Hi All, this is my first post.Just bought a 2008 Ranger two weeks ago with 26000 km on it and I love it. The first thing I did was have the windows tinted. I went 5% on the two side rear windows and 20% on the back. With the 5% you can hardly see inside those windows but you can still see out for changing lanes. and the 20% is just right, not too dark and still dark enough to keep people from seeing in to what you have hiding behind the seats.
When you are going to tint, Always use the adhesive type. the other kind is prone to bubbling up after a little while.
The basics of window tinting are
; clean the glass, trim the film to the desired shape, remove the protective layer from the film, wet the film and glass to activate the glue, then apply the film to the glass and squeegee out any water and air bubbles.
If the window is not 100% clean, or any debris gets onto the film or glass during application there will be a bubble in the film and the job has to be redone. I will try to give you an idea of how difficult this product is to work with. If you have ever been frustrated with plastic wrap then you have an idea. Try to get all the wrinkles out of plastic wrap, or try to straighten it out after it sticks to itself. When removing the protective layer from window tint this is exactly what it’s like, but it’s not one piece of plastic wrap it’s two! Then, you need to add water, work as fast as you can so the film does not touch anything and pick up debris before being applied.
Your just starting to get an idea of the patience and talent required to properly apply window tint.
Automotive Glass is even more difficult as vehicle glass is not flat. The window tint must be heat shrunk to the shape of the glass. Once the film has been cut and shrunk to the proper shape it must then be applied to the inside of a vehicle in tight quarters where the film can easily touch fabric and pick up lint and ruin the job. Oh, and remember one single crease and it’s time to start over.
Do yourself a favour and get it done professionally so you know it will be done right and you won't have to hate your friend when he F#*@s it up. It is thee most frustrating stuff to work with. Sure, you can do it yourself for the cost of the film, but are you going to get it done right? the first time? if not your back to the store buying more tint film. The 3 windows cost me $199.00 and believe me that was money well spent and it was done so perfect you cant even see the edges of the film on the windows.
Best of luck
Gord