Auto Detailing Guide

Things To Look For In a "Bad" Tint Installation

First of all, if you are even asking this question, there's a good chance you don't have a "good" tint installation on your vehicle.

A good rule of thumb with tint installations is that you really shouldn't notice that it's on the glass. What I mean by this is that the only time you really notice the tint is when there's a bare spot or cut where you can see light or glass and those are the mistake areas you need to look for. There shouldn't be anything that really jumps out at you as "not looking right". If you are sitting in your car you should not be able to see light or "exposed" areas of your windows that allow unrestricted light to enter the vehicle.

Here are some things to look for in a "bad" tint job:

Fingers: If you look at the back glass on a car and see large white lines or what looks like long air pockets between the tint and the window, these are called "fingers". These aren't good. This just means the installer wasn't a pro and didn't know how to properly heat shrink the back glass to the curve of the window. Take it back and have them do it right, or get your money back and go to a professional.
Crease lines: these are thin lines on the backglass that are usually long and at the tops and in the corners of the glass and usually go vertically or up and down the glass. This usually happens when the installer is in a hurry and "creases" the tint during the heat shrinking process. Pro's will remove the tint and start over again, amateurs will make up excuses to tell you why all tint has those lines when installed.
Hair, Dirt and Other Imperfections: Since we're not installing tint in a perfect clean room environment, every tint installation is going to have very small levels of pollutants that lead to minor imperfections. However, most good installs won't have long hairs, an abundance of "dots" or dirt under the film. Dirt is the enemy of every tint installer. Knowing how to avoid the dirt during the install is part of being a professional from years of experience.
Flips or Peeling: Areas to look for this are at the tops and bottom of the backglass hidden past the "dot matrix" area of the glass or at the tops of the side door panel windows. You should not have any peeling tint film. If you do your installer should fix it free of charge.
Dot Matrix White Areas: The "dot matrix" is a dotted area around most newer back glass and side windows on SUV's and mini-vans. Tint just doesn't like to stick to these areas. Most of the time this can be fixed with a few expert install techniques. If your tint install looks blotchy or completely white in these areas then you may want to ask your installer to work a little longer on it. In very limited cases the matrix just won't allow any adhesion and you will just have to live with the results or the tint can be cut right before this area. Your installer should have some options for you regarding this.
Gaps On Side Windows: The rule for this is simple, professionals don't leave large gaps, period. In the many years I have been in this profession I have witnessed gaps at the tops of side windows as large as 3 or 4 inches on tint installed by other people. That's just embarrassing for them. If you think that looks good, there's a problem. Good installers leave at most less than 1/8 (an eighth) of an inch gap at the top of the window. The only reason for any gap at all is to avoid having the edge of the film catch on the gasket when the window is rolled-up. Don't accept a large gap, take it back or get your money back.
Jagged or Crooked Lines: When you look at your tinted windows there shouldn't be any edge lines that aren't straight and smooth. If your installer can't take the time to cut with a straight edge or ruler then they shouldn't be installing tint in the first place.
Bubbles: When you have tint installed there shouldn't be any bubbles. Sometimes it might take a few weeks for the tint to completely dry so if your installer says this or that will come out when it dries, they aren't lying to you. However, a lot of bubbles or air pockets is not good. Most of the time these don't come out during the drying process. After your tint has dried for a few weeks if you have problems with it take it back and have it fixed. Any reputable shop is going to stand behind it's work and do whatever is necessary to make you happy.

As I have stated before, if your installer is reputable then they should stand behind their work. Good businesses do that for their customers. If they are arguing with you or telling you that it can't be fixed then you might have to take your business to another more professional shop.