Cheap film or window problem?

[D34]

Hi, hello hello, I've been tinting for about 5 years as a side thing mainly doing family and friends cars. I read a lot on this forum and I've learned a lot too so a big thank to all those who contribute to the posts with so much useful information. 

Yesterday a family friend asked me about her tint job that she got at what I would consider the most reputable shop in town. She asked me if the rear window bubbled up after only two years of being installed does it mean she got a bad install?

I immediately told her no that just means you got really cheap tint. She said well I didnt pay a cheap price. I didnt ask how much she paid but she did say that she even used a groupon discount. 

Did I give her correct information? Is it possible that it wasnt the film but the glass or the defroster lines that caused the bubbles after only two years? Also I didnt ask her whether the tint had faded or not. 

[Ryker]

Likely it is solvent pop.  Solvents don't get flashed out good in the manufacturing process and the sun brings them out and bubbles the film. 

 

Surely of its only 2 years old and it was a legal tint job she has a warranty. 

[highplains]

Sounds like cheap film failure to me, of course without pictures it's hard to say for certain but I would seriously doubt it has anything to do with the glass or defroster grid. What a person considers to be a cheap price or not is largely subjective but with the install in question having been a Groupon Special doesn't exactly bode well in my mind from a material quality standpoint. 

[jh812]

Didn't pay a cheap price but used a Groupon discount

 

[D34]

Solvent pop sounds interesting, on occasion I've seen cars that are bubbled up but the tint hasn't faded. Always believed that cheap film would fade first and then bubble up, at least with the cheap film I started with that was the case. Im thinking if it hasnt faded but it has bubbled up then maybe it was quality film but the solvent pop could have cause the bubbling. Again, I didn't ask if hers has faded so now Im really just thinking too much. 

She probably got was she payed for eventhough she thinks she payed a high price. I'll try to find out how much she paid. Also she should have gotten a warranty because in California anything is legal in the back. 

Would a reputable shop really be doing $90 jobs? I don't know I really have to find out more. 

[Bham]

37 minutes ago, D34 said:

 Always believed that cheap film would fade first and then bubble up, at least with the cheap film I started with that was the case. 

 

You have to remember film is made with layers.  All the layers have to have good components to be a long lasting film.  

The adhesives bonding the layers is usually what fails within the first two years.  

 

You can have good dye and bad adhesives, or the other way around.  Either way, cheap film (what they call 5 year film) will fail within 3 years usually.  

[DynamicATL]

Yep, cheap tint.  A higher price doesn't always equal a premium product.  I know of a tint shop in CA charging $1000-$1200 and installing a cheap Korean film that already has failures.

 

With that being said, you also have to understand how Groupon works.  Whatever she paid, Groupon is keeping half of that...so the shop isn't making a lot of money.  So even though she paid what seems like a higher amount, the shop probably would use cheaper film since they are not making a lot.  This is why tint prices on Groupon are usually inflated just so the shop can make a bare minimum.