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Did you invest hundreds of dollars to upgrade your ride with some fresh window tint film only to be underwhelmed? Can’t quite put your finger on what makes it look so off — a purply hue, just doesn’t look right, etc.? Either it’s cheap tint film, shoddy workmanship, or you just got a bad tint job. If you’re curious about whether or not you got a bad tint job, this article is for you.
Here at Jet Black Tint, we’ve seen more poor tint jobs than we should. Luckily for our clients, we have the skill, tools, and materials to remove a bad tint job and have you rolling out of our garage with show-quality tinted windows. If any of these situations apply to you, don’t hesitate to book your window tint installation with us.
If you think you got a bad tint job, then here are eight obvious ways to tell.
Stand about five feet from your car and take a look at the windows you got tinted. Do you see uneven lines or gaps in the window tint? For instance, can you see a few centimeters of window or gaps between seams of the tint, If the answer is yes, it’s a surefire sign you got a bad tint job from an inexperienced technician. These lines and gaps are signs your tint was installed quickly and without the attention to detail quality that tint installation requires.
If you take a look at your car window tint and you see a purplish tint or hue like a permanent marker line in the sunlight, it’s not in your head and you aren’t seeing things, you got a bad tint job. Purple tint or hue is most often caused by poor-quality of tint film that was cheaply dyed. Cheaper tint materials and adhesive tend to take on a purple hue because the color is not embedded in the tint, but rather dyed using a variety of colors, more of which stand out than others. If your tint appears purple, then it’s time to go see a new car window tint installer.
Debris, including hair, dirt, or lint between your window and the tint film is not only a sign of lazy installation and poor prep work, but more than an unsightly appearance, it can cause significant damage to your windows. Debris on the window surface prevents the tint from fully adhering to the glass, which can result in bubbles, which can pop open, creating cracks and peeling tint.
Look over your car window tint for bubbles, blisters, or ridges. If you see any of these then you got a bad tint job. If your installer says those will go away over time, they’re lying to you. Bubbles, blisters, and ridges are signs that the window tint film was not completely adhered to the window. This may be a result of poor-quality adhesive on the tint film or it may be that the proper technique was not used to install it. No matter what the reason is, these issues are installation-related and should be rectified as soon as possible.
Take your ride for a spin on a warm day and take note of the internal temperature of your car. Keep the windows up — does your car get uncomfortably hot? One of the common culprits for this phenomenon is that you may have gotten a cheap tint film installed that is dyed for aesthetics rather than actually protective. Most window tint films help reduce UV rays from penetrating your car, which means your car stays a bit cooler while driving around in the sun, but if your car still gets hot, even after a car window tint installation, then you may have gotten a bad tint job.
Peeling edges of new tint is a rock-solid sign that you got a bad tint job. Whether the peeling is caused by poor-quality tint adhesive or old film that wasn’t fully secured to the glass, the result is the same. Newly installed tint with peeling edges will continue to curl and peel. As you can imagine, the best-case scenario is that it just completely lifts up and removes itself from your window. However, in the worst case scenario, it allows a great place for pests and debris to wedge themselves against your window, causing scratches and damage to the window. If the window tint is peeling, it’s best to have it removed.
Many car windows have textured dots, called frits, which is a painted black enamel that’s baked around the borders of a windscreen during the manufacturing process, The purpose of the dot matrix they serve as a contact point between the glass and car frame creating “etches” on the surface, making them rougher so the adhesive better sticks to the glass. The frits also help distribute temperature evenly to lessen optical distortion or “lensing.” If the film adhesive is cheap or is not properly installed, it may not adhere to the glass thoroughly, bubbling at the dot matrix.
Like the dot matrix on some windows, the defroster bars on the front and rear windshields are also textured and raised. As such, if the window tint isn’t firmly secured against these bars, gaps and bubbles will appear at the defrost bars and become larger over time, puckering the tint. If you notice bubbles at the defrost lines on any window, have the tint secured by expert tint technicians before you end up with bigger tint problems and foggy windows!
If you did get a bad tint job, your immediate reaction should be to take your car to a legitimate local tint shop. We highly recommend doing this before you reach out to the original installer. Get an inspection and diagnosis of the problem, as well as a plan for correcting it. Take lots of photos to document the problems and then approach the original tint installation company to see what they can do for you. If it was an honest mistake or inexperience, they might offer to correct it for you. However, if the problems are caused by poor-quality tint film or lazy installation techniques, we’d suggest requesting a refund, even if it’s partial, and booking your service at a top-rated tint shop instead.
Trying to muscle through and keep bad tint on your windows for the sake of the cost already spent is like duct-taping your windows in place — it’s about as aesthetic as it is functional. Whatever you choose to do after a bad tint job, it should include complete tint removal and new tint installation for a good tint job.
What does a good tint job look like? Simply put, properly installed window tint should appear as though the color is a part of the window and has always been that way — like Cat Woman’s latex suit. Good tint jobs feature:
If you’ve been the victim of a bad tint job, call the team that can help you recover. Not only are our expert tint techs at the ready to quickly and effectively remove the bad tint and install fresh, rich tint film, but we can do most vehicles in about an hour at a price that won’t make you cringe. Don’t settle for shoddy tint, connect with your local Jet Black Tint and get your car’s window tint fixed today!