Originally Posted by dbdreams

I am a tinter by trade and have been tinting for over 20 years and have been in business for myself for 18 years. Benefits of tint are numerous and IMO one of the cheapest ways to "drastically" improve the looks of your vehicle.

Now here is the skinny:
1. Do your due diligence and find a reputable installer & one who also uses a reputable product. Using a reputable product is important but the installers skill is much more important. You can use the absolute best product available but if the installer doesn't know what they are doing then it will be a waste of good film.

2. The one piece back window doesn't necessarily mean it is a better job. A true profesional should be able to do it either way. Each way requires it's own unique set of skills. With this in mind I would much rather have a two or even 3 piece rear window done properly over a one piece by someone tinting above their skill level whose finished product is "less than solid." Basically this is where your due diligence comes into play. Do your homework! Also a warning, I know many tinters and almost every one of them will say they are the best at what they do so don't rely on what they say as much as what other people say about their work.

3. It is not recommended that you use your rear defrost during the initial dry out period of installation however once it is fully dry, assuming you used a quality product, the defroster will not damage the film in any way. Think about it, the defroster will never heat the film hotter than what the sun will.

There is a lot a film on the market that carries a "lifetime manufacturers warranty" but beware, it is common that shops will make this claim while installing the cheapest film they can find only to not stand behind their claim later. Also, the "lifetime manufacturers warranty" only applies to vehicles tinted legally. Manufacturers will not involve themselves in honoring warranty work on vehicles tinted illegally.

The honest truth is there is no tint available that will last a lifetime but there are certainly some great products out there. On a car that is driven daily IMO, you should expect it to last 7-10 years which is longer that most people own thier car and this is what the tint manufacturers are counting on when they sell us a product with a lifetime guarantee. Althugh I do have 2 ungaraged cars in my family that I tinted in 1996 that the tint is still holding up on but to be honest both would look better now with a fresh tint job. The tint is not blistered, bubbling or peeling but would most certainly look better with fresh tint. 17 years on non-garaged cars not bad in my book though. Just as the paint on you car wont last forever neither will your tint.

Originally Posted by PLRX

g.

fyi; she mentioned that the most difficult window to tint was the rear window of the Porsche 928.

Originally Posted by Sweet 90

Many of us here have. Make sure you get an installer who can do it in one piece. You'll be much happier.

Originally Posted by wannac4

You probably mean 944

Originally Posted by carguy604

Great article & good advice! I did a DIY tint on my side windows a few years ago and came out with pretty good results but I had to take the door panels off to get the tint below the window lip seals so that it wouldn't peel off. It took a bit of time and it was fussy work but it came out pretty good with only one small bubble. I wanted to do my rear window as well, but I knew my own limitations so I left well enough alone. I still want to get it done. So, my question is this... In your opinion, is it best to remove the rear glass and do it upside down on a bench or does it get done while still mounted to the car? If so, how do you prevent getting scratches on the paint while working on it?

Originally Posted by wannac4

Here is the way I did my back hatch like this guy I removed all the hardware but left the hatch on.