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Some ideas please


woolybanana
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A while ago I bought a UV film to cover the rear and side windows of the car to reduce the heat for the doggies. To fit this stuff, one is supposed to apply a sheet then cut round. BUT, there is a great danger that this will cut the little wires which make up the rear window demister. Dare I fit this on the outside? Has anyone an other idea for how to install same sheets?
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No instructions with it? I would have thought on the exterior it will be subject to everything going and not last long. Normally film has a backing paper that you cut to shape then peel off slowly as you apply it.
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Note that the window must be perfectly, utterly spotless. Dust motes etc

will leave wee silver bubbles in the film and looks terrible. Clean the

glass with decent window cleaner and a microfibre cloth. Clean it again, then clean it a third time.

Have to hand a squirty bottle filled with soapy water, a plastic squeegee- this is sometimes included with the film - if not, an old credit card can work well, and another clean microfibre cloth.

Its a simple once you realise the principal. Cut the sheet roughly to the right size, allowing a few cms extra all the way round. Moisten the OUTSIDE of the window and lay the film over it with the sticky side (leave the backing on at this point) facing upwards. Use a stanley blade to trim to the exact size. Most cars have a black border around he windows nowadays, so you have a centimeter or so margin for error - leave a gap of a few mm all the way round between the film and the rubber seal or it will ever sit right.

Go inside and soak the inside of the glass with the soapy water. Peel the backing off with the sheet still lying on the outside of the car and soak the film with the soapy water too. Carefully pick it up by the corners and transfer it to the inside. Soak the back of the film to act as a lubricant and use the squeegee to press it down, smoothing out the water from the centre outwards, then rub it down with the cloth.

Any crease or crinkles will ruin it, so do this on a wind-free day.

Things get tricky if the glass is curved. A flat sheet can not lie on a curved surface without creasing, so the film must be stretched to fit the window. When you lay it on the outside, any potential creases will show up. Use a hair dryer or hot air gun and GENTLY heat the film so it can stretch and be laid over the curve without creasing, using loads of soapy water as lubricant and the squeegee to keep working it. Doing this on a hot sunny day will help here.

Only once it lies perfectly flat on the outside, should you continue with peeling off the backing and applying to the inside. Rear windows are often so curved that it can not be done in a single sheet. If this is the case, cut the film into strips about 20 - 30 cm wide and lay them across the window with a very small overlap.

Other problems arise with things like high-level brake lights and wiper mechanisms that get in the way on the rear window - taking your time to cut around them must be done accurately.

When its applied, you might find wee "fingers" where the film is not sticking usually from the edge towards the middle. Over the next few days, keep rubbing them out with a cloth and as the adhesive cures, they will eventually not return.

I have done this on pretty much every car I have owned - the first few times can be a nightmare, but I can get professional-looking results now.

There are loads of tutorials on Youtube - search for "window tint film fitting."

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[quote user="woolybanana"]

Exactly what I think, Val.

But it doesnt seem to have backing paper either.

Would contact with the rear window heating strips damage them, I wonder?

[/quote]

The backing film, which is transparent, is almost impossible to spot - firmly fold over a small corner and you will see it lift away in the crease. You often have to use the tip of a stanley blade to prise the layers apart.

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This stuff is always fitted to the inside of the glass, I can't picture the HRW on your car, but  the ''little wires'' should be away from the edge of the rear screen, trim round on edge of the glass until you near the HRW connection, pull back the film off the rear glass and then cut and rub back onto the glass.

 

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