Frequently asked Window Tinting Questions

88 Camaro Tint

From Ryan:
I have an 88 Camaro Iroc, and I am not quite sure what you mean when you say to cut the film in strips for the rear window ?

First, the tint that I buy is sold off of a roll. I'm not sure of the width, but it's something like 22 inches. Now, in what size strips do I cut this in ? And, if I place it against the outside of the window to cut it, how do I reverse it when it goes on the inside ? In other words. how will the seams butt up exactly ?

Also, I didn't understand the Reynolds paper wrap pattern thing, so how else do I make a pattern for side windows ? How is it that tinters get it like an eighth inch from the edge and do it so perfectly ? I've always wanted to learn how to tint. Do you have any advice as to how I can learn to do it professionally and right the first time ?

Thanks very much for your time,

Ryan

Response

The camaro rear window is very difficult, but it can be done in one piece by an expert. I don't recommend learning on that car. As far as the film, its cut on the outside with the liner facing up, reversing means rolling the film up with the clear liner inside, peel the liner back so it wraps around the roll, moisten, as you unroll the whole sheet now, the liner will peel itself. This is handy when you are working alone. The seams will butt up after you cut through both pieces at once on the overlapping excess. (See the illustration on the install page) The pattern method works well to get that exact shape, but you can also pre cut the film right on the glass (this is what most tinters do) Start with the window rolled up, place the film liner side up with the straight edge just below the bottom felt. Trim the sides, roll the window down a little and use the edge of the blade against the edge of the glass to get the top cut.

Follow up

Thanks for your response. I am curious though about the difficulty on tinting a Camaro. I had a Firebird ( which is basically the same ) that I had to replace both side windows. I tinted them before I put them in. Although they turned out fine, one was more difficult than the other. I'm just curious, why would that have been ? Also, if I don't try on this car, how would I ever learn how to tint windows ? I know that I could have this one done, and probably practice on other cars by offering to do them for the cost of the tint only, but I doubt that I would ever be doing another Camaro, so how would I ever learn about this type of car ? Again, thanks for your help !!!!! Ryan

Response

The side windows always vary in shape slighlty from one another, so one will sometimes have more bow or compound curve. The rear window is challenging because the top of the glass (where the black lines are) has a concave compound curve and the bottom has a convex compound curve. At the top you will have to much film and the bottom wont have enough, this is difficult to visualize but the excess film can be coaxed into the area where there is not enough, this must be done during the application, not like doing a heatshrink. The film excess is moved using a hard squeegee to anchor areas down and move excess still on a wet area. To learn this technique for this particular window, i had to see one being done and at that point i had been tinting a few years already. The size of the window film needed makes it very expensive to make a mistake, trust me you would spend alot on film and not be happy with the results.

" Tint Seams "

From Mike:

When seams are required because of the width of the window, what is the best way to make the seam where it will not show..

Response

Seams are not required because of the width of the window but rather the compound curve of the glass. The best way to make a seam is to overlap the film on a defroster line, cut thru both pieces of film along the defroster line and then remove the excess pieces, moisten and squeegee out. If you do it right you wont be able to tell there is a seam. When you cut along the defroster, cut along the top edge of it, dont cross it (dont cut it) or that defroster line wont work any more. On the website (tintdude.com) on the automotive installation instruction page has a couple of illustrations about seam work.

" Heat Shrinking Tint Problem "

From Marshall:

I'M FROM PITTSBURGH AND HAVE BEEN TINTING WINDOWS FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. I'VE ALWAYS DONE BACK WINDOWS IN TWO OR THREE PIECES. I TRIED TO DO MY FRIENDS BACK WINDOW IN HIS HONDA CIVIC IN ONE PIECE FOR THE FIRST TIME. WHILE PRESHRINKING THE TINT AN AREA OF ABOUT THREE INCHES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE WINDOW, RIGHT ABOVE THE DEFROSTER CONNECTION, WOULDN'T REACT TO THE HEAT GUN. WHEN I GOT IT ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOW, IT CONNECTED IN FOUR OR FIVE SPOTS ON BOTH SIDES IN THAT ONE AREA, THAT WAS THE ONLY PROBLEM. ANY IDEAS ON WHAT WENT WRONG AND HOW I COULD KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN,

Response

Yes, the film will only shrink along the grain (toward the top and bottom of the window only). You must move all of the excess film from the sides into fingers or spears onto the top and bottom. If you try to shrink fingers going off to the side they will deform and will not lay flat. When you lay your film anchor it with an H shape squeegee pattern, a long horizontal stroke down the middle and two vertical strokes on the sides to push all of the excess to the top and bottom where they will shrink properly.

" '87 Maxima Tint"

From John:
Tintdude,
Let me start by saying great site!!
I have a 87 Nissan Maxima 4dr, and would like to tint all the windows including a small strip at the top of the front window. I will use a light tint on the front doors, a darker tint on the rear doors and back window. Estimates so far are between $200-$280 Canadian. I am considering doing the job myself and I do have a couple of questions.

1) For the back window do you know how many strips you need for the 87 Maxima, would three be enough or do you need four strips. I plan to use the strip method and not try and heat shrink the film to fit.

2) In getting the right tools you said get a film squeegee, what is that. Is it like a small squeegee you use to clean windows? What type of store would sell one?

3) You said on your web site under supplies needed to get butcher paper, and then latter you mention using Reynolds plastic coated freezer paper when doing the side windows. I think they are interchangeable ie. I could use one or the other am I correct or is there a separate use for each type of paper?

Thanks John

Response

Thanks John. First, that car is not for beginners, the rear window is difficult, even for a pro, I really suggest having it done. If you were to tint that rear window without heat shrinking, you would need to use 6 pieces due to the tight compound curve on the sides. Most variety stores with an automotive section sell tinting kits with a cutter and a film squeegee. The Butcher paper and the freezer wrap are the same thing.

" Residential Tint Squeegee "

From Steve B.

Thanks for your tips on residential tinting....i really enjoyed browsing your site. One question......what kind of squeegee should I use? I have a catalog of pro. squeegees, but I'm not sure which would be best. (Reflective film being applied to storm windows) I don't mind paying for a better squeegee if I'll get better results.....Thanks Steve B.

The Reply

For residential tinting you should use the heavier "hard squeegee". It is a solid piece of clear firm rubber about 1/3 of an inch thick by 4 to 6 inches wide with a handle in the middle, not to be confused with regular window washing squeegees, as far as preparation, the normal squeegee should be used for cleaning. The purpose of the heavy squeegee is to allow you to exert more pressure onto the film to remove as much water as possible.

" Tint Brands "

From Peter
TintDude,
First of all, good site. I especially like "The Message of Truth!"

However, I did not find any information regarding brands of tints that are better (or worse) than others. I just bought a new silver Acura 3.2TL and want to have the windows tinted (it should really look nice after that). I have the option of going to the tint company that does the dealer work for Acura (I could have had the tinting done "after-market" by the dealer who would have gone through this company, but it would have cost me $75 more. He charges $125 for his "standard" tint job). But, I also know of Ziebart locally and have heard good things about their "5-step" tinting process (whatever that means - I'm not a tinting expert by any means). And to confuse me further, a car-buff friend of mine said that I should use nothing but 3M brand tint. But I don't know if that's a standard tint used in the industry, if I have to go to a special company for that, etc.

So I guess, in short, I'm a bit confused. Money's not that big of an issue - I'm willing to pay a couple hundred bucks, if necessary, to get a good tint job, done right, that will last the lifetime of the vehicle.

Please help with any advice! Thanks!!!

The reply

Thanks Peter, first, most films are very similar in lifespan, about 5 to 7 years. No film will last forever. You do have a choice in types, metalized or normal dyed film. Metalized film will tend to 'de-metalize' as it ages, becoming blotchy, dyed film will begin to turn purple with age. Plan on retinting the car in 5 years, no matter what the warranty says, nothing lasts forever in sunlight. Your best bet is to focus on a reputable well established shop, if they are in it for the long haul, it is in their best interest to install a film they have confidence in. I try to stay away from disparaging film brands for liability reasons, however 3M film is by no means the best film on the market, they are simply the best known.

" Tint Cut outs "

From unknown

Tintdude:
I used your advice recently on how to heat shrink rear glass and I was actually very pleased with the results, THANK YOU. I'd like to do my wife's car as well, but it seems to be more of a challenge. It's an Acura Integra with a rear wiper mounted to the glass itself and these "button" looking things mounted on the glass as well. I've tried cutting around them, but the tint tends to tear beyond the area where I need the opening, making it unusable (especially around the wiper mount).

The Reply

It's always difficult to make 'cut outs' for obstructions. If you need to make a cut out, try to do all of your shrinking first, avoiding any areas lifted by the obstruction. sometimes its better to do the cutting on the inside instead of the outside. The outside dimensions are larger than the inside, so any cut made on the outside will be moved over some once your inside with it. The only way to get this down is practice and forethought. Sometimes the best option is to remove the offending hardware from the window if practical.

' Mazda 626 Tint'

From SRoxxy

Hello I have a 95 626 and I want to tint the windows myself. I have done 4/5 cars but not a rear window with a curve . Should i cut peices for the rear window and how many or should i try the shrink method? And do you get a better job if I remove the door panels and is it worth the extra labor involved? Thanks

The Reply:

The 626 rear window can be done in 4 strips or 2 heat shrinked strips. If you have never heat shrinked film it may be better to see one being done before you try. Those door panels are easy to remove, the installation always goes much easier without them on.

" Dual pane Mercedes Tint"

From John D.

Fred K., Watertown and Port Washington Wisconsin, suggested I contact you.

I recently purchased a 1995 S320 Mercedes. Last week I visited a local window tint shop to get some Shade 50 applied to all but windshield and the owner said he couldn't do it to the dual pane, gas-filled windows with the "normal" film. He said that it took a special film and; 1. was only available in Shade 35 and; 2. the job would be $425 instead of $175. Said the normal tint film would cause windows to actually explode.

Any experiences/thoughts here? JDuP
The reply;

Well, I've tinted a few of those with a variety of films and have not had a problem, I do understand the concern tho, as the tinted pane will get hotter than the out side pane, risking thermal fracture, however this is more of a problem with residential annealed dual pane, tempered auto glass is much stronger, I think the worst that could happen would be a seal failure over time. That 'special film' is merely a slightly reflective film used for residential application, and is not much more expensive than auto film, however it is a bit more difficult to install. When I am asked to install a residential film on a moderately difficult car (such as the mercedes) I will charge more too, but certainly not 4 times as much, more like 50% more. If I had to guess I would say the tinter just didn't want to do that car because of the difficulty.

Heat Shrinking Tint
From Kay
hi,
my name is Kay, i am a amature tinter, i just tint windows for people out of my garage. i tell them i can't tint as perfect as the pros, but i do it cheap, actually next to nothing, i do it to get experience. i've tinted about 15 cars. i want to work for a shop that does tinting but i'm not that good yet. .but i'm getting better.

i have a question about rear window tinting. i can do the side windows pretty good. but the back windows i have trouble with. my car i had a pro do the back(my car is a Acura Legend) he did it with two strips. some cars i seen has 1 piece for the back. your website says that u should heat shrink the rear window, i studied it, and tried it, i wasn't that successful. i use Gila tint from a local Pep Boys. is that good tint to us, is it heat shrink friendly. i heard LLumar is good. what do u suggest?.

Do u have or know of any videos showing the proper way of heat shrinking the rear window. i am willing to pay for it. i bought one from tint-tools.com but they didn't show heat shrinking please help.

Oh yeah your website is awesome it's very informative.

Thanks

The Reply

Thanks Kay, Gila film is heat shrinkable, I'm sorry there's not more about heat shrinking on my site, its hard to describe. I think you can get a training video from 540tint.com. The best way to learn is to watch one being done if possible, so you know which way the grain shrinks, and how to manipulate the fingers, from there much practice is needed to master it. Good luck.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

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