Tinting your windows Read this first!!! DIY

[preston_e]

Hey, awhile ago I tinted my vp and it turned out to be a pretty good job I think...
It cost me about $60 for the tint I had some left over’s and re-did some windows I wasn't happy with.

Turns out it wasn't as hard as I thought ill run thu the way I did it.
What I used.
-razors
-rubber squeegee (the guy I got my tint off gave me a good one for free but you also got little plastic one with the tint)
-spray bottle full with water with a drop or 2 of soap in there
-oven cleaner
-heat gun
and just a few rags

1. Removed my old tint... I slid a razor under the tint and peeled it away enough to grab then I slowly pulled the tint away and most of the glue came with the tint but for the glue that stayed on the window I used a bit of oven cleaner and the razor to scrape off the glue. Be careful of the rear window don’t use a razor over your demister line it will scratch them off I used one of those green scratchy things you use to clean dishes lol and a bit of the oven cleaner. **the oven clean stinks alot and almost made me lose my lunch a few time wear a mask!!***

2.Clean... After all the tints off you'll need to clean your windows very very well I used the meguiars glass cleaner it works well and it doesn’t leave any residue so your new tint will stick... I took my time cleaning the windows rrrreeeeeallllyyy well because if there’s any dirt or fluff ect it will get stuck in the tint and causes bubbles..

3. Clean again.. clean the outside of the window and use your spray bottle to wet the outside of the window then roll your window down about a inch, place the tint on the window, make sure you have the protective film (the film over the top of the sticky stuff) facing you and squeegee out some of the water from underneath the tint, this will help the tint stick to your window while your cutting it, cut along the top edge of the window then roll your window up carefully and try to make sure the tint doesn’t move yet, now trim the sides and before you trim the bottom just slide the tint up about a inch then cut along the bottom.

4.Tinting... with the tine still on the outside of the window carefully peel off the protective film to expose the sticky side of the tint and as your dosing this spray the tint with a fair amount of water then clean the inside of the window again, just to double check there’s no dirty or fluff on the window, and spray the window. Then carefully roll down the window a inch making sure you pull the bottom of the tint away as you roll the window down on the other side. Spray your tint again, then carefully pick up your tint and start lining it up with the top edge of your window, once your happy start squeegeeing out the water starting from the middle going up to the top in t V shape to each corner getting every drop of water out you can, if you need to wet the outside of the tint to make your squeegee move easier, now roll up your window carefully and spray your tint again if needed, keep your tint wet to stop it sticking before you want it to stick, and continue squeegeeing the water from under the rest of the tint, pushing the tint under window seals ect.

Then basically you’re done the first window just do the remaining ones the same.. The back window is a bit trickier you’ll need a heat gun.. set up and cut the tint the same way as the other windows but only roughly cut it to size as you’ll need to heat shrink the tint a little to go the tint to mould to the curve of the back window.. so using a heat gun on low setting use your squeegee to help you heat shrink the tint heres a little video of what heat shrinking the tint looks like.. p.s no, it’s not me.

YouTube - Window tinting / heatshrinking backglass by Texastintchick

Now you’re done I think, just don’t open your windows for the next 3 or 4 days till the glue can dry then after you open your windows you can use a razor and trim along the top if there's any overhang

I’ll try to answer any questions you have and here a pic of my tint

[Maxxiz]

Looks good dude, might do this sometime! Pic doesnt get bigger, can u post a bigger one and/or a couple more?? And what % tint is that??

[preston_e]

Looks good dude, might do this sometime! Pic doesnt get bigger, can u post a bigger one and/or a couple more?? And what % tint is that??

Hey, thanks man. this pic should be bigger.


and i got 15% tint.... 5% was a bit too dark at night for me

Eddie,

[Fonzie]

Brilliant effort mate. I watched and talked to Teppa when he did my VS ages ago, And have wanted to give it a shot ever since.

[preston_e]

Brilliant effort mate. I watched and talked to Teppa when he did my VS ages ago, And have wanted to give it a shot ever since.

Thanks bud, i think it was much easier then tint-a-car made it out to be.

[Adds_05]

where did you buy the tint from?

[preston_e]

where did you buy the tint from?

I saw it on ebay then went to the wholesaler and picked it up

Metallized Car or Home Glass Window Tint Film 15% Black - eBay Window Tint, Glass, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 08-Jun-10 13:49:41 AEST)

You can also get it from auto barn and places like that

[xCalliba]

for a backyard job without the right tools, thats a great job mate! i take my hat off
as far as 'being hard' goes, well for one that chick in that youtube vid was heatforming a Corolla back window which is actually one of the easiest to do.. still gives one an idea of the process tho i guess.
tint-a-car no doubt would have made it sound hard to entice you into just giving up before you start and paying them to do it haha. Having said that, and please dont think im trying to steal your thunder here mate, but the VN through to the VZ commodores are one of, if not the easiest cars to tint. Basically because of the dot-matrix edging the door windows. As you adequately put tho, getting the window SPOTLESS is the key to a successful job.
Oh, and i advise to EVERYONE to NOT buy tint from the likes of Autobarn or Supercheap etc etc... the film quality is CRAP. it will be lucky to last you 5 years, even if you have it 'professionally' installed. Ebay's ok i guess if you pick the right stuff.
Once again, top job mate

[Macca86]

I had a shot at doing this today. Failed though. LOL. All was good and I followed exactly the instructions above (as I read on here as well as the videos on youtube etc) but after i got the tint on the window and squeezed all the water out, I kept getting 'fingers' of air running in from the sides. Soon as I'd push them out the the side, they would just form again straight away :S

[ausrs]

stripping the old tint off is way easier with a heat gun and a spray bottle of water ,way easier than doing it all with a razor blade !

[Verynice]

Also best thing to use as the spray solution is 1 teaspoon of johnsons baby shampoo to a spray bottle of water

[xCalliba]

I kept getting 'fingers' of air running in from the sides. Soon as I'd push them out the the side, they would just form again straight away

what were you using to push the moisture out with mate? if you were using like a gold teflon card of sorts (or sumthing like that) wraping a lint free cloth around the card when you push the moisture out will help. also, the more you push the spears down (or 'fingers' if you prefer) and they keep popping back up, the more chance you have of getting dust, felt etc under the tint. cus when the spear forms again, it acts like a small vacuum and sucks not only moisture back in, but also whatever is trapped in the moisture. best bet, if its only a small spear, is if it doesnt go down the first time, leave it. let it tack off for a few hours, then push it down. or, heat the glass up with a heat gun and try it. the less you can muck around with spear, the better off you are

stripping the old tint off is way easier with a heat gun and a spray bottle of water ,way easier than doing it all with a razor blade !

unless your good with a scraper blade that is :P

Also best thing to use as the spray solution is 1 teaspoon of johnsons baby shampoo to a spray bottle of water

damn straight! i use Johnsons 'No More Tears' (the gold colored liquid), it works just as good as a world class professional slip solution, like Slip-G etc. Word of note though, if you get small copious amounts on your door trims etc, wipe it off soon as you can, it can stain

[Disturbed_vegeta]

I am a window tinter and trust me it's not easy. Wind ups are relatively easy. Try shrinking a rear screen on a vt-vz without creasing it. It's not easy. I know tinters that have been tinting for years who can't tint a rear screen on most commodores. You can always pick a home job. But if your willing to give it a go. Make sure you don't cheap out on film. Get either johnsons, 3m, mep or suntek films. Cheap shit from autobarn is garbage. Anyway good write up and have fun. Oh you can also use morning fresh to apply it just becarefull. It's a pretty strong concentrate. I'd use around 12-14 pumps per 20l

[xCalliba]

Try shrinking a rear screen on a vt-vz without creasing it. It's not easy.
Get either johnsons, 3m, mep or suntek films. Cheap shit from autobarn is garbage.

ill vouch for that mate! ive been tinting everything and anything from dirty ass bobcats through to rooftop pyramid skylights for nearly 8.5 years... and i gotta agree with you, even i sometimes screw up a VT-Z rear screen up in the top corners, rarely, but still happens. its good to see another honest tinter that doesnt think they are perfectly faultless 100% of the time. as u said even the most experienced stuff up.
TOTALLY agree with steering clear of the cheap ass autobarn/supercheap film. even if installed properly it wont last.

[vs commo]

ill vouch for that mate! ive been tinting everything and anything from dirty ass bobcats through to rooftop pyramid skylights for nearly 8.5 years... and i gotta agree with you, even i sometimes screw up a VT-Z rear screen up in the top corners, rarely, but still happens. its good to see another honest tinter that doesnt think they are perfectly faultless 100% of the time. as u said even the most experienced stuff up.
TOTALLY agree with steering clear of the cheap ass autobarn/supercheap film. even if installed properly it wont last.

the film that we sell at supercheap is 3m so it must be alright.maybe u should find out more before u start putting shit on wat companys sell.

[xCalliba]

the film that we sell at supercheap is 3m so it must be alright.maybe u should find out more before u start putting shit on wat companys sell.

not that im casting doubt on your knowledge of stock at supercheap here (as i assume u work there), but since when have Altrex and 3M been linked product wise? And last time i used film from both auto barn and supercheap, it was a dye-based film. Which, if im going to be completely honest here, is more useless than Aquaman.
However, when im wrong, im wrong. And IF altrex are linked to 3M, and the range of said film supplied from 3M is NOT dye-based, i am more than happy to retract my statement, with formal apology and ill even vouch for the product