Have you decided to tint your car windows? This decoration is in great demand. It is style, individuality, creation of favorable conditions in the cabin. Questions that require study: “How to tint a car”, “What film to choose”, “How to avoid misunderstandings with the traffic police”, “Is it possible to perform tinting with your own hands and how to do it correctly”. The answers to them are in this article.
How you can tint your car
The traffic rules define the parameters of light transmission of tinted glasses. This is the first thing to consider if you are deciding how to properly tint a car.
You will never become the object of remarks and fines from the traffic police, if you meet the following requirements on the transmittance of glasses in a car:
- 75% – windshield;
- 70% – side windows;
- There are no standards for the rear, but the use of mirror film is prohibited.
There are few recommendations on how it is allowed to tint a car, but you should follow them rigorously.
How to choose a film for tinting a car
Light transmission is the main requirement in deciding how to tint a car. It is the safety of your own, your passengers, other road users.
The quality of the material is the second obligatory criterion. It is better to buy tinting in rolls. Its quantity should be calculated taking into account the fit. If you perform such work for the first time, increase the amount of film by 20%.
Metallized film is ideal. It is expensive, but it pays for itself over a long service life.
Dyed film is a budget option. It is not of excellent quality and durability. After 2-3 years, it will have to be replaced. It is advisable to buy this material for inexperienced car owners, who want to tint their own windows.
Nevertheless, you should not choose the cheapest dyed film. There is a high probability that you will have to change it almost immediately after gluing. Let us explain why:
- it is unlikely to glue well, there will be numerous defects;
- Most color options can spoil the appearance of the car.
When deciding how to choose a film for tinting a car, be sure to take into account your own experience and skills, financial opportunities.
How to glue tinting on a car
The easiest way is to entrust such a responsible matter to professionals. This saves time, effort and nerves. And yet, there are many for whom the information, how to tint a car with your own hands, will be relevant.
What tools are needed and where is it better to work?
It is inadmissible to tint the windows on the street. It is dust, ultraviolet light, wind, insects and other negative factors. To carry out the work, you need a closed, clean room.
Tools and consumables:
- plastic trowel “bouncer” (has no sharp edges);
- a powerful hair dryer (preferably an assembly hair dryer);
- Blade or office knife, scissors;
- nozzle for window cleaner;
- sprayer;
- liquid detergent (glass cleaner is not suitable);
- cloths (lint-free, preferably paper), sponge.
Tinting steps (side window example)
All work associated with tinting glass is divided into three stages.
- The preparatory stage includes the following work.
- prepare a soap solution from clean filtered water and a few drops of liquid detergent;
- clean the interior from dust and dirt;
- Prepare a template: put the film on the outside of the glass with a protective layer towards yourself, mark a line for cutting with the allowance (5-7 mm);
- Make a pattern out of the film according to the template on a big comfortable table.
- The main one is the most difficult. It determines the overall result:
- pour a soap solution into a spray gun and apply it to the inner surface of the glass;
- remove it thoroughly with a window washer nozzle (the direction of movement is left-right-down);
- lower the side window by 2-3 cm and carefully clean the edge (repeat the procedure twice);
- moisten the glass with prepared solution;
- separate the main layer of film from the protective layer (as you separate, moisten the main layer evenly);
- Step back from the edge of the glass 2 mm, apply the base layer of film;
- Gradually, accurately and precisely smooth the film on the glass surface, constantly adding water solution (the more liquid it is, the better slides the spatula and provides a quality adhesion of the film with the glass surface);
- after attaching the film to ⅔, lift the glass (make sure that the edges go into the grooves without deformation);
- glue the remaining part of the film (continue wetting);
- apply an aqueous solution to the outer side of the film coating and improve the adhesion using a bouncer;
- fix the tinting definitively with hair dryer (heating time in one place is 5-10 seconds).
Subtleties of windshield and rear window tinting
The stages of tinting other glass are similar, but it is important to take into account a few nuances:
- when identifying irregularities (heat lines), the pattern is divided into 3 parts and glued overlapping in the places where they pass;
- the film is attached in 3 stages: top, middle part, bottom;
- well-wetted pattern can be moved;
- blow-dry from the bottom upwards, then from the center to the sides;
- with the help of basting (and hair dryer) to achieve a reliable adhesion.
What to do when defects are detected?
Studying the question of how to glue tinting on the car, it is important to understand that this procedure is better to perform with an assistant. Defects of tinting also occur to masters. The main thing is to notice them in time and properly eliminate them.
You can easily expel the bubbles with a spatula, if the toning is still wet. When the film dries, vertical folds sometimes appear. They can be heated with a hair dryer and smoothed out.
Complete drying of the tinting film takes 24 hours. During this time it is better not to go anywhere.
These are the basic answers to the question of how to tint car windows. It is important to note that the pattern is made on the outside of the glass, and gluing – on the inside. The tinting procedure is not the easiest. Knowledge and patience will help you!
