window tinting

hi, i have a 96 saturn sl2 and i was thinking about getting window tinting and i was wondering if anyone has done it them self or got it professonel done and if you got it professionel done how much was it. and if u did it yourself was it diffult or thing it would be for a person who has never done it before

You can do it yourself, if you have the patients. I would rather do the back window professionally because a lot of back windows have to be done in two pieces or one giant sheet which you can't buy from the auto parts store. Plus having it done professionally is warrantied.

You can do it yourself but you won't get the same results as getting it professionally done. The windows have to be super clean, no dirt, and no lint from paper or cloth towels either. You have to be super diligent to get all the water squeegied out from between the glass and film or you'll get bubbles. Wrinkles on the edges can be eliminated with proper use of a heat gun but you can easily scorch the film. Even if you're careful, the film could draw dirt in from the edges especially near weather stripping when it dries. Also, over the counter film quality is not near as good as what the pros use. It fades quickly in sunlight and even the darkest film can turn blue in no time. You can always tell a DIY film job done by a novice... the back window is filled with bubbles and the side windows look like a smokey haze.

A professional tint shop should be able to do a Saturn for about $200 or less. Well worth it. I have had my 95 Saturn done as well as my 03 Silverado and 99 Riviera Silver Arrow by pros. I've also had a 96 Riv and 97 Riv done professional too.

Check this for more info here:

http://www.tuningmag.net/?name=window-films-fine-tool-for-your-car

I had mine professionally done. I had to remove the old tint first. I did all the windows except the rear since I didn't want to mess up the rear defrost, which I ended up losing anyway since the old tint didn't want to come off. But it looks very nice now, and I can see out the back :)

I had mine done "professionally" about a year ago and mine still have a few bubbles in them. You have to get very close to notice them at all though. They told me to give it time and the heat would eventually take care of them -- yeah right. :rolleyes: I won't be getting any more windows tinted there to say the least. Make sure you get the percentage you want on them though -- I have 35% on mine (legal limit on cars here), but I could have easily got away with 20% - 25% since 1994 models and such have so much window for light to penetrate. Had I known how it would turn out, then I would have went with a lower percentage. They also had to do the back window of my 94' in 3 separate pieces since it has so much curve in it.

All that ran to a little over $230 I believe. Overall, the full metallic tint looks nice.