Tinting For Car Dealerships

Are you ready to work for the main car dealers in your area? Because  if you're not ready - you'll make a fool out of yourself.

The First thing you need to have before you try and attract the main car dealerships to use you for their car window tinting is you need confidence, it's no good just doing the week long training course and thinking your the next big rockstar in the car window tinting world!

You need to take your time, get your skills together, keep practising, do some jobs the free and you need to do this for as long as it takes until you're ready to take on the work and the volume that a main dealer can give to you.  Don't just be tempted to go in there and try and win the business purely on the price, we can all be busy fools if we're not careful, so going there with the attitude that you're going to earn good money from the work you are doing should be at the forefront of your mind.

It really does depend where in the world you are as to how you you will approach this, I know for a fact and lots of states in America, the main dealerships will preload the work. This means that there will already tint the windows on around 70% of the cars before they are even sold, as they know most customers will choose this option when they're ordering the car.
So the dealership is already well versed in the car window tinting business, and lots of them will have in-house window tinters working for them on a full time basis.

These are the car dealerships you should avoid! They'll be paying a low price per car already, will most likely be using an electronic plotter to cut out the film and have a big deal going with the film manufacturers. So don't think you can go in there with your low ball price and get the jobs because it won't work.

You need to search in your location for the smaller car dealerships, maybe the ones who specialise in a low volume brand, these are the guys that you should approach initially, offer to do them a free installation, it has been proven that everybody wants something for nothing, so offer them something for free. With all this being said, don't go piling in there when you've got no experience, or you haven't got the required skills, because you dont want to make a mess of the job and give yourself a bad name, sit tight work hard keep practising, and you'll make it, then the rewards will come.

I think the secret to success, is to not run before you can walk. I know lots of window tinters who after just a couple of months think they are the best in the west, when in fact they produce  very poor work but don't know it... Maybe in a few years time, they will look back and realise just how much their work has improved and how bad as it was when they first started out.

Tinting For Car Dealers

And, one more thing..Keep It Legal !

Get more info on car window tinting training at http://www.carwindowtintingtraining.com/

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The Ultimate Guide To Dot Matrix Part 2

In the last post we discussed dot matrix, I mentioned about the thickness of the film and how this can affect the look of the dot matrix after the window has been tinted, and the method used to shrink the film has a big impact again on the finished look.

BMW Dot Matrix Problem!

So in this article now I will talk about a few things that can have a positive effect on how the dot matrix looks, one option after you've tinted the  windows is to heat of the dot matrix and try and dry that area of the film out more and then apply some pressure with a hard card wrapped in a cotton cloth or using a piece of blue max squeegee, you can then apply pressure to the heated film.Using this method, you heat the film for about 6-8 seconds over an area around 6 inches constantly moving the heat gun  backwards and forwards you will see the matrix area change  its state slightly, this is the time when you need to remove the heat and apply pressure with your hard card or piece of blue max squeegee. You need to be very careful doing this, you can burn the rubber trims that are close to the dot matrix, or  you can even cause the film to blister as you have used too much heat.

This method really does take some testing to establish how much heat you can give the film before it blisters,one thing you can do once you get the dotmatrix ready to push down into place, is the spray some  cold water on the glass, you may see some smoking or steaming at this point is the glass cools, you then push hard with your hard card or piece of Blue Max squeegee push the film down and almost embed into the dot matrix area.The effect here is that you will improve the look of the dot matrix dramatically, by pushing the film into the heated dot matrix area that white silvery look that is common to see on a lot of vehicles which have tinted windows, will almost look like a factory tinted glasses if you get this method correct.

 NOTE:- Be careful when heating the matrix and cooling with water, their in an extremely low risk of glass fracture but you have been warned!!

The next time you tint some windows allow the film to dry for a  while before you practice this method, it does take some trial and error to establish the timings that work for you and each film responds differently to this method so this is just one of the things you can do to improve the look of the matrix and elevate the quality of finish of your car window tinting

 Another area of dot matrix is a big problem but not just car window tinters, but for customers as well, is the big band of dot matrix at the top of some vehicles on the back window.Common vehicle that causes a problem for a lot of window tinters is the BMW 3 series, this vehicle has a deep dot matrix at the top of the back window that is around three or 4 inches deep, I'll discuss now a few ways of dealing with this area of the glass.

 One method that is used on these type of windows is the sanding method, I'm not a big fan of this method but have tried it a few times over the years, you need to sand the matrix very carefully using 1000 grade wet and dry paper,be careful when sanding this area as if you stray onto the clear glass you will scratch the glass, it may be advisable to apply some masking tape to the top of the screen just below the dot matrix area.Sand the matrix in  even strokes and wipe off any black residue that may come from the matrix, I'm talking here about sanding with a wet sounding method, when the matrix is ready you should find you have no more black residue coming off the dots.Really clean the dots well after you have sanded them using an alcohol solution like IPA or Dirt Off which is a Llumar product.If the dots are not clean then you will spoil the look of the installation as the cleanliness means the film will stick very well to the dotted area.

 Another more popular method of dealing with this dotted area is to use Glue, install the film in the normal manner and squeegee out all the water, then peel back with film from the dot matrix area and apply a thin bead of glue along the bottom row of dots.You need to make sure you use a water-based glue,  a popular choice of glue is Elmers Blue school gel. (This is available in America,  I have yet to find it in the UK, but their are plenty of water based glues available) . What you need to do after applying the glue, is using a MacTac squeegee or a regular hard card with a piece of tissue wrapped around it, push slowly in upwards direction and push the glue through the dotted area, you may see some glue come out of the top of the film and this is quite normal, if you push too hard you will push all the glue out and defeat the object of the procedure, so push gently as what you are doing here is replacing the air and water that is trapped in the dotmatrix area with the glue, it is a good idea to have somebody stand on the outside of the vehicle watching those you work,  they can tell you if you miss any areas and don't leave any  patches, this method works great but like everything else with car window tinting it takes practice,.

 That's all for now for this part of the dot matrix trilogy, next time I'll talk about dry dropping and using an alcohol mix makes to  improve the dot matrix.

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The Ultimate Guide To Dot Matrix Part 1

dot matrix problems

I will post here for you now a few of the methods I have tried over the years to improve the appearance and Silvery look of Dot Matrix after window film is applied and and some of the factors that will affect the levels of success you will have in your in efforts to get the dot matrix looking good,and as close to the look of factory tinted glass as is possible.

1. Film Thickness!
This will have a major effect on the look of the dot matrix, if you are using a thin dyed 1 ply film it will lay down far better on the dot matrix than a high performance 2 ply film. Most 1 ply films are 1 micron ( 1mil) thick whereas a 2 ply film with be 1.5 microns, so the extra thickness means the film is not as pliable and won't form to the shape of the dots like a single ply film.
This leaves you in a dilemma, although there are colour stable single ply films they tend to be like tissue paper to work with and don't have the body that a two ply film has and you can easily crease these films just by looking at them... ok not quite that bad but they are much less forgiving especially to a inexperienced installer just finding his feet in the car window tinting business.

So your first thing to decide upon is will you sacrifice film quality for the look of the Dot Matrix??

2. Heat Shrinking Process!
Although you may not realise it but the way you shrink your back windows can have a big affect on the outcome and appearance of the Dot Matrix! If you are a powder shrinker, then you maybe don't realise that you are leaving lots of tiny un-shrunk areas of film, and as you shrink more towards the edge of the glass, into the matrix area, the film will become very distorted in that area and will not lead to the film sitting down nice and tight onto the dot matrix.

I would consider a switch at this point to either the soap shrink or the Ryk Shrink. The Ryk shrink is a little unknown and little used technique in the car window tinting industry and involves using 2 heatguns and shrinking very large area of film at one time, this means you are not focusing on the area of the film over the dot matrix but applying a more general shrink of the window film. The end result is that the film is less distorted and can result in an improved look on the dot matrix area.

Why not try this technique and see how your results can improve.

3. Cleaning Technique!!

People often neglect the dot matrix area in their cleaning preparation and this can have a major effect on the end results. One thing I do that does allow the film to adhere well to the matrix is spend a few extra minutes on the dot matrix, so what do we do to take our installations to the next level?

I use a 000 gauge wire wool to clean the back windows and heater lines and then will spend some time on the dot matrix and give it a a good scrub with wire wool and glass cleaner, I use foaming glass cleaner and spray the dot matrix with the cleaner and let it sit their for a few minutes, then I illuminate the rear window and cut out my film, the foam glass cleaner highlights the edge of the film making pattern cutting easier.

Ok, back to the matrix...after squeegeeing the glass clean in the normal manner, i will use some IPA (
Isopropyl alcohol) and wipe the matrix clean, and i mean "clean" and that means that no black dirt comes of onto your micro-fibre cloth. Then i will use compressed air in a can or my heat gun and dry the dot matrix completely. This super clean and dry matrix will be ready to take your film and stick like crazy!

Thats all for now in this first part of the The Ultimate Guide To Dot Matrix - next time i will tell you about sanding matrix, glueing, slip-mix,baking and quenching and a few other advanced techniques that can help you get the best finish ever.

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Controlling Contamination When Tinting Windows

Contamination Control - Keeping Your Car Window Tinting Installs Clean

Keeping the dreaded dust specks out of your tint jobs is something you will learn to fight for quite a while once you start out on your car window tinting journey, and before I get the hot shots shouting up that they never get contamination in their installations I will call BS on that!

Dust Under Window Film

Keeping your work ultra clean is not as easy task, and the expectations of your customer will play a big part in how your work is received. Some customers will expect perfection, and may return a car because it has maybe one or two microscopic dust specks in the window, the others will look at the car from 12 feet away and give a smile.."looks awesome man!"

And that's how it goes, I have looked at plenty of people showing off on YouTube, slapping film on really fast, but trust me..their work will never be as clean as the guy who takes the extra time and steps needed to make the job as clean as is physically possible.

Starting with your slip mixture, this is a key factor in delivering top notch results, don't use water straight from the tap, its full of crap that you can't see but will show in your car window tinting work.
This is the starting point in controlling contamination, at the very least, purchase some filtered water as this will also help reduce contaminants.

Next time I will update you on the most effective glass preparation methods prior to window film installation.

Learn how to tint windows with our video training.




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Don't Let Dot Matrix Get You Down

Extra Work Needed To Fix Matrix

Hate it or HATE IT!!!!! Dot Matrix is here to stay... if you are not sure what it is, go and take a look at your car windows, on a lot of cars nowadays you will see that where the clear glass meets the black part of the glass, you will see a dotted edge at the point these two areas meet - This is called Dot Matrix.

This dot matrix area is something that window tinters the world over hate..in fact, I dont know of anybody who is in the window tinting game who has a good word to say for it!
So why the big downer on Dot Matrix...firstly, it is one obvious sign to the customer who has had their windows tinted that the windows may not look like factory tinted glass, they can see the silvery appearance that ocours on this part of the glass, and no matter how clean you have carried out the installation, they will look at this and think.."They have not done a proper job!"

Listen...dot matrix is something you can deal with as part of the installation, but at a cost to the customer!
I always show them a car with normal matrix and say that you may have a silver appearance on this area of the glass, let them get any objections out of the way early, before you have done the work, if they sound like they are not impressed with the look of the dot matrix, then offer them a solution, tell them that you can do the extra work involved in making the dot matrix look better, but at a price. It may take an hour extra to go around all the dots and heat them down into position, this is a pain in the aas job!...i know some installers who do this off the bat, but if they are not charging for their time taken to do this - it's their loss.

One option is to tell the customer to push down the matrix in a week, some tint shops tell the customer to bring the car back in a week and they can take a look, I thinks its better to show them how, when you push the wet dot matrix down with your thumb, it looks better, if you invite every customer to come back after a week i think you will regret it! You will have them visiting you on a regular basis then, thinking they are not doing it right...dont go down that road unless you really want to!

I wil be posting some tips in the next article on how to improve the look of your dot matrix, you need a few different approaches depending on the type of windows you are tinting.

Get more window tinitng tips here.

Keep tuned.

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Shaving The Top Edge Of A Roll Up Window

I would like to show you today the Olfa Shaving Technique - well i say me, It's actually mt Friend KT.
he is the real Daddy when it comes to shaving the windows with an Olfa knife.

It takes a lot of practice to get this technique down and you will burn through a  lot of blades practicing.

The good thing though, is that you can use some film scraps and just keep practising, so that when you come to do it live on the car you have a better chance of getting it right.

Anyway, KT sent me this video clip and I am happy to share it with you.

Here is look at the finished result and this is what you should be aiming for in your car window tinting!

You can shave or file your edges to get this level of finish!

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Marketing When Times Are Tough Part 2

Hey guys, we're having some good feedback on this blog lately and thanks if you're one of those who pops in regularly to view my posts, it's nice to be appreciated!! Please leave a comment and if I feel it's relevant I will happily approve it, if it's spam and you are trying to just abuse my generosity then kiss my ***!!

Our last post dealt with marketing your business when times are tough, I hear lots of stories about people who have so many customers they don't know where to turn, and the biggest stress is managing the work load. But, trust me its not the same for everybody, if you're in a small town or a sleepy area you may have to work a lot harder to generate business than the big boys in the big cities

So that's we said last time in our previous article, you need to look at your overheads, reduce your cost base to a minimum, maybe look further and seek collaboration and work from somewhere with a low overhead, or even your own garage!!

I must say that working from my own garage would not suit me personally,it would be a problem as I am not in a big town with a good population and people may not willing to come to my home, but it is a brilliant business model for car window tinting, low overheads from working at home, high profits with low material cost is a a great business solution.

But, alas that's not for everybody so you may have to look at the alternatives and in this article want to talk about how you can optimise and engage with your customers in an automatic way.

How about this one, you could use an auto responder, that's an e-mail system that sends out an automatic e-mail when it receives an input from a customer. You could set up a predetermined e-mail to go to the customer when he fills out a contact form with a check box on your website, for example, please give me a price for a four door saloon car, you could have a specific e-mail that is sent to the customer depending upon what they select from the check box, an SUV window tint , a hatchback, a saloon vehicle, would all send a different e-mail with a different price. If the customer doesn't buy it from you, you could automatically after a predetermined amount of time, say three days, send them a follow up e-mail offering them a slight discount or incentive to buy from you, if they still dont buy, send another one of them even better deal, this can be done automatically with no intervention from yourself, how good is that!

Think about automation...it's a great time saver and makes you look efficient with your marketing!!


I wil update this post next few days with a link to my chosen auto responder system, it's worth checking out, plus they have a free one dollar trial so why not give it a try.

Marketing For Tint Shops

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