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Applying Window Tint

Cutting the tint to fit the windows that roll down can be a challenge.  What I did was to cut the film as described earlier, but I left about an inch of film uncut at the bottom.  When you're ready to actually apply the film, roll the window down about a half an inch and line the film up with the top of the window.  Begin squeegeeing from the top, but only squeegee about half way down.  By now, the excess film has probably stuck to the door panel below the window.  Gently pull the film off the door panel and hold the bottom part while you roll the window up.  If you let it stick to the panel, when you roll up the window it will pull down the film that you've already attached and mess up your neat alignment with the top of the window.  Spray some more soapy water under the bottom part of the film, then continue squeegeeing.  When you get to the bottom, use a sharp razor to cut away the excess.

Don't roll down the window until you complete the following:

Here's another lesson I learned the hard way.  You're not going to be able to use these windows for at least a day!  After the vehicle has sat in the sun for at least a day, use a very sharp razor blade to re-trim the bottom of the film.  Stick it down between the weather-stripping and the window and run it all the way across the bottom of the window.  After that, very slowly begin to roll down the window, making sure the tint at the bottom is firmly against the glass and doesn't get pulled by the weather-stripping.  If the film begins to move at all, roll the window back up and run the blade across the bottom again.

Before tinting the back window, you'll need to remove the "center high-mounted stop lamp."  The picture at the right shows the light fixture when the back door is opened.  Use a flat head screwdriver to remove the two plugs, then a phillips head to remove the two screws.   You can then remove the electrical connector inside and set it out of the way.  I needed to replace one of the bulbs in mine, so while I had it down I went ahead and replaced both of them.

The back window is the hardest to do, both because it's the largest and because it has what are called "compound curves."  That is, it's curved in multiple directions.  The instructions called for cutting the film into horizontal strips to accommodate the compound curves, but I found that sticking to what I had done earlier eventually worked.  It just takes a lot of time to squeegee over and over until all the bubbles are gone.