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Window Tinting Process w/Photos


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I have wanted to do this for years now, so I finally went out and did it today. I had 35% 3M tint installed on the front driver and passenger side windows. Since we live overseas, window tinting laws are different everywhere. I know that eventually I will go back to the States one day, so I looked up Texas state law on tinting and went with the regulation there.

 

It took about an hour and cost me about $55. I asked him to redo the passenger side window because there was a bubble line that wouldn't go away, so that made it take a bit longer. Below are the steps the installer took to install the window tint start to finish.

 

Rough measuring out the window shape:

 

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Straight-edge cutting the 3M tint:

 

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Test fitting on the outside of the window:

 

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Making final trims on the film before install:

 

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Placing the film on a mirror to find any flaws in the tint before install:

 

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Cleaning the inside of the window. He cleaned it about 3-4 times to ensure it was squeaky clean:

 

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Separating the protective cover from he tint and applying it to the inside of the window:

 

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Last, he took a blowdryer to help force the water down and probably to speed up the drying process:

 

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He had to remove the Sirius radio sticker on the window on the driver side. Here you can see that the tint has a slight bulge over the text and barcode on the windows. You have to look really hard to see. I took this picture with text behind a yellow painted line to show this effect.

 

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Final product:

 

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I am interested in a few things:

 

If you had a choice to tint through a local installer or do it yourself, which would you do?

 

What does it cost where you live to get your windows tinted?

 

What are the laws on how dark your windows can be tinted where you are from?

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Cellbine,

When it comes to window tinting, always take it to a pro. I've been at it almost 32yrs and i'm still learning. Its not as easy as it looks, a professional just makes it seem like it. 2 fronts can range anywhere from $50-$120 depending on what type of film and what part of the country. 35% on the fronts which is a "net" law meaning film+factory < or = 35% here in Tennessee. Hope that answered your question. Cheers

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Pretty sure its the same with 35% on fronts here in Ohio....I had mine done professionally with 3M tint in 2012 but I believe it was $150 for all windows (front, back, tailgate) then was $30 for sun strip on windshield and $50 for moonroof tint. Not bad pricing and I love the job they did. No bubbles at all and it looks great. Glad it worked out good for you

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