Tinting offers many benefits, including privacy and UV protection. You will want to assess your skills before taking on this project yourself. At the very least, you'd better be good at measuring and cutting. But this is a precision job that requires lots of practice to get it right.
Gather the following tools and materials: tinting film, an X-acto knife, razors, a blow dryer or heat gun, 4-inch squeegees, small sponges, a 4-inch hard card or Bondo card, a bone tool, and a spray bottle filled with a mixture of dishwashing soap and water.
Cut the film in the shape of the windows. Set the pieces aside on a glass board or an area devoted to cut film. Some companies offer pre-cut film that you can order for specific models of vehicles.
Spray the side window with the soap and water mixture.
Use a razor to go over the side window to remove any residue.
Use a 4-inch squeegee to get rid of any residue from top to bottom.
Apply the tint to the side window. Leave 1/4 inch to 1/16 inch from the top edge of the window without tint. This will be covered when the window and door are closed.
Employ the bone tool and push the tint below the inner rubber seals of the window.
Use the hard card to make certain that the tint goes into all the corners.
Take a heat gun or blow dryer in one hand and a squeegee in the other, and heat from the top on one side, working the tint with the squeegee on the other side in a horizontal motion. This should get out any remaining moisture from between the film and glass.
Use the same procedure to apply the tint film to the front windshield. Note: In many states it is illegal to tint the front windsheild.
Follow steps 3 and 5 in applying the film to the rear window. Don't use the razor blade to prep the rear window because the blade can damage the rear defroster.
Count the number of defroster lines on the back window.
Cut the rear window film into the required number of panels.
Place the first panel on the bottom, the second panel on top of the first, the third panel on top of the second and so on. Identify the defroster line where two panels overlap.
Trim the film from over the defroster lines.
