DIY window tint

[Tree18is]

AND FUCK NO! its not for the e30

Its for the van :)

anyone ever done it to there beater?

[MikeE30325i]

my dad did it to his corolla once. turned out pretty good. and if the tint touches itself when it is dry fuck trying to get it apart. that is all i learned. lol

good luck.

[E30Driv3R]

im gonna be re-doing mine next weekend. i have a terrible gap around my back 3 windows

[MikeE30325i]

i always wanted to tint my e30. there is this place that did my moms SUV (9 different pieces and the windshield thing) for a little over 100 dollars. maybe i should take my car to them and let them have some fun.

[PiercedE30]

Me and my boss's son are going to be doing it to our E30s, except we will be taking glass out of some of the junk cars and then installing the tinted windows into ours.

[JGood]

In a college speech class I had to give a speech on how to do something, basically a hands-on, instructional speech. I brought in a window and tinted it.

If you have a spare window, buy a roll of film, and just keep doing it and doing it until your damn good.

Sounds like a waste, but that's what I did, and at some point when I stop being lazy I'm going to redo my windows and it will be well worth it when they look prefect.

Search for some good quality tint so it doesn't turn weird colors after a few years. There's websites and forums dedicated to tinting, do a search on Google or something.

[Jscotty]

The key to window tinting is getting that "professional" clean on the glass. When I had my van windows done, I watched the guy do it and then I had enough information to begin trying it. Eventually I got the hang of it and I can do pretty good.

What I learned is that to get a window REALLY clean is to spray windex on the entire glass surface and then scrape the wet surface with a razor blade. Then wipe it dry with a lint-free cloth.

[Tree18is]

awesome

lint free, news paper and amonia or vinagar works really good. for like water stains or old bird shit.
Moms house cleaning tricks.

[JGood]

Fine steel wool works great for easily removing anything on a window without the risk or scratching it.

[browntown]

you can buff your window with a foam orbital. Really though tinting is one of the cheaper things you can have professionally done. I've done side windows that came out well and I accounted for the shrinkage. The rear window is what I fear with the defrost lines. I've heard of some shops actually cutting the film. Most go over the lines. Not sure what the "right" way is. I know for a fact that if I have to cut 10 skinny panels onto the rear window -- I'll screw it up for sure.

[kylebes1]

3m sells precut kits.

[Garageaholic]

Use a razor blade to completely clean all the windows

NEVER use windex, use soapy water, unless you want purple tint

Dont' use a credit card to get the bubbles out, use a proper soft squeegee



Good luck, it's easy, take your time

[Jscotty]

NEVER use windex, use soapy water, unless you want purple tint

Note to self: Purple windows are NOT cool on a green car.

[808BMW]

Make sure after you use the steel wool (if you choose to) that you clean it up very good, or else you will have little rusty metal shards sandwiched between the glass and tint, they will rust more over time.

New razor blades + lots of scraping to get it damn clean.

Don't be afraid to spray everything. SOAK the window, SOAK the tint, throw towels by the base of your windows to catch all the drips.

Do your top + sides first, leave the bottom long, then roll up your window and do the bottom. A lot of first timers forget that and you end up with a 2" gap on the bottom of your window.

Watch someone at least once, then just practice.

I've never done any beaters, but I've done my 2 cousin's trucks, my dads truck, my cousin's car, my e30 (about 3 times, rip it off for inspection and redo it) and I'm probably going to do my new 4runner soon.

It's easy, just don't expect your first few cars to look perfect.