Has anyone had their back glass tinted?

[Ron Dame]

It seems that the amount of glass and the curves would make this difficult without seams and wrinkles, but it sure would be nice to reduce the heat gain through that thing! I'd need to remove the defroster (which has too many breaks to fix anyway) but can a tint shop do a decent job of it?

[mfg]

14 hours ago, Ron Dame said:

It seems that the amount of glass and the curves would make this difficult without seams and wrinkles, but it sure would be nice to reduce the heat gain through that thing! I'd need to remove the defroster (which has too many breaks to fix anyway) but can a tint shop do a decent job of it?

I’d guess the best way to do it would be to  remove the rear glass and apply the film with the glass on a stand upside down… a lot of extra work though!

[Footer]

I wondered that too. Maybe take it to the shop that does the work and get their opinion. How about the side windows, anyone done that and had good results? Mike

[mfg]

4 hours ago, Footer said:

I wondered that too. Maybe take it to the shop that does the work and get their opinion. How about the side windows, anyone done that and had good results? Mike

Side glass & 1/4 windows (and vent wings) should not be a problem… even for the home mechanic… however, the rear glass is something entirely different!

[mfg]

If anyone does decide to push out the rear window… I’d order a weatherseal ahead of time

The last Avanti rear glass I replaced ( I’ve done two) definitely needed a new weatherseal.

[AG-R3]

There has to be a solution.  New car dealers always try and push those extra packages before you get to the payment guy..  They definitely have something for the windshield that cuts down on the UV and lessens impact/chip of  a stone  and reduces the headlight glare...

[Geoff]

On 6/22/2025 at 5:43 PM, Ron Dame said:

It seems that the amount of glass and the curves would make this difficult without seams and wrinkles, but it sure would be nice to reduce the heat gain through that thing! I'd need to remove the defroster (which has too many breaks to fix anyway) but can a tint shop do a decent job of it?

About your defroster breaks, this https://frostfighter.com/ might help you. Maybe even to the point of sheering off the factory ones and installing a whole new stick on grid? They work more effectively shorter [they have min & max lengths] and if you were to re-do the whole backlight, just cut to min. length and measure from the middle outward. We can care less about defrosting outboard of the curves, as the side view mirrors can spot out there anyhow.

The tinting issue is another wild animal but one which might still be tamed. mfg's solution to remove the glass and place it upside down on stands (perhaps sawhorses) could work. There are some compound curves to the backlight, though tint like vinyl, can be made to conform using a heat gun. Patience in pushing the excess off the glass (to be cut) would be key. An answer definitely exists to solve this problem.

[AD]

I had my windows tinted without removing them. I had to try a few shops before I found one that was willing to tackle it. It turned out great but I'm sure it was not easy to do the rear window. You may need to spend some time taking the car to different shops and getting estimates - some of them may be ridiculously high in hopes that you'll go elsewhere. 

[Footer]

AD, were you happy with the tinting?  Did it help cool the interior at all?  Mike

[Mark L]

For a non-Avanti vehicle, I found my local auto parts store had the bottle of defroster grid liquid/paste. It was super easy to apply and it worked great. Installing the masking on the grid on the back window of an Avanti will be a lot more difficult than the back wimdow of my minivan, however. Once the edges are masked, however, the application should be easy.

[AD]

Mike, 

Yes, I'm happy with the outcome. The window tinting does help although I can't say how much or to what degree.  I live in AZ where the sun in brutal in the Summer, and if your car sits outside uncovered for any length of time it's going to get hot no matter what you do, but every little but helps.

[Footer]

Thanks AD. Wouldn’t think anything would stay cool sitting in the Arizona sun, but maybe the air conditioning would work a little better with the windows tinted. Can you post a photo?  

[AD]

Mike, 

Yes the tinted windows do help help the air-conditioning and reduce the heat load in the interior. It's also important to make sure unwanted heat isn't getting into the passenger compartment through leaks in the firewall, poor vent seals, etc. Here's a few pictures~

 

-Adam DeRosa 

[mfg]

Looks REALLY good!

[Footer]

I like it!

[Ron Dame]

Wow, that's what I want. Did they have to remove the glass to do it?

[Mark L]

2 hours ago, Ron Dame said:

Wow, that's what I want. Did they have to remove the glass to do it?

AD stated above he was able to find a shop that would tint them with the window installed.