What should you decide before you book a tint appointment?
Which windows, which film and which shade. Settle those first and the appointment is just the install; leave them open and the morning starts with a decision you may rush.
- Windows. BC’s s. 7.05(8) allows film on side windows behind the driver in any darkness, on the rear window if the car has outside mirrors on both sides, and on the top 75 mm of the windshield. It allows no film at all on the front side windows, clear film included. The shop will fit front-door or full-windshield film on request, but it isn’t road-legal in BC and can bring a ticket or a Notice & Order; the shop explains that before you decide.
- Film. Dyed LLumar ATC is the base film; ceramic IRX and the near-clear AIR cost more and are priced by package.
- Shade. Both ATC and IRX are sold here in four shades: 5, 15, 35 and 50%. Help choosing is in what tint percentage should I get.
- Your exact car. The film is cut on a computerized plotter to the year, make and model, so give the shop the exact model year and body style when you book.
What should you take out of the car before drop-off?
Anything between the installer and the glass. Tint goes on the inside face of every window, which means someone working from the back seat, over the rear deck and inside each door opening.
| Area | What to clear | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rear deck or cargo cover | Bags, tissue boxes, sunshades | The back glass is fitted from inside, across the deck |
| Back seat | Child seats if you can, loose items | Rear door windows are reached from the seat |
| Door pockets and armrests | Anything that can spill or scratch | Door trim near the glass needs to be clear and dry |
| Inside of the glass | Parking passes, decals stuck on the inside, suction-cup mounts | Film can’t go over them; outside decals don’t matter |
LLumar’s FAQ describes car tint as going on the interior glass surfaces as standard, which is why inside-face stickers are the ones that have to come off. If a sticker is one you want back, take a photo of where it was.
What should you check on the car before you leave it?
Things that already work, or already don’t, before film goes on. A quick check now means nobody has to guess later.
- Rear defroster. Turn it on and see that the glass clears. Film goes over the defroster lines on the back glass, so it’s worth knowing they work beforehand.
- Power windows. Run each one up and down once.
- Old tint. If there’s film on the car already, point it out at booking. It comes off before new film goes on, by steam rather than blades on the back glass so the defroster grid survives, and removal is priced per window, discounted when you re-tint.
- Glass damage. Chips or cracks in any window you’re tinting are worth pointing out on arrival.
Does the car need an inspection before it’s tinted?
If it came from outside BC, or it’s under a Notice & Order, yes: handle the inspection first. ICBC won’t register a vehicle previously registered outside BC until it has passed an inspection at a designated inspection facility, and item 13d of the 2025 Vehicle Inspection Manual rejects after-market tint on any side window forward of the driver’s seat back.
Rear windows behind the driver can be tinted afterwards, in any shade. If the car arrived with front film already on it, the shop removes just the front two windows for inspections; that job is laid out on tint removal for an out-of-province inspection.
How should you plan the days after you drop the car off?
Around three to five days of windows-up driving. That is how long the film takes to cure, and light haze or small water pockets in the first week are normal and evaporate on their own.
- Pick a week without window-down errands. Drive-throughs, parkade ticket machines and border crossings all mean opening a window; plan around them.
- Wait to clean the inside of the glass. After the cure, use a soft microfibre and an ammonia-free cleaner, and never scrape the film.
- Book the car wash for later. When the outside can be washed again is answered in washing after window tint, and the full routine is in the window tint aftercare guide.
Booking a tint appointment in Langley
Most cars are done the same day. Expect two to four hours for every window on a typical sedan or SUV; complex rear glass, old film removal and vans take longer, and the shop gives you a time when you book. The day itself is described in how long window tinting takes.
Rear glass in LLumar ATC starts at $220 for a coupe, $240 for a sedan or pickup and $260 for a full-size SUV or wagon, with every price on window tint pricing. Drop-off is at Unit 312, 20560 Langley Bypass, during the shop’s Monday-to-Saturday hours of 9:00 to 17:00. Book on the tint quote form, or text the shop at 604 534 6433.