Has anyone tinted the rear glass that has the defroster on it? Can this even work?.............And more importantly look good??

I've seen a lot of frankly very ugly tint jobs where the tint is coming loose from the glass - and I just won't tint it if this is going to happen. The little lines from the defroster worry me - seems like they might be spots where the tint would start to loosen.

Ans on a side note, am moving to Ithaca NY this summer - to all the NY guys, what are the tint laws like??

K

 

i'm also wondering this... my car will be mainly used as a summer car.. so i might just remove it.

 

Yes it works fine, unless the installer screws up the defroster strips.

 

just depends where you go...

 

NYS laws are:
70% minimum (as dark as you can go legally, but cops could really care less, besides its hard to find) for front side windows (for 4-doors, side windows on our f-body's). That is the legal limit, but who would even bother to tint with such a high limit? Forget this one...
As dark as you want on the back and t-tops if you have them, provided you have side mirrors (you better have them!).
Don't know about the defroster thing. Going to have to find out myself. Tint info found on the nysdmv.com site in the Answers section in case I fubar'ed something up... haven't seen the info in a bit.

 

This is a question I'm glad someone asked. When I bought my IROC, it had set for three years in a field. Needless to say, all the glass had a bad case of water spots, especially the back glass. I got all the spots off but I hazed and scratched it so bad, I was thinking of tinting or putting louvers on to cover the mess. I think the concern for tinting would be, you can't get the tint tight to the inside of the back glass due to the defrost lines. It seems the heat from the elements may separate the film and have air bubbles. Louvers are kinda played out, expensive and in the way. Anyway, good question!

 

You can try the tint that comes in a spray can. It works well enough to do the job you need and cover right. Id say it would be hard to get it right with all them lines. Just mask and spray it on slow. Even if you just do very lite dry coats where you barley get any one per pass.

But yea the back window can be blacked out or even painted over as long as you have two side mirrors. You could paint the inside of the window to match your car or stand out.
Have a fancy pic air brushed in reverse then blacked over to show it.

 

Spray on tint? Never heard of that before - sounds kind of red-neck or half-arsed, but I've never heard of it before. If there is much risk at all of it looking like crap then it's not gonna happen. Has anybody out there actually tinted over the defroster strips?? The point brought up by jmd88iroc-z makes sense to me and living in up-state NY I can forsee needing the defroster even if there isn't snow around.
Thanks for the input all - keep it coming.
K

 

thousands have tinted over defroster strips for years.........i had pictures up showing but they are gone now. it just depends where you go.

 

i have rear tint over the defroster stuff it works fine dont worry about it

 

I think i can help out with this a bit. The back tint law in new york state is 5% (limo) which i have. If you go to a reputable installer, they can do it all one piece, and they know what they're doin, they'll cut it just shy of the defroster strips on the sides of the rear hatch. I have that done on mine now. It's kinda hard to see whats behind you at night unless they have some light, but other than that it's not too bad. The sides, in new york state is 70%. However, if the installer is cool and has been around since atleast 93, you can get away wtih it. The law changed in 94. Since our car is older, if you have proof it was done before the law change, you can pass it under the granfather law. The sides at the time was 35%, which is what i have. Hopefully that'll help ya out.

 

I live in ny and have 15% all around (just above limo tint) and have yet to hear anything for it.. the police really dont say anything but if u get pulled over for anything else ie. speeding, running a stop sign, whatever then they will ticket you for the tint.

 

It been around for years. find the window tint section of any store and look around. The same people who make most of the tint you find in the store sell a spray can of tint too. I have never used it but have seen it in stores as long as I can remember. Allwasy with the rolls of tint on a shelf near by. I did consider using it several times. You know how them first DIY tint jobs go with nothing but the product directions.

 

So what's your recommendation for finding a good tint shop? There are TONS of them out there and I'm sure some of them are way better than others. If anyone is in the Lansing area of Michigan, recommendations there would be great. Otherwise, what questions do you ask them. Just if they are comfortable with tinting a defroster rear window and see what they say??

K

 

niteshade (spray on tint) looks like *** when you spray a hatch window with it. From the inside it just looks so ugly. yeah it may be easier than tiniting that huge window but it wont turn out as good.

 

I have asked about the back window before and I don't remember a price but they said it would take all day to get it right.

 

That seems somewhat plausible. When I took my '91 RS a couple of years ago to have the windows tinted, it cost $150 and took around three hours. The fellow who worked on it mentioned the rear hatch was a major endeavor and pointed out a few spots that weren't quite perfect. No bubbles or anything, but the edges of the defroster lines - the strip of glass between them and the edge of the hatch weren't tinted. I later filled them in myself.

 

works just fine , just find a place who gives lifetime warranties on the tint