Looking on Ebay at the pre-cut window tint these people offer. First off England won't let you go 50% or less and I am only going to be here for 3 more years. So they say if you can do it, go for it. I have tinted 4 cars personally with the rolls of tint, I just thought it would be easier with it already cut. Looking at the tint to go on my Sunfire and my Vibe. But going to see how it goes on the Sunfire before I touch the Vibe just to see if it is worth it.
1996 Sunfire, 2.2L, 18" Equus/General Exclaim UHP
Alpine CDE-9845
I just ordered some for my convertible, I will let you know how it goes.
Sig'less since '02!
stay away from it.
tint is one thing i will pay to have done.
The Hooptie wrote:stay away from it.
tint is one thing i will pay to have done.
I can't even lay a screen protector on my ipod or vu without bubbles, I'd never attempt to tint, lol.
redbeansandrice wrote:I just ordered some for my convertible, I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks man.
1996 Sunfire, 2.2L, 18" Equus/General Exclaim UHP
Alpine CDE-9845
Your best choice is to have the tint put on by professionals. However, the pre-cut tint isn't bad. I have scene a tint shop put on a piece of pre-cut tint and the shape was perfect. Even with the pre-cut, you still have to do some heat shrinking. The only thing different about the pre-cut is that it eliminates cutting altogether.
Yea, I have had tint done my professionals and myself. I figured I might as well try and if it don't turn out good, only be out $30.
1996 Sunfire, 2.2L, 18" Equus/General Exclaim UHP
Alpine CDE-9845
alls i can say is have the tint basically as wet as you can make it thts the easiest way i tinted my jeep and my four door sedan and other the discoloration now it is pretty dam good i think two windows have one little bubble in em but thts wat i would be worried about with ebay tint is discoloration.
silvr4door wrote:alls i can say is have the tint basically as wet as you can make it thts the easiest way i tinted my jeep and my four door sedan and other the discoloration now it is pretty dam good i think two windows have one little bubble in em but thts wat i would be worried about with ebay tint is discoloration.
i don't know about the pre-cut, i wouldn't trust it honestly. but ^^^what he said. use tons of that solution, it'll only help.
it's really not that hard to tint the windows. it's the windshield's that get exciting. i tinted my back two windows and the little triangle windows myself and they turned out fine. i'm sure a professional would laugh at them but fugg it, it's a cavalier and it's mine and i think they look just fine.
the windshields however, i remember trying to do my back windshield, that was one of the most frustrating 2 hours i've ever had in my life. and in the end i had to take it to a professional. the problem is those windshields are curved up and down, and left to right. i simply don't have the patience for all that noise.
After today, I say leave it to the pros. It will pass at 5 feet or so, but I'm not happy with it.
Sig'less since '02!
Was the film of good quality though?
1996 Sunfire, 2.2L, 18" Equus/General Exclaim UHP
Alpine CDE-9845
drunken monster wrote:Was the film of good quality though?
In my experience, Cheaper film turns purple real quick (1-2 years), But if you drop some decent coin on it, It will hold up for a while.
I tried tinting my front windows myself , i had the back windows done professionally .. Im very much a " do it yourself person " and figured tint would be pretty easy to install with some patience , lets just say 43$ later and 2 rolls of tint i now understand why we pay people to get it applied. I even removed the window from the door to see if it be easier.. Never again , it seems as though whatever i tried there was a crease or a bubble somewhere! lol
1997 Sunfire 2.2 OHV , 5 Speed.
" Yeah you drive a jbody , but not like us. "
i used a kit did everything but the rear windshield back window wtvr u want to call it i did tint strip on windshiled and the 4 doors on both my 98 and 05, first time tinting both came out mint. i wont touch the back window its a pita so im going to have those done proffesionaly lwhen i have money to do it. had mine on for a year now with no discoloration and holds up well to being touched, rubbe dagainst scratche dwtvr no tears or anything yet still looks good jsut takes patients to install and the right tools.
I tinted my 86 Caprice with just the tint rolls and it turned out perfect. It took a while but I got compliments even from my friend who worked at a tint shop, he even said you couldn't tell the difference. I would never try the back window on a Cav though, the caprice's windows were all straight and little "bow" which is a whole different story.
Yea, I am having second thoughts on the rear window also. I figured if it's already cut it would be a little easier. Might just have a local tint shop do the rear window for me.
1996 Sunfire, 2.2L, 18" Equus/General Exclaim UHP
Alpine CDE-9845
I bought the precut tint awile back and I like it. The stuff i got was thicker than mosttints out there. I tinted my two fronts and two rears without a problem. REMEBER always keep the sticky side wet with baby shampoo/water mix. or you will scratch the tint. I tried my back window and is was an epic fail. So I got another rear peice and will try again. I found out yoou have to heat it with a heat gun while its laying on the outside of the rear window to take the "fingers" out.. The window is curved like a basketball. Once the "fingers" are smoothend I should fits in the back window like a glove. If you cant do this I recommend having a pro do it.
There is also alot of discrepencies with the dot strip on the rear window too. some tint up to it and paint it in, some sand it, and some put a vinyl strip over it. Also the purple usually comes from people thinking they can clean thier tinted windows with windex which has an acid base. Just my 2 cents though. Do what you want.lol
(BlackFire)
Window tint has come a long way...
Anything that isnt total junk isnt going to turn purple... Im sure if you read the auction, it probably states that the tint is of high quality and wont discolor.. Now, I understand they are just trying to sell some tint, but they probably arent lying..
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
I have purchased several sets of precut tint for different vehicles off ebay and I am extremely satisfied w/ the way they came out. I still see almost all the cars on a weekly/daily basis and I can tell you the tint has not faded.
I did 2 cavaliers, a Mazda Protege, a Honda Element, Honda Civic hatchback.
I am not a professional window tinter and I have never done it before.
Clean the @!#$ out of the window. Use a razorblade to scrape off any invisible crud. Always keep the window wet! Use a mixture of baby shampoo & warm water. Have several squegees available, papertowels etc.
It helps to peel back the weatherstripping on the door panel, you can fashion something to hold it back, or just take off the door panel. Wet the tint when you are peeling it from the sheet, wet the window- WET EVERYTHING !!
Roll the window down a crack, slap the crap on there, position it straight, and start pushing out the juice from behind it. Use a papertowel to dry the liquid as it reaches the edge, and wet the outside of the tint to keep the squegee from grabbing the tint.
Look from the outside to see all the bubbles and dont stop until they are all out. Make sure you push the big bubbles out by hand first- sometimes a card will crease the tint if theres too much slack.
Its easy !! Just dont attempt any "bowl" shaped windows like mentioned above w/o some help and some heat.
i just bough some of that pre-cut tint for my 02 fire coupe. got it today, looks good. but im going to try to leave it to a pro to install it for me. anyone know how much it would cost to have someone do it?
Dustin Ouellette wrote:i just bough some of that pre-cut tint for my 02 fire coupe. got it today, looks good. but im going to try to leave it to a pro to install it for me. anyone know how much it would cost to have someone do it?
A pro usually uses his own tint. otherwise it could void his warranty of free replacment. I bought precut 2yrs ago and iinstalled it myself. The hardest was the rear but I got it. The dot matrix is a bitach to tint so I put a 12" black vinyl strip on the outside top of the rear window. If you thinkyou wanna give it a try do the quarter and front windows and leave the rear or whole job to a pro.
(BlackFire)
why did you ^ ^ put the vinyl on the out side?? and yeah i just did the rear in like four inch strips and put the vinyl on the top Inside for the dumb matrix @!#$
did side windows and rear quarter panels. looks pretty good with a 20% i believe. havent attempted the rear windshield yet.
I ordered mine from ebay. precut. i did my windows in about an hour. the rear window took a bit longer. i sanded the DOT MATRIX down with 600 grit, and then glued it. turned out damn good. i did heat shrink it on the outside beforehand.
Spalattero wrote:did side windows and rear quarter panels. looks pretty good with a 20% i believe. havent attempted the rear windshield yet.
i did the quarter windows on mine. came out decent. theres a few spots that didnt stick for some reason. i dont have a clue on how to put the heat gun to work? are the big side windows hard?
