One of the biggest doubts as a newbie with tinting I had was whether tints go to the inside or the outside of the vehicle. If you’re new, you probably have the same doubt.
Let’s see what’s suggested by experts.
Do Tints Go To The Inside or Outside?
Usually, tints go to the inside of the car window. Those of you having tinted windows might not feel the tint on the windows when you touch it from outside, yes this is the only reason, in most of the cases tints go to the inside of the car windows.
The film is first applied to the outside of the vehicle’s windows then trimmed to fit. After that, the pieces are cut and set on a huge piece of glass before being fitted on the interior of the windows. This is a different process from the factory tints that come with your cars.
Now many of you will wonder if the tint is meant to block the view from outside to the inside of the car then why is it applied to the inside of the car window? Let’s see why tint goes to the inside of the car window.
Why Tint Goes To The Inside Of The Car Window?
This is majorly done to protect the tint from getting torn or damaged. We see tints are usually applied to the inside of the window, this is majorly done to make it last long without getting damaged. Glass has its own ability to absorb some amount of heat, so the tint is mostly applied to the inside of the glass to protect it from direct heat on sunny days.
A window tint is a very thin polyester sheet that is used for different purposes. Now many people think that applying the tint to the outside will help to block the view from outside to the inside of the car. But this is not true, this depends on the type of tint whether it is a reflective or non-reflective type tint.
Reflective type tint blocks the person from outside to see anything inside the car whereas non-reflective tint allows the view from both inside and outside. Just make sure you’re within the window tinting laws of your particular state and you’ll be good.
Applying tint on the inside makes sure that your tint does not get damaged or scratched by outside elements and also helps it from getting damaged by the direct sunlight.
Is It Possible To Apply Tint To The Outside?
Indeed it is possible to apply the tint to the outside of the window in the same manner as it is applied to the inside of the window. Then why does tint go to the inside mostly? That is done to keep the tint away from outside exposure. We explained it in detail above.
What Would Happen If You Apply Tint To The Outside Of The Window?
To answer this most simply, applying tint to the outside of the window will degrade and damage it very soon. Tint being a thin polyester sheet can be scratched easily. While you park the car on the roadside, people going from there might try to scratch and damage it.
Many people apply tints for privacy, and if applied to the outside of the window it can be peeled off or hampered by the outside elements using knives, cutters, etc easily by thieves. Applying the tint outside the glass means giving it direct exposure to the sunlight and UV rays which will damage and hamper the quality of the tint.
If you apply the tint to the outside, you might notice some bubbles or dust on the tint after some time. This can impact your view from inside the car and might also waste the money you spent on getting that tint installed.
Disadvantages Of Applying The Tint To The Outside
- Degraded quality of tint after sometime
- Can get easily damaged or scratched by outside elements
- Won’t provide much privacy as it can be peeled off
- It will get purple due to the effect of direct sunlight
- Washing the car daily from outside will unglue the tint after some time
- Rains might also unglue the tint very quickly and can cause bubbles and moisture in the tint.
How To Install Tint To The Inside Of The Car Window?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fZrB3L1mO28%3Ffeature%3Doembed
You can get the tint installed on the inside from any professional car accessories store or you can also use DIY techniques to apply it. Follow the steps below:
- First, you need to find whether the tint for the exact measurements of your car window is available in the market or not.
- If not, you can purchase a tinting sheet, put it on the outside of the car window, and cut it according to the size.
- Next, put it on the inside and check whether it is covering the window totally or not.
- Peel off the paper and paste the side with glue or adhesive slowly from the downwards to the upwards taking out the bubbles carefully.
- Once you have pasted the tint on the window, use a blow dryer to take out the remaining bubbles from the sides.
- Clean it with a dry cloth or tissue paper.
Verdict
As mentioned above, tint can be installed on any side of the window but in most cases, it is applied to the inside of the window. Applying it on the outside might degrade the quality very quickly and would be of no use in a long time. This is the case for a normal vehicle or tint for a cop car. Having tints inside is the best way to do this.
