Every tint shop in the GTA says the same six things. These are the questions that separate a specialist from a shop that will hand you a purple rear window in two years.
1. What film are you installing, exactly?
A real answer names the brand and the product line, and states whether it is ceramic. If the answer is "premium film", you are probably getting dyed polyester. Ceramic costs more because it rejects more heat and does not fade.
2. Who installs it, and how long have they been doing it?
Ask if the installer is in house. A shop that subcontracts cannot control the result, and the warranty conversation gets complicated when the person who did the work is not the person you paid.
3. What does the warranty cover?
A lifetime film warranty should cover bubbling, peeling, cracking, delamination and colour change. Ask whether it covers labour, and whether it transfers if you sell the car.
4. Can I see a car you did a year ago?
Anyone can show a fresh install. A shop confident in its work will point you to a photo of a car that has been through two Toronto winters.
5. How do you handle the rear defroster and the dot matrix?
This is where cheap installs show. Experienced installers know what to do at the frit edge and will not cut a defroster line by scraping old film dry.
6. What is not included?
Old film removal, oversized glass and travel beyond the service area should be named up front. A quote that hides them is not cheaper, it is just incomplete.
What good work looks like afterwards
No dust specks under the film, no gaps wider than a hairline at the edges, consistent shade across every pane, and a clean water line that disappears as the film cures over two to four weeks.
Our own answers
We install ceramic film, in house, in a controlled bay. Two front windows are $99, a sedan or coupe $179, an SUV $199, a van $239. Full numbers are in our 2026 pricing guide, and Ontario tint rules are covered in the Ontario tint law guide.
Call or text 437-331-5379 with the make, model and year and we will give you a firm number.
