Car window tinting

[Kram]

Considering to tint my car windows, rear and rear passenger. I'm not interested in the look of it, although ofcourse I'd want it done well. Currently the Mazda 6 has clear windows all around.

First reason is the insanely irritating headlights on most newer cars. They tend to light up the inside of my car and I find it extremely distracting - to the point that I slow and let Prius's,Tesla's and most kraut cars pass - if they dont I have been known to stop. I have the rear view mirror pointing up at the head lining and rarely use it for looking out the back - too irritating. They go over a bump and I get a flash. I expect that a dark tint on the rear would almost entirely reduce the problem - no suprise that most new cars are factory tinted about 40%.

Second reason is I keep stuff in the back - nothing valuable - work and sports clothes, shoes, bottles of water, and large water tank in a rear footwell. Either way, with my best attempts its a mess and I'm embaressed when people see it. However I use my car for work, I cant be bringing everything to the car each day - this leaves the boot relatively empty, again with nothing valuable left in it. I bring all my tools out from the house and garage each day - multiple chainsaws, hedge trimmers etc, which is why I dont want clothes in the boot!

 

[Anguz]

did my own with the film stuff on my crv.... looked ok but not perfect... rear window was a problem for me... was still attached and looked ok 10 years later when i sold on
was only the generic ebay type stuff.... bought much more than i needed and wasted the 1st couple of bits getting the hang of it

 

[Kayos]

I've ordered a precut kit for the Freelander, loads of soapy water

My reasons are for security, I've gone 20% light transmission

 

[steveo3002]

been dabbling with this the past 12 months , the rear screens seem near impossible to do to a nice standard , i paid some pro and wasnt happy got home and tore it all off , ended up getting a factory tinted glass for that

side glass is doable , needs to be super clean , when you think its clean enough clean it again and again , in general its taking me 2-4 attempts to get the side glass nice - thats working outside on a still day. if you have somewhere clean indoors to work might be easier

 

[Mad Mick]

I’ve been edificated! Old cynic me, I was thinking that tinted windows were to stop the law catching you on the phone Off for cataract op tomorrow, guess that’s the opposite of tinting.

 

[Migmac]

Son got his car windows done, not a bubble or crease to be seen. Pro in Glasgow did it, lots and lots of soapy water seems to be the answer. Draws attention of plod though. His interior is black which makes the tint look blacker than it is.

 

[angellonewolf]

done mine myself i was not worried about the out come as i just wanted it so you cant see inside just as well a few bubbles in it the back windows more than any where as the windows are curvered in 2 directions so hard to get the water out in a line but i paid 18 quid ish was a few years ago the better stuff you can heat with a hot air gun to shrink it it and take out the extra to get rid of any lines or bubbles

 

[Kram]

I've ordered a precut kit for the Freelander, loads of soapy water

My reasons are for security, I've gone 20% light transmission

Please post up your results when done?

What tools would I need to do it myself?
I dont have easy access to mains power from road, so may have to get one of those cheapy heat guns.

 

[Kayos]

Please post up your results when done?

What tools would I need to do it myself?
I dont have easy access to mains power from road, so may have to get one of those cheapy heat guns.

I wasn't planning on using heat, although the drop in temperature may cause me to rethink that

I was planning to use soapy water and plastic scrapers

 

[voipio]

How about a 90% silvered mirror vertically mounted on the rear parcel shelf, with some tinting film on the front-facing side?

 

[Kram]

I do like the idea of reflecting headlights back at drivers! However it would likely look odd with little benefit.

Another annoyance is the brightness of oncoming lights particually when on motorway. I like the idea of a temporary/moveable tinted or opaque light blocker on the side of the A pillar. Currently I drive on motorways at night with my right hand on top of the wheel, blocking the lights.

 

[Robotstar5]

.......Another annoyance is the brightness of oncoming lights particually when on motorway. I like the idea of a temporary/moveable tinted or opaque light blocker on the side of the A pillar. Currently I drive on motorways at night with my right hand on top of the wheel, blocking the lights.

You need the Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses which are designed to help people develop a relaxed attitude to danger. They follow the principle "what you don't know can't hurt you" and turn completely dark and opaque at the first sign of danger. This prevents you from seeing anything that might alarm you. This does, however, mean that you see absolutely nothing, including where you're going.

 

[MattF]

Have you tried yellow glasses as yet? They really do help making headlights more tolerable.

 

[steveo3002]

new razor blade or steel wool , soapy water and clean down the glass , do it at twice

sharp new blade and cut the film to size

soak the glass with soapy water , peel back the film and soak that and quickly postion it on the glass , i then use a soft rubber squeegie and press down a cross in the middle , then work towards the edges , i then use a harder card wrapped in a cloth to work out some more water , if you get any bits around the edge that pop up heat the upside and press them down

i know the websites dont do this but i made a template for the side glass with brown paper and transfered it to a scrap of hardboard , saves me time when i needed to redo bits

wouldnt even try a tailgate glass

 

[voipio]

I do like the idea of reflecting headlights back at drivers! However it would likely look odd with little benefit.

Another annoyance is the brightness of oncoming lights particually when on motorway. I like the idea of a temporary/moveable tinted or opaque light blocker on the side of the A pillar. Currently I drive on motorways at night with my right hand on top of the wheel, blocking the lights.

Me, too. Oncoming lights seem to be worse on single carriageway A and B roads. At least on the motorway, the oncoming lights are generally at a slightly greater angle away from where a driver is heading.

 

[dave h 2]

mmmm drug dealer tints, got those on a curtesy car currently, like driving a van --------------- in a tunnel.
Even 80's cars had a flip rear mirror.

Makes a point for an SUV, with the extra height my 70 year old eyes are out of range.

 

[barracuda816]

Not trying to be funny, but have you had your eyes properly tested (not just the "can you read the bottom line" type test but one that looks into your eyes)?

I notice the newer cars do 100% have more of a dazzle effect oncoming but from behind?

Is it reflecting off your mirrors (side and rearview)? as I am sure you are probably aware but most review mirrors have the "dip" function.

 

[voipio]

Not trying to be funny, but have you had your eyes properly tested (not just the "can you read the bottom line" type test but one that looks into your eyes)?

I notice the newer cars do 100% have more of a dazzle effect oncoming but from behind?

Is it reflecting off your mirrors (side and rearview)? as I am sure you are probably aware but most review mirrors have the "dip" function.

One of the main problems from vehicles that are behind is the glare from cars going over humps, or bumps in the road, though I've had issues on the open relatively smooth roads, too. My eyes were thoroughly tested with the advanced imaging stuff, and nothing untoward was found. There are several aspects, or components, to this. One of those aspects to the problem lies in the fact that our "fright and flight" mechanisms, that would normally detect sudden movement in the wild, in earlier times, are constantly being triggered by the sudden changes in brightness produced by modern (compact, small source) car lighting. From behind, it is probably largely the peripheral vision response that is being triggered, and I find that hugely distracting. Adaptive LED headlights are probably the worst of all, for occupants of cars in front I have little or no problems with the older style tungsten halogen lighting systems, and can cope with those fine. Yes, there are exceptions, but mostly due to use of full beam or bad headlamp adjustment.

In the population as a whole, it seems very likely that people fall into different groups, in relation to the effect of modern vehicle lighting on their visual systems. I'm guessing that I would probably be in the same group as @Kram. There will be others that are bothered less, and there may even be some folk out there that aren't bothered in the slightest.