Signs That Your Car’s Window Tint Needs to Be Replaced

Generally speaking, you should consider updating your car’s window tint every five years. Several factors, including material quality, installation style, and shielding, can affect this five-year replacement.
It matters what kind of tinting material you use. You will use lower-quality tint less frequently, while higher-quality tint lasts longer.
Over time, the window tint protection on your car does deteriorate. Accordingly, in five years, tint shielding often decreases from 99% to 70%. However, if you want the shielding to last longer, you can get a higher-grade tint.
Nearly as unique as car parts and modifications are car window tints. What your tint does for you ultimately depends on its quality, effectiveness, and placement.
The remainder of this post provides solutions to your queries regarding changing the window tint on an automobile.
Peeling or bubbling is the most obvious symptom of a failing tint job, but there are other warning signals as well. Learn more by reading on.
Gaps and Uneven Lines
What is a typical error made when installing automobile window tint? It’s performing poor installation work, resulting in irregular spaces and lines.
Why does that matter? It denotes a poor tint job if there are lines along the window edge or gaps between the tint and the edge of the window.
What causes this to occur? Installers can haste or underestimate how much tint they require.
Purple Color or Hue
If the window tint on your car has a purple tint or hue, it is made of inferior material. These tints will deteriorate more quickly than tints of a higher grade and turn more purple with time. For this reason, it’s crucial to get high-quality tint material, even if it costs more.
Dot Matrix Surrounded by a Zigzag Pattern
The dot matrix on your windows and your automobile window tint should adhere to one another properly. You have a poor installation if there is any sort of zigzag pattern on or close to the dot matrix.
The dot matrix is difficult to apply tint to, but a pro will know how to do this correctly.
Hot Interior of an Automobile
In order to keep your car somewhat cool, car window tints can limit the number of UV rays and heat coming into your car. You probably have a poor tint job if you discover that your automobile is just as hot as it was before the window tint installation.
Keeping the sun and heat out of their car’s interior is one of the main reasons individuals acquire car window tint.
The Cost of Replacing Window Tints
You will probably have to pay to remove the old tint from your car windows before the new one is put in. Drive away as quickly and lawfully as possible if an installer tells you that you may apply a new tint over the old one. You want a fresh color to be applied straight to the glass.
Conclusion
You may make plans in advance for who will install your window tint once you know how frequently it has to be replaced. The substance you put on your glass and the expert applying your tint are important.
While having a “do it yourself” attitude is acceptable, it is always best to let specialists handle things. This implies that if the quality of the tint material, the aesthetics of your car, and a long-lasting tint are important to you, call professionals to make an appointment for a tint job.
Cen Cal Tinting provides high-quality car window tinting in Clovis, California! We’re Fresno’s most trusted auto restyling shop, offering window tinting, paint protection film, ceramic coating, and vehicle wraps. Contact us now to schedule an appointment.
Take a look at our results.
What our customers think

Had our 2025 Tesla Model 3 tinted by Cen Cal Tinting and the whole experience was top notch. The quality of the work speaks for itself — super clean install, no bubbles, and the heat rejection is noticeable right away. What really made it stand out though was the customer service. You can tell they really care about their work and their customers. Highly recommend Cen Cal Tinting if you want it done right.

Took my Camry in for a i3 ceramic all around plus the air ceramic for the front windshield. Very pleased how it turned out. Highly recommend them. They are very professional and scheduling with them was very easy. And plus, they give you a lifetime warranty on their films.

This is my 4th car along with several referrals I have brought to this company to work on my vehicles. They have done a fantastic job on each one of them. On this particular one they did 15% tint over the factory tinted glass and 35% on the sides with a 5% windshield strip. Looking forward to all my future cars to this company. They typically complete the job in a few hours and are very connected via text message.
We Are Here To Help
We specialize in window tinting, paint protection film (PPF), ceramic coating, paint correction, and vehicle wraps. Whether you’re looking for heat rejection, gloss enhancement, or full protection, we’ve got you covered.
Absolutely. Many customers drop off their cars before work or leave them overnight. Just let us know what works best for your schedule and we’ll accommodate.
We’re located in Clovis, CA, and proudly serve Fresno and the surrounding Central Valley. Our shop is easy to find, and we’re just minutes away from most parts of Fresno.
You can call, text, or request a quote online in under a minute. We’ll just need your vehicle year, make, model, and what service you’re interested in to get you an accurate estimate.
We recommend booking an appointment to avoid wait times, but walk-ins are welcome when we have availability. Feel free to call or text us to check for same-day openings.
Yes — we recommend giving your car a basic exterior wash before your appointment. This helps us avoid rubbing dry dirt or dust into the paint when working on your vehicle, which can cause scratching. It also makes it easier for us to get great photos of your car when it’s all done!
Yes! We offer buy now, pay later options through providers like Affirm, Afterpay, and others — so you can split your purchase into easy payments. Just ask us for more details when booking.
We work on nearly all types of vehicles, including cars, trucks, SUVs, Teslas, luxury, and exotic cars. It’s rare that we come across something we can’t work on — but if you have a unique vehicle, feel free to reach out and we’ll be happy to confirm.