You think thats hard? Then try this.....

[2deadlegs]

I tinted (20% legal) some of my windows last night and let me tell you it is a bitch! Turns out the large rear windows on the side are a little too curved so I got what they call "puckers" in the tint. I am going to have to get creative to try and get rid of them. If you know how to do please let me know. They look like scallops sorta..

I did the large rear side windows and the rear door windows. Lets just say I won't be doing the back window.

It set me back all of $20.00 for (2) rolls so even if it is screwed up I am not gonna cry about it. It does the job that I bought it to do.

http://www.blackls.homestead.com/files/Picture_8181.jpg

[Pwise2326]

yeah I'm going to stray away from doing that myself...to pay $145 bucks to have it professionally done and garunteed not to turn purple on ya and make it obvious that you bought the tint from wal-mart...seems worth it to me. I don't think I'll go that crazy with 20% though...I'd like to be able to see out of my windows! Plus I don't know how it is down there, but up here the cops will ticket anything darker than 40%, so that $20 and puckers could easily turn into $150 bucks and a hassle instead of 5 bucks less for an OEM-looking tint job. Props for giving it a go though, I'm sure you'll figure out how to fix it, I'm guessing the tint is a little to fragile to run down it with the flexible plastic applicator for your bondo or something similar that you'd use to put on vinyl decals and such?

[2deadlegs]

Thanks for the props. I used a credit card and a ton of soapy water to install it. I think I am going to slice the bubble and re-glue it.

Down here the law says if the officer can see your face then you are sefe. Believe it or not 20% is very transparent. I goes from 20% to 5% with nothing in the middle. Granted 20% is still limo tint... it's not going to get me arrested. Besides I didn't do the front windows yet and I might do them in something a little less to be sure jonny law has no problem ID'ing my ugly mug.

I'm just going to pay someone to do the back for me as you have to use special tint or cut the regular tint into strips and blah blah blah.....no thanks.

[belladonna]

if you take a razorblade and make a very very very tiny hole in the bubble, you can get the air out and flatten it down and not be able to see the cut mark...

[2deadlegs]

Thanks Bella I will try that. I poked it with a pin but that didn't seem to help.

[jey]

Yeah 20% tint is kind of hard to see out of at night. 35% takes getting used to and may involve investing in brighter back-up bulbs - I tinted my hatch window 35 and I was in for a shock the first time I tried to back up in a dark subdivision.

[2deadlegs]

The smaller the % the less light comes in. I checked with my states laws today and found out I am legal. It is 28% for the front side windows and 15% for anything back of that.

I just have to tint the front windows a 30 and I am set. I think I am going to do the sunroof glass too because the light that comes thru there can be harsh too. The cover thingy only does sooo much.

[Pwise2326]

Yeah I think he was just saying that 35 is crazy dark as well. Down there I could see more of a need for tints as the sun is blaring most of the year. I think the only glass tinted whatsoever on my 98 GT is the moonroof glass, but once it gets nice out I keep it and my windows open anyways (I don't like a/c) so I still end up with quite the drivers arm/sunroof scalp burn which is even more goofy looking when its really noticeable with my shaved head. I feel like that character from batman...the riddler I want to say with the 2 different halves of his face....except that mines Irish Pale and Italian tan (or Irish red...) instead of white and green.

[2deadlegs]

I have the same issue with the shaved head and the A/C but down here it gets so damn hummid that it's like getting a shower when you walk out the door. I fixed the A/C in my legacy so it works good now and the main reason for tinting the windows is to keep the temp down in the car because I have the kids in there most of the time and it gets to be in the 100's in a parked...not to mention it being a black car too.

Besides...it makes the SLi sticker show up better too..

[Wiscon_Mark]

I'm thinking about doing that myself...it gets damn hot inside w/ a dark blue body and a black interior. Even in Wisconsin, yes.... :wink:

[2deadlegs]

With the FL hit beating down today and the car locked up, some of the tint sbhrunk into shape and eliminated most of those bubbles.

Go for it Mark. Just think of all the money you save.

Few tips for anyone trying it yourself:

Big bottle of soapy water
Lots of razor blades
Don't clean your windows with windex...soap and water
know which side is the film and which side is the backing before cutting to pre-fit
When you peel off the backng, spray the film with soapy water so if it curls up it won't stick to itself and be ruined...

[jey]

Yeah 20% tint is kind of hard to see out of at night. 35% takes getting used to and may involve investing in brighter back-up bulbs - I tinted my hatch window 35 and I was in for a shock the first time I tried to back up in a dark subdivision.

Ok I realized I wasn't being clear - 20% is pretty hard to see out of at night, and 35%, though not as dark, still required getting used to and some lighting upgrades to feel comfortable.

[Wiscon_Mark]

The reason for the backwards percentaging system is this. In art terms, tinting actually means getting lighter, or adding white to something. Shading is adding black to make something darker. But you can't exactly say you have 'shaded' windows. So the lower the tint, the darker the windows. It's a little backwards, but it's also politically correct.

[belladonna]

i wish i still lived down south...pretty much in the state of pennsylvania, you can't have tint darker than what comes from the factory, or below 70%, unless you have some medical reason for it to be darker. :evil:

[2deadlegs]

This is the tint law in PA. I will break it down for you below.

Pennsylvania
NO / NO / NO / NO / 1996 for 1998 model year and after NO / NO / ANY / ANY before 1998 Model Year


Your call fall under the NO/NO/ANY/ANY class

This means you can't have any tint on the front windsheild or front side windows but you can have any degree of tint you want on the rear side windows and rear windsheild.

Hope this helps. Below is the link for all states as well.

http://home.pcisys.net/~bpc/auto_law/tint/

[belladonna]

nice link deadlegs. thanks :)

[Reason]

Tinting is tricky, and I'll be damned to mess up my rear window. Thats why I broke down and paid the $145 to have it done right. My rear window is 20% and the sides are 35% I can see everything fine, maybe I'm just used to it. The percentage of tint is how much sunlight passing through it. I have 35% of light coming in on the sides and 20% of light coming in the rear, It's very simple. Mark :roll: *sigh* paint shading has NOTHING to do with tint. That's the REASON for your "backwards percentage system." :wink:

[Wiscon_Mark]

Well.....my way worked too. :oops: But I was grabbing at straws there a little, I guess. It made sense to me, but oh well.

[2deadlegs]

I rule all...get used to it.

[SubaruGenki]

In WA you can go as dark a you want behind the driver and front passenger. I'm thinking about 5% behind the driver and front passenger and 35% (legal for driver and front passenger).

[busdriver]

Hey,

Some owner along the line put on some window tint themselves and it looks like crap, plus it's not even tinted, so it might just be like UV protective film...
Anyways it's got some big delams in it and I want to get rid of it cause it's hard to see out of with it being wrinkly...

Before I attempt it though I would like to know if anybody has some experience with the sticky goo that gets left behind on the window. I don't want to gum up my window scrapers...
Any clues??

[Wiscon_Mark]

soapy water is supposed to free it up, but if its too old, that may not even do it. Yes, use scrapers and a spray bottle with some soapy water, and it may come off.

[Reason]

Use a flat edge razor blade. The side windows will be easy and messy. We did it to my friends truck. The rear window will be a bitch. The "heaters" on the rear window will scrape off. I wouldnt know how to go at that :shock:

[shazapple]

Some tint once you get it going it will just come off all in one sheet. Im sure you can use some Spray 9 or Goo Gone to get rid of the stickyness easily

[gator gt]

I was thinking of getting tint done to my car.....but thats icing.....I need to bake the cake first.

When I was in Virginia, I owned a 93 Jeep Cherokee....great shape. Anyway, I paid something like $250 for their best non-reflective metallic tint; the darkest the law would allow....I swear, in the middle of the day, I could barely read an article in the back seat. This stuff was DARK!!! I loved it.

It worked great with the black accenting of the Sport package of the Jeep.

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