Window Tint install Quality

[Pablito]

Evening all,
Just a bit of advice.........
I got my VF2 tinted about 4 weeks ago. The installer said that it takes a few weeks for the tint to properly dry and bubbles etc to disappear so I haven't really looked that closely at the windows until today when cleaning the car.
I've noticed some imperfections, but I thought I would ask here if these are just the nature of the beast or something I should whinge about.
One of the windows has 2 grain of rice sized bubbles in it, 2 others have 2 smaller bubbles in each that I can clearly see a piece of grit in the middle that is causing the bubbles. The rear window has a straight line mark about 30mm long and another window has a similar looking straight line mark about 10mm long (they look like tool marks from install?)
So yeah..... normal or not acceptable?

My other VF with factory tint doesn't have these imperfections. My wife's car has 1 window with the same little bubble with grit in it.

 

[VECalaisV8Wagon]

Well it should be near perfect & under some sort of guarantee.
Anyway there are very few good tinters around & anyone with some tint & a squeegee can setup shop.
I always stay away from the mobile tinters.

 

[Forg]

Last time I had a tint done, the only slight bubbles were where the tint didn‘t quite stick as well to the rear window heater as well as to the glass. 20 years later it still looks pretty reasonable & un-purple, except for where an errant trim-mounting screw scratched the driver’s side tint.

I’d say what you describe isn’t acceptable.

 

[Pablito]

I should have said that it was done by a local shop that's been there for over 10 years.

 

[stooge]

Chit job.

You should not have grit behind the film and the bubbles should have been pushed out during the install.

Depending on the installer you could end up with a 2 piece rear fit which can have a line when you look close but most installers do a single piece.

The bubbles may disappear after a week or more but the grit will never go and it can lead to a spot where the film will delaminate from the window over time.

 

[losh1971]

When I had my old ute done there were a few tiny bubbles that dried out over the period of about five days and disappeared. My cousin does tinting in Adelaide and does a very good job. He has done it as a side business for over 20 years. The windows should be spotless after they clean them so no there should be no grit on any surface. Time to go back. Leave it a few days for the adhesive to fully dry first though.

 

[RevNev]

I should have said that it was done by a local shop that's been there for over 10 years.

Is there only one bloke who does the tint at that shop for 10 years? Some shops with a long history of good workmanship were founded by the boss and he ends up employing a couple of lackeys who aren't as good. Depends on "who" does the job more than the shop's history sometimes.

 

[tommy_z]

To say it takes 4 weeks for bubbles to disappear is already a bit of a red flag… at most they should be gone within the week.

Note that years of service or length it’s been opened for should never be an indicator for how good a shop is. It’s one thing to be open for so long, but for those of us who actually understand and are finicky about our vehicles (ie. all of us on this forum), things like bubbles under tint or even the use of factory engine oil at the service dealer would be unacceptable compared to what the general public expect. To be honest I still can’t believe to this day the number of cars I see with bubbling tint on the back glass (probably because of the curvature) - how is that acceptable??

Your profile says Central Coast so this may be a bit out of the way for you, but if you are down in Sydney, I recommend Sydney City Solartint at Banksmeadow. Speak to Kenny. Did two of my cars (one was a VF!!) and he knows what he’s doing. He charges more than others but you get what you pay for.

 

[lmoengnr]

Take it back get 'em to do it correctly...

 

[RevNev]

Note that years of service or length it’s been opened for should never be an indicator for how good a shop is. It’s one thing to be open for so long, but for those of us who actually understand and are finicky about our vehicles (ie. all of us on this forum), things like bubbles under tint or even the use of factory engine oil at the service dealer would be unacceptable compared to what the general public expect. To be honest I still can’t believe to this day the number of cars I see with bubbling tint on the back glass (probably because of the curvature) - how is that acceptable??

A friend of my wife's had a bit of a bingle and had her car fixed at a panel shop that's been around for 20 years. I asked her if they did a good a job and she said yes it was excellent. The bingle was gone but the job was garbage, paint didn't match, dry spray on the edges with file marks showing through where they bogged up the quarter panel, but she thought it was an excellent job as a "general public" view!