Why new tint looks hazy

Why new film looks hazy

Tint goes on wet. The installer sprays the glass with a slip solution, floats the film into place and squeegees the water out from under it. Most of the water, not all of it. A thin layer stays between the film and the glass, and it can only leave by evaporating through the film. Until it’s gone, the window can look milky, streaky or slightly cloudy, especially when you look through it at an angle or toward bright light.

That is curing, and it usually takes 3 to 5 days. Warm sun helps it along. A car parked in the shade, or through a run of wet days in Haiku, tends to sit at the slow end of that range.

What normal curing looks like

• An even, light haze across the glass that fades a little each day.
• Small water pockets: soft, slightly raised spots that look like droplets under the film. They shrink and disappear as the water leaves.
• Streaks or a blotchy look in certain light that go away as the film dries.

Haze and pockets can show for most of the first week. They clear without help. Ceramic and carbon film both cure this way, and the haze is water, not a sign of a bad film.

What a defect looks like

Curing improves day by day. A defect stays the same or gets worse:

• A speck with a bubble around it. Dust, sand or a hair trapped under the film holds it off the glass in a small dome. It doesn’t shrink, because there’s no water in it to leave.
• A dry bubble that hasn’t changed by the end of the first week.
• A crease or fold line in the film.
• A lifting or peeling edge, often at the top of a door glass that was rolled down too soon.
• A gap or a ragged cut along the edge of the film.
• Haze that’s still there once the first week is behind you, or that gets worse.

If you see any of these, take a photo in daylight and call the shop, or bring the car by. The written product and workmanship terms for your film are reviewed with you before the install, so you know what is covered; the warranty page explains how that works.

Aftercare while the film cures

• Windows up for 3 to 5 days. A door glass rolled down early drags the wet film edge against the seal and can lift or peel it.
• Leave the pockets alone. Pushing water around under uncured film makes things worse, not better. Don’t pick at the edges either.
• Don’t clean the inside of the glass until the film has cured. Wiping presses on soft film and on edges that are still setting.
• Wash the outside whenever you like. The film is on the inside, and an exterior wash doesn’t touch it.

Aftercare once it has cured

Clean the inside of the glass with an ammonia-free cleaner and a soft microfiber cloth. Ammonia attacks the adhesive at the film’s edges over time. Keep razor blades, scrub pads and anything abrasive off the inside of the windows; the film’s surface scratches more easily than bare glass. Watch for seatbelt buckles that slap the door glass and cargo that rides against the back glass, because both wear the film over the years.

That’s the whole routine. Carbon and ceramic film need no other upkeep.

A simple way to check

Take a photo of each window the day after pickup. A few days later, take another from the same spot. If the haze and pockets are shrinking, leave the film alone and let it finish. If a spot hasn’t changed or has grown, or an edge has lifted, call (808) 707-7064. The shop is at 430 Hookahi St in Wailuku.

Haze in old film is different

All of this is about new film. Haze in tint that’s been on the car for years is not curing. It means the film or its adhesive is breaking down, often along with purple color, bubbles or peeling, and the fix is removing it and starting again. Mention old film when you ask for a quote so removal is part of the job. The timing guide covers install and cure times, and window tint covers the films.