Everyone can do it: we tint the car ourselves

There is no point in talking about the advantages of tinting car windows for a long time. Most owners are well aware of the benefits that it provides, so most often the question arises of whether to do it yourself or contact a car service. Most often, a special film is used to protect the interior of a car from excessive sun and prying eyes. They make it self-adhesive, therefore, in addition to a certain amount of perseverance and painstaking work, no special skills are required from the performer.

Choosing a film for tinting

Almost everyone is able to tint their car on their own, having the minimum necessary set of tools for this, so the main problem will not be in the technology of work itself, but in the right choice of material. There are a lot of films on sale, but not all of them are suitable for windshields and side windows of a car, due to the prohibition of excessive dimming established by the relevant GOST.

To tint the car yourself, you will need to purchase a special film. You should focus on the following main qualities:

• light transmittance;
• resistance to mechanical damage;
• color spectrum;
• cost indicators.

From the point of view of traffic rules, the first criterion is key. In 2014, there was a rule that the total bandwidth of the film and windshield should not be lower than 75%.

For the laterals, there was an indulgence of up to 70%. On January 1, 2015, a new GOST 32565-2013 was released, according to which the windshield must transmit at least 70% of the light. If there is the slightest doubt that the film is less transparent than required by GOST, then in order not to deal with plywood later, you need to take a sample from the seller, attach it to the glass and take the necessary measurements.

The color scheme is a matter of taste and depends on which car is being tinted, and therefore there can be no general recommendations. With strength characteristics and cost indicators, the situation is more complicated. It is far from a fact that the more expensive the better, but it is unlikely that you will be able to buy something of high quality for a penny. It is very difficult to choose a suitable and inexpensive material yourself, so you can’t do without the advice of experienced friends and sellers. It is preferable to focus on well-known brands that have been tested by many, and therefore reviews on them can be found quite easily.

Much is determined by the tasks that the motorist wants to solve. So, for example, there are special anti-vandal films that are glued to the outside of the car. They can be used for long trips over rough terrain, for example, participating in a rally. For trips around the city, they are just as good, but is it worth spending a lot of money on their purchase if you can get by with less expensive materials?

Required tool

In order to do the tinting yourself, you will need the following tool:

• rubber spatula;
• stationery knife
• glass cleaner;
• dry, soft, lint-free cloth.

A small scraper made of plastic and a special knife are usually attached to the film, but they are not very convenient to use, so it is better to get normal tools.

A plastic spatula is bad because it can damage the surface of the glass when pressed, and the cutter included in the kit is made of a material that quickly becomes dull, and therefore begins to tear the film. In addition, it is convenient to have a spray bottle available, which allows you to evenly spray water on the car windows.

Stages of work

Car windows are tinted from inside the cabin. The reason for this is primitively simple - outside the film will last much less time and it will have to be changed. The material does not possess ultra-strong characteristics and under the influence of the environment will quickly lose its marketable appearance. It is more convenient to work together. The film has a protective layer and it is easier to remove it when one person slowly removes it, and the second one sprays a soapy solution into the gap formed. Before starting work, it is better to dismantle the glasses from the car, especially if there is not much experience in gluing the film. This will make it much easier to ensure high-quality tinting. Special requirements are placed on the cleanliness of the workplace. Any grain of sand caught between the film and glass, after gluing, will become a clearly visible bulge that distorts the view and spoils the appearance of car windows.

After the film is purchased and the tools are prepared, you can get to work. Self-tinting consists of several main stages:

• dismantling of glasses and their cleaning from dirt and grease;
• cutting blanks from the film;
• separation of the protective layer;
• trimming, gluing and trimming.

The first three stages of work should not cause any particular difficulties: everyone is capable of washing car windows and making blanks from film. Patterns are usually cut out with an allowance of a few millimeters and, after gluing, they are adjusted exactly in place with a sharply sharpened knife. The main thing is not to confuse the sides of the film when trying on. It must be well remembered that it is glued on the inside after the protective layer is removed from it.

The gluing of the film is carried out as follows:

• the inner surface of the glass is plentifully sprayed with a prepared soapy solution;
• the protective layer is removed from the pre-cut blank, the film is sprayed with a solution, applied to the glass with the right side and leveled;
• using a spatula, air and water bubbles are driven from under the film;
• cut off the allowance (extra film around the edges);
• the glass is dried with a hair dryer.

Particular attention should be paid to the second point, which is more convenient to carry out together - one person carefully begins to remove the protective layer, and the second sprays the separation points. The purpose of this action is to prevent the tint film from accidentally folding and sticking to itself. It is not worth throwing away the removed protective layer, it can be placed under the spatula when blowing bubbles so as not to accidentally damage the tint.

The hardest part is fitting. If it is easy enough to work with the side windows of a car, then not everyone can tint the rear one on their own. The problem lies in its curvature. A soapy solution comes to the rescue, which is poured into a spray bottle and a hair dryer. Having sprayed the glued film, it is applied to the glass and begin to be adjusted in place.

Where the tint does not want to fit, it is warmed up and stretched with a rubber spatula, achieving a perfect fit. To make the material fit more evenly, it can be additionally moistened with water.

You need to work very carefully, since the deformed film will not return its shape back. After all air bubbles are removed from under the coating, it should dry well. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process. After the car windows are tinted, they are installed and ready for use.