nice little tool/ gadget.. 

question.. how do you get a reading on non installed film.

the tool is activated by the force of glass being inserted in the slot... sliding a piece of film by itself, does not activate the meter...

other than "having a spare piece of glass without any built in tint.."

any suggestions on how to get the enforcer to read a piece of film..?  or is "having a spare piece of glass/installing the film on glass" the only option 

@drtint

hey man..i think theres some confusion going on here..

based on your response 

"You came to the forum looking for guidance and solidification to your issue"

...its read like you think im the OP ...im not....?? OP = original poster whom is "OctiveFunction"

original thread header:

Cuts on glass

By OctiveFunction, Monday at 07:21 PM in General Discussion 

im not the OP of this thread.

i was offering suggestions to the OP  on what to do about the scratches on his car... 

my comment which you circle back to... did not say anything about tint installers:  this is what i wrote

"heres what ive learned:  9 out of 10 times when you have someone work on your car..there will be some sort of damage"  

for me that was in reflection on dealer service depts which are well known for causing issues / damages during service... 

moving on......this post isnt about me....its about the OP issue and i think i offered him some consolation..that this happens to others....

I did not comment about what he should do as a recourse remedy b/c frankly I cant help him with that

nor did he ask.. 

his post asked about whether the cuts were caused by the tint installation.. 

I offered some sound advice about how to take care of the scratches.ie...get a DA polisher and glass polish and see if the scratches will polish out, if so.. at least the scratches on his new car is resolved with a low intrusion method....

with all that said ...its all good man. (drtint)...lets move on and hopefully the OP resolves his issue in a way that works for him.

the bigger question is where did the OP go? lol

he hasnt replied since his initial post lol  seems like he got his answer..which was a few posts suggesting that the scratches were caused by cutting tint on the window

thanks guys...all very very helpful tips

54 minutes ago, drtint said:

I read your comment. I was only commenting on the living with it and minimizing the issue. Nothing personal brother.

the whole response put me (and I am sure) a few life long trade individuals with the wrong perception of an installation business. No one needs to have that done to their property. If I go and get an oil change and my car falls off the rack and has damage and you tell me it happens some time and to look beyond that, is that what I should do? You provide a service, I expect that service to be done with your provisional expertise and not to worry about damages incurred for that particular project. 

If I bring my property to you and you damage it, I expect to receive it with my wants that I paid for minus the damage. That is my point. 

I agree 100% with your comment and OP frustration.  I expect the same when I pay for service..

my comment about some form of damage/ cosmetic when getting work done etc was not directed at the tinting business.

ie..if you have ever had your tires rotated..check your rims out … look for tool marks from the impact wrenches by the lug nuts... (hopefully you don't have any..but don't be surprised to see them).

the challenge  ..is when the damage is what I would term "cosmetic.." 

the repair / replacement itself (for me) is more damaging than living with the cosmetic damage.

ie.. scratch on your quarter panel.. would you really want to have a body shop grind down the quarter panel/ adjacent panels, (removing non replaceable quality of factory baked on paint) or simply use some touch up paint, if at all, or just live with it and move on... 

in this instance.. glass scratches.. would you really want to have the factory glass removed and aftermarket glass installed for a few scratches that you have to look for in the right light/ angle conditions... or just live with it..

with that being said.. I was not discouraging the OP from seeking remedy from the installer, if the OP opts for that route..

im sure we have all been in that situation and in some instances, we opt to pursue remedy..and in other instances.. we just live with it..

10 hours ago, quality tintz said:

If the small bubbles are black from the outside they are water & will dry if the small bubbles are white then they are air and have to be pushed out...

thats what i needed..the bubbles are white....

how long after installing tint can you push air bubbles out?...

4 hours ago, drtint said:

I disagree with tools. That is definitely the shops issue. New car, 6,000 miles and an installer not paying attention to a dull ss blade or used a carbon blade. There are a number of vehicles out there now that are not to be cut on. I would go to shop, speak with owner and have home file an insurance claim and rectify the problem. If they say they didn’t do it, have someone else remove the film, lay it on the back glass (document e erything) and line it up and take it to court, he may change his tune at that time. Take the car to your insurance company and let their adjuster look at it and let him know what you had done. Any veteran on this forum knows exactly what happened and it needs to be resolved. Just plain negligence on the installers part

agree with dr tint about your recourse option if you choose to...

my comment was about what to do about the scratches....

good luck with whatever decision you make and i understand the frustration.

pics would help..ill post pics tomorrow.

it dark and when I used a flashlight ..the light overpowered the bubbles you would normally be able to see in natural sunlight..

back tomorrow with pics 

not what you want to hear ...but id learn to live with it, rather than having someone pay for the glass to be replaced..

the predicament.

scratches, which you have to look for vs.. having yet someone else work on your car, remove factory installed windows and replace with aftermarket and then you still have to get your windows tinted again.

as the car ages, you will have more glass  scratches etc..

you can try to polish them out with a DA polisher, glass polish … if you can catch your nail in the scratch...it will be too deep to polish out.

heres what ive learned:  9 out of 10 times when you have someone work on your car..there will be some sort of damage

do tiny bubbles dryup after the film cures...or they need to be pushed out...

im referring to tiny 1mm size bubbles

good stuff..ill check out the website

what else do you use this for.. I may buy one.. if I can find an alternate tool usage...

is the blue.. soft, medium or hard ?

4 hours ago, Tint Slayer said:

Blue Quick Foot, both ends of it are nice and thin for tucking. 

 

1 hour ago, drtint said:

Cut piece of 3in turbo. I lay the quarters and then do my windows prior to going Bach and squeege the quarters, gives them time to naturally set and I don’t usually forget them

thanks guys for all the tips.. 

this one seems interesting.. let them set a bit before squeegee to allow glue to set.. 

yup.. you did.. lol

maybe too much slip.. the top of the quarter kept slipping on me...

figured out the side slides... and the gasket tuck is no issue now..

got 3 side slides up today without breaking a sweat

worked on a quater rear window and looking fir suggestions on small tool when applying tint to tuck gaskets

where do you buy it..home depot?

i figured out the gasket tucking yesterday..but this looks interesting...

@jh812... yup thats plan b....

im trying to gasket tuck to avoid extra panel pull work...

i did successfully install side rear passenger tucked under gasket

again..my prior issue i think was cutting too mich to tuck..just measured and i was leaving 1 inch...im gona try 1/2"  tail to tuck which should make this a lot easier

its a camry

9 hours ago, highplains said:

@tools fair enough. It's definitely going to be a challenge, if you think the side glass has been difficult just wait until you attempt the back glass. There's a lot of good information here if you search for it.

tks and agreed...ill leave the rear for last..my goal is to get the rest of the sides done today

8 hours ago, DynamicATL said:

You can't buy any of the big brand names online...eBay has all of them listed but is nothing but cheap counterfeits.  Trust me, the prices you see there are much lower than the actual cost of the film.  If you want dirt cheap, go with ATCFilms.com.  If you want quality with a low price, then check out SolarFX if they will sell to you or Express.

tks for the suggestion

your costs assessment is well said..

at this time for me..this is more about adding a skillset ..personal challenge at this time

and no exaggeration when i wrote that "one weekend of sweating n cursing"

its that dang gasket tucking lol

by sunday..i was cutting much better and cursing a bit less and finally got rear passenger side window installed with very clean results.

think i figured out my issue with gasket tucking...part of which i was cutting with too much to tuck...this weekend ill shorten my excess bottom measurement a bit ..same with sides..

this definitely takes practice ...theres really no getting lucky the first time with tinting

tks guys...so im SOL on buying llumar 3m or suntek...but these other brands sell without restrictions?

whats the full name of global pls?

any reommended ceramic lines for these guys?

lol

so ive been practicing tinting on cars in our driveways....yeah i respect the profession a lot after a weekend of sweating n cursing.

...im at the point of having successfully done a side window.tucking film under bottom gasket...

now..the question...where can i buy some llumar ctx or suntek cir film by the roll.

i bought some suntek cir roll off ebay ...but id like to buy from perhaps a place i have more confidence that im getting what im paying....

i get that the oems only sell to installers...but....