window tints
Moderator: martauto
possibly another silly question please escuse my inexperience
i know how to tint windows i just wondered if theres any specific sheets that are better than others? ive seen the sheets in halfords are they ok to use or are they jst halfords usual cheap rubbish?? if so wheres the best place to go for it?
i know how to tint windows i just wondered if theres any specific sheets that are better than others? ive seen the sheets in halfords are they ok to use or are they jst halfords usual cheap rubbish?? if so wheres the best place to go for it?
The film you buy from any high street shop is going to be crap! I know you say you can tint but how man cars have you done? The e30 is not that easy to do well, as really the glass needs to be removed to do it properly.
To be honest i'd recommend getting it done by a professional. Diy tints generally look sh1t!
To be honest i'd recommend getting it done by a professional. Diy tints generally look sh1t!
- fourmotion
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As above - dont bother dude.... I paid about £100 a few years back for a guy to do mk3 Golf 3 door Syncro and it was perfect- No need to take the windows out either but it may be different on an e30.
I've been doing it for 7 years now, and do an average of 5 to 600 cars a year, as well as commercial buildings and houses. I would say i'm pretty damn good!!!
Unless glass is bonded in, it should come out to ensure a perfect finish.
Unless glass is bonded in, it should come out to ensure a perfect finish.
So how is it done in the pro-world then? How do you get perfectly clean finishes?M3Jim wrote:I've been doing it for 7 years now, and do an average of 5 to 600 cars a year, as well as commercial buildings and houses. I would say i'm pretty damn good!!!![]()
Unless glass is bonded in, it should come out to ensure a perfect finish.

Uni is killing the project.
does the same apply to these pre cut to fit your car sets you se on ebay???
i messaged one seller but he said no window removal is needed, this i know wont give a finish from my youthful days
i messaged one seller but he said no window removal is needed, this i know wont give a finish from my youthful days
www.oldskoolfantasy.co.uk
in the shit,the one to blame,yeh its all my fault ;)
in the shit,the one to blame,yeh its all my fault ;)
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pac1982
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I dont agree the E30 is a very easy car to do DIY tints on as i did it on my old 316, because the windows are so flat its makes it a doddle to do.M3Jim wrote:The film you buy from any high street shop is going to be crap! I know you say you can tint but how man cars have you done? The e30 is not that easy to do well, as really the glass needs to be removed to do it properly.
To be honest i'd recommend getting it done by a professional. Diy tints generally look sh1t!
Only cars i find hard are ones with really curvy windows

1991 BMW E30 318i Neon Design Convertible (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 325i Touring (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 318IS (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 316i (RIP)
Yes the glass is flat an requires minimal shrinking, so in that respect yes they are very very easy.
I said it's not easy to do properly! As the windows are rubbered in and not bonded you will never get a neat enough cut around the edge, I really does depend on the kind of quality you want tho!
I said it's not easy to do properly! As the windows are rubbered in and not bonded you will never get a neat enough cut around the edge, I really does depend on the kind of quality you want tho!
like i said i can do it and im guna take the windows out anyway as mines a 4 door. except the back window which il just struggle with till its perfect. Im not a fan of bodge jobs and if i dont think i can do the job i wont bother trying unless im with sumone who knows wat they are doin.
back to the question at hand. wer is the best place to get the tint sheets is the high street ones are crap?
back to the question at hand. wer is the best place to get the tint sheets is the high street ones are crap?
- Kos
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i've had several cars done, the last one being an e36 touring. paid £250 for the job and it was perfect. no windows had to come out, just the rubbers
i'd never attempt this job on my own, i'd pay for a pro to do it
i'd never attempt this job on my own, i'd pay for a pro to do it
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325isporttech1
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blackcountrybimmerman
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Beema boy, you are never going to get the same quality film from the High Street as you would when a professional tint shop does it.
Halfrauds aren't as bad as they use to be. They stock some quality stuff, they are just extremely pricey. But I can't think of anywhere else you'd get tinting film from.
If it goes wrong DIYing it, it'll have only cost you about £20. That's not a masive loss is it. Give it a go and see what happens.
Halfrauds aren't as bad as they use to be. They stock some quality stuff, they are just extremely pricey. But I can't think of anywhere else you'd get tinting film from.
If it goes wrong DIYing it, it'll have only cost you about £20. That's not a masive loss is it. Give it a go and see what happens.

It doesn't look like it does in my sig pic anymore
- fishingtourer
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the daddy of window tinting is pentagon autotint but it will cost you !
not sure if they would sell you a diy kit or film you could ask them http://www.pentagonglass.com/window-tinting/
not sure if they would sell you a diy kit or film you could ask them http://www.pentagonglass.com/window-tinting/
- fishingtourer
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well it keeps your interior nice stops the fading.325isporttech1 wrote:Dont anyone else think that tinting is a bit 'old hat' now? Always puts me right off a car these days
keeps it warmer inside in the winter.
keeps it cooler in the summer
and can stop the window being put through by the local scum
just stick to the correct tints for the law and you wont get any grief from plod
what puts you off exactly if you dont mind me asking
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pacerpete
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fishingtourer wrote:well it keeps your interior nice stops the fading.325isporttech1 wrote:Dont anyone else think that tinting is a bit 'old hat' now? Always puts me right off a car these days
keeps it warmer inside in the winter.
keeps it cooler in the summer
and can stop the window being put through by the local scum
just stick to the correct tints for the law and you wont get any grief from plod
what puts you off exactly if you dont mind me asking
The fact that it looks really council and that the failed drug dealer look is hardly a good one !
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capri_rob
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Yep - very '90's MaxPower. I think it looks naff. As for added "security" if you black out the windows pikeys just wonder what you're hiding and will break in anyway.325isporttech1 wrote:Dont anyone else think that tinting is a bit 'old hat' now? Always puts me right off a car these days

e30topless said : Proper BMW's have 4 headlights, last of the run was the E30 and E34/E32 anything after that is just complete shite
- gooner1
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True, but the film would stop the glass going all over your seats.capri_rob wrote:Yep - very '90's MaxPower. I think it looks naff. As for added "security" if you black out the windows pikeys just wonder what you're hiding and will break in anyway.325isporttech1 wrote:Dont anyone else think that tinting is a bit 'old hat' now? Always puts me right off a car these days

- fishingtourer
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well depends on how dark you have them, and how much your botherd by what people think
of you, if there petty enough to make assumptions of you on the fact you have dark rear windows on your car then surely there not worth even entertaining ? and surely you drive an old bmw that makes you a drug dealer /council by default only retro car heads might not think it
a different take on it, how many new car adds do the cars not have tinted windows fitted ?
of you, if there petty enough to make assumptions of you on the fact you have dark rear windows on your car then surely there not worth even entertaining ? and surely you drive an old bmw that makes you a drug dealer /council by default only retro car heads might not think it
a different take on it, how many new car adds do the cars not have tinted windows fitted ?
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fuzzy
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its a 90's mod for a 90's car.
i like the limo black tints. it gives me an excuse for running over cyclists at night.
i had planned on puting tints on my touring but never quite got around to it.
i did a previous car myself. its easy if you take your time and an e30 is an easy car to do due to having flatter windows.
i like the limo black tints. it gives me an excuse for running over cyclists at night.
i had planned on puting tints on my touring but never quite got around to it.
i did a previous car myself. its easy if you take your time and an e30 is an easy car to do due to having flatter windows.
- fishingtourer
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think im gonna get the touring done at some point light smoke proberly my r26 has got light tints on the front slightly darker on the back , the griff has nothing that would look gay with tints
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blackcountrybimmerman
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I think just a light to medium smoke looks good.
Limo black is very 90's, and if you can't even do it all round anymore due to legislation.....
I had my MKIII Astra done in limo black in the early 90's, it turned heads back then, but nowadays people just think it's really "council"
TBH I'd just go light smoke. It looks more factory.....
Limo black is very 90's, and if you can't even do it all round anymore due to legislation.....
I had my MKIII Astra done in limo black in the early 90's, it turned heads back then, but nowadays people just think it's really "council"
TBH I'd just go light smoke. It looks more factory.....

It doesn't look like it does in my sig pic anymore
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blackcountrybimmerman
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If you give it a go yourself, the hardest window will be the rear one. As long as you pre-shrink and pre-cut before fitting you should be ok.

It doesn't look like it does in my sig pic anymore
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pacerpete
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blackcountrybimmerman wrote:I think just a light to medium smoke looks good.
Limo black is very 90's, and if you can't even do it all round anymore due to legislation.....
I had my MKIII Astra done in limo black in the early 90's, it turned heads back then, but nowadays people just think it's really "council"
TBH I'd just go light smoke. It looks more factory.....
I don't know which planet you were living on in the 90's but a tinted astra was never a good look , anywhere !
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blackcountrybimmerman
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Steady on Pete, I didn't ask for that.... you're getting close to deformation of character there.....lolpacerpete wrote:blackcountrybimmerman wrote:I think just a light to medium smoke looks good.
Limo black is very 90's, and if you can't even do it all round anymore due to legislation.....
I had my MKIII Astra done in limo black in the early 90's, it turned heads back then, but nowadays people just think it's really "council"
TBH I'd just go light smoke. It looks more factory.....
I don't know which planet you were living on in the 90's but a tinted astra was never a good look , anywhere !
I had different tastes back then, and it wasn't an Astra Merit, it was a brand new 1992 GSi.

It doesn't look like it does in my sig pic anymore
- fishingtourer
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funnily enough i had the same car mk3 astra gsi mine was bright yellow originally black with a c20let 
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blackcountrybimmerman
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lol.... weren't you reckless and foolish when you were younger Pete?pacerpete wrote:Any more sordid confessions from your dusty 'closet' ?fishingtourer wrote:funnily enough i had the same car mk3 astra gsi mine was bright yellow originally black with a c20let
we all make mistakes.....

It doesn't look like it does in my sig pic anymore

