Anyone have experience with these?

Every time I see a car with peeling and bubbled window tint, I figure it was someone who tried to install it themselves.

 

Agree 100% with priusenvy. These are not do it yourself jobs unless you know what you are doing. Never seen good window tinting done by a do it yourselfer. Good luck when the car comes. Also the guy's feedback on ebay is less than stellar.

 

I ordered the clear bra kit. It is supposed to be delivered today and I will try to apply it tonight. A few others here have used it a they all seem to like it.

I was tempted to try the window kit but thought I would screw up some of the films learning how to apply them. Still it's a good price for ceramic film.

 

I tried the front bumper for my 2008 and it was a mess trying to install. It does not fit very well and after an hour of frustration I just tossed it in the trash. You get what you pay for!

 

Are you sure its ceramic? Looked like just the cheap dye film to me.
Fernsmom

 

The clear bra kit is a mere .3mils thick, not the usual tough .8mils in other products. I would not use it alone on a bumper, but that's just me.

I actually ordered the same bra kit for my 2008, but I'm only going to install it to prevent *possible* Toyota Bra wear marks.


ZC1

 

I'm a do-it-yourselfer. Window tint is one of those task I don't want to try myself. I rather attempt to swap out the tranny on my Prius than try to tint it. It's definitely a job you need to know what you're doing to have it turn out right. I'm not saying it's brain surgery, but I believe it to be a skill someone has to show you for you to get it right. With a tranny I'm either going to get it installed or not. I can stumble through it and after staring at it long enough I'll eventually get it. With tint you really only have one shot. IMHO, getting the tint cut is the easier part... getting it installed looks more difficult.

Mike

 

X10

 

Not to mention tinting isn't really all that expensive. Most people are able to get it done with a lifetime guaranteed tint out the door for less then $200.

 

I too, am a do-it-yourself kind of guy. We hardly ever had to hire someone to do things around the house.

That said, the mark of a good do-it-yourselfer is someone who knows when it is time to call a professional. A bad do-it-yourselfer thinks they can do everything.

Bob

 

I installed pre-cut window tint in my last vehicle (front door windows only--back and rear windows were factory tinted). It is a very tedious and time-consuming job that requires a great deal of patience. I also installed tint on most of the windows of our home so I had prior experience. I would only recommend it if you are a perfectionist who will take the time and effort to do it right. All the tint I installed looks professional (no bubbles or wrinkles whatsoever).

One tip if you do attempt to do it is to make sure you clean the part of the door that is just below the window as well as you clean the window. I learned the hard way that if there is any dust on the door, it can easily be picked up by the tint film during installation. (I had to order additional film due to this mistake.)

The clear bra is installed the same way, however, I imagine it is more difficult due to the curves. I had VentureShield installed on the bumper and entire hood of my Prius immediately after purchasing my car. Even with experience of tint installation, I didn't want to tackle that job myself.

 

+1 for what stevendwatson said about cleanliness. Most DIY jobs
ultimately fail from minute dirt/dust picked up from adjacent surfaces that
the film touches during the installation.

+1 also for the tedium to get it to look professional.

I pulled off a DIY tint job on a VW squareback -- Type 3? -- some years
back. Used the silver home type aft of the drivers windows. (Was never
hasseled by the cops in either LA area or later in Seattle. I don't think the
silvery stuff is legal any more.) A lot of the time, the water on the glass
wicks minescule dirt out from udner the gasketing around the glass.

My answer was to remove all the glass. Then I was able to put on the film
with the glass horizontal on a blanket covered table. Also, I could cut the
film so that it stopped short of the window edge, yet went under the gasket
when re-mounted.

It looks like the Prius' windows have only two dimensional bends -- like a
portion of a cylinder, not a sphere. That means it should be relatively easy
to avoid wrinkles and bubbles.

All that said, should I decide to tint my windows, paying a pro ~$200 is my
idea of a good deal. And if some latent problem later turns up, I can get
all up in the installer's grill for a redo.

 

Clear bras I would not try myself either. Watched the guy do mine and he was very meticulous (and experienced). I've heard it can take hours if you don't know what U R doing.

 

I would be careful about Coastal tech also. They make super products but tend to be so-so on customer service and communications. Some here yell about how great they are and some people just yell at them. Spotty service after they get your money.

I wont give them my business for that reason.

 

Ditto. At the very least, do a thorough search to get a good sense of what sort of service level you can expect for the product you order. It seems that when an item is in stock, shipment is prompt. For backorders, returns, or support ... well, good luck.