Elevating auto tinting to an art form

ONE of the major objectives of 3M Philippines in holding the competition is to uplift the image of a ‘tintero’. Photos by Charles E. Buban

Hunched over and careful not to slip, 31-year old Roque Terre of Dagupan City’s Dan’s Car Audio and Accessories is a picture of concentration as he slowly and carefully heats a newly applied film sheet so it could take on the shape of the car’s curve windshield.

Time is of the essence here as he needed to finish this particular task at the fastest time possible and still come up a perfect-looking automotive window tint that would earn the judges’ nod in a competition at Tiendesitas in Pasig City recently.

Aptly called “3M Auto Tint-Off: The 1st Master Tintero Search,” partner shops all over the Philippines sent their best bets for the day-long skills showdown, the first of its kind in the Philippines.

“I’ve been doing this for 11 years. Although this work has become second nature to me, today, I must come up with a much better work considering there are 27 other equally experienced ‘tinteros’ here in the competition doing the same thing I am doing,” said Terre.

In Terre’s “art of tinting,” applying automotive window films is one thing. Ensuring that they remain peel and bubble free for years is another.

Not as easy

Even for an experienced tintero like Terre, he would still admit that applying automotive window film is not as easy as it looks.

WITH years of experience, a ‘tintero’ like Roque makes the application process so easy and effortless.

“Experience plays a huge factor. But like any other skills a tintero should start with the basic, that is, taking time to be prepared and organized: Make sure you have with you, all the basic tools like the  squeegee, small spray bottle, cutting blade, a hard plastic card, paper towel and a heater blower. Ensure that your work area is also free from dust and wind that could blow dust to the car windows,” reminded Terre.

With the car window up, measure the film sheet to match the area of the glass area. This can be achieved by first applying a bit of soap solution with a spray bottle to the outside of the car window.

“Place the tint against the outside of the window. Smooth the film sheet down and cut to the required measurements of the window. Please remember that the film sheet ‘will not’ be placed on the outside of the window. The outside should only be used for measurement purposes,” reminded Terre.

With the backing edge of the film sheet removed, place it onto the inside of the window.

Squeegee

Use the squeegee. Employing short and overlapping strokes, start from the center to smooth the film sheet until it lays perfectly flat against the window and with no visible bubbles.

Because the rear window is concave on the interior side where you will place the film sheet, use the heat gun to shrink the portions that will conform to the curve shape.

ROQUE is a picture of concentration as he slowly and carefully heats a newly applied film sheet. Photos by Charles E. Buban

Of course, it takes time to really perfect one’s craft and very few could claim they have perfected this undertaking on the first attempt.

Artisans

Come to think of it, the individuals who apply them may be considered artisans since they make the application process so easy and effortless.

But the process is never easy and requires patience and steady hands.

Do it yourself and there’s a huge possibility that you will need to buy more rolls of automobile window film than required or end up with a shabby work that eventually you will need a professional to get the job done.

“Choosing a trusted automotive window film brand is just half of the process as you also need to carefully select the person—also called a tintero—since they could make or unbreak the look of your vehicle,” explained Freya Vargas, assistant manager of 3M Philippines

Four hours to install

“To level the playing field, each tintero was provided with the same rolls of 3M Black Chrome automotive tint. The tinteros were given up to three hours to install the tint on the sedan provided for by their respective shops,” explained Vargas.

Terre took home P15,000 in cash prize for finishing first runner-up. The grand prize went to Jess Andes of Team Car who received the P30,000 champion’s purse.

The car shops the winners represented also took home several rolls of 3M automotive tint as their prize.

But more than the prizes and the items the four winners received, the event intends to elevate the image of the tinteros, let them feel that their work is very important not only in promoting the image of their shop but also the brand of automotive window tint they use.

“We’re planning to make this an annual event. After all, who should lead this type of endeavor than 3M, which invented window film over 40 years ago,” said Vargas.

After all, what good is a brand if the individual did a shabby job of installing it.