Window Tint Care Tips

[kuecker_dj09]

i wasnt sure if this belonged in the all shine or all show section, but i couldnt find anything useful for my question.

im getting tint on thursday, and i want to make sure it looks great for a long time...and i was wondering what everyone recommends for caring for tinted windows.

Thanks,

Seth

[DrFabulous]

Ask the shop that is doing the tinting.

Make sure you don't use a product that contains acetone when cleaning your windows (I think that's what you're not supposed to use, I could be wrong).

[kuecker_dj09]

i picked up a can of Stoner's Invisble Glass...will that work?

[coupe]

i picked up a can of Stoner's Invisble Glass...will that work?

absolutely

[kuecker_dj09]

absolutely

i think after i saw you scold someone for using windex...either on GAOC or on GAGT.......i got on the stoner bandwagon quick.........lol

[coupe]

Windex sucks in general IMO, i wont use it in my home even.

I use IG in my home and on my vehicles.

[GrandAmGT1996]

Wet and dry paper towels seems to do the trick for me when im in a hurry

[coupe]

Use whatever works for you, just make sure to NOT use ammonia based cleaners (windex).

[nascarnate326]

Coupe any tips for getting dot matrix to look its best? Mine needs some work but im not sure what will work/wont work.

[Vampyrate]

anything that has alcohol in it or acetone will destroy the tint... the best thing, tried and true is anything that is like stoner's. other than that, make sure you read on the label that it is:
1. safe for tint
2. alcohol free
3. acetone free
4. streak free (who wants streaks to begin with?

[coupe]

Coupe any tips for getting dot matrix to look its best? Mine needs some work but im not sure what will work/wont work.


Nope, your screwed, it will always look like crap lol

[Bryan]

Throw a strip of black vinyl over it..I think it looks better.

[Ajaxus]

Windex sucks in general IMO, i wont use it in my home even.

I use IG in my home and on my vehicles.

lol

My family found the last bottle of IG I had..it was gone by the time I came home to detail my car again..guess they figured out it was a good product? :(

[Mirage85]

Windex sucks in general IMO...

Ive noticed this as well. I got some cheap armourall glass cleaner stuff and it does a good job and is streak free. I have used windex and armourall glass cleaner on my tint without problems.

[bballr4567]

Nope, your screwed, it will always look like crap lol
Yea I went to a guy that has been tinting for about 16 years and he said that GA/ Alero's with the matrix are the hardest part of any car to tint.

[Jake]

Ya my dot matrix looks like ****, it looks like there is water there, I asked the guy like why does it look like that? he said no worries it will go away within a wweek, 2 months later, looks like crap.... Im just gonne get a white vinyl thing to go over it... its really killin it.

[coupe]

Suprisingly mine is 100% perfect

[Jake]

Suprisingly mine is 100% perfect

Lucky

[gtdado4]

Yeah, my tint was done before I bought it, and it's got black vinyl over the matrix.
Didn't notice it right away, came very close to taking it off, but decided against it when I saw the dots.
I did end up taking off the sun-strip on the front, I was feeling very boxed in.
How did I get it off? Ammonia.
That's why you shouldn't use windex.

[DrFabulous]

Suprisingly mine is 100% perfect

Mine looks MUCH better than anyone I've seen. It's not 100% perfect, but most people have some serious problems, which I've been lucky to avoid.

[Mirage85]

Suprisingly mine is 100% perfect


Yeah, Mine is pretty good too. It all depends on the person who installs it. I had a guy that just does it in his garage in his spare time. So you know he takes his time and does it right, because when he messes up, it comes out of his pocket directly instead of his employers. I too have the black vinyl over the dot matrix. I looks better that way so you dont have 50,000 little air bubbles around them.

[Vampyrate]

couldn't you just have the installer (or you beforehand) scrape off the dot matrix?

[Mirage85]

couldn't you just have the installer (or you beforehand) scrape off the dot matrix?


No

[Vampyrate]

well, ill be a monkey's uncle then

[outlaw01]

I have 35% red tint on all my windows on my 2000 GAGT, and i use 20/20 tint cleaner and it does an awesome job, cleans everything off em and leaves absolutely no streaks, been usin it for 2 years now. Hope that helps everyone.

[H.O. Driver]

Not sure if it has been mentioned before but make sure you wait a month or two before cleaning just to make sure everything under the tint is dry. I have had two different installers tell me this so I hope its true ;)

Also two thumbs up for the IG. I use it on everything glass, it works better than anything else. I even use it on the tinted windows in my house. Yea thats right I am a really firm beleiver in tint!

[bryanw0087]

yeah the guy that tinted mine did black vinyl over that then tint the rest of the way down

[Panacea]

I use the RainX automotive glass cleaner. It's safe for tinted windows and works pretty well IMO.

[PhantomLover007]

couldn't you just have the installer (or you beforehand) scrape off the dot matrix?

Windshield glass contains a black enamel band (called the frit) around the periphery that is baked into the glass. This black band includes a border of dots. See figure. The band has an etched surface to enable adhesive to bond to the glass, says a sales manager at Able Auto Glass. When car manufacturers install the windshield, they bond the windshield to the vehicle with adhesive placed on the etched part of the black enamel glass area (inside surface). The outside of the enamel band shades the adhesive from the Sun and protects it from ultraviolet radiation. The band also serves a cosmetic purpose by covering up the adhesive and gives the windshield edge "a more finished look."
Rather than a straight black edge, the dot border blends the solid band into the clear glass, says Steve Coyle at Auto Glass Specialists. Some windshields also use the dots as a third sun visor to block the Sun behind the rearview mirror where most visors don't reach.


My installer just put a black vinyl overlay over the frit and then tinted the rest of the area like some of us had done. It looks clean and factory. He too said not to use any kind of ammonia products or clean it for a month. I know it might be bad for those of us who have kids that like to touch clean window or women that had to hold on while doing P.T. in the car. lol.

[Graxall]

Suprisingly mine is 100% perfect

x2