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Tinting rear window

olegusan

Member
I'm contemplating of applying tinting film on the outside of the rear window.
It should provide some UV and petrol spill protection.

The window has not been installed yet, so it would be easy to apply the film.

Has anyone tried it?
Anything to watch out for?
 
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I tried it on on a RV14 and since it has a compound curve, it was not easy or doable for my ability.
 
Our Tint

I applied purple auto parts store tint (well, they didn’t have gray or green...) to the back window of our tilt-up RV-6 to shade the dog. I put the film on the inside, in two pieces, on either side of the fore and aft brace for the roll bar. Kind of an awkward place to reach, but it wasn’t too bad. I used a spray bottle, worked carefully and it came out pretty nice. This window is a simple flat wrap. I’m not sure if I’d have been willing to try it on a compound curved window. Anyway, Cajun the dog stays cooler now. I have not tried removing it...
 
If your rear window is Lexan it is very important to carefully follow Van's installation instructions if you want to avoid fuel-related crazing issues -- usually caused by mogas containing ethanol. Specifically note Van's instruction that you carefully seal the cut edges and installation holes with an appropriate sealant (e.g., fuel tank sealant). Supposedly the outer surfaces of the Lexan Van's supplied is already coated with a fuel-resistant covering but any cuts in the Lexan exposes the Lexan to fuel intrusion and potential crazing. Your proposed "tinting" may or may not assist in preventing this crazing. It has been my experience that such tinting usually doesn't turn out well cosmetically over time and IMHO is not necessary on the RV-12. Build on!!
 
My RV-12 was bought 2nd hand, and it has a plexiglass tinted turtledeck. Maybe you could sell the clear one you have and order a tinted one new, instead?
 
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