How long does window tint last, and when should you replace it

Window tint in Austin lasts for years when the film is good and the install is clean. It fails in a few summers when the film is cheap or the glass was not cleaned. Buy the material from a reputable shop. At Mother’s Window Tint, that is the film we put on, and we stand behind the install.

Austin sun is not gentle. A vehicle parked facing west in July cooks weak adhesive faster than a vehicle that lives in a garage. The same heat hits a west window on a house. The film has to be made for that, not a bargain roll that only looks dark on day one.

How long the warranty runs

On film Mother’s Window Tint installed, the warranty is lifetime on auto and home, and ten years on commercial. That covers the film failing: peeling, bubbling, and the color going off. It follows the job we did. It is not a warranty on film from another shop, and it is not a warranty on a scratch or a chemical burn you put on it later.

What peeling and purple actually mean

Peeling is the film letting go of the glass. An edge lifts, a corner curls, or a sheet starts to come off in a flap. That is adhesive failure, or an install that did not bond. On our film, peeling is a warranty problem. Bring it back.

Purple is the color dying. Cheap dyed film fades to purple, brown, or a blotchy patch because the dye cannot take this sun. It is not a stain you can wash off. We do not install cheap dyed film. Carbon, metalized, and ceramic are non-fading. If a film we installed changes color like that, that is also a warranty problem, not something you live with.

• Edges lifting or a sheet peeling back
• Bubbles or haze that are still there after the cure time we gave you
• Purple, brown, or blotchy color
• The same failure showing up on more than one window

Tiny water specks in the first days are often the cure, not a defect. Leave them. A bubble that is still there after the time we gave you is a call to the shop.

What is damage, not a warranty claim

The film can be hurt after a good install. That damage is not the film failing, and it is not what the warranty is for.

• A razor, a scraper, or a ring dragged across the inside
• Ammonia glass cleaner on the film
• Stickers peeled off the film, or tape left to cook
• Windows run down before the film has cured

Replacement is still a normal job when the film is tired or torn. The old film comes off, the glass gets cleaned, and new film goes on. A normal vehicle is a few hours, not an overnight.

How to make a good film last

The inside face of auto film has a scratch-resistant coating. That coating is what you touch when you clean the glass. Ammonia is what eats it. A lot of spray glass cleaners, and the ammonia drying agents in them, are made to flash off a bare windshield. On film they dry the coating out and break it down faster. The film hazes, scratches easier, and looks older than it is.

• Clean the inside with mild soap and water and a soft cloth.
• No ammonia. No Windex-style glass cleaner. No vinegar.
• No paper towels. No razor on the film.
• Light pressure. The coating is tough. It is not a cutting board.

Do that and a lifetime film stays a lifetime film. Skip it and you can wear out the coating on material that would otherwise have held. The warranty covers the film we installed failing on its own. Taking care of the inside is what keeps you from needing a redo that the warranty was never meant to pay for.

The short version

Lifetime on auto and home, ten years on commercial, on film we installed. No ammonia on the inside.

See auto tint or send the details for a free quote.