Hi all, right i have hummed and hawed and finally got myself a pre cut window tint tint set for my 97 disco. Its basically for security and keep the sun out the kids eyes. Anyways has anyone done this and got any advice on fitting etc? The guy said you need to remove the trim to fit it, think the front and rear doors will be easy enough but the very rear and the very rear sides are in with the rubber surround and could be hard. Thanks for any help and advice cheers
Mark Disco
New Member
my advice from experience - throw the tint kit away and get it done professionally. unless you've got alot of experience, a windless working area free from dust and small particles, and a ton of patience you'll end up with creases and air holes and tiny lumps of crap under the tint that all show up as white bubbles. you've got alot of curved glass to do - take all the problems above and multiply them by 10!! iirc the rear screen is curved 2 ways, which means you've got to use heat to shrink the tint film to shape - too much heat tho and the tint will shrivel.
you mention security - have you got 'security' film or 'tint' film? if its tint film then it doesnt stop anyone from smashing the glass, and its also easy to see through if you get up close to it. its also illegal to tint your front side windows more than 35% (im sure its 35% but if im wrong please correct me) and the police can pull you over and tell you to remove the tint on the spot and give you a £60 fine. and yes some police cars do carry light meters to see how much light travels through the tint.
if you still want to tint it yourself then make sure the glass is clean. then clean it again. scrape it clean with a razor blade, then clean it again. ANY SMALL SPECK OF DUST no matter how small will show as a white bubble!! remove as much trim as possible from around the window. work in a garage, with the doors closed, and make sure the floor is swept out. pour water on the floor all around and under the car so any dust left will stay in the water and not become airborne. once the tint is on the window and you've squeezed most of the soap/water out from under the tint, use a hair dryer to dry and shrink the tint slightly. if your rubbing a squegie over the top of the tint to remove soap/water underneath make sure the tint is nice and soapy/wet or it will rip.
best bit of advice - buy a roll of tint from halfords or somewhere and try tinting a window BEFORE you try with the kit. its ALOT harder than you think
you mention security - have you got 'security' film or 'tint' film? if its tint film then it doesnt stop anyone from smashing the glass, and its also easy to see through if you get up close to it. its also illegal to tint your front side windows more than 35% (im sure its 35% but if im wrong please correct me) and the police can pull you over and tell you to remove the tint on the spot and give you a £60 fine. and yes some police cars do carry light meters to see how much light travels through the tint.
if you still want to tint it yourself then make sure the glass is clean. then clean it again. scrape it clean with a razor blade, then clean it again. ANY SMALL SPECK OF DUST no matter how small will show as a white bubble!! remove as much trim as possible from around the window. work in a garage, with the doors closed, and make sure the floor is swept out. pour water on the floor all around and under the car so any dust left will stay in the water and not become airborne. once the tint is on the window and you've squeezed most of the soap/water out from under the tint, use a hair dryer to dry and shrink the tint slightly. if your rubbing a squegie over the top of the tint to remove soap/water underneath make sure the tint is nice and soapy/wet or it will rip.
best bit of advice - buy a roll of tint from halfords or somewhere and try tinting a window BEFORE you try with the kit. its ALOT harder than you think
The glass in front of the 'B' pillar must let 70% of light through. If it does not then it is a £30 fine or a rectification notice.
However, if it lets less that 50% of light getting through it would be a £60 fine and three points as the vehicle is classed as being in a dangerous condition. In this instance the window tint would have to be removed immediately or the vehicle could be siezed due to its 'dangerous condition'.
In either case the officer may issue a delayed prohibition giving a period, (normally 7 or 10 days to get the tints removed.)
So ling as you have wing mirrors on both sides there is no legislation about the windows to the rear of the 'B' pillar being tinted.
Many police force have no started using 'tintman'; a device that is calibrated to measure these levels.
Hope this helps with the law side of it.
However, if it lets less that 50% of light getting through it would be a £60 fine and three points as the vehicle is classed as being in a dangerous condition. In this instance the window tint would have to be removed immediately or the vehicle could be siezed due to its 'dangerous condition'.
In either case the officer may issue a delayed prohibition giving a period, (normally 7 or 10 days to get the tints removed.)
So ling as you have wing mirrors on both sides there is no legislation about the windows to the rear of the 'B' pillar being tinted.
Many police force have no started using 'tintman'; a device that is calibrated to measure these levels.
Hope this helps with the law side of it.
I did one once , never again , had to take the glass out in the end, It's a pity because I could do with some on the back of my disco , it won't stop people seeing in but you do have to look a bit harder, stuff in the back might not catch their eye as much. Has anyone tried that spray on tint ?.
Mark Disco
New Member
yes - its awful!! doesnt look to bad in the dark but soon as any light shines through it you can see where you've overlapped with the spray and you get stripes an light/dark patches all over the window - looks really poo!! it doesnt look to bad on lights tho
Dewin
Well-Known Member
I was talking about tint's to someone not too long and they paid between 35 & 45 quid per window (Ford Focus) to have it done by a pro.
rojbarker
New Member
I've done it once too. Didn't turn out tooo bad but could have been better. Lots of fairy liquid and water in a sprayer will help. It's not too bad on flat windows but any curve will make it a nightmare. If the kit wasn't too expensive, might be worth having a stab at the smaller rear windows and see how you get on. You can always rip it off if it looks tang....
mrnice
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ive done it on my kitchen and hallway window to great success u just need patience, when my last boy was born i was in the hospital and got talking to some fitters putting tint on the windows there, they told me use a credit card or something similiar, a solution of washing up liquid - not fairy though as it leaves smears apparently - and a hairdryer to finish the job off, oh yeah and a nice clean unwindy enviroment.
