Yeah it wont totally seal up. it'll just keep melting and freezing and when they finally do seal to your window is they do, way better chance of bubbles, and it not stucking well..

A couple days of freezing is no biggie, but here its like 6 months of below 0

 

As long as u have a good sharp razor blade and a hard squeegy its pretty easy to tint ur windows. you can use regular window cleaner too, it works just as good as anything. spray the outside of the window then lay the tint on it (with the film that you peel off towards the outside) then use ur squeegy on it to get all the fluid out from behind it, cut all the way around the window then peel it off, take the film off, spray the inside of the window (after its cleaned off very good) and the sticky side of the tint n repeat the process. Obviously you dont peel it back off the window tho! Tinting is very simple. if u have a heat gun use that when ur done.

 

also ive tinted my windows in the winter on all my trucks and my buddy does it at his shop all the time and neither of us have ever had a problem.

 

Its not just getem wee and stick them easy. I would have practiced first if you want it to look good.

 

yea you have to peal off the clear liner make sure you window is perfectly clean clean the the seals and do it inside a heated garage when the weather is cold it has to be a certain temperature for it to turn out good i have 2.5% all the way around on my truck

 

What?

In a lot of states, putting on darker than legal tint is illegal for road usage. Some shops wont even give you a written receipt.

To do the two front windows with Luminar or 3M at a good shop is usually around $100. That's for legal. Tack on their illegal fee and add on the back windows and even on a vehicle with as little glass as a ranger and it can run up near or over $200.

Make sure to get it done at a reputable shop. Bubbles, poor cuts, tint that fades over time, and tint that doesnt stay stuck after a few years are all a PITA.

 

You can do it yourself, but if you are paying for a good tint and dont know what you are doing, by the time it takes you to do it, the cost of the tint, and the tint you might have to throw away because you didnt get it on right, you could have almost gone to the shop.

When I work on my truck I charge myself $15/hr. If the end doesnt justify the means, then I take it to a shop unless it is something I really want to learn.

 

I guess SoCal is uber competative. I had mine all done for $95. Looks good and none of that crappy purple looking tint that was around back in the 80s.

 

The tint turns purple over time with UV exposure. What brand of film did they put on your truck? I'd almost bet it isnt 3M or Luminar.

 

probably not 3M or anything really high end. Its been at least 2 years since its been done, my truck spends almost zero time indoors, is black and the tint still looks no different from when i had it done. Ive been happy with it. Its also parked on a busy street with no shade. It gets TONS of UV :D

 

I didn't read through all the posts, but I wouldn't do it on your own. You can do a nice job if you really take your time, but the tint isn't great quality, and will change purple fairly quick. 200 may not be a bad price depending on the film. There are lots of brands and quality, do your research if you plan to keep the truck for a while.
Tint film over factory windows is no problem. I've done 5% film over factory ford tint on the sport trac, and 15% over factory tint on the F150.
The 5% over factory is VERY dark. The 15% is much more reasonable. You don't want super super dark in back and 20% in front, because of the contrast. Also, if you let too much light in the front with super dark rear windows, all you'll see out the rear at night is your own reflection.
I'd go with 15% - 20% on everything (except windshield). The rear will start be dark enough to keep eyes out, but not so dark so can't see out at night.

 

3-5 years from now will be the real judge.

 

Well I put the tints on myself yesterday, and ripped them off an hour later. They looked horrible. So my choice is either go to a shop to have them tint, or crank my tbars and get lifetime alignment. Im not sure which route to go with my money for now.

 

Lifetime alignment is a one time rip off.

kthxbi.

 

id go with the tinted windows you will be alot happier with it apperance wise compared to not having any tint and if you go to ziebart or something they lifetime guarantee there work so if anything happens to it you take it back and they will fix it

 

X2

 

I paid someone to do the 2 front windows. I was charged $80, I did 20%. On the rear I did it my self. I did 35% which makes it match the front perfect. I can barley see out my back window at night. I have 2 100w backup lights mounted under my bumper to give me some light. I would tint your windows before you crank you t-bars. The tint is well worth the investment.

 

Alright, got them tinted today, I found a place that did all the windows 20% cost me $160. Came out pretty good I will take pics and post tomorrow in the light.

 

Tinting them outside in the cold will suck. Ever see an outdoor tint shop?

 

What do you mean by that? That I will only use it once? Or they still charge you for stuff after the first time?

 

in california i have had fronts tinted on different cars at various shops, the ones that wont give reciepts are usually the ones that dont warranty anything, and ive never heard of an "illegal" fee ... its a flat charge per window, and you are warned that its not a legal tint and they take no responsibility if you get rolled, but thats it

also turns purple from using window cleaner with ammonia

 

Itll be 3 years this summer. So far no purple at all.



Most shops out here will tint them to whatever you want. My friend's 06 HD F150 has "limo" tint on the back and cargo side glass (probably a 5%) and just a hair lighter on the sides. He cant see crap behind him at night but i guess thats what the sliding rear glass is for.

I can see ok out of mine. Its only really when theres very few street lights at night where i have a hard time which isnt too often. If its that big a deal, my windows do roll down lol. I dont remember what percentage it is but its not the darkest they had.

 

Once they start losing money on the deal they will say this or that is worn or needs replacing in order to do the alignment. You need this or that kit. etc...

If you have a reputable shop who treats you as a friend, not a customer, then its a good deal. Most people like making money, though. My dad worked as a mechanic before he joined the Navy. When I mentioned lifetime alignment he told me exactly what dirty tricks they used to use. I was hard headed and bought one anyway. Sure enough, the 2nd time I went to get it aligned they said they couldn't do it with out replacing my ball joints. While I knew they were on their way out, they wouldnt have prevented an alignment, it would have just allowed it to fall out of alignment sooner. I took the truck to another shop that gives free alignment checks. While they also mentioned my ball joints, they said that it was barely out of spec and they could still do it if I wanted them to for $50. That shop didnt sell lifetime alignments.

The real test is going to be after I do my lift. I'm replacing my ball joints myself while putting on lift spindles. With fresh ball joints, I'm going to take the truck down to the shop I have a lifetime alignment with and see what they say. I'd almost put money on them telling me they cant work on my truck any more, I need to take it to a lift shop. I will then drive it 3 miles to the other shop and pay $50.

 

I've got 5% on the back. On really dark nights I have to roll down my window and stick my head out and use the mirrors. It's an akward position to back up in.