D.I.Y. window tinting

[89accord_lxi_coupe]

hey, what do you guys think of D.I.Y. window tinting kits. i almost bought one today. i do know they are cheaper than taking car to a shop to get it done. I've also been told that those kits are the same thing they use in the shop. talked to ago in a chat room on yahoo, and he told me that. what is your opinion, have any of you used them?

next, i was at auto zone looking at the window tinting kits and saw the rack of stickers. well i went to look through them and found a sun visor to go across the top of the windshield that is a D.I.Y. you get a plain visor and a sheet of 70 characters to stick on that, then a clear sheet to go on that to protect them. i thought it would be cool to do one with 3geez on it. anyway, auto zone carries them if you wanna check it out.:pimp:

[turfnnsurf]

IMHO Take the car to a shop and have the windows tinted professionally. I have yet to see a DIY kit that didn't have a ton of bubbles in it... If you don't mind bubbles under your tint then DIY but if you like a nice clean look let the pros do it.. Save up the $120 to 150 for the pros.. It may be a little longer till you get your windows tinted but I think it will be worth the wait.

[89AccordNate]

Doing tint yourself isnt a good idea. It looks horrible and it never looks like it should.

And the stick on letters are just cheesy. I could make you a custom banner for cheaper then they charge you to 'stick your own letters on'. You seem to be trying to hard to do mods...subtle is the key my son.

Nate.

[87AccordLXsdn]

DIY has its advantages as well as taking it to a shop. DIY is alot cheaper and if you know how to do it, it can look just as good as the shop (with no bubbles). Although the shop will just just a little cleaner with the cuts. My dad and I tinted the windows on our BMW and it was a pretty shitty job, but it was our first time. I re-tinted my windows and it looks really good. Iin my opinion, do it yourself.

[YK86]

I did my own before too. But almost all the kits they sell are dyed films which will fade to a purple color. The adheasive is usually not very good and they can't be heat shrinked (to shape it into the rear windows). It's one of those get what you pay for things. Even cheap shops use crappy films sometimes. If you go to a shop, make sure you ask for metalized tints.

[pmip]

If you it's all you can afford, then you might as well do it yourself. But if you do, I would recommend the walmart vinyl tint. It's kind of blurry, but it's easy to put on (because it stretches), and when you need to take it off (because it probably will turn purple withen a year), it just peels off really easy. I have that stuff on my car now, but will be getting it done professionaly in a couple weeks. Without lots of experience, the right tools and good tint, it will probably never look as good as having a professional do it.

[Micah 89LXi]

yeah its fine till u get to the back windshield
WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE..trust me i wasted a box on it...its really really hard to do..ive done 4 cars now and im getting better..but be prepared to spend hours getting it right and thge bulbbles out..i did my 4 side windows..and it looks pretty good..when i make some more money i might have it redone professionally..but altogether it only cost me like $30 in supplies as opposed to 160 or whatever they were gonna charge

[Micah 89LXi]

if u get the 5000 grade tint with the reflective layer..not the horribly shiny stuff just the limo dark it wont turn purple
it turbs purple when u wash it with ammonia based cleaning products like windex can only wash it with water....thats why people drive around with purple tint ause they dont read directions

[cdscowboy]

I did my first car on my own, and it looked pretty good...no bubbles at all or anything. And I sealed the edges with some clear nail polish. Worked pretty well. I didn't do the back window...I was too scared!!! But the sides looked fairly decent. On my 3g, I paid $170 and had them done professionally (and slightly illegal, but who cares??). I really like the job on the 3g. I recommend saving the money and having a shop do it for you.

[wallyyfm]

If you do it properly, and only properly will it look good. Clean the window with hot soapy water. Rinse it off, then hit it again with hot soapy water and leave it on...take the precut peice of tinting and press it on the window...now use a squeegee to push all air and water out...wait like 10 minutes and resmoother it out, then take a hair dryer at least 3 feet away for a couple minutes and no one could tell it was done by a dumbass with soap, water, and a hairdryer

[Micah 89LXi]

but u gotta tuck in under the window seal like an inch..its ALOT harder than it sounds..gott have really steady hands..specially for that stupid triangle window

[YK86]

Take the door panels off. Makes it much easier.

[Scotts88WhiteLX-i]

an most shops when you pay if the tint comes off or gets bubbles down the road they'll redo the window for free.... lifetime guarantee for as long as you own the car....

[racingsoloII]

I used to work at a tint shop , and my 3rd gen coupe was the first car I did as a learner. Here are a few tips if you decide to do it yourself, but I will say since the back window has multiple compound curves it is one of the more difficult ones I have done, and if you get bubbles after it has been on for a while it can be a pain to remove.
1 take out everything you can in your interior it will save time in the long run.
2 scrub your windows with alchohol pads then clean them with scotch pads and a mixture of one third johnsons baby shampoo(no tears formula) and two thirds water . your windows cant be clean enough!!!!
3use high quality tint ,I will only use 3m , but that is my opinnion
4 stick the tint and backing on the back side of the window tocutt it use the same cleaning solution to stick it to the window, make shure to use high quality knives to cut it i.e. exacto and replace blades as soon as you feel binding.
5use a heat gun on a low setting to form it to your window from the back side , then when you pull it and stick it to the inside use the heat gun again .
6 make shure that when you peal the backing that you have someone else saturating the adhesive side and use two people to get it into the car.
7 go to your local vinal shop and purchase some good squegeez.
8 and never work with the tint dry or you will sretch it .
just a few pointers, oh also if you have a coupe or hatch take the rear quarter windows out to do them it is much easier to work with them on a bench.HOpe this has helped
p