Tinting the wagon

[magicmike]

I got the back window and the rear side glass window done and I'm not sure I'm loving it. I also think I might be too old for tinted windows. Just not sure about it all. I must say that its not at all like riding a bike, I've lost a lot of the skill required to do a good job lol. Its been probably 10 years since my last tint job but then again I've charged for worse lol

Doing 20% on all windows by the way. Tell me your thoughts, keep tinting or no?

[kleinkid]

You are too old for 20%. Your aging eyes won't be able to see out! Sad, but true.

Oh, what the heck, if you like it, keep going.

[soobrdad02]

Pics please!

[Shaggy]

Show us some pics and we'll have a better idea. I would like to see just for the simple fact that I am considering tinting my windows, but I'm gonna go darker. I'm actually thinking about going with 2.5%. A 6 foot roll at walmart is only $15. I don't know how much that would do, but it seems pretty cheap to me, I also think it would look pretty good. That's my opinion tho, I say go for it

[Legacy777]

I like about 20% tint. It's just enough, but you can still see out of it at night relatively easy.

[magicmike]

You are too old for 20%. Your aging eyes won't be able to see out! Sad, but true.

Oh, what the heck, if you like it, keep going.

ha ha, I was thinking more along the lines of not trying to look like some punk who tinted out moms station wagon lol

I think I was a bit discouraged because I ruined about 20 fee of tint trying to do a one piece rear window. it was almost there and on the second crease I said fuck it and went for the two piece with the custom overlap cut on one of the defog lines. But even that got bitched up a little so I really dont know.

I think I need to start over and not be drinking this time lol. I was also pretty ripshit at the pump bottle that I bought from lowes that was malfunctioning and losing pressure.

I'll snap some picks of what I have so far but the 20% looks pretty dark with the ss black interior.

[Legacy777]

"ripshit".......hahaha Nice


That's a good point to bring up about the interior. It makes a difference, 20% on my car does not seem that dark because of the tan interior. Especially if you compare it to a gray or black interior.

[magicmike]

Here you go!

Before:


And After:

[Shaggy]

Looks good. I like the 20, i think ill go with that instead of 5... 5 might be too dark. 2 thumbs up man

[originalcyn]

i got 15 on mine. it looks nice, but at night it kinda sucks to drive. backing up in places where there isn't much light is kinda sketchy.

[magicmike]

Thanks, yeah the 20 is good and not too dark although pretty dark. Did my friends pimp assed 83 lincoln town car in 5% all around and that boat was a bitch to park at night, you couldn't see shit lol.

[originalcyn]

If i was going to tint again i'd prolly go with 20. The only thing the tint did for me anyways was improve the look of the car. I don't really care about the privacy aspect or whether or not the it helps the car be cooler inside.

[beatersubi]

Be careful it doesn't downgrade your wheels, though.

[magicmike]

lol, are you referring to my before and after pics lol. I took the before from a while ago with the summers on. The after has the winters.

[92wagon]

lol, are you referring to my before and after pics lol. I took the before from a while ago with the summers on. The after has the winters.

did you also put a different front fender on??

[magicmike]

lol, are you referring to my before and after pics lol. I took the before from a while ago with the summers on. The after has the winters.

did you also put a different front fender on??

um yeah, swapped out the nice one with an old rusty one I had kicking around

[evolutionmovement]

The nice thing about the rusty one is that the sand and shit falls though the rot hole instead of sitting there causing rot to the fairly resilient sills.

[magicmike]

The nice thing about the rusty one is that the sand and shit falls though the rot hole instead of sitting there causing rot to the fairly resilient sills.

Exactly, its a total upgrade...

[92wagon]

its a really good idea for winter!!!

[magicmike]

its a really good idea for winter!!!

Too bad I dont actually have nice fenders lol. That before picture was before tint and before rust lol

[93Leg-c]

I just came across this thread.

So, Mike, you used to be a tinter? : ) How long did you do that?

Regarding what you should put on, the Rhode Island state law specifies no darker than 70% net on the front windows, and since your wagon can be classified as an MPV, you can go as dark as you want on all windows behind the driver's door. 70% is super light, like not having any tint on at all and I think that's a ridiculous standard that the state adopted (but I guess it's still marginally better than CO, NH, NJ, and VT since NO film is allowed on the front windows in those states).

But regarding what looks good, it's all personal taste. Your car looks good the way it is but some would like it darker and some would like it lighter. My thought regarding the 20% tint on the front windows is that it may be a bit too dark at night especially if you live in the rurals or if the town you're in has few street lights. In those situations I probably wouldn't go darker than 30% on the front windows.

On my wagon, I've got 35% on the fronts (AZ legal) and 5% on all windows behind the front doors. The car came that way when I bought it. At first that 5% (limo) tint was quite dark and it took a while to get used to it, but now I don't mind it at all. I live in an area where there are no street lights but it doesn't bother me. I'm just very careful when I back up, day or night. And when I'm driving, I'm constantly scanning my three mirrors so I know exactly what traffic is around me so I don't turn into a vehicle or motorbike. But the tint is beginning to look really bad so I'm going to strip it and re-tint it with the same darkness tint but with a different kind of film -- one that blocks out more heat since in the summer the temperature can get above 100*F (it went to 116*F this past summer). I also like the dark tint for privacy because I carry my work equipment in the car and the harder it is for others to see in the car, the less temptation for passersby to want to break into my car to steal equipment and materials.

Oh, BTW, some ricers in AZ put triple layers of 5% film on. Now, THAT is definitely a safety hazard at any time but especially at night or even during the day when it's rainy and overcast because the driver will not be able to see outside.

Now I'm rambling. I'd better stop.