Okay, so, I tried to tint my car windows the other day. I saw a bunch of videos online, and it looked pretty straightforward, you know? Just clean the windows, spray some soapy water, slap on the film, and boom, you’re done. Easy, right?
Well, let me tell you, it was a bit of a mess. I started with the back window because, hey, it’s the biggest one, so it should be the easiest to practice on. I cleaned it like five times, making sure there wasn’t a single speck of dust. Then, I mixed up some baby shampoo and water in a spray bottle – that’s what they used in the videos. I sprayed the window, sprayed the film, and got that thing on there.
So far, so good, right? Wrong. The film was just sliding all over the place. I couldn’t get it to stick properly. I was using this little squeegee thing to push out the bubbles, but they just kept coming back. It was like playing whack-a-mole with air pockets. Plus, the film was way too big, so I had to trim it, and let me tell you, cutting a straight line on a curved window is not as simple as it sounds.
After, like, two hours of wrestling with this thing, I finally got it on there, kind of. There were still some bubbles, and the edges were all jagged, but I was so over it. I decided to move on to the side windows, thinking they’d be easier since they’re smaller and flatter. Nope. Same story. Bubbles, wrinkles, and a whole lot of frustration.
- Step 1: Clean the windows like your life depends on it.
- Step 2: Mix up some soapy water.
- Step 3: Spray the window and the film.
- Step 4: Apply the film and try to keep your sanity.
- Step 5: Squeegee out the bubbles, and fail, many times.
- Step 6: Trim the edges and probably mess it up.
Then, the driver’s side window. I thought I had the hang of it by now. I was wrong. I somehow managed to crease the film in the middle, and no amount of squeegeeing could fix it. I ended up ripping it off and starting over with a new piece.
The Outcome
By the time I was done, it was dark, I was covered in soapy water, and my car looked like a five-year-old had tinted the windows. Not exactly the professional look I was going for. I spent around $100 for everything, but I read somewhere that the pros usually charge around $589, and the film alone could be around $2 to $100 per square foot. So, I guess I saved some money, but man, was it a headache. It is said that a 1000′ roll of film is currently about $800, and also need to add the lab processing cost.
I’m not saying don’t try it yourself, but maybe watch a few more tutorials than I did, and definitely have a friend help you. Or, you know, just pay a professional. In hindsight, I probably should have done that. Lesson learned. My windows do have a kind of frosted look now, though. It’s not exactly what I wanted, but at least it’s something, I guess.
