A woman shared that she received an outrageously expensive quote to tint her car windows—so she went to Walmart and did it herself for $40.
On Aug. 8, 2024, the Daily Dot reported on the conundrum TikTok user India (@rosesarered90) faced after receiving a quote for $300 to have two windows tinted.
In a clip that received 407,000 views, she says, “So I called a few places to inquire about prices for tint. We had just got a new car we needed our windows tinted.”
However, India wasn’t too happy about the figures she received.
“The first person told me $300… $300?! And that was only for two windows, the two back ones,” she says.
She thought this was too costly. So she decided to do it herself, and bought everything she needed at Walmart.
She admits of her DIY tinting job, “It’s not perfect. I got some spots here and there you can definitely tell I did it. But, it’s not that bad.”
Commenters were impressed by India’s car window tint job, especially for the price that she advertised in the caption. Several people even quipped that they’d pay her to work on their car.
“It looks fine. Girl come get the 50$ I got for you,” one person said.
Another added, “This good enough, how much you charging?”
But several car owners asked her to share exactly what she purchased to do the tint job herself. India obliged them in a second video that garnered even more attention, with 1.3 million views.
Step-by-step at Walmart
“So y’all been eating me up in that tint video, so here we go I’ll make it for y’all,” India says in her follow-up post.
“So we at Walmart,” she says as she walks through the car aisle.
“You will see the tint. It’s different kinds, I got 5% and 35%,” she explains, adding that she got two kits since one tints two car windows.
India also points to microfiber cloths and says these will ensure there is no “sticky stuff” on the window.
“Then they got this kit,” she says, pointing to an empty section on the shelf with a $9.97 price tag.
The TikToker goes on to explain that the Black Magic Tint Film Application kit she’s referring to is sold out, but that it contains everything a person needs to tint car windows.
“My Walmart is sold out but y’alls might have it … They got everything you need in there. The blade, the scrapper, the activator. All you gotta do is add water and shake it up,” she says.
In the video’s text overlay, the TikToker remarks, “Total from Walmart $40 to tint all 4 windows.” This is a huge difference from the $600 she might have paid at the detailing shop.
How much does professional window tinting cost?
Various online resources offer up different figures when it comes to car window tinting. According to window film company Rayno, the average price for ceramic tinting is $100 per window. However, the business concedes that prices vary depending on the size and shape of the windows in question.
“You should expect to pay more if your coupe has steep rear or curved windows. These types of windows are more challenging to cover with tint, which will increase labor costs. The average cost for tinting a two-door car (with 5 windows) is estimated to cost between $120–$450,” the website says.
The Colorado Man Cave also agrees that standard tinting costs anywhere from $100 to $300 for the whole vehicle. “High-performance films” can be even more expensive, at $200 to $500 to tint an entire car. “Ceramic and carbon films,” which offer “heat rejection and UV protection,” can run car owners $400 to $800.
TikTokers react
A number of viewers claimed that although the price was attractive, they would not be able to tint their own car windows.
“The way I can’t even put a screen protector on my phone without air bubbles! This is definitely a hard no for me,” laughed one user.
“I’m too scared to do it myself cause I’ll rip it off if I get frustrated,” remarked another.
@rosesarered090 Replying to @Powercouple💕 #tinting #part2 #part2? #diy #walmart #tintingwindows #cars #affordable ♬ original sound – India🥰
However, several commenters said that it actually was easier than it looked.
“I did my own tint, installed my own CarPlay radio and backup camera I watched a s**t load of YouTube videos,” one said.
“Yes I did mine as well.. Same kit. It’s not as hard as people think,” another remarked.
The Daily Dot reached out to Walmart via email and India via TikTok comment.
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