Short answer: Car window tint at 502 Tinted starts at $249 for a car’s side windows and back glass in HITEK Ceramic IR, and $349 in HITEK Ceramic Plus. Kentucky limits front side windows to 35% and windows behind the driver to 18%, or 8% on SUVs and vans. Most cars take two to four hours at our shop on Valley Station Road in Louisville.
What tint actually does for a Louisville car
Louisville summers are hot and sticky, and a car parked through a shift at UPS or the Ford plant, or all afternoon at Jefferson Mall, is miserable by the time you get back to it. Ceramic film blocks a large share of the infrared heat coming through the glass, so the cabin heats up slower and the A/C catches up faster.
It also blocks 99% of UV, which is what fades dashboards, cracks leather and burns the arm you rest on the door. It cuts glare from the low sun on the Gene Snyder and I-65 in the morning and evening. It gives you some privacy for what’s on the back seat. And it makes the car look finished.
Every job here uses HITEK ceramic film with a lifetime guarantee.
Car tint prices
Front two doors
from $129HITEK Ceramic IR, matched to your factory rear glass
Full car, Ceramic IR
from $249Side windows and back glass
Full car, Ceramic Plus
from $349Side windows and back glass, HITEK’s top heat rejection in our lineup
Starting prices for sedans and coupes. SUVs, trucks and vans have more glass and are priced by window count. Old film? Removal is quoted separately.
What’s included
- Side windows and the back glass, cut for your exact car
- Back glass heat-shrunk in one piece, so there are no seams across the defroster lines
- Edges filed and checked in daylight before you leave
- HITEK lifetime film warranty
Want the front doors only, to match factory rear privacy glass? That starts at $129.
Picking a shade
Kentucky rates the film on its own, so the factory tint in your glass doesn’t count against you. This is what each shade looks like and where it’s allowed.
| Film shade | How it looks | Front doors | Behind the driver: car or truck | Behind the driver: SUV or van (MPV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | Nearly clear. Heat control without a tinted look. | Legal | Legal | Legal |
| 50% | Light smoke. Looks factory on most cars. | Legal | Legal | Legal |
| 35% | Medium. The darkest you can go up front. | Legal | Legal | Legal |
| 20% | Dark. Hard to see in during the day. | Too dark | Legal | Legal |
| 15% | Darker. Matches many factory privacy glass packages. | Too dark | Too dark | Legal |
| 5% | Limo. Very hard to see out of at night. | Too dark | Too dark | Too dark |
Your door-jamb label says MPV if your SUV or van qualifies for the 8% limit behind the driver. Pickups are labeled TRUCK and follow the 18% rule. The full Kentucky tint law
How a tint appointment works
Book a time
Call or text (502) 631-0419, or send the quote form. Tell us the year, make and model, and whether there’s old film on the glass.
Drop off
We look over the glass for chips, old adhesive and dirty seals, then clean every window inside and out.
Cut and shape
Film is cut to your glass. The back glass is heat-shrunk so one piece follows the curve.
Install
The film goes on the inside of the glass with a slip solution, then it’s squeegeed tight and the edges are finished.
Final check
Every edge is checked in daylight, and you get the film, shade and care instructions on your paperwork.
Pick up and cure
Keep the windows up for three to five days while the film cures. Some haze or small water pockets in that time is normal.
Why we only install ceramic
Bargain film looks fine for a year or two, then turns purple, bubbles and has to be scraped off. Metal-based films hold up better but can interfere with phone, GPS and key fob signals. Ceramic film uses non-metal particles to block heat, so it stays the same color and doesn’t block signals.
Because Kentucky caps the front doors at 35%, you can’t make the car cooler just by going darker up front. The heat rejection has to come from the film itself, which is why ceramic is the only kind we put on.
Compare HITEK Ceramic IR and Ceramic Plus
Questions we get a lot
How long does car window tint take?
Two to four hours for most cars. Removing old film adds time. Most customers drop off in the morning and pick up the same afternoon.
When can I roll my windows down?
Wait three to five days. In cool, damp weather give it the full five. The film needs time for the slip solution to dry out behind it.
Is it normal to see haze or little bubbles after tinting?
Yes, for the first several days. Those are pockets of water that evaporate as the film cures. If anything is still there after two weeks, bring it back and we’ll look.
Can I get my front doors to match my factory rear glass?
Yes. Front two doors start at $129. Factory privacy glass is dark glass, not film, so we pick a front shade that looks close.
Will tint affect my phone, GPS or key fob?
Not with ceramic film. It has no metal layer, so signals pass through normally.
Do you tint trucks and SUVs?
Yes. They have more glass, so they’re priced by window count. SUVs and vans labeled MPV can go darker behind the driver than cars.
Pull up and get shaded.
Most tint jobs are done the same day, and detailing is by appointment. Call, text or send a quote request, and Shane will get back to you during shop hours.