I just bought tint for my max and planned on installing it myself...that is, until i realized how much of a pain it might be... Do you guys think it's worth it to do it yourself, or break down and pay someone $200 bucks to do it??

 

you could.......but like you said, it will be a pain and will prob end up looking like sh*t. better to pay 170-200 bucks and get a three year to lifetime warranty on them. oh yea, return what you have and get that money back at least. later.

 

I tinted the sunroof and it turned out great but I wouldn't mess with windows. The rear one will be pretty tough to tint especially if you wanna do it in one piece.

 

Do like everyone says. Have it done by a professional. Not really a question of how handy you are with cars. THe rear is just plain HARD. Mine looks like **** and I even was so po'd with the very bottom, that I ripped it off (3 piecer). Lest you think the side windows are easy, let me say "guess again!" Only the rear quarters are easy. The large sides do not easily fall into place and the edges are the main reason.

My car got dinged and sh!tted up by others over the years and I was mainly looking to cheap out and get the sunlight cut down, while maintaining the 50% tint max (sad, I know) in my state. I thought I could make it look half decent. After all, did H&R/Koni single handedly. Even after this attempt, I wouldn't dare say I could do it better if I did it all over with a new batch of precut sheets! I have tiny weeny bubbles. I got crease marks. I got creases with bubbling. Certainly a far cry from the bad DIY jobs you see around, but up close, it is tint only a mom could love... TO boot, you need lots of patience. My kit came with a How2 video. Don't freaking believe! The max is harder than any of the windows in that video by far.

My rec: take the loss, the restocking fee or whatever. Pay Ziebart the $250 or whatever they charge in your area.

 

Tinting is friggen impossible... Actually I tried tinting my friends cutlass with him, and we F'ed that up. So I decided to get mine done.. I sat there and watched him do it, and helped him out... I think I could do a pretty decent job now.. I suggest going to a tint shop and just asking to watch, see for yourself

-Craig

 

based on a going rate in my area (South FLA) of about 150 for our cars, it's just not worth the hassle for the savings.

Tinting requires alot of patience to get it right. Also important is the environment in which one works and knowledge (which comes with experience.)

I will tell you that you should not settle for mistakes by professional installers (they make mistakes too,) and they sometimes try to talk you into accepting less than good work by telling you that it will dry and be ok. You don't want to remove this stuff for a long time (or ever); so if you see something that doesn't look correct, don't accept the work. And be clear about this prior to accepting their offer/price.

I had my car tinted with Titanium tint with a lifetime warranty in 1995 and it still looks as good as when it was new. Good tint shouldn't fade or discolor. What they sell in the retail stores is not very good quality tint for the most part; you may get lucky but it's just not worth the hassle & aggravation that a non-experienced installer will face.

It requires less mechanical aptitude and more patience than the typical bolt on modification.

 

you have to be kidding me! your gonna tint yourself?? Bro for the $175 get it done profesionally with a lifetime warranty! I work at a car audio shop that does tinting and it takes the pro's atleast an hour to do a maxima the RIGHT way.

 

Have it done professionaly. But, Dude!! $200 BUCKS?? In the L.A. area, I paid $130. The shop has been in business for quite a while. This was for titanium tint. Lifetime warranty. Not dyed stuff. The dyed stuff turns purple. Titanium fades lighter. Shop around. Even ask if they'll install the tint you bought.

 

Just another vote, but I think you should get it professionaly done. If you do it at home, you can do it nicely, but it requires lots of time. By lots of time, I mean like 2 hours for the front window - you have to be a perfectionist. Then take it to one of your buddies and tell them you got it professionaly done. If they believe you, you're good! If they don't, take it to a tint shop and get it professionaly done! What I mean is, if you are the type who is good at cutting well, trimming perfectly, and have the time, maybe you can tint your own windows. You will save a lot of money if you do it well, however the non-commerical grade of tint you buy for less money will not be quite as long-lasting as the professional grade. However its so cheap you can probably afford to redo it 5 times until you meet cost. Also, think of exactly what windows you want tinted. The back 2 doors and rear window will not go for $200 in black, but all 5 (all doors and rear window) in chrome tint might. The guy at my local shop told me that if I go with the new red tint on all 5 windows it would cost me $170, but he does know me and cut me good deals. Maybe you know someone that could cut you in? Ask your friends, co-workers, wife (if you got one), even kids (if you got some) if they know anybody in the business. Just trying to help.

 

pay the money it's worth it
i just got mine done
looks great

 

I did it on my 94 Altima's rear two windows, and two years later I had rear windshield done by a shop who also did all on my 96 Maxima. The tint that I did basically has no bubbles so far, but look at the tint eadges and you'll know it's not a very good job because of the big gaps. Conclusion is I'll never do it again myself. I also did rear two windows on my friend's 95 Max but don't know how it looks like now as he is not in the States now. Guess it won't look good.

 

Thanks guys..You know, there are many things i have done in my life, rebuilt motors, built high-end furniture, remodeled houses, made knives, bows...basically built anything you can think of, but doing Tint doesn't sound like something I want to do, for I have little patience...

 

Is it true that after you get your car tinted you cannot roll down the windows for a few days? also does it cut out some of the heat of coming out to your car after it has been in a parking lot for a while stuff like that?

SuDZ

 

Yes, it is recommended that you don't roll down the windows for at least 1-2 days. Also, fry the hell out of your newly tinted windows by parking your car on open sunny areas. Heat will help the tint to dry and adhere faster.

 

Yes that's what the shop told me, just let it completely dry. They also squeezed a line of folded paper towel in where the rear windshield and the deck meet, to hold the lower edge of the tint tightly against the windshield. There are little black dots along the windshield edge that makes tint difficult to stick to.

After parking outside for a while under hot sunshine, I can feel a big temperature difference between tinted and non-tinted areas. Temp is higher on tint, I think because it blocks the heat/UV therefore the temp drop is right at the tint. I guess tint is bi-directional that will also block the heat inside to go out, assuming inside temp is higher than outside.