lines to conceal the seams.
what i said before did come across wrong. im working on my project/dd and the cars not beat up but its not the best. i mean ive never tinted before and it would be a good thing to learn. if i mess up ill do it again being that i only paid 12 dollars for the tint. im going to get it professionally done eventually. its not on the list right now. i mean if it comes out bubbly ill rip it off and bring it in. i just wanna try this first because if it does come out clean it was a 30 dollar tint job. its worth a shot in my eyes
if you do it yourself make sure you get a good tint brand. My car came with tint and it was the cheap kind so now im stuck with purple tint instead of black. Im removing it as soon as I get a chance. Also if you do decide to tint the back window yourself just remember once its on its pretty much stuck . if you try to remove it yourself all the defrost lines will come off with it.
ya thats why im redoing it (purple tint) my rear glasses defroster plug got messed up in a break in so no defroster so i have no lines to worry about when takingnit off if i need to
wet down the tint and glass but don’t let it adhere, park the car in the sun and shape the tint on the outside of the rear window until it’s smooth without any bubbles, then take it off and apply inside, this will help the tint conform to the irregular shape of the glass and you’ll get fewer bubbles in the end.
Why take it to a professional?
I have tinted many windows by myself and even the very first ones i did still look good. Just take your time and make sure you squeegy all the air out and keep it wet along with letting it dry correctly. When you cut the tint the biggest thing is to use one quick and smooth motion. Give it a try, it costs less to do it yourself and think of it as your learning something… and how hard is it to scrape it off and try again if you fail. Don’t let these guys discourage you from trying to tint your own windows. I say do it yourself.
thanx for the good words. i did both of my quarter windows and they turned out great. im going to attempt the back hatch glass either today or tomorrow
make sure you apply it on the outside so that it adjusts to the shape on the inside and its easier to insert inside…soak the shit out of it. then squeggy the water out. =]
oh and make sure you take off the plastic backing
lol yeah it should be extremly sticky, as you take off that plastic backing, make sure someone is spraying it down with the mixture, or else you’ll have some ugly looking bumps and it will look like shit,try using like 96-4 mixture of water and soap…some kits tell you what to use.
I tint all my cars and my friend’s cars. I will tell you now, tinting isn’t too hard, as I have learned, I “one piece” back windows by just using a heat gun, cut the tint on the outside, and then put it inside using ample amounts of solution. You should squeegee around and end up with long bubbles at the 4 corners. This is where the heat gun comes into play, heat it for just a few seconds around that area, moving quickly so as not to burn the tint. Use the low setting on the gun. Try a light swipe with your squeegee and see if it goes away, if not, wait 20 or so seconds and hit it with heat again.Then squeegee again, repeat until the bubble goes away. Do this to all the corners, and if you have any light gaps, use black fingernail polish. Pro tint jobs at autozone prices lol. I got my heat gun at northern for 10-15 bucks. If you mess up, don’t get discouraged, try again. Practice makes Perfect!
P.S. Don’t run your defroster for long periods. That is why most tint jobs go to crap within a few years.
ok ill give that a try, and my defroster dont work so i dont have to worry about that problem. gotta find a heat gun now
The rear window can be done in two pieces. Line up the seam with one of your rear defroster lines to hide it. Credit cards make good squeegees. Just take your time, go slow, use lots of soapy water and get as much air out as possible. Make you you have a sunny or hot spot to park the car afterwards to bake as many of the left over tiny bubbles as possible.