New tint installation care

[zinzan]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I did a search and didn't find my exact questions answered.

I've never had a car tinted before, but had my windows done last Friday (FormulaOne Pinnacle 35). Looks good.

I do notice a few pinhead size holes in the back, but can give it a few more days to fully cure and see if they are still there or not.

I also see (just in specific angles with specific lighting) some smudging. I'm not really sure whether or not these are between the film and the window, or on the outside of the film (hopefully). I did wash my car this weekend, and cleaned the outside of the windows with glass cleaner, and the smudges are not on the outside. But I am hesitant to even wipe the inside yet.

So, should I go ahead and wipe and see if the smudges come off, or should I wait a few more days before touching the film at all? The installer hadn't told me how long to wait, but told me to use anything that doesn't contain ammonia. Any recommendations on a cleaning fluid? Is Invisible Glass okay? A microfiber cloth okay, I assume?

Thanks,

-Z

[ZionsWrath]

On my last car I made sure to get tint in the summer. I parked it in the sun for a week. After that I always cleaned the windows with a water and vinegar solution or tint safe cleaner. Tint is still good 5 years later, even though it was crappy tint from a $99 special.

[zinzan]

Hmmm, never really considered waiting until the summer, but maybe that would have been a good idea. The weather here in Atlanta was actually pretty warm and sunny during the day from Friday through Sunday (though cold and gray today).

So you're saying you intentionally waited a week for curing before any cleaning?

The installer called me back, and he said I could go ahead and wipe the tint now, and it should be okay. He also said a few pinhead size white spots are unavoidable, though some will disappear?

-Z

[FunCon5]

My tint shop suggested using a clean white-T and rubbing alcohol. They also said to not use products that contain ammonia. (Windex)

[Danklvr]

pin head sized dots are 100% avoidable... its called making sure the surface is free from dust particles before adhering the tint. You will eventually have those pin head sized dots turn into air bubbles. if your lucky they will stay tiny dots. I would have the installer re-do any section of the tint that has dust particles trapped underneath, especially if you have a warrenty on the tint as most shops will give a lifetime warrenty on materials and LABOR!

just sayin...

[White64Goat]

I believe that Stoners Invisible Glass is ammonia free. I find regular microfiber towels leave behind holograms/smudges. These work great www.streakfree.biz and you can sometimes find them being sold at bigger car shows being sold at demo booths. They are microfiber but are a much, much tighter weave, almost the consistency of a linen bedsheet. And you use only water with them.............(you can use a cleaner if you choose to)

[N1rve]

There is no "care" other than waiting 3-5 days for your tint to cure. Do not roll down windows or use rear defroster.

Other than that, just after 3-5 days, wipe your windows down.

If you have any bubbles, you'll need to have it redone.

Snow, Rain, Sunny shouldn't matter too much. I had tint done while it was cold and rainy once and it turned out fine.

[zinzan]

I did further searches about pinhead size dots/bubbles on tint jobs, and I seem to find some that say these are expected, and not a big deal if there are only a few, and others that say it's unacceptable. I found the same mixed opinions on tintdude.com.

Honestly, I'm not sure how big a deal I think they are. The tint looks great, and the pinhead dots are only visible if I'm really, really looking for them. I haven't looked for them in the past day, so...

But, yes, I did get a Lifetime Warranty from an authorized FormulaOne dealer, so I guess I'm not really in an urgent hurry to get it resolved--if the dots spread or get bigger, or I find I'm not happy with them, I can take it back to this installer or another one.

At least some of the smudges, maybe all of them, turned out to be on the outside. I think these were caused by my RainX application on the back window when the temperature was cold. I tried to wipe them off with glass cleaner, but the smears remained. I found a tip that the best way to remove RainX smears were by another even application of RainX (when glass is not too cold), and that seemed to do the trick. I still haven't wiped the inside of the windows on the tint surface--I'll give them a gentle wipe down tomorrow.

@White64Goat, those streak free wipes look appealing. Great. More car stuff I can't resist.

-Z