Dano

The Graphtech plotters are all about the same from 7000 to 8600. I doubt that the machine was the problem If changing software fixed the issue. 

The answer is to not heat that area too much so that you leave some slack in the film for when you get it to the inside.

Also cut your pattern a little large so that you can trim a thread off the edges after shrinking to not have a furled edge.

After you do a few of those you'll figure out how much to leave/trim to not have any light gaps. Also I'll leave a hardcard wrapped in a microfiber in the bottom overnight to collect water and keep pressure on the film while it dries.

Sometimes you can take the top rail off the glass if the jackwagon boat builder didn't put too much pressure on the glass package when it was installed. If you pull the rail off of a tight package it's a pita to get back on, looking like it could crack the whole time. 

Congrats on getting it done. I've seen plenty that couldn't, which is why I price them like I do. 

Amazon

Global HP and Ceramic. Using it full time for seven years and not a single failure that wasn't my fault.

I start those at $750 and go up. 

Best advice is no cutting on the glass and white scrubbie only, no cleaning blades. That glass is super soft. You may want to use a film liner to make a template to cut your patterns. 

That looks like a mar on the surface, hard to see until the tint is installed due to adding contrast. Not likely that the installer is at fault. You might be able to polish some of that out. Use a professional glass polishing compound and maybe ask a car detailer to do it.

^^^ great list of good habits.

If your working on cars with rubber gaskets, roll down the windows first and spray them with SprayAway glass cleaner. Use a triangle card of some kind wrapped with a microfiber towel to scrub the dirt out and give it a couple squirts of water to flush it. Use the towel and triangle again when you're prepping the glass.

Don't forget to scrub the top edge of the glass.

Dry shrink. Going wet on big fingers puts alot of stress on the film. 

I've been using the dark yellow turbo.

Very cool. Any idea what year those were made in? 

Let's say you're charging $250 per vehicle. I might give a random customer a package price of $675 for doing three similar cars if all three are paid for and scheduled at the same time. 

I would offer a $25 discount to small time car dealers for single units if they pay when they pick it up. No discount if I have to wait 30 days.

For fleet and preloading inventory the numbers can vary depending on factors like, is it labor only, do they have a good space on site, overall volume, 30-45-60 day net, etc.

I wasn't impressed with anything I read on that site. Terribly vague on product info. 

Start charging for what you can do reliably and stand behind your final product. Also get whatever is the going market rate for your area. Discount nothing except multi car and fleet volume with a signed work order. MTRX has a good scheduling and billing app, expensive, but good.

Careful on the windshields, they can cost you a fortune if something inside the dash decides to stop working. Most customers are too arrogant to believe that water and electronics are a bad mix...because they "never had that happen before" and they always "know a guy".

Check out the thread "peanut killer" for defrost tacking.

Congrats on sharpening a new skill set.

I would like to see a piece of that film up close. Cling film staying in place on roll ups....?

Gee whiz, ppf it to the outside and be done with it.

Hair gel.

Try pulling the pillar covers before installing and maybe put some tape over the rough edges.

Is your employer the dealership or a vendor to the dealership? 

Also get a house with a two car garage and service vehicles at your own place/pace.

Once people you service know your quality, they will use you religiously. I don't advertise and have customers who have been consistent for years after doing the first one.

Leo was a hilarious. Always with the Rolls Royce, vodka and models. 

Welcome vmamay!

Correct

I showed this product to a paint tech and his thoughts were that it smelled like it had an activator chem in it to help the glue to kick faster without having an alcohol that would break down the glue.

About 20yrs ago I would put 1/2 a cap full in my flat glass solution to lock the edges faster and stop water running on emulion windows. For automotive I recommend only using it as a surface prep.

3 hours ago, Tintbox said:

That's awesome. Do you normally dilute your Rapid Tac for vinyl applications as well?

About 30% for high tack or on questionable surfaces where the paint might lift.

Close to full strength if I'm laying something high tack out in the summer sun on hot metal.

It's also good for floating vinyl on glass. As well as stacking colors. It lets you reposition into the right place before tacking.

Allegedly you "can't" lay wrap film wet, but I've been doing cut vinyl graphics with wrap film and floating it down for almost 10yrs. Sometimes you only get one shot to get in in the right spot. (Picture laying a Shelby hood kit for a bodyshop on fresh/hot paint and it has to leave that afternoon) You have to let it tack up for a while before pulling the transfer tape and re-squeegee with a banana/monkey strip after.

No heating any of the vinyl until after the solution evaporates.

If it's a cling, why not just take it off and warm it up with a hair dryer until it relaxes? Roll it up tight backwards? Put it in the middle of a heavy book for a few days? PPF film over it on the outside of the windshield? 

I just found the best answer, so far, to the peanut problem plaguing the Dodge rear window.

Normally I will use #3 steel wool w/soap and water, microfiber wipe, mist, squeegee, 70% alcohol, squeegee, flush, squeegee, flush and lay film.

A few days ago the alcohol was out of reach and I picked up a bottle of 15% Rapid Tac/85% water and the film stuck down better than ever. I thought it was a fluke and tried it again on a windshield and got the same results.

Rapid Tac is usually used as a surface prep cleaning solution for vinyl graphics and also good for wet applications of factory truck bedside graphics, think FX4 and TRD logos.

Sometimes I win by accident, this was one of those times. I hope this helps everyone else win as well.

The short answer is materials x 5 to 10, roughly.

I can bid that job for fleet/preload, but I wouldn't do it without being compensated. Too many variables that would leave money on the table without a through assessment.