DIY window tinting?.....sucker for punishment?

[Brett1066]

Has anyone tried to do their own window tinting with the pre-cut tint that can be bought of fleabay and the like? I would rather not do it myself, but the reality is I just can't afford $400-$500 to have it done professionally, and the big girl desperately needs to get the tinting done before summer comes or Mr Plod pulls me over and slaps a yellow sticker on because he's having a bad day.....
So, who has done it, what were the results like, is it worth the hassle (apparently patience is not one of my strong points) and any tips or pointers....
Cheers people

[bee utey]

DIY is easy but you'll have a few bubbles, dust particles etc to admire for the rest of the life of the vehicle. Tips: read the instructions carefully, have a dust free shed to do it in (no windy day outside) and clean water and tools. Even with a few blemishes it's better than no tint at all.

[ramblingboy42]

I did two of my own cars back in the 80's. Just bought rolls of film , got the advice , the right tools and it was perfect.

Last year I was going to do the rear window of the D2 with metallic , had a couple of tries and gave up. Don't seem to have the patience anymore. I just couldn't get it right.

[Duarte19]

I did my defender, you definitely need patience and the right tools really helps

What i found is cleanliness is key, otherwise you end up with dust underneath the tint, it also helps if you mask off the bailey channels I found it impossible to do cleanly without masking them

[Gary S11]

Done a few, but as has been said clean window, and then do it again, then go over with a brand new razor blade over every part, clean again, and flood glass from top down with spay soapy water. As said no dust and no wind, do the least visible window first ..

[Cliffy]

PPPPPPT. Meticulous prep and plenty of soapy water.
If you have any tight curves (ie Alpine lights and the truck cab rear corner windows) you was going to struggle.

[Brett1066]

Well, have decided to give it a crack. Have ordered some tint in from the UK, hopefully should have it in a week or so. Spent all day Saturday removing the old tint which had gone purple, bubbled and generally looked like crap. Looks a lot better with the old tint gone, and provided I can do half a decent job of putting the new tint on, I'm sure the big girl will look even better still.
Bloody swine of a job removing the old tint I must say, though surprised both myself and SWMBO by having the patience to do it (a few beers helped my cause here I do believe).
Cheers for the tips everyone- cleanliness, cleanliness and more cleanliness is the order of the day - will post some updates once the tint arrives and I get around to fitting it.