Benton

I remember Anir saying he ran a tinting business back in college, but if anyone could help it would be great. So, I've tinted all of my side windows myself with moderate success (actually turned out good, but the first few times were horrible). The rear window seems to be slightly convex, so that the tint conveniently bubbles on the edges where it doesn't want to conform to the complex curve. What can I do to tint this window myself before I take it to a shop? That is what I was trying to avoid in the first place-the high rates they charge for putting film on your windows. Can I put a hair dryer to it?

I may need to remove my rear window if I want to install the TBL that Skip kindly gave me, so I could go on and take it out to make it easier. But, what is involved in resealing it? Is it tough?

Thanks for any help.

David in LA

Not sure how much tint jobs run in Atlanta but in LA they are $200 or so, which to me would not make it worth the aggravation of a DIY job. With windows that are severely curved you need to use two pieces of tint and have them overlap at a defroster line to hide the seam.

If you wind up taking it to the shop make sure they use the right shade of tint...there are many, many different shades and colors. The good shops use film that are of higher quality and won't fade and make your windows look purple in a few years time.

Benton

I knew I could do it myself, so I figured I could save $150 to put towards my Jeep rebuild instead of spending it to paying someone else to do something I can do. I'm done with everything but the rear window and it's really not all that curved; the edges of the film just like to bubble up the slightest bit, ruining the job. I'm not quite as endowed in the $$$ department as some of you guys, so any money saved is good to put toward the Jeep.

Anir

Mark,

Tinting techniques may have come a long way since I did it in 1986, but I believe David is correct. We used to cut 2 (or sometimes even 4 or 5) individual strips on highly curved glass. As David suggested, the seams were hidden along defroster lines as much as possible.

I commend you for tackling it yourself. I remember all too well when $150 was a fortune for me. However, it took me 5 attempts on my Honda Civic to learn to do it correctly. I kept applying it and ripping it off. There was definitely a learning curve for me.

Let us know how it turns out.

Benton

Thanks for the help. I have probably trashed 7 or so pieces I cut from bubbles. I still need to replaced the driver's side rear quarter. The good thing is I got 50 feet for $50 of good quality film. As of now, it looks pretty good. To the discerning eye, you can see a few caught dust particles and spots where it doesn't perfectly line up, but I'm probably the only one who will ever notice. I'll post pics when it is done.

On the upside, I drove around today and WOW, I can't believe I didn't do this before. The car was outside and the interior temp had to be 10 degrees cooler (about 80 or so outside today) and the AC seemed twice as cold. I like the privacy aspect too. I have been neglecting the Porsche since I have been pressing to get the Jeep done before summer, but I put off the Jeep for a few weeks to finish off my stereo, fiberglassing the door panels for my speaker pods, recarpeting some pieces, and giving her the zaino treatment. I must say, I love these cars. Hopefully I can find time to do the DE in June at Road Atlanta.

kkim

if the curve is not too severe, I've seen the guy that installed my tint on other cars use a hair dryer to warm the tint to make it conform to the slightly curved surfaces. The tint materials today are vastly superior to the stuff they used to use 10 years ago, but you still need to learn to work the material you use.

Try gently heating the area and work with the same soft applicator that you've used to work the bubbles out.

good luck

Anir

Kelly,

Good point about the hair dryer. I still own the Black and Decker heat gun that we used for the same purpose. It can weaken and thin the tint if you're not careful, although the materials may be superior today.

"Back in the day", Llumar was the king, and 3M had just come out with a scratch-resistant film. Time marches on, aye?

kkim

Yep, except when it comes to 993s... These are classics!

Benton

Thanks for the help Kelly and Anir. I'll try my luck sometime this week.