TintDude

Wow that's crazy. I'm glad everything came out ok for me besides the huge waste of time. It could have been a lot worse. 

All good. Glad the redo came out fine....
 
I know someone who had their front door redone 3X like you.
Leather Door Card Utterly damaged due to the presumably too much slip/liquid/etc ....
 
Decent Shop - just a most likely a new installer at the craft who should have not been working on a luxury vehicle
I guess since the installer get's paid per job....shop owner made the installer do the redo on the second and third pass
 
Shop ended up buying a new $2200 for a new door card

Had one in today, definitely recommend pulling the door panels. One 7mm behind the rubber plug behind the door handle, two t-25s below the armrest in easy view and two 7mm at the bottom of the panel. Bump upwards and comes right off.
 
Definitely need a sandbag if the wife, girlfriend and apprentice are all gone at the same time.

I do alot of run of the mill installs that arn't worth mentioning. This week I got to do something fun.
 
Before:

After:

Avery Rugged - Onyx Black

Those non opening vettes were stupid from the start.

I was too long in the torso to do the seat fold down approach. Remember those old corvettes with bowed glass and vertical defrost that wouldn't pop open? Now that's where you break out a plank, fold down the upright of the passenger seat and crawl in to work on your back.

I did a similar style by backing into the back seat, cheek walk to a central position, and turn my orangutan arms/twist torso toward the back glass. Well, up until L5 spoke harshly to me. Then it was a forward dip in, maneuvering legs to have feet on floor board and resting knees at the edge of the back seat.

Back seats have always been about getting it done; depending on the 'it', if you get my drift. The taller one is the tougher.

I would stay away from XPEL simply because they're full of themselves.  I've been a SolarGard dealer since 2008 and rarely have issues with the film.  Call Sunbelt Distribution in Houston, ask for Kenny.  They have a few brands including SolarGard but other more basic brands as well.

I hear you. My neck is permanently jacked up from years of it.

I hear you. My neck is permanently jacked up from years of it.

Somtimes what it takes is figuring out a new way to do things - I was told by a doctor, for my knees & back, to stop kneeling on the back seat to do the rear glass. Well how am I supposed to do that?!? So what I do is go sideways - most rear seats fold down so you can put larger items in the trunk. So I sit down on that seat back and swing my legs into the trunk and I'm sitting down with the glass in front of me, instead of kneeling and having to crane my neck up. 
To do the install I sit down, backwards, on the seat (coming in from the passenger side) with the film draped "superman" style in my outstreached arms, and then just lean back and swing my arms into the car. 
Will post a video of this technique soon.

First of all don't do that. I had ChatGPT help me with this and it is spot on:
 
While it may seem enticing to start a service business with prices significantly lower than the competition, there are several reasons why this approach may not be advisable in the long run. Here are some potential drawbacks:
 
1 Quality perception: Customers often associate higher prices with better quality. By significantly undercutting the competition, you risk creating a perception that your services are of lower quality or that you are cutting corners to offer such low prices. This can make it difficult to build trust and establish a strong reputation in the market.
 
2 Profitability challenges: Operating a business with very low prices can make it challenging to generate sufficient revenue and maintain profitability. If your prices are too low, you may struggle to cover your costs, invest in necessary resources, or sustain your business over time. This can lead to financial difficulties and potentially force you to increase prices later, which may alienate existing customers.
 
3 Value proposition: Competing solely on price often reduces your value proposition to being the cheapest option in the market. This can attract price-sensitive customers who may not be loyal and are more likely to switch to a cheaper alternative. Building a sustainable business requires offering unique value, exceptional customer service, or specialized expertise, rather than relying solely on low prices.
 
4 Undercutting your competition: By undercutting the competition significantly, you risk engaging in a price war that can be detrimental to all businesses involved. Competitors may respond by lowering their prices further, leading to diminishing profits for everyone. This scenario is not sustainable in the long term and can harm the entire industry.
 
5 Perceived lack of expertise: Setting prices significantly lower than your competitors may give the impression that you lack experience, expertise, or confidence in your services. Customers may question why your prices are so much lower and whether you can deliver the same level of quality and results as your competitors.
 
6 Difficulty raising prices: If you establish your business with significantly lower prices, it can be challenging to increase them in the future without facing resistance from existing customers. Once customers have become accustomed to your low prices, they may be reluctant to pay more, even if you have improved your service quality or expanded your offerings.
 
7 Long-term sustainability: Building a sustainable business requires a solid financial foundation. Operating with prices significantly lower than the competition can make it difficult to invest in growth, retain talented employees, or weather economic downturns. It's essential to consider the long-term viability of your business model and ensure that it can adapt to changing market conditions.
 
While pricing is an important factor in attracting customers, it is crucial to strike a balance between offering competitive prices and delivering value that justifies your rates. Competing solely on price may lead to short-term gains but can have negative consequences for the long-term success and sustainability of your business.
 
---
 
Now the next thing I would suggest is customer management.
 
90% of your problems are going to come from customers who weren't prepared ahead of time what to expect.
 
Print out a stack of these: https://www.tintdude.com/care.html/ and read it with and leave one with each customer before you begin the work, this will save you a lot of grief and you'll thank me later.

What quality of a job were you expecting for less than  buck and a half for a full job ?

It's like a red flag on the job price already
 
I get pricing is regional and this may not be inline with you local
 Rhe info below is what my market rate is
I believe fronts or windshield from my shop is $125 or $150.
It runs about $550-$750'ish for a all around..depending on which film
 
The potential cost for a redo could have been far worse.
Is the dashboard on yours wrapped in leather
Are the door cards full leather
Door cards can be replaced Easily
Dashes.....I would't want to keep mine if my dash ever had to come out for a repair.
Potential squeaks/rattles down the road 
 
Stem, water, chems to remove residual glue adhesive, potential scratch marks from knives cleaning glass or even just marring/scratchs on the A Pillar trim, etc...long laundry list goes on....
 
 
 
 
 
 

It's always harder to hide contamination in darker film due to contrast. 
 
For removal here's my process....
Sides:
1. Pull film one panel at a time and spray with SprayAway.
 
2. Blade the glue and catch with a paper towel.
 
3. Spray again...Use an Olfa /SS NT blade to clean the edges.
 
4. Wrap a microfiber around a triangle card and jam into the gaskets/glass edge to scrub what is hidden/hard to reach.
 
5. Spray again...Use #3 steel wool to scrub, including top edge.
 
6. Rince with water/squeegee.
 
7. Wipe with clean microfiber, triangle the edges again. Once with the glass up and do the gaskets again with the glass down.
 
8. Spray with water and run your hand around the glass to feel for contamination.
 
9. Squeegee dry and clean the outside of the glass.
 
10. In good light, look through to glass at different angles to spot anything you might have missed.
 
11. When you get ready to install, blade/triangle/wipe/spray/wipe top edge/squeegee/flush edges just like a normal install to maintain consistency.
 
If you're working on used cars you may want to incorporate #3 wool or at minimum a 3m white scrubbie after your blade step. Keep a separate knife for cleaning edges so you don't wreck your film cutting blade. Only knife clean behind the edges, you can easily scratch glass in an open area.
 
Good luck and please consider a premium subscription here on TintDude. Without this site passing on knowledge would be much more difficult. It's not much and goes a long way towards keeping the site up and running. 

I'll bite.
 
My back was jacked before I even started tinting; slipped L5 vertebrae with mild spina-bifida, mild scoliosis at lower thoracic, anterior thoracic, mild spina-bifida at T1, reverse cervical curve, and bone spurs at C6/C7 have grown together.
 
Tinted for 35+ years. So, ask me how my back is doing. The upside is I don't have to tint anymore, but I do my own cars and house (slowly and carefully), I can still walk, and I only run for my life. Unable to lift more than 25 pounds. I cannot climb ladders but will do it to save a life. My low back gives me grief daily, my neck is f**cked and bursitis has limited the use of my shoulders.
 
I exercise to keep necessary movement and will do so until they throw dirt on my face.

Now, tell me ... what did you say about your back?

Another also...
 
Just because it is a Bentley doesn't automatically make it a more difficult tint job, and that Kia may just be a pain in the butt to tint. 

Also, you used the example of a Kia and a Bentley, that it shouldn't matter...
 
You have to consider that mistakes happen and replacing a part on a Kia is a little less expensive that replacing a part on a Bentley.

Also, there is the whole BMW owner thing.

First of all don't do that. I had ChatGPT help me with this and it is spot on:
 
While it may seem enticing to start a service business with prices significantly lower than the competition, there are several reasons why this approach may not be advisable in the long run. Here are some potential drawbacks:
 
1 Quality perception: Customers often associate higher prices with better quality. By significantly undercutting the competition, you risk creating a perception that your services are of lower quality or that you are cutting corners to offer such low prices. This can make it difficult to build trust and establish a strong reputation in the market.
 
2 Profitability challenges: Operating a business with very low prices can make it challenging to generate sufficient revenue and maintain profitability. If your prices are too low, you may struggle to cover your costs, invest in necessary resources, or sustain your business over time. This can lead to financial difficulties and potentially force you to increase prices later, which may alienate existing customers.
 
3 Value proposition: Competing solely on price often reduces your value proposition to being the cheapest option in the market. This can attract price-sensitive customers who may not be loyal and are more likely to switch to a cheaper alternative. Building a sustainable business requires offering unique value, exceptional customer service, or specialized expertise, rather than relying solely on low prices.
 
4 Undercutting your competition: By undercutting the competition significantly, you risk engaging in a price war that can be detrimental to all businesses involved. Competitors may respond by lowering their prices further, leading to diminishing profits for everyone. This scenario is not sustainable in the long term and can harm the entire industry.
 
5 Perceived lack of expertise: Setting prices significantly lower than your competitors may give the impression that you lack experience, expertise, or confidence in your services. Customers may question why your prices are so much lower and whether you can deliver the same level of quality and results as your competitors.
 
6 Difficulty raising prices: If you establish your business with significantly lower prices, it can be challenging to increase them in the future without facing resistance from existing customers. Once customers have become accustomed to your low prices, they may be reluctant to pay more, even if you have improved your service quality or expanded your offerings.
 
7 Long-term sustainability: Building a sustainable business requires a solid financial foundation. Operating with prices significantly lower than the competition can make it difficult to invest in growth, retain talented employees, or weather economic downturns. It's essential to consider the long-term viability of your business model and ensure that it can adapt to changing market conditions.
 
While pricing is an important factor in attracting customers, it is crucial to strike a balance between offering competitive prices and delivering value that justifies your rates. Competing solely on price may lead to short-term gains but can have negative consequences for the long-term success and sustainability of your business.
 
---
 
Now the next thing I would suggest is customer management.
 
90% of your problems are going to come from customers who weren't prepared ahead of time what to expect.
 
Print out a stack of these: https://www.tintdude.com/care.html/ and read it with and leave one with each customer before you begin the work, this will save you a lot of grief and you'll thank me later.

Well I guess you're not all bad after all.
 
I would recommend finding an old schooler running an independent shop that worked on these cars the first time around. Have the glass in place with the panels pulled. Remember to leave the switches on the front seat for operating the roll ups.
 
The new group of tinters can't seem to do anything that doesn't come off the precut software correctly. You are mostly right on that point.
 

Also, there is the whole BMW owner thing.

Close, 
Close, 1993 Mercedes Benz 500E.
 
Pretty much every window is square and mostly flat.
Windows came out without scratching tint, and with my channels, will go back in without scratching tint as I have personally taken the entire interior down to a shell for various projects at one point or another.
 
BTW Tint dude, like the avatar, Vic Rattlehead rules.  I guess Megadeth does too.

"It's a car, I said it's a car....you guys are bunch of d*cks. I already told you it's a car, why won't you tell me how much is a car?" 
 
I'll bet a dollar it's some euro crap or a corvette. Any takers?
 

Have you ever looked at a 944 rear glass? It's curves are compounded and irregular like a bowl in every direction, rear spoiler made of foam rubber and usually a window wiper motor to remove or work around. That glass is also heavy af. 
 
Just look for a video of someone trying to tint the car you are requesting to find the nuance of what it takes to get a good install. There is also a makes and models section here on this forum.

Mustang glass is flatter, 944 is severely curved which requires more skill and patience to shape it to the glass resulting in a lot more work and time. Majority of shops would not be able to install it on that glass. The glass being in the vehicle or out of the vehicle does not matter besides it bring harder to install on any glass out of the vehicle. It is like you calling a cleaning service to get a quote for your home but don't want to tell them sqft and how many stories. It doesn't make any sense.

We need to know the vehicle so we know the difficulty of glass and charge accordingly especially older vehicles. You could have a 1988 Mustang or a 1988 Porsche 944 which takes twice as long and uses more film. No reason to be paranoid, just answer the questions. That way there are no surprises for you or the shop when you show up.
 
Most shops won't tint glass outside of the vehicle since it is hard to secure the glass. We rarely get asked but when we do, it is a no thank you.
 
Ceramic just helps to block heat. Some may last a little longer than base films but I would expect a same lifespan. The longest lasting film will be metalized.