Anybody tint their own windows?

[Mead]

ok I went to get a quote at the local tint shop, what I saw was shocking :eek: a family operation with grandma cutting film, grand kids laying tint :eek: :eek:

I watch them carefully thinking 'hell I can do this' I remember seeing precut film on Ebay at a fraction of what they wanted ($170 for a liftback).. why not DIM (do it myself)

question is... has anyone tinted their own windows? especially the precut eBay kits?:confused:

[Kaotic Lazagna]

i tried one of those on my GTI. they left a little less than 1/4" around the border not tinted. and they're hard to put on if your doing it by yourself. i think a lot of those eBay films are dye-based, meaning it'll turn purple over time. i'd say save some money and shop around.

[MrJester]

I payed about $160 for my sedan I would just go for it and spend a little rather then run into problems down the road.

[Elroy]

I remember tinting the windows of my '75 Cutlass Supreme, back in 1987...I would go ahead and pay...lol.

[Mead]

yeah I read some feedback about the ebay tint, it's thin. I'll prolly get it done at the shop :frown:

[ceres]

That tint shop sounds a bit pricey for what someone said we should be paying (something like 130-140 on the 3-dr models). I'd check around a few places to get various quotes.

[tiksman]

I have tinted several cars with no problem but the Yaris windows are a bit odd the curves on the rear glass and side windows are very hard to get it to lay down properly. I paid a pro to do it.

[Blenjar]

Here around. I got quoted from 120 and 140. all around. And 75 for front windshield.
Don't bust ur ballz, pay sum1...best choice.

-- Blen

[Edd]

Why not just spend the $300 or whatever it costs and not have it peel, flake, or go purple?

[brickhardmeat]

Why not just spend the $300 or whatever it costs and not have it peel, flake, or go purple?

agreed, and there is no reason you should have to pay more than 200. for very good quality tint on this car

[Edd]

Ah, $200, then it's definitely worth getting it done by a professional. :)

[Elroy]

my friend has a 4 dr altima and paid $180 to have his done...the guy even came to his house and did it....looks great...just remember to check with your state laws on the tint...would hate to spend that money and then have to remove it on top of getting a ticket.

[||)) (o) ||\||]

I can vouch for the damn tint laws being a pain in the ass! Heres a link to see whats legal in each state.
http://www.tintdude.com/laws.html

[ChinoCharles]

I paid $160 with a one year warranty. It shouldn't cost a mint.

[sf180th]

I paid $220 plus tax, pricey you might say but I have a life time warranty and can take it anywhere in the U.S. that applies that type of tint and have it fixed for free.

[VistaXP]

My brother actually paid $100 for tinting all around with 10 year warranty I think and did a good job. Hasn't turn purple yet either, been 2 years.

Was done by a stereo/audio shop.

[mygfdrivesayaris]

First of all most of the ebay tints are cut by the same tint shops that do the installs, they are laser cut and metalized tint.

That being said, I have tinted all of my cars that i have ever had, i tried to tint my girls yaris sedan, the back window is a Pain, its very hard to get to, the side windows took about an hour each to get the tint worked onto them to lay well, and they still look bad. From 5 ft away it looks great, but up close not to amazing. My other cars all look very good, the yaris has a lot of curve on the windows. I would highly reccomend gettign it done unless you really know what your doing. On my girls car we are going to pull it all and ahve it done once we save some $$.

[seanele]

ok I went to get a quote at the local tint shop, what I saw was shocking :eek: a family operation with grandma cutting film, grand kids laying tint :eek: :eek:

I watch them carefully thinking 'hell I can do this' I remember seeing precut film on Ebay at a fraction of what they wanted ($170 for a liftback).. why not DIM (do it myself)

question is... has anyone tinted their own windows? especially the precut eBay kits?:confused:

i did mine..but sides only,...rear windows is a pain...:frown:

[seanele]

i tried one of those on my GTI. they left a little less than 1/4" around the border not tinted. and they're hard to put on if your doing it by yourself. i think a lot of those eBay films are dye-based, meaning it'll turn purple over time. i'd say save some money and shop around.

i did on my other car too...my VW GLi. again..only sides. bought them pre-cut from eBay, i think it was $30 shipped.
i don't think i saw any pre-cut on eBay for Yaris yet...but that was 3 weeks ago.
maybe the have now.

[seanele]

I have tinted several cars with no problem but the Yaris windows are a bit odd the curves on the rear glass and side windows are very hard to get it to lay down properly. I paid a pro to do it.

i failed the rear..but the sides went smooth.

[JosephDoc]

Labor rate and material varies depending on region. It cost me arm&leg cuz I went to the a shop that would remove door panels to get better lining and and filing at the edge of window glass.:drool:

[BrazdonW]

i payed $120 FOR 35% (maryland legal) tint and if it ever peals or bubbles u take it back and they replace it. i noticed a small bubble about a quarter inch near the outside rim of the tint. took it back and they replaced the whole window instead of just trying to get the bubble to stay down to later arise again. if your in waldorf i recommend www.hqtint.com. cosmetically the shop looks a little run down but the guys are good at what they do and are really nice when you talk to them a little.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b225/brazdon/car/cartintlowered.jpg

that's my car tinted by them
good luck :)

[Jerzidude]

(nice pic! lol) Its the curved glass.. I tinted the 2 rear sides okay. bought a custom cut kit. ya need to use a heat gun for the rear window, or u will get "fingers"... (bubbles on the edges).. i ruined my rear windshield custom cut piece.. if u can get a break on $$ then do the 2 rear sides. they are the easiest. No heat needed. u can put decals under them n do some custom there :) Have the rest done by a pro. im paying 170 for the rear windshield and 2 front sides here..seems high now that i read this thread... thx for the info... my appt is wednesday..lol we neeed to tawk! hey vito... wheres vito...

[gwasabi]

MY tints 15% all around and 35% on windsheild. ZOMG the ileegalness. in hawaii law is 35 percent all around and no tint on windshield. Came out pretty cool. Might post up pics later

[tmyers82]

Tinting a yaris is a pain in the ass especially with the tiny windows in the front. Keep in mind prices vary based on the number of windows and the quality of the tint being used. I just paid $185 for the highest quality tint I could get at a reputable tint shop. Tint has a life time warranty, and onlt took about an hour. The money was worth not getting pissed off for 6 hours doing it myself.

[freshprince130]

i did the tint on the sides myself. looks pretty good cept the driver side window fuckin wind blew and messed me up but im just going to pay someone to do it...

[slothman86]

I have tinted several cars with no problem but the Yaris windows are a bit odd the curves on the rear glass and side windows are very hard to get it to lay down properly. I paid a pro to do it.

It just doesn't lay down right on the sides! I got the gila stuff, I did exactly what it said, watched the video like 10 times... I'ma gonna try again later...by paying someone

[r300f28]

Paid $180.00 & got a lifetime warranty from Black Diamond in Valencia CA

[SeansGirl0604]

Stupid question, I know that already but I have to ask it anyway....

The windows are all slightly tinted on our cars. My question is this, is the tint cummulative? I mean, the windows are tinted and you put say 35% tint on them...is the result actually the 35% PLUS whatever is already on the windows?
So, if the laws in my state say 35% on the back half of the car, I should really get say, 40% to stay within the legal limits?

Don't forget, I warned you about the stupidity of this question!

[umm_bacon]

I have seen friends try and do this and it ALWAYS looks like a steaming pony load. I made an appointment for this Saturday with Alta Mere for $170. Limited lifetime warranty, not sure what the hell that means exactly, but here in central Kansas, they are the most popular/respected tinting company (or so everyone tells me). That ain't too bad considering I would end up replacing multiple windows after I would get liquored up and smash them after many hours of failed application. In my case being proactive and saving the money makes perfect sense. Gonna be nice. Nicest Yaris in central Kansas...kind of like saying the smartest at the Special Olympics, but hey...it is good to be #1!

[sherryberry]

my boyfriend did his own tint after buying it off of ebay. one window looked ok.. but another one he kinda screwed up on so he had to tear that off and now his car just looks wack.

[mySUV]

o wow i guess a got a pretty good price of 145 if you are in SoCal go to the place called TW tinting i got my 2 Z's,mazda and my new yaris tinted there the guy has over 16 years of expirience in tinting and they work with bmw dealer doing cars for them

[pp.sweet]

I paid $98 on my 3Dr hatch with lifetime warrty..and it look great :clap:

[umm_bacon]

I would worry about anything under, say, $150. You are probably getting the dyed film that turns purple after a few years. I may be wrong, but...hell, I don't know. I guess that any tint job will probably look like shite on a long enough time-line.