Instructions on how to fit window film to cars and vans
PLEASE PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK, THE FOLLOWING PAGE IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY, YOU SHOULD ONLY USE THESE TECHNIQUES IF YOU ARE COMPETENT TO DO SO. WE ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED BY FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
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Back Glass
For the back window, most shops will do them in one or two pieces (depending on the car), with the heat shrinking method. This is a very tricky technique, and is very easy to mess up if you don't know what you are doing.
If you can't heat shrink the film for the rear window, you can used seamed pieces, usually 4 pieces of film will lay flat on most rear windows, some can be done in fewer strips. Cut the strips so that the pieces will overlap each other on a defroster line (if the car has them), then, when you are laying the film inside you can cut both pieces at once along the line, to make a 'butt seam'.
Make sure to use new high quality stainless steel razor blades to reduce unavoidable glass scratches. Try not to use carbon razor blades or olfa knives on glass, the will almost certainly scratch the glass, especially on the outside! Most rear car windows have a compound curve, a curve on the horizontal plane and a curve on the vertical plane. This prevents the window from being tinted with a single piece of tint. A good analogy is trying to wrap paper around a basketball, the paper will not lay flat without creases and folds. One way to overcome this is the same way a basketball is made, with pieces and seams. Most rear windows can be done in four pieces of tint with three seams. The seams can be hidden by the horizontal defroster element. You should first cut all of your pieces to shape, and then install them. Make sure to use new high quality stainless steel razor blades to reduce unavoidable glass scratches. Try not to use carbon razor blades or olfa knives on glass, the will almost certainly scratch the glass, especially on the outside!
More on baby powder heat shrinking CLICK HERE.
Preparing the rear window for film installation should be done after all the film has been cut and laid out ready to peel. Spray the inside of the glass with soapy water and scrub it with a white abrasive dish sponge, paying extra attention to the edges and the dotted areas. Squeegee the glass dry and wipe the dotted edge with a paper towel to lift up the black residue the ceramic edge gives off, (This will help the film to stick to the dots.) and spray the window again, this time squeegee very carefully to get all of the water off. Now flush the window from the top down, avoiding the very top and the dots, if the window has them, to prevent dirt from bleeding down. Just flush the area that's going to receive the strip of film.
Lay all the cut film out on the wet cutting table so you can pull the liner off without it laying over onto itself (if dry adhesive surface touches itself you will need to start over as it will stick firm).
Wash the windows in preparation to receive the film one at a time. For the back window, use a white dish scrubber not a green one (it will scratch). For the side glass use razor blades and soapy water, squeegee clean, then spray with soapy water, go peel the film, and spray it with soapy water too, pick it up and lay the film onto the wet inner glass, position it until its just right, squeegee most of the water out, then lay the next piece, squeegee both, then cut along the defroster line to make a butt seam making sure not to cross and cut any defroster lines as they will no longer work, also some cars have the radio antenna on the window with the same type of line, do not cut these as your antenna will not work anymore! Remove the cut away pieces as you lightly spray soapy water where you lift the film away from the glass, squeegee out the seam, then lay the next strip and so on.
After you apply the film for the doors wait a little while before you put the panels back on, or removing the masking tape from the flap. After all the film is laid and cut, here and there parts of it might pop up, push them down with a hard card then blot any excess water from the window film with paper towels.
Go peel the film and carefully lay it into position without creasing it or touching the adhesive side, or letting it touch anything but wet glass. If it hits a dry spot of glass it will grab, so be methodical, don't be afraid to rehearse how you are going to get in the car without using your hands holding a long strip of film. Once it is in position, carefully squeegee it out, prepare the next section of glass as above, and lay the next piece in. Once the second strip is squeegeed out, cut the butt seam at the defroster line.
Try to cut on the top edge of the defroster line on the glass and not in the metal of the line. Make sure to cut firmly through both pieces of film to get a good clean seam the first time. Make sure to use new high quality stainless steel razor blades to reduce unavoidable glass scratches. Try not to use carbon razor blades or olfa knives on glass, the will almost certainly scratch the glass, especially on the outside! After the cut is done, remove the extra pieces. to remove the piece that is under the second strip, peel back the corner of the second strip just enough to grip the extra piece, and pull the strip of extra film out slowly as you spray a little soapy water to keep any dry spots from grabbing. Once the excess pieces of film are gone, squeegee both the first and second pieces firmly, prepare the next section of glass and repeat as above until all 4 pieces are in and all three seams are cut.
Pieces illustration
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