So I picked my car up yesterday after the tints were finished. The rear window tint doesnt go all the way to the top of the rear window, it stops where the little black dots are at the top...he said most cars with the dots won't take the tint and that it wont stick properly and nothing can be done about it...Is this correct? It looks good and evrything its just distracting looking at the window and then BAM, the tint just stops and its plain glass for the last 2" or so of the top of the window.

 

most places will use black paint up there. its a pretty easy diy.

 

Hey, I'm a professional window tinter so I'll give you some insight. That guy who told you nothing can be done about it is full of shit. Normally when I tint cars with those black dots (called the matrix), I will tint the window up to the part where the matrix starts. But instead of leaving it like that, I will cut out a perfectly sized piece of black vinyl and use that to tint the rest of the window (where the matrix is). When done like this, it will turn out perfectly and you won't be able to tell that the vinyl is there. But there IS also a way to make the regular window tint stick to the matrix and work perfectly, but that is more complicated to explain so I won't get into it. And I've done it that way plenty of times before, so I know for fact that it's possible to stick regular window tint on the matrix. I hope this helps

 

Sweet, thanks man! Total dumb question here, I'm assuming the vinyl would go on the inside, correct? Where can I find some black vinyl and should I basically just trace the vinyl to the shape missing? And how should I get it to stick? Thanks a ton, i'll be doing this tomorrow....errrr, i mean today, long night.

 

Would this work Ok?? http://stores.diyupholsterysupply.co...tex/Detail.bok

 

Really? That's weird. Most places I know use black vinyl. I would never use black paint on the black dots because I wouldn't want to accidently paint the headliner or anything else in the interior....especially on the Ferrari's or Lambo's, lol. Besides, I'm positive the black vinyl turns out cleaner/better looking with less work involved compared to painting the black dots. Plus, if you want to remove the tint in the future for whatever reason, it'll be a lot easier to remove the black vinyl since it comes off in one piece. Just my

 

No problem man. And yes, you are correct about the vinyl going on the inside. And as far as finding some black vinyl, I'm not sure since I just use the vinyl we have at my shop and I think it's 3M. But I'm not sure, so I'll double check for you when I'm at work. And what you're going to want to do is get black vinyl that has one sticky side so that it will stick to your window. And get a STAINLESS STEEL Olfa Blade, but don't use any other type of metal blade because it will scratch your window pretty badly. Whereas, stainless steel won't scratch glass unless it's really dull or has chipped edges. And as far as what to do, PM me and I'll explain all the steps.

 

No that won't work at all since it's fabric. You need black vinyl that has a sticky side to it, kinda like those decals you see on all those rice rockets from The Fast and the Furious, lol.

 

Ok, Great. I'll shoot you a PM

 

Got my tint put on some years ago and they just tinted over the matrix. Looks pretty good IMO there are spots where it didn't stick but it looks better than my friends job. They did the same thing you explained

 

This is a problem, but he was just lazy. Most tinters will put a piece of black vinyl across the matrix to bond the tint to, he's just an idiot

 

Come on now, you remember what happened last time we called someones mechanic out.....




Mine has tint covering the matrix. But now that my tint needs to be redone, this could pose a problem for taking it off to get it redone... SIGH..

 

That was fun! I laughed for days

 

^^ I know..

 

I've always hated my tint.. and I hated the place I took my car to even more

Where do you work, I Fear No Five O?
You sound like you do good work..
Any chance I could get a discount if I came and got my tint removed and replaced?

 

DERRRRR.... I'm a retard
I'm on my local forum at the same time and got the sites confused.
I don't think I'll be driving to California to get some tint....

 

you should be able to tint over the "matrix" as far my my guy hooked it up no problem

 

lofl. You mean the one that said it was ok to dump the clutch right after the install?

 

Yes

 

Yeah and breaking axles was normal too

 

Finally got some time to take a picture of the tint and the Tail light tint I installed today:







Sorry they're kinda crappy, it was takin on my phone.

 

I would take it back and make them fix it, or take it off completely and have someone else do it who knows what they are doing!

 

this tint place did that to my GF's car, i make fun of her for that everytime..

 

My tint drives me nuts too, looks horrible. The dot matrix stuff makes it look like
i did it myself.... It has a lifetime warranty against bubbling, so I might be able to get them to redo it. I have heard its a bitch to take it off though, and they can actually ruin your rear windows defroster/antenna thing doing it too.

 

I work at Total Eclipse (www.totaleclipse.biz) in the Bay Area. If you were in Cali, I would definately hook you up.

 

LOL, it's all good man. But for anyone that's in California, specifically the Bay Area, shoot me a PM if you're interested and I'll hook you up. Check out the picture gallery on my shop's website (www.totaleclipse.biz) and you'll see the types of cars we get on a daily basis, so you know we do quality work!

 

As for the tint being a problem to remove, it shouldn't be for a pro. In over 13 years of tinting, I have NEVER had defroster lines or antenna lines come off. If you do it right, there is worry. Count me in for the vinyl solution for dots. I have a '99 2.3 CL and mine is done with vinyl.

 

Removing the tint on the back window can be a bitch, depending on the quality/brand of the tint and how long the tint has been on there. But should never be a problem for a good shop. And as far as ruining the rear window defroster/antenna goes, that should NEVER happen if the shop knows what they're doing. There are plenty of ways to remove the rear tint without damaging anything, no matter how baked on or shitty the tint is. Since you have a lifetime warranty, they will have to honor that and replace it for free. So I would take advantage of that if I were you. But if they damage anything, make their asses pay for it. Just my

 

Nice to see another tinter on here. Where are you from?

 

Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

Sorry for the typo, I meant to say that there is NO worry about the lines if done properly.

 

Whats the easiest way for one to take the tint off the rear window... I would rather do it myself and save the 150 bucks.

 

If you can get your hands on a steamer, that's the most reliable way.

Is the film bubbled or wavy or distorted at all? If so, steaming is probably the only way to get it off. Can you take a picture and post it?

 

Yeah.. I can take a picture... Ill do it tonight.

Its not bubbled or distored. Just turning purple.

I do have access to a steamer.

 

I have my dot matrix covered with black vinyl. What really sucks is the dot matrix along the sides of the driver side and passenger doors. IMPOSSIBLE to get tint to stick to/look decent. What have you guys done? Cut right before the dots? Anyone put vinyl there? I need some ideas.

 

Yeah, using a steamer would be the easiest and most reliable way of removing the rear tint. What you want to do is steam the entire back window enough to get it hot. Then using your fingernail, peel a corner of the tint a little bit, and steam that area before you start peeling more away. Now you should be able to peel with one hand while constantly steaming with the other hand. Just be sure you're always steaming the area you're trying to peel, along with the rest of the back window. Take your time and don't rush anything. And be careful not to burn yourself. I hope this helps/ makes sense. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Good luck.

 

Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. Cutting right before the dots or using vinyl would look kind of funny; I wouldn't recommend doing that. It is actually possible to get the tint to stick to the matrix, but unfortunately it can only be done when the tint is being installed and still fresh. How old is your tint? If it's not too old, it might be possible to fix that problem. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

 

I got it done in December. It was professionally done, he just couldnt get it to completely stick. Some parts are fine but theres like madddd bubbles (only in between the dots though)

 

I got most of mine to stick on the back edge of the doors. The quarter glass edges are just about perfect. I am currently on the 3rd tint job for my car. I'll try to post some pics this weekend.

 

well yeah, my quarter windows are fine too. The back window has real small bubbles, i havent had time to push them out. But the driver and passenger window really make me mad. Blahh.