How to Self Tint Car Windows
Window tint isn't just a cool way to tie a car's overall paint and design scheme together, it can also extend the life of your car's interior components and passengers by keeping them cool, too. Well, it may not extend your passengers' lives, per se, but it'll at least increase their appreciation of you. DIY tinting is fairly easy once you get the basics down, but the learning curve isn't steep; odds are you'll have that fourth window done in one-third the time it took you to do the first.
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Things You'll Need
- Spray bottle
- Dish detergent and water
- Plastic dish scrubby
- Lint-free cloth
- Scotch tape
- Single-sided razor blade
- Rubber squeegee
Instructions
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Check your local and state laws to make sure that your prospective tint is kosher with law enforcement. The percentage number on your tint is the amount of light that makes it through; 25-percent tint excludes 75 percent of the light, 10-percent tint excludes 90 percent of the light. Ranges vary by state, but you can expect between 25 and 50 percent for the side glass, and any conceivable range for the rear glass.
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Park your car in a shaded, well-lit and dust-free area that's been at between 40 and 98 degrees Fahrenheit for at least three days. This will ensure that all of the temperatures and humidity levels remain stable for the duration of your tinting. Clean the glass inside and out using an ammonia-free dish detergent, water and a soft, plastic dish scrubber. This will remove any large particles clinging to the glass. Rinse the windows and repeat, using a lint-free cloth, and then dry them with another lint-free cloth.
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Identify the film and liner sides of your tint. Fold a corner of your film over onto itself and rub it against the tint. If the two stick together, then that is the film-side. The slick side that slides without resistance is the liner side. Wet the outside of the window with an even spray of soap-and-water solution, and then lay your tint on top of it with the liner-side facing out. Your tint will stick to the wet window as you unroll it; once you get to the end of the window, use your razor to cut away the excess film.
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Position the film so that the straight bottom edge hangs about 1/2-inch below the bottom of the outside window gasket; this will give you some margin of error when cutting and trimming. Spray the outside of the film (the side facing you) with soapy water, then gently press your rubber squeegee to the top of the film. Pull down to squeegee all of the water out from between the film and glass, temporarily molding it to the shape of the window and holding it in place.
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Trim the vertical edge of your window tint first, holding the razor blade at about a 15-degree angle to the film to leave a clean, straight cut. If you haven't already opened the car door, then do it and gently lift the film from the bottom of the glass. Roll the window down a couple of inches to fully expose the top of the glass. Now, cut the film along the top contour of your window glass, making sure that the film stays in contact with the window at all times.
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Use a sharp pair of scissors to round off any jagged corners, but do not pull the film off of the outside of your window. Wash the inside of the window again; you can't be too careful here, since any contaminant on the window will either show through your tint or cause it to peel later. Wrap a cloth around the edge of your squeegee and use it to clean around the gaskets. Wipe the window down with the rubber squeegee and lint-free cloth, then gently blow on the window to remove any remaining dust.
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Separate the liner from the tint. Use a piece of tape on either side of one corner of the tint as tabs to gently pull the two apart. As you separate the tint and liner, spray the soap solution in between them to moisten the adhesive and release its grip on the liner. Spray a liberal amount of soap solution on the inside of your window, and spray the film on the outside again. Now, gently transfer the film from the outside to the inside. fold the bottom edge up against itself so that it doesn't pick up any dirt from your door panel.
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Position the film so as to leave an even 1/8- to 1/4-inch gap between the top of the film and the top of the window. You need this gap so that the top window gasket doesn't peel the tint off when the window closes. Spray the tint with plenty of soap solution and run the squeegee around the top edge of your glass to remove the water, and then roll the window up to lock it in place. Spray the rolled-up bottom edge of your tint with solution and roll it down against the glass.
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Slide your squeegee in between the glass and the lower window gasket and tuck the bottom edge of the film between the window and gasket. This step is where a lot of people mess up; failing to tuck the tint under the gasket will encourage the gasket to peel the tint off the moment you roll the window down. This way, the gasket will just slide over the tint.
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Respray the tint with more solution, then squeegee all the water out from under it. Start at the top of the film and squeegee in a downward direction so that the solution goes into your door. Don't worry; doors are designed with the idea of some water intrusion in mind, so a little bit of solution won't hurt anything.
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Push any bubbles under the film outward and to the nearest edge. Wrap the edge of your squeegee with another cloth, and give the tint one final, downward pass to remove any remaining solution. Allow the squeegee to sit at the bottom of the tint for a moment between each stroke; this will give the cloth some time to soak up any wayward solution and keep it from siphoning back up under the film. Give your interior a final wipe-down with a dry cloth, and move on to the next three windows.
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Tips & Warnings
Be sure to check all applicable vehicle laws regarding window tint.
References
- "Installation Instructionctions"; Gila Automotive Window Film; 2010
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
