hey guys. i searched real quick but didn’t come up with any brand names or anything on tinting windows. has anyone tried the autozone brand called Gila River UltraShield? anyone have any kind of recommendations on what kind of tint is best? thanks
-Chad-
It is a pain in the ass to tint windows, i would suggest it be done professionally, That way itll last longer and wont bubble up or turn purple.
I agree, plus if you get it done professionaly they will most likely warranty it.
i have to agree with those 2, the tint the shops use is so much better than the stuff you can buy at the store, or at least around here. a freind had me tint his windows with Gila tint and IMO it kinda sucked, it didnt want to go on very well, but it might of been cause it was ricer red tint :shrug:
eh… i guess ill look up some window tinting shops around the RI and MA area… anyone know any good places? also whats a good price range i would expect? thanks.
-Chad-
As far as price goes, the whole car is around 120-160 (excluding the front windshield). The back rear side windows and the hatch runs for about 85-110.
These are prices in NJ for local shops. Expect from 100-160 and you will be fine. Anything more than that and you’re getting ripped off.
If you want to do it yourself, here are some guidelines. If you have never done it before and haven’t seen it done, look at somebody do it and pay attention. I have done it on G2 and it’s pretty straightforward, the hardest part is getting around the brake light holes. You need to leave a space for the brake light as tinting the part over the brake light is illegal in NJ, I dont know if it is legal whre you live.
Steps:
Buy good film. Gila is fine but a few years down the road you will have to replace it. Ask the shops what they use and buy those if you want it to last.
Buy a window tinting kit. This comes with solution (soapy water), a razor and a squeegee. Also get transparent tape.
Prep the window. You have to clean the window real good with windex or a window cleaner. If you use something with ammonia you need to wipe it off afterwards because it will damage the tint. Clean the windows real good with a lint free cloth and let them dry.
Cut the film to size. First do the side windows. Make sure you are cutting it the right way. I have cut the film to size and then realized than I had the adhesive on the wrong side and had to do it again. You need to roll the tint out of the box and cut a sheet bigger than the window. Then you lay the film on top of the window over the outside with the adhesive side facing you (this is important). Tape it in place with the clear tape. With the razor and a very steady hand cut the film, following the outline of the window. Do not cut it bigger than the window because it will wrinkle when you try to put in inside.
Take the film off the outside and prep the inside of the window by spraying the whole window with the solution from the kit or soapy water. Spray liberally, if you think it’s too much, it’s not. After covering the whole window, peel the back off, exposing the adhesive. Place it on the window (it wont stick because of the solution). Spray the top of the film with the solution and then with your squeegee you need to get all of the solution out from behind the tint. Keep spraying the film so that the squeegee glides over the tint. Squeegee away. Make sure the film is centered and that it lays right on the window with no spaces showing along the edges.
After you have all of the solution out from behind the tint, wipe the tint off and check for air bubbles and solution that’s left behind. It helps to place the car where the sun hits it so that you can see the air bubbles and places you missed with the squeegee. Look from the outside in to check for air bubbles and places you missed. If you look from the inside out you might not see it.
Repeat for the other windows. For the back windows you need to do it in two sections unless you can find a tint big enough to fit the whole window (proffesional tints). Remove your brake light.
Good luck if you’re doing it yourself. This is just to get you started. You need to practice and you have to watch someone do it to really learn it. It pays off at the end. And if you mess up, do it a gain. You will spend way less if you have to re-do it 10 times compared to a proffesional. But if you think you can’t do it then go to a shop.
I didn’t see this mentioned earlier so what the hell. Even if you go to have a shop do it ask what levels of quality tint they have. The reason I mention this is that most basic tint jobs will turn purple in a few years. If you pay a bit extra you can get the tint with metal content in it. I have had 4 tint jobs on my car and so far the best one (current tint on the car) was done at a place called LATint. I don’t know if it is a national chain or not (we have several around the DC/VA/MD area) and the “good” tint was ~$225.
well ive decided that im gonna try the tintkits.com tint and try to do it myself and if it comes out bad ill have a shop do it. i think it will be hard to mess up seeing that they’re already cut to the size of my windows. i think i may have a problem with the rear window seeing that everyone says how hard it is :worry:
-Chad-
Yes, the rear window is a major bitch. The curved sides and awkward position sucks ass.
hmm… something to look forward to… lol
Damn, wish i knew about tintkits.com before, could have saved a lot of time and film. But at least I learned the hard way (which is the best way).
Get it done professionally and have them add a vinyl strip (inside) across the top of the rear hatch so the tint doesn’t separate itself from the little dots. Also something to note is if you do decide to do it on your own- and you have to redo it then you risk ripping your rear defroster lines (not good). And never use any kind of window cleaner (ammonia based) on your tints- that’s how they turn purple!!! 
ill keep that in mind… thx
i am not sure of the site or company maybe someone on here knows but you can order pre cut tint for your car , cant get any easier then that.
someone already said that in this thread… but thanks anyways.
my bad
:bawl:
it’s ok… u tried 