Tinting Your Windows

Tinting the windows of a car is a common way people improve their cars or trucks. Unfortunately, the cost of tinting your vehicle's windows can be somewhat prohibitive as it is going to cost you between $150 to $250 with the cost of increasing depending on the types of windows and the amount of prep work that is required. Why pay someone else that money when you can do the job yourself?

To begin you are going to need to gather together the following items and materials.

• Spray bottles
• Blow dryer
• Bone tool
• Hard plastic card
• Small, 4-inch squeegee
• Tinting film
• Heat gun
• Small sponge
• Razor blades (safety razors work)
• Liquid soap detergent

1. In your spray bottle put a mixture of water and soap. Measure the windows that you are going to tint and cut the film into the shape of the windows. Set aside the film in an area dedicated for the storage of the film.
2. Use your spray bottle and clean the windows to remove all the dirt and make sure that you have a truly clean surface. Let the windows dry and go over the windows with a razor and squeegee to remove any residue that remains.
3. Begin placing the tinting film on a side window. As you place the film onto the window, make sure that you leave between ¼" and 1/6" from the top of the window, since that will be covered when the door and window are closed. Use your bone tool to push the tint beneath the rubberized weather stripping that runs along the bottom of the window, and your hard card to make sure that the film goes into all the corners of the car's window.
4. Utilize either the heat gun or blow dryer and the squeegee to go from one side at the top to the other. Be sure that you work in horizontal motions to help remove all remaining moisture and air bubbles from underneath the film.
5. Repeat the same steps for the other windows. You don't want to use the razor blade to remove any leftover soap scum on the rear window since this could damage the defrosting wires that are there. Instead, count the number of wires and cut the film into the resulting number of panels. Tint the rear window working from the bottom towards the top. After you have placed all the film, go back over and trim the film away from the defroster. Be careful since this is going to take a steady hand. If necessary use a straight edge or something to help you out.