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advice please how do i apply tint to windows?
Hello peeps!!!!! 😛
I’ve been asked to tint my friends car, haven’t done it before, but they’re happy for me to give it a go. 1, I get the practice, 2, they get cheap tints.
A couple of questions really.
1) What is the legalities of the tint used and where (?)
2) Where can I get some decent but cheap tint (?)
3) Any tips on application (?)Cheers in advance. :lol1:
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23 Replies
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I’m 21 years in this business and I stay a million miles away from window tinting. It’s a different trade and certainly not worth the hassle. You could make fifty correx signs while tinting a car, lots less hassle and a lot more profit
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hiya pacman, we are a sign company that also offer window tinting and have done for about 2 years.
Although it is a slightly different industry there is a lot of call for it, certainly around my area anyway.
firstly as far as cheap tint goes; don’t even bother, in the long run it will cost you more due to poor quality.
If you are going to do the job, get some decent stuff; Johnsons or Suntek if you want to skimp try Halfords or your local car parts shop
Cleanliness is the foundation to a good job done, never skimp on cleaning the window surfaces and make sure the environment is clean and dust free too.
hard to give tips, you really need to have it shown to you, heat shrinking etc.
there is a large market for tinting; get yourself on a course and then you can get good at it and make some serious money out of it, if you tint about 5 cars a week you could turn over about £1500.00 with a layout of about £100.00 plus labour.
there was a post on the site covering tinting, have a quick search
hope some of this helps
cheers
stephen -
We had a try at it and didn’t find it very easy and didn’t get as good a finish as we would like. I would say it takes a lot of practice to get a bang on job but don’t let me put you off as some people make a good profit out of it you just need to be prepared to try and try again, but make sure from the start you buy good film or you don’t stand a chance.
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quote Packman:.2) Where can I get some decent but cheap tint (?):
Sorry mate but these 2 words dont often go together
Peter -
interesting advice.. whats the rules on covering the drivers window, is that an MOT issue?
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no more than 30% tint for front windows.
L J -
Regarding some of the advice here, I know some people mean well but dont try it if you have not got the basic knowledge or the correct tools. I have been toying with the idea of offering some sort of training, rather than people spending fortunes to be given a biased view on 1 customers product who happens to be running a training session.
If anyone is really interested I dont mind letting them come and see how we do it, ie spend a day here to see the basics etc. I am not saying what we do is the best or easiest or even the quickest but it works for me and I’ve been doing it for over 6 years now.
Like all of us we have our own way of doing things.
On a negative note, as you will appreciate I dont want to advise or show anyone who in reality could become a threat, ie someone who is near to me.
I feel this is fair and it is my way of offering to help some of you guys who have been very helpfull and inspirational to me
Cheers
Bob
(mod-edit) admin@uksignboards.com
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hello prestige, well this is the biggest risk with this forum and even employing people, you end up working in competition with them one day, however I think the bias here is to help each other to learn and develop your trade and therefore the skills so you don’t just do one thing you may do other things soon.
LJ, does 30% tint mean
1: 30% of black opacity?
2: 30% coverage of the front window?Also is it MOT rules that say that?
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It’s the suppliers who tell me it has to be no more than 30% tint (Opacity)
Also been told same by the police. One of my customers insisted on Limo black for front windows, so a few weeks later he got pulled sorry she got pulled by the police & warned to take it off. A few weeks later she got pulled again by same policeman, this time he made her take it off there and then. Can’t help thinking that if this girl racer had been a boy racer he would have been done for it.
L J -
eek. and was that a ~30% tint before the police asked to remove the tint. Prestige, what is your view on L.J’s posts, see a bit unclear*?
* no pun intended
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[quote="DaveRowland"]eek. and was that a ~30% tint before the police asked to remove the tint.
No, Limo black is about the darkest one you can get & still see through it.
L J -
I must say, tinting doesn’t get a very positive response, 👿 I think I might try it out on the old banger in the drive, that way if it goes wrong it don’t matter. Thank you all for your posts, much appreciated. I’ve taken all your views on board.
Cheers 😀
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% figure means the amount of light allowed to transfer through the glass, from the outside to the inside of the vehicle. The higher the % the lighter the tint. The VOSA, VEHICLE OPERATORS SERVICES AGENCY, will accept 45% vlt, visible light transmission, on windows forward of the b post, at a road side check, any darker and the owner/driver will be issued with a prohibition order, a temporary order if the vlt is between 30% and 45% effectively giving the owner/driver 10 days to rectify the prohibition, an immediate prohibition is issued if the vlt is below 30%, this in effect means it must be removed there and then. Glass behind the b post can have any grade of vlt film fitted provided the vehicle in question is equipped with 2 exterior rear view mirrors, ie door or wing mirrors.
If you are unsure what I mean and dont get the gist of this give me a call.
You have to take into account that after th fitting of tints under no circumstances would the vehicl be covered via the insurance if they find out it is lower than 45%, some wont cover if below 70%(standard tinted glass on most cars)
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Prestige. very nicely explained.
L J -
Hi folks…
one of our guys has just been driving back from london… this Vito van has tints on the front side windows, the police has stopped him once and warned him that he must take it off or cant drive the vehicle.As a comprimise he is now driving with the windows down, he pulled into the services for a quick break and went back onto the motorway forgetting that the windows must be open, he has been pulled over again by another police car and then threaten with arrest as a repeat offence.
Can someone clarify the above posts, is the side windows (passenger and driver side) classed as front windows? (windows with the S on the above posts.)
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Windscreen & front driver & passenger windows MUST have no more than the ‘alleged’ 30%(?) tint. (usually anything forward of the ‘B’ pillar) Rear & rear passengers – do what you like as there is NO legislation to stop you blacking these out entirely if you wish (like a van). The percentage tint is NOT the film you fit, but what it turns into as 90% of all cars have a degree of pre-tinted glass installed from the factory. Mirror – regardless of light transmission must not be fitted to front windows….doesn’t stop it happening though!
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Hi, thanks for that… yeah I just done some very quick research too… pretty much says that 70% of light must come through those front/side windows.
http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/carlgvowners/vosaroadsidechecks/tintedwindows.htm
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Just wondered how the light transmission is measured, do the police carry a device, if not I would tell them to take a running… its like them stopping you for dd and not being able to measure the alcohol on your breath.
Or pulling you for speeding without a calibrated radar, or other measuring device?Peter
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exactly what i thought.
he has been fined toowill find out more and if it can be measured
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Normally they don’t carry the device – basically a light source and photoresistor to work out how much (or little) or the light is transmitted through the glass.
I suspect the obligatory ‘producer’ and an inspection back at HQ within 7 days. And like most things motoring related, it’s up to the driver to prove himself innocent – and not the police to prove them guilty.
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if you happen to be a rich footballer, and can afford a certain lawyer, its definatly up to the police, via the DPP to prove you guilty.
Peter -
hi.. well this is all sorted now… basically the tint was 21% and was measured by a local tint specialist… (I didn’t see this) but it is all ripped off now.
Was fined £30… however he did get the fine squashed as he proved the case but the current Van insurance company will not insure the van with tinted windows, so thats the reason why he ripped them off.
Apparently a few division of police are looking out for tinted windows, think the plymouth lot are and another lot. The police showed the PDF document above to him when he got into the police car, they were armed with this info.
Typical Police state we live in
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ive been tinting windows for about 3 years now and have been in sign industry for about 7. Window tint is alot different to vinyl to put on, very different charecteristcs, dont try fitting tint like vinyl, you need to heat tint up to get it to shrink, ulso it will only shrink up und down so dont try rubbing fingers out to the side. theres a site called tintdude that has full instructions and i get my tint from dartz films, cheam and as good a quality as johnsons. It will take you a while to get it right but is a very profiable business.
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