The secret I found out about tinting windows is just pay to get it done. Most places that do it usually have a pretty good waranty. I'v tried tinting my windows once and ended up saying ''Fuck it" and took it to get professionally done. Havent had a complaint yet and it came with a 5 year warranty.

 

I know how to tint and its professional courtesy not to tell everyone, sorry. OTC tint sucks donkey cock that could very well be your problem.
Make sure the glass is clean clean clean.
Thats about all I really should say about it.

 

Pay to get it done. My tint job on my white talon was absolutely sick, no bubbles, 5% all around. It was by best friends dads business and when my front windows got peeled by the cops he hooked me up with new tint for free. It was like 55 buck a window but well worth it.

 

I know how to tint and its professional courtesy not to tell everyone, sorry.

Yeah, I guess that would be like a lawyer telling you how to defend yourself. Heck, even THEY give free consultations.

Thanks for stepping up and sharing.

I've use OTC tint and had good results. I've heard soapy water with a good squeege is helpful. Super clean with no dust is a must. For small air bubbles, you can use a needle to prick the middle of the bubble and press. Should come out. This is a bandaid fix, but you shouldn't have them in the first place.

 

I bought the tint from O`Reilly's since my buddy works there and I get a good discount.

Is it better to squeegee going up, down, or horizontally?

It seems i've gotten better results doing it horizontally, but I only did one window by myself. My cousin did the other one.

That's a clean job, with that white 1g.



Yeah thanks for sharing, any advice is well appreciated

 

I bought the tint from O`Reilly's since my buddy works there and I get a good discount.

Is it better to squeegee going up, down, or horizontally?

It seems i've gotten better results doing it horizontally, but I only did one window by myself. My cousin did the other one.

That's a clean job, with that white 1g.



Yeah thanks for sharing, any advice is well appreciated

Squeegee which ever way is closest to the edge, usually. When the lines form on convex/concave surfaces, hit them with a heat gun, squeegee while it is still maleable.

Spray it with soapy water til its practically dripping and slip it onto the window which should be covered as well.

There isnt a lot to it mostly practice.

 

Moved to Body Tech.
-dna

 

To me it's just like mechanics. If some monkey can fix it, I certainly can. Now all, don't go getting offended. When I refer to a monkey, it's just a term for some schmuck behind the bay who thinks no one else can do the same thing because he's a "professional". My ass!

I've found I do a much better job myself than some guy being paid, who really doesn't give a crap because it's not his, (insert the name of the item being worked on here).

Experience usually does help with tips for getting a quicker or easier result but I believe most can achieve a good result with care and attention to detail.

 

Take a razor to the glass to make sure its completely clean. I also use Stoner's glass cleaner intsead of soapy water. Using a heat gun or hair dryer will help get those pesky litlel bubbles out by expanding the air and allowing the squeegy to "grab" them.

 

Squeegee which ever way is closest to the edge, usually. When the lines form on convex/concave surfaces, hit them with a heat gun, squeegee while it is still maleable.

Spray it with soapy water til its practically dripping and slip it onto the window which should be covered as well.

There isnt a lot to it mostly practice.

Awesome! Those are some great tips. All I got is a hairdryer, but I assume that it will do the same job.


Thanks a lot, twinturbo3k.

Razor blade to glass. I'm definately gonna try that. Thanks Driver.

 

To me it's just like mechanics. If some monkey can fix it, I certainly can. Now all, don't go getting offended. When I refer to a monkey, it's just a term for some schmuck behind the bay who thinks no one else can do the same thing because he's a "professional". My ass!

I've found I do a much better job myself than some guy being paid, who really doesn't give a crap because it's not his, (insert the name of the item being worked on here).

Experience usually does help with tips for getting a quicker or easier result but I believe most can achieve a good result with care and attention to detail.

I agree.

Also, for small bubbles get a harder squeegee it will allow you to put more pressure on the tint and get the tiny muh fuggers out.

 

Thanks for adding that TT3K. Sharing of knowledge is what this forum is all about. I do understand trade secrets but I hardly doubt sharing some here will break the tinting industry.

You get props for stepping up.

 

Thanks for adding that TT3K. Sharing of knowledge is what this forum is all about. I do understand trade secrets but I hardly doubt sharing some here will break the tinting industry.

You get props for stepping up.

/agree

We're all DSMers. I must tip my hat to you as well, twinturbo3kgt, as well as everyone else that has shared their tips and advice.

 

I know how to tint and its professional courtesy not to tell everyone, sorry.
Thats about all I really should say about it.

Your a ***... j/k
Original poster buy some quality tint off ebay or somewhere else...the gila shit at pep boys does blow.To get the air bubbles out, use a heat gun and take your time.

 

I found that tiniting the front windows of my eclipse was easier done with the windows removed from the car. Ita llowed me to be able to cover the window lower and help keep the tinti from peeling up from the door panel.

I used a razor blade to make sure all was clear, rubbed the entire thing down with alcohol, and sprayed the crap out of it with soapy water.

If you decide to use window cleaner (DONT anyway) make sure there is NO amonia, it will keep the tint from sticking to the window.

Thomas
90 TSi AWD

 

I've never tinted before but I use to runa sign shop and vinyl is basically the same thing. We always used a spray bottle full of water and added about 3-4 drops of dawn. Any more and it will never dry, any less and it will grab the window while you're working on it. Other than that, make sure when you are using the squeegee, you are dragging it across the film. Only push it against little bubbles and softly. If you push it against large ones really hard and try to force it, you will probably stretch the film and have to start over. Not sure if this applys to tint but i know it helps alot with vinyl. Good luck.

 

I am not much of a DSMer but i tint professionally. I will run through the step quickly. These are basic steps and there only to try to help out.

things you need...
A heat gun (no blow dryer)
A spray bottle that is perfectly clean.
Distilled water.
Baby shampoo.
squeegees
Tint knife

I have always used a mixture of distilled water and around 7-8 drops of baby shampoo

1. clean all the glass inside and out. the film gets applied to the inside of the windows but all the prep work of the film is done outside.

2. spray the outside of your choice of window. i would start with a door.

3. lay the film on the outside of the window, make sure that the clear layer of the film faces out. make sure that the entire window is covered.

4. squeegee around the top edge of the window to hold the tint in place. cut the bottom and the front of the tint by gliding your knife on the edges of the gaskets (be carefull not to cut them) make sure that your tint has not moved. Wet the tint again and squeegee the tint around the top and back edge.

5. this is semi important. make sure while cutting your top edge that the tint is squeegeed in place, you dont want it to move. go ahead and cut your edge by gliding the knife along the top of the glass, using the top edge as the guide.

6. you should now have the basic shape of the window. you should now slowly remove the tint and wet the window. place the tint back on the outside of the window but make sure it is about a half an inch from the bottom of the glass. squeeqee the top of and sides of the window careful not to crease the film. do not squeegee the bottom. make sure the all the "fingers"(long bubbly things) are at the bottom.

7. Heat gun time. get the heat gun hot. use the heat gun to shrink these fingers at the bottom only. (tint only shrinks one way) heat them slowly and these fingers will slowly shrink and move around. carefull not to burn or crease the film.

8. after you are done with this you will need to clean up the corners of the film with your tint knife.

When you are done with this the tint is ready to be installed

Installation.

1. cleanliness is the most important thing to keep in mind. clean clean clean.

im gonna cheat so i dont have to type any more and give you guys a link.

http://www.tintsupply.com/instructions1.htm

back windows if any attempts are made buy you guys will have to be in at least 2 pieces. heat shrinking is a must for this. remember tint only shrinks one way.

Unfortunately dsm's are some of the hardest cars to tint so i wish you all luck.

Later Darrell
:burnout:

PS dont hate on vw guys, we are always trying to help

 

Good post Darrell. A lot of good information. You get a :tree:

 

Thanks for all the info! I tried tinting like 5 years ago and it was a total disaster. The gsx came with the windows tinted already, but I'd like to get them darker. I might give it a try again after practicing on my DD.