Austin Window Tint’s Frequently Asked Tint Questions

Welcome to Austin Window Tint’s Frequently Asked Questions page.

Here in Texas, it gets hot! That makes getting a quality tint job all that much more important. Whether it’s for your car, home or office, a quality tint job from Austin Window Tint will help cut utility bills, reduce the damaging effects of that hot Texas sun and keep you cooler longer.

Question: What is tint film?

Answer: Window tint is a thin, multi-layered polyester film that has different layers to control different elements, such as Ultra-Violet (UV) light, heat, glare, and privacy. Window tint comes in a variety of performance levels & shades. Austin Window Tint carries Rayno Phantom Automotive Series automotive window film which is color stable, nano carbon ceramic film and is one of the highest grades of window tint available and comes with a lifetime warranty.

For residential and commercial glass we offer American Standard‘s entire product line.


Question: What is legal in Texas?

Answer: Texas DPS has several requirements which Austin Window Tint follows completely. Those include:

  • Sunscreening devices must end five inches below the top of the windshield
  • Sunscreening devices may not be red, amber, or blue in color
  • Sunscreening devices must have a light transmittance value of 25% or more on the front windshield and windows to the immediate left and right of the drive
  • If a motor vehicle is equipped with an outside mirror on each side of the vehicle that reflects to the vehicle operator a view of the roadway for a distance of at least 200 feet from the rear of the vehicle then there are no restrictions regarding the sunscreening devices applied to the rear window

Question: What are the benefits of window tinting?

Answer: Window tint dramatically reduces heat and saves the interior from damaging UV rays, which makes it one of the least expensive and most popular investments you can make. Amateur installation leads to bubbling, separation of the film from the glass and ugly purple windows. An Austin Window Tint professional installation insures your work will be done properly the first time.

We carry the Rayno Phantom S5 ceramic film which is amazingly priced and features up to 72% infrared rejection and 66% total solar energy rejected. But we also carry the S9 premium window film which features up to 92% infrared rejection and 70% total solar energy rejected.

In between the 2, we also carry the S7 which perfectly balances performance and cost.

All of our films block 99.99% of harmful UV rays.

The S5 is proven to hold color up to 35% better than the competition and the S9 holds color 54% better!


Question: Does the tint go on the inside or outside of a window?

Answer: In almost all cases, the tint is applied on the inside of the glass to allow for maximum durability and longevity.


Question: Will my car’s defroster affect the tint?

Answer: No, the front or rear defroster should not affect tint performance or longevity at all


Question: What caused my last tint job to look hazy or bubble up?

Answer: Moisture is applied to the glass before adhering the tint. Depending on heat and humidity it make take up to 2 days to become completely clear. That being said the old faded tint jobs you see around town where excessive bubbles are present is due to cheap tint that was poorly applied. Remember at Austin Window Tint our automotive tint comes with a lifetime warranty as does our residential tint.  Commercial tint is warranted up to 15 years.


Question: Do I need to use a special window cleaner on my new tint?

Answer: You must use glass cleaner without ammonia to avoid possibly damaging the tint. Use a soft cloth or rubber squeegee. Sprayway (click to check current price on Amazon) makes the highest rated ammonia-free glass cleaner available on Amazon Prime.


Question: How long will it take to tint my car windows?

Answer: How long depends on whether there are customers ahead of you, if you have any special requests and the number of windows your car has. In most cases, an average car would take about 2 hours or less.