(S) Window Tinting!!

Any tips for window tinting on the rear 3 windows? im going to tint all my windows tomorrow and wundered if you guys knew any tips... not talking about the legality side.. just how to tint convex windows, and also the rear sides look difficult due to the rubber overlapping in a strange way... ive tinted windows before, but always flat ones, so this all looks a little tricky lol

one tip.pay to get a pro to do it

next tip lol...

I read somewhere about using talc powder.

what for?.. basically i tried tinting the rear window.. looked brill apart from around the edge... im using pro film (from a garage) rather than the sh(*)te film in a box from ye old car shops... so i dont get any small bubbles, just biggish ones around the edge....

ive done the usual, clean window, spray on water/fairy liquid... apply film, smooth out bubbles etc.. but the few big bubbles around the edge just wont disappear.. wanted to know if a hair dryer to dry the tints to the window would work etc,,,, any tried and tested methods greatly appreciated

have heard of using heat gun to shrink tint to the curve of the window... cant help much more than that im fraid m8

yea apparently you can shrink the tint ive got, but unsure how to lol

They applied talc so that IIRC, the film will take the convex shape of the window. I'll have a look tomorrow and see if I can find it.

Gentle heat from a heat gun as suggested above?

if you could mate, planning to have a go tomorrow morning

Id never use stick on tint, my dads friend does pro tinting basically he dips the windows rather than anything being stuck on and naturally the job is amazing I can get a 50% discount for myself but I will see if its possible for him to offer maybe a Club discount to Fiatforum will have to see!

nice motor, love the dash + wheel...

righty, spoke to mate of mine who tints windows pro!

he uses the savage window film from our shop and he does an A1 job!

firstly if he can remove a window he does, then wash windows WELL, spray fine coat of water with little soap in it, pre cut film to about size of window, apply and move about as applying, use a rubber window scraper starting from inside outwards and now tricky part!! he actually uses a heat gun on outside 4 inches of window moving around edge and then force last of water out, trim film to edge of window then the magic bit!!! apply thin layer of clear nail varnish to edge of film to stop it peeling back where it reaches edge of window! voila!!!

p.s. even pros not perfect and he makes cock ups and he says all you gotta do is start again

top tips m8, will try tomorrow.. is that on a curved window though? or do you have to apply in sections? also how much do yo want for your old temp guage? (read other post)

Curved windows are a complete pain in the arse (by this I mean the rear window), because you gravity is not on your side. its really a two man job. The theory is that you should start from the middle and work out wards.

Cut the film 1-2cm bigger than the actual window to allow for the curve, and other errors like the film being slightly mis-aligned.

Use plenty of washing up liquid/water mix on the window and make sure its absolutly spotless

Apply it to the window by getting your mate to peel off the backing whilst you try to make it stick and try not to crease it (this is easier said than done).

Once you've stuck the film on to the window, you should be able to move it about until its in roughly the right position. if the curve on the window is not too severe, there should be no creases, and use a credit card, or squegie to push the water to the side of the glass...

With a sharp disposable blade, carefully cut around the window seal. make sure you do this precisely because otherwise it'll look crap.

Squegie again.

The edges of the windows where it has a gradiant style pattern will always look rubbish, if you've got a lot of time on your hands, get a fine pin and make tiny holes in the film around the outside of the window (every few Cm or so) and massage the air towards the holes... but this can give an uneven appearance so I wouldn't bother.

For side windows and door windows you're best off taking them off the car and doing them inside in a dust free space, its much easier.

I did my entire car twice because the first time all the windows looked rubbish, and it took me several attempts to get the back correct. All in it cost me about £75 (large back window, 4 door windows, and rear quaterlites)

With the side windows, don't worry about cutting the film to shape, just cut a big rectangle large enough to cover the window, and trim it later with a sharp nife... the nife needs to be very sharp, otherwise it rips the film and you'll have to start again.

HTH

Btw I've heard of the heat gun method to make the film stick to curved surfaces, but never done it myself, so I've ommitted it from my description.