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Window tint is a thin film bonded to the inside of the glass, and people buy it for two different reasons that do not always travel together. One is heat and glare. The other is privacy and the way the car looks. A cheap dark film gives you privacy and almost no heat rejection. A light ceramic film can sit close to factory glass in shade and still keep the cabin cooler on a hot afternoon.
The film type is the decision. Dyed film is the cheap one, and it is the one that fades to purple and bubbles as the dye breaks down. Metallic film rejects heat well and can interfere with radio, keyless entry and satellite reception on some cars. Ceramic costs the most and does the job without the signal problem. Ask which film the quote covers by name, not by a tier called premium.
How dark you may legally go is set by law, not by the shop, and the rules for the windshield are stricter than for the side glass. Ask what your state allows before you pick a shade.
Work down the state and city lists below to find a tint shop near you. Tinting needs a clean indoor bay, because dust trapped under film never comes out, and the trade gets busy as soon as the weather turns hot.
Ceramic if you are buying it for heat, since it blocks infrared without being dark and without touching your signal. Metallic is the older way to get heat rejection and can upset keyless entry, radio and tire pressure sensors on some cars. Dyed is the cheap one: fine for privacy, poor on heat, and the shortest life of the three.
That is set by your state, and the limits differ for the windshield, the front side windows and everything behind the driver. Windshield rules are the strictest, usually allowing only a strip at the top. Some states issue medical exemptions. Ask the shop what applies where the car is registered, and keep the invoice showing the film they fitted.
Leave them up for several days, and longer in cold or damp weather, because the adhesive is still holding water. Until it dries the film looks hazy and may show small pockets or a milky patch. That clears on its own. What does not clear is film you peeled off the top edge by dropping a window too soon.
The dye in cheap film breaks down under sunlight, so the color shifts toward purple, and the adhesive lets go in patches that look like blisters. Neither is fixable. The film has to come off and the glass has to be cleaned of old glue before new film goes on, which is why removal is quoted as its own job.
Usually bubbling, peeling, cracking and color change, from the film maker, with the shop covering the labor to redo it. A lifetime warranty normally means as long as you own the car, so ask whether it transfers when you sell. Ask what happens if the shop closes, since the film maker's claim still needs proof of who fitted it.
