looking at pre cut kit and doing the install myself on a car i got to drive to work. what brand/type did you use and are there any to stay away from? thanks
looking at pre cut kit and doing the install myself on a car i got to drive to work. what brand/type did you use and are there any to stay away from? thanks
The problem with diy is that you don't know how much, if any tint is built into the window. If the state allows 30% and you put 30% on a window that has 15% built in, you are breaking the law. Here, the professionals put what is legal and insert a little sticker behind the tint on the drivers window with their business name and that indicates to the cops that it was done legal. No need for the officer to test it. And I got a lifetime warranty with mine. The drivers side started to ripple. Replaced it at no charge.
I would pay someone to do it. It doesn’t cost that much and it will look better than what you do.
I would say if you can put on vinyl stickers and so forth with out getting bubbles under them, then try to tint your window, if you always have bubbles on vinyl stickers, then consult a professional window tint business.
Window tint is pretty cheap these days, I’d pay someone. I paid $80 for the front two windows on my truck and that was for their best tint. Lifetime warranty and the place has been in business for many years.
I always get mine tinted and places will put on illegal tint with no sticker. Never had an issue. Did have one place tell me the tint was too dark for the inspection, he went ahead and approved it. For the cost and time involved, i don't feel like u save much by doing it your self. But then again I ain't young and broke anymore.
Bryan McDonough
2023 Nitro Z21 XL
Nitro Team
If stopped, roll your window down so the cop can see you clearly and you should be good had been my experience.
Lanierspotman
2023 Skeeter 21ZXR 2023 250 SHO
Lake Lanier, GA
Most people can put on store bought window tint and make it look decent. The problem is to get a job done and it still look good 10-15 years down the road you must have quality tint and zero bubbles. Just one tiny bubble will look like crap after it has dried in a few days. Then as time passes it will look worse and the bubble will get larger. Plus if you have too much slack in the film it will really look like crap a few months down the road. Too much slack may not show up when your doing the job but a few months down the road it will show up as tons of bubbles. Removing window tint is a huge pain in the butt so get it done right the first time.
In my area a 4 door passenger car will set you back about $135-150 pending how easy/hard the back glass is to reach. This will be all 4 door windows, back window and a stripe across the front window. If all you need is the driver and passenger windows and a stripe across the front then it's about $75. This is with high quality film (Lumar Window Tint). My truck windows were tinted in 2001 and still look great. My car windows were tinted in 2006 and still look great. The guy who tinted my windows done it routinely at his auto custom shop so he has a ton of experience. The OP never mentioned how many windows or what type of vehicle. Worst case scenario it cost somewhere in the mid 100 range or possibly less. For that price point I will let a professional do it every time.
Pay someone to do it. I worked in a sign shop where I cut and applied vinyl decals to large signs. Figured if I can do that I could tint as well. WRONG!!!!
You would be surprised how easy it is for dust etc to get on the surface even though you cleaned it 10 times over. Those little specks tend to get worse over time as the sun heats it up. I tinted my truck and a boat years ago which turned out ok. But if you looked close you could see the little goof ups. I was young and looking to save a buck so I guess it worked out. Once I was older and not broke I paid a professional. I understood how much better they can do once I saw the end product.
I have tinted windows since just out of high school and the pre cut kits most times are not very quality tint. If you have patience and steady hand that’s a plus but if you’ve never done it then you better practice several times before trying it. As long as I did it there were times I would have to rip a piece off and start over. Clean glass is the first key and when you think it’s clean enough clean it again.
Also if cop ask u to roll ur window back up cause he saw ur illegal tint before hand. Expect a ticket either way
Pay someone and be done with it or pay someone later to fix it will cost a lot more.
As JR19 mentioned, I have always heard that Lumar was top notch, not sure about any names you should stay away from.
Buy a roll at Wally World, buy a bunch of blades, buy a real good squeegee, You're going to mess up at least one window unless you do it all the time. Even then, those guys mess up a window once and a while and have to redo one. You may save a few bucks doing it yourself? I think I paid 60.00 for the front two on my Tundra?
Oh yeah, you'll need something to hold the trim out at the bottom of the window as well. If your windows have a curve in them...
Any idea on what they charge to pull off tint?
Old tint can be removed with razor scraper and either the decal remover or I actually used soapy water same solution as I use to put it on baby shampoo mixed lightly with water in a spray bottle. It would be much cheaper to do that yourself because depending on what type of tint and the adhesive on it that can take some time. Just make sure you scrape those windows clean. LLumar was the best but they got where you have to buy in bulk now unless you know someone who sells it by the foot.Originally Posted by grout-scout
He was implying that if he does the job himself and screws it up, the shop will charge a fee to remove the poorly installed tint before professionally installing the tint the right way. Basically, it was to point out the mistake could wind up costing more than paying somebody to do it right the first time.
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"If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs."
-David Daye
No, actually I was asking because the tint in my 2012 truck is starting to suck! Every week in the heat it’s getting worse. I guess the dealership had a cheap job done on it. I’d rather pay someone to pull it and re-tint, just curious about what they’d charge to pull it.
Ass-U-Me...but mostly me in this case, lol
No idea on cost to remove, but the most accurate information is only a phone call away
__________________________________________________ _______________
"If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs."
-David Daye
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