Window Tint Fail

[06YarisRS]

:thumbdown: I should have known better. I rushed the job. My downfall was a dull utility knife and overworking the glue on the film. Oh well, $15.00 wasted, unless I can get eBay seller to send me one tiny rear window piece. I'll probably go have it professionally done. I had tint applied to the rear windows and hatch of my 2012 Rondo - Llumar film, I believe - and it was perfect install and remained like new for the 3 years I owned the car.

Sorry, no pics of my botched job...too embarrasing. :cry:

[91mustang]

lol. somethings i leave for others to do, this is one of those things.

[06YarisRS]

lol. somethings i leave for others to do, this is one of those things.

Yup, I'm tending to agree with you at this point. :thumbsup:

Already sent in two quote requests to local outfits.

[ern-diz]

lol. somethings i leave for others to do, this is one of those things.

Yup, I'm tending to agree with you at this point. :thumbsup:

Already sent in two quote requests to local outfits.

:thumbsup:

[SirDigby]

make sure to make the side windows are extra long. my passenger window had to be redone 3 times before it stopped catching on the bottom. the tint shop was trying to tell me i needed to adjust my window tracks. "what??" they told me there was little screws in the side rails to adjust the pressure in the glass.
no. just stop being cheap and cut it 3" longer.
it has been perfect for 2 years.
plus a shop will usually warranty it for life. so in 10 years you can bring it back and get it redone for free...

[IllusionX]

Both my cars have tint professionally done. Can't complaint. They are perfect.

My Yaris is pretty much 10years now, and still look great.

My Mazda 5 is going on its first year, by a different tint shop. So far so good, but I wish the tint wasn't brownish tint and black instead.

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[06YarisRS]

make sure to make the side windows are extra long. my passenger window had to be redone 3 times before it stopped catching on the bottom. the tint shop was trying to tell me i needed to adjust my window tracks. "what??" they told me there was little screws in the side rails to adjust the pressure in the glass.
no. just stop being cheap and cut it 3" longer.
it has been perfect for 2 years.
plus a shop will usually warranty it for life. so in 10 years you can bring it back and get it redone for free...

Interesting! Are you talking about the back windows? I agree, it's nice to have a guarantee.

[06YarisRS]

Both my cars have tint professionally done. Can't complaint. They are perfect.

My Yaris is pretty much 10years now, and still look great.

My Mazda 5 is going on its first year, by a different tint shop. So far so good, but I wish the tint wasn't brownish tint and black instead.

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Thanks. I'm leaning towards the professional job but the outfit I bought the tint from is sending me another kit free, so I may give it another try. If it fails again, then it's def off to be done by the pros. Or, I may ask if the local guys would apply the tint I have. I bet they will decline, but I may ask anyway.

[IllusionX]

Precut ones may or may not work. You still need to learn how to use the heat gun to shape it around the glass.

Working it around a flat surface is really easy. You just need a soapy solution so the glue doesn't stick to the glass right away.

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[06YarisRS]

Precut ones may or may not work. You still need to learn how to use the heat gun to shape it around the glass.

Working it around a flat surface is really easy. You just need a soapy solution so the glue doesn't stick to the glass right away.

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Yes, I watched a video on youtube last night about shrinking, creating small fingers and using the heatgun and card to smooth them out as well as shape it to the glass. I think it's beyond my skill level, especially since I only have one shot to get it right - at least on the one window I botched. I'll try another window as I will have two chances for each other window. I still have the three pieces left from the first kit. I'm prepared now anyway to pay to have it done, so minimally, I'll get to practice a bit. The other thing is is that I don't have the appropriate tools. I know people say the whole thing can be done with a credit card and absorbant towel but that's probably by people who are experienced. Thanks.

In retrospect, I think the issue was that the tint was slightly larger than the window and there are parts of the rubber that I couldn't get the film tucked under. I had tried one of the small triangular rear windows.

[tmontague]

I tend to diy everything and as stated above tiny is one of those things I watched doy videos on and realized the cost of good tint was only $100 less than the tint job. I opted to have it professionally done.

Lifetime warranty except the rear window due to the defroster coils

[06YarisRS]

I tend to diy everything and as stated above tiny is one of those things I watched doy videos on and realized the cost of good tint was only $100 less than the tint job. I opted to have it professionally done.

Lifetime warranty except the rear window due to the defroster coils

Yeah, I bet I'll ultimately end up in the tint shop. It makes sense that they wouldn't warranty the back window due to, as you say, the defroster lines.

[SirDigby]

Interesting! Are you talking about the back windows? I agree, it's nice to have a guarantee.

<------ i drive a 3 door. my rear windows do not roll down.

my tint shop did not say anything about non rear window warranty. i'll have to call and ask about that...

[IllusionX]

You often see back window bubble up. These installers used crappy tint film typically don't warranty it.

Both my cars were done and carry life time warranty. Not like I will ever need it. They stand by their work, and it's good.

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[06YarisRS]

<------ i drive a 3 door. my rear windows do not roll down.

my tint shop did not say anything about non rear window warranty. i'll have to call and ask about that...

OK. I understand now which windows you are talking about. Just not sure about the extra 3" of tint you referred to. Thanks.

[06YarisRS]

You often see back window bubble up. These installers used crappy tint film typically don't warranty it.

Both my cars were done and carry life time warranty. Not like I will ever need it. They stand by their work, and it's good.

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Whether I attempt the install myself - seller is sending me another kit - I will not be doing the rear (liftgate) window. The tint job is mainly to reduce the sun in the light in the rear seats. Kids will drive us crazy if there is too much 'screen glare'. :) I expect that in the end, I'll probably end up going with the pros. Thanks.

[IllusionX]

I did my civic with cling tint. 5% did an amazing job at reducing sun glare. I installed them using the same technique as standard window tinting, but it doesn't need to shape around the curved glass.

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[06YarisRS]

I did my civic with cling tint. 5% did an amazing job at reducing sun glare. I installed them using the same technique as standard window tinting, but it doesn't need to shape around the curved glass.

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I like the sound of that. If you mess up, I assume you just peel back, readjust. Will it cling multiple times? And, I wonder if you can buy precut kits for the Yaris.

I had another crack the back window today. Everything went really well, until I tore a small strip out with my card, despite having it well lubricated with slip solution. There must have been a tiny speck of sand or something on the film. I really respect the folks that can put this stuff on flawlessly. Again, I tried doing this outside with a very mild breeze, not the right tools etc so it was destined to fail.

When the new kit arrives, I'm going to try again in my garage with the proper tools. Again, I bet I'll be in a tint shop within a week or two.

[IllusionX]

LOL you have to clean both surface before applying.

Precut? It's really easy to trim, and it gives you the opportunity to clean both the tint and your glass inside and out.

I cut it myself off a 30$ roll of cling tint and still used the soapy solution so it doesn't stick right away and allow time to line it up before it clings.


And by the way, the pre-cut ones you bought seems to be really thin. It shouldn't rip because of a speck of sand.

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[06YarisRS]

LOL you have to clean both surface before applying.

Precut? It's really easy to trim, and it gives you the opportunity to clean both the tint and your glass inside and out.

I cut it myself off a 30$ roll of cling tint and still used the soapy solution so it doesn't stick right away and allow time to line it up before it clings.


And by the way, the pre-cut ones you bought seems to be really thin. It shouldn't rip because of a speck of sand.

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Oh, I cleaned both sides thoroughly a couple to three times each, including lowering the windows a bit to get the recessed window edge. I also razor bladed the windows before final washing. I'm just guessing that it was a grain of sand or similar that maybe came down from the window gasket.

You are correct, the film is really thin and almost brittle.

It reminds me of paint film I've applied. The 3M Ventureshield is beautiful stuff to work with using a heat gun. I ordered some cheap film from overseas and it was crap. Ended up throwing most of it out.

I really should know better buying cheap stuff. It's also a job that I'm not really that interested in practicing to become good. Plus, I wouldn't feel good about buying more expensive film and risking trashing that as well. I'm more into learning the mechanical end of things for these cars.

However, I will try again and post back.

Can I ask how you made templates? Did you cut them on the window itself? Thanks.

[IllusionX]

Of course I just cut them on the window itself, like the professional windows tint installer. No need for a template.
Watch out not to scratch the glass with the brand new x-acto knife blade.

I did try to use the tint film on my Echo hatch, but the curved glass was hell to work with.
Though, it worked perfectly fine on a flat glass, like my bedroom window.
And that I also bought a roll from Canadian Tire.

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[06YarisRS]

Of course I just cut them on the window itself, like the professional windows tint installer. No need for a template.
Watch out not to scratch the glass with the brand new x-acto knife blade.

I did try to use the tint film on my Echo hatch, but the curved glass was hell to work with.
Though, it worked perfectly fine on a flat glass, like my bedroom window.
And that I also bought a roll from Canadian Tire.

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Yeah, I wondered about the possibility of scratching the glass with the utility knife blade.

I mentioned that I had watched a video on shrinking the tint on the outside of the window. It demonstrated how to create fingers by bringing the outer edges towards each other slightly, then heating and smoothing down the fingers. Well, this cheap film didn't seem as pliable as the quality film they used. It was reluctant to create fingers and sort of bunched up a bit, even though I had lots of slip solution on both sides. So the film, again, was a touch large for the window. The interplay of cheap film, me rushing, my inexperience and not the best conditions resulted in a failure. I do have the free replacement kit coming, so I will try again but if that fails, I'm defintiely off to the shop.

Thanks