The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Do it Yourself Discussion! => Topic started by: ErikZ on April 29, 2012, 01:40:51 PM
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Has anyone tried tinting their own car windows?
I never had to worry about this until I moved to Colorado. The sun is pretty strong here, and combined with weak, modern car AC, I'm looking at doing this to keep the car comfortable.
After seeing so many bad DIY installations of car window tinting, I assumed that I should just go to a shop. But I thought I'd ask you all.
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It's not all that hard.
Youtube a few video's.
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It's doable, but it takes some practice.
The biggest thing you can do to save a cars interior is to tint the windows. Even if it's not TINTED, it's UV protection. YEs, untinted "tint" for the windshield is a good thing too!
When I moved to Colorado, that was the first thing I did. Every car since ended up getting tinted right away.
Here's the thing - I am a klutz with those things, but I still don't want to spend a fortune. I found a place (in Longmont, btw, MMM) that does it cash, no receipt, for $150 to do my car. He even used proper 3M film for it. Yes, it's a lot, but it will last and not bubble up, it will also not turn purple in a few years and I had the car back that same afternoon!
This car was chosen for it's low cost of purchase, dirt cheap spare parts, ease of repairs and not NEEDING repairs! ~23mpg, lots of cargo room, and rear-wheel drive, which I wanted for the snow in Colorado (I came from a no-snow state). $2300 with 150K miles. Prior to this, I only owned a motorcycle.
This was the '93 VOlvo 945 before tint:
(http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1420/tint1.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/27/tint1.jpg/)
This is the car with LEGAL tint - I like the looks and it's UV protected inside now;
(http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/5695/tint3.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/688/tint3.jpg/)
Click the pictures for larger sizes.
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I never thought a Volvo could look cool.
I haven't seen anything on "Clear tint". I was just looking for anything I could put on the front window to shield against UV.
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You can probably look for non-tinted UV film or whatnot on google and see what comes up.
Some people are leery of installing film on your windshield, but either grease the palm a bit, or ask someone who does it for cash (whereby you probably get a good discount anyway) and I'm sure he'll be willing. :)
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I've tinted every window on every car and every home I've ever had.
Always did it myself. My first one did get some bubbles (probably from being lazy and not following the directions to the letter) but none since.
Not only does it keep heat out, but you can walk around naked in the daytime at home (or in your car, I guess, if you want...)
But check your local/state law before tinting the front windows, and before going too dark in back (5%), its illegal some places. And if you ever get pulled over, roll down all the windows as soon as you stop, so the officer can see that your not loading a gun behind your tinted windows.
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I vote this thread as highly antimustacian.!
Do I need to say why?
Autos are evil. They are bad. bad. bad. It is part of the philosophy. You don't fix up autos like this because you should not care about them to begin with.
If anything, you make autos as uncomfortable as you can so you avoid the urge to drive them
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Fair enough, but auto window tinting works in houses too. And its cheaper and easier to find than the same exact stuff marketed for houses. Which is why I put auto window tint on every house I've lived in
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You can do it yourself, but it most likely wont come out perfect on the first try. Take a look at the rear window. If its big or very curved it is going to be be very difficult for you to do it right on the first few tries. There also isn't much savings in having a pro do the rear window and you doing the rest. The Volvo pictured above wouldn't be bad to DIY, but alot of other cars are.
If you can live with little bubbles or dirt stuck under the tint then give it a shot. But depending on how new the car is it might be worth it to have a pro do the tinting.
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one other option to avoid the inevitable first time mistakes (and I agree, you will get bubbles and dirt under there the first couple times, esp. if the window is curved) is to use removable, reusable, static cling window film.
Which also gives you the option of changing tint or taking it off as the seasons change.
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Way to answer the question. :) Cars are like abortions - if you don't like them, don't get one.
I am a bit retarded when it comes to the fine motorskills like tint and the protective screens on cell phones, and I'm a bit autistic when it comes to bubbles and dirt under tint and stuff, so it needs to be right for me to not have a seizure every time I look at it. THat's why I willingly give up dollars for good service.
It's not about being a cheap-ass all the time, it's about weighing the time/aggravation of having to do it over several times, vs the cost of just getting it done right, and fast, the first time.
I vote this thread as highly antimustacian.!
Do I need to say why?
Autos are evil. They are bad. bad. bad. It is part of the philosophy. You don't fix up autos like this because you should not care about them to begin with.
If anything, you make autos as uncomfortable as you can so you avoid the urge to drive them
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Autos are evil. They are bad. bad. bad. It is part of the philosophy. You don't fix up autos like this because you should not care about them to begin with.
If anything, you make autos as uncomfortable as you can so you avoid the urge to drive them
Cars are tools. We're all big kids on this forum, and we all have the judgment to know the consequences of our actions. MMM himself owns two cars, and they're great for what he uses them for. He didn't un-upholster his seats so he'd use his car less, he used "responsibility" and "being accountable for his actions" along with "educating himself on the monetary cost of his choices" in order to come to a decision about how much value his cars add to his life and how much they cost him to own.
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I searched this topic for info, hence my reply to this thread. Would tinting a white Prius’ windows in the DC suburbs be beneficial from a Cost standpoint? Like, would it keep the car cooler so I’m using less AC and therefore less gasoline? Also I wear glass (like in the pic here) so if my eyes were less stressed while driving in the summer, that would be ideal. If it’s a bunch of hotrod hooey, I’d like to know that too. I’m seeing a Craigslist add to do tinting for $99 which seems like a good deal IF done right.
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I searched this topic for info, hence my reply to this thread. Would tinting a white Prius’ windows in the DC suburbs be beneficial from a Cost standpoint? Like, would it keep the car cooler so I’m using less AC and therefore less gasoline? Also I wear glass (like in the pic here) so if my eyes were less stressed while driving in the summer, that would be ideal. If it’s a bunch of hotrod hooey, I’d like to know that too. I’m seeing a Craigslist add to do tinting for $99 which seems like a good deal IF done right.
It can definitely be beneficial. You won't save money from a vehicle operating costs standpoint but it can help prevent skin damage.
$99 is not even going to cover the cost of materials for a good quality tint though. Stay away from that.