Louie Panayi • At Car Teks in Schererville, ceramic window tint on all side windows and the rear window starts at $340, or $475 in our premium XPEL Prime XR Plus film, and the two front windows alone start at $140. Your exact price depends on your vehicle and the film you pick, and we'll break down what drives it below.
What Window Tint Costs at Car Teks
Prices at other shops vary with the film they use, the size of your vehicle and how they install it, so compare the film brand and the warranty, not just the number.
Here's a rough breakdown of what drives the price:
Vehicle size matters. A Honda Civic has less glass than a Chevy Suburban. More glass means more film, more labor, and a higher price. SUVs and trucks generally cost more than sedans. Vans and large SUVs with multiple rear windows can be even more.
Film quality is the biggest factor. There's a massive difference between bargain dyed film and premium ceramic film. At shops that sell it, cheap dyed film costs less up front, but it can fade and turn purple over time and blocks much less heat. Ceramic film like XPEL Prime XR Plus costs more up front, blocks far more heat and doesn't fade to purple.
The number of windows matters. Some customers just want the front two windows done to match the factory rear tint. Others want every window including the windshield. A front-two-only job is obviously less expensive than a full vehicle with a windshield strip or full windshield tint.
Why Cheap Tint Costs You More in the Long Run
We've been in business since 2006 and we've removed more bad tint jobs than we can count. The pattern is always the same: someone gets a deal on cheap tint, it looks fine for six months, then it starts bubbling, peeling, or turning purple. Then they come to us to strip the old film and redo it with quality material.
Now they've paid twice. The removal alone costs money because it's labor-intensive work. Then they pay for the new tint on top of that. If they had just gone with quality ceramic film from the start, they'd have spent less total and had great-looking tint the entire time.
What You Should Expect from a Professional Tint Shop
When you're comparing quotes, don't just compare prices. Ask what film they're using. Ask about the warranty. A reputable shop will tell you exactly what brand and type of film they install and stand behind it with a written warranty.
At Car Teks, we use XPEL Prime XR Plus ceramic film as our premium option and Global QDP Ceramic film as our value option. Both come with a lifetime warranty on film and labor for as long as you own the car. We don't install cheap dyed film because we don't want our name attached to work that's going to look bad in a year.
A good shop should also take the time to explain the process, the cure time, and how to care for your new tint. If a shop just slaps it on and sends you out the door with no instructions, that tells you something about how they approach quality.
Is Window Tinting Worth the Investment?
Absolutely. Beyond looking great, quality ceramic tint blocks 99% of UV rays that damage your interior and your skin. It rejects a significant amount of solar heat, which means your car is noticeably cooler in the summer and your AC doesn't have to work as hard. It also reduces glare, which makes driving more comfortable and safer.
Starting at $340 for the side windows and rear window, you get a permanent upgrade that makes every single drive better. That's hard to beat.
If you're in Northwest Indiana or the south Chicago suburbs and want to know exactly what your vehicle will cost, reach out to us for a quick quote. We'll give you a straight answer with no pressure.
