How to Cut Your Rear Window Tint
Sunlight and ultraviolet rays can damage a vehicle or make the interior extremely hot on sunny days. Window tint, a film applied to automotive glass, reduces the light and heat that comes through the glass. Some motorists also use window tint to enhance the look of their vehicles. Cutting the rear window tint for a vehicle is difficult. The processes of cutting the film and heat shrinking the film to fit are the most crucial steps for installing window tint. Use the outside of the window to create the cutout and then transfer it inside for installation.
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Things You'll Need
- Glass cleaner
- Towel
- Spray bottle
- Liquid soap
- Water supply
- Fabric softener or dryer sheet
- Window tint
- Razor knife
- Heat gun
Instructions
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1
Wash the outside of the rear window thoroughly with glass cleaner and a towel. Fill a spray bottle with one part liquid soap and two parts water. Spray the entire outside of the rear window with the soap mixture. Spread the soap mixture across the window with a dryer sheet or fabric softener sheet.
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2
Lay your tint across the rear glass, with the liner of the tint facing outward. Cut the tint from the roll with a razor knife. Hold the large piece of tint in the middle and press a hard card or squeegee in the center of the tint. Pull the hard card horizontally across the window film toward one side of the car. Push the waves or fingers on the tint upward to make all of the fingers vertical on the window. Remember to always go from the middle outward when spreading with a hard card.
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3
Pull the hard card horizontally across the second side of the rear window film. Pull the hard card vertically from the middle of the glass upward, then the middle of the glass downward. Make all of the fingers on the rear tint vertical.
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4
Install a shop light into the rear of the car, so that the light shines through to the outside of the rear window. Exit the car and go back to the rear of the car. Cut the film on the rear window with a razor knife, about 1/8 inch outward from the rear window dotted line or dot matrix. The matrix spans the entire outer perimeter of most modern rear windows. For older glass, use the interior body molding against the inside of the glass as a cutting guide. Cut about 1/8 outward from the body paneling.
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5
Apply a heat gun to the tint from approximately 7 to 10 inches away. Spread the tint vertically from the middle outward, using your hard card to remove all of the air bubbles from the tint. Working in smaller sections or quarters can make this step less confusing. Keep the heat gun constantly moving so you do not burn the film. Slight burns on the edges can be cut away, but burns in the middle will require replacement of the piece of film.
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6
Peel the release liner off of the tint. Transfer the window tint from the outside of the rear glass to the inside of the rear glass for installation. Do not allow the tint to touch anything other than the inside rear glass, so as not to get dirt or dust on the film.
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Tips & Warnings
There is no such thing as too much soapy water when applying the window tint. The more soapy water mixture you use, the more installation time you will give yourself, and the easier the film will move and conform to the rear glass.
Do not press down hard on the razor knife when you are cutting the window film. Pressing too hard can scratch your rear window glass. Window tint is illegal in some states. Do not apply window tint below your state's minimum visual percentage. State laws can require a 50 percent or higher percentage tint. Darker tints may result in legal consequences or impounding of the vehicle.
