When I had an 83 vanagon, I did my own tint job. Cleanliness and
patience pays off big time in preventing bubbles. 

I bought my 86 Synchro from the original owner. He bought it new in
Hawaii and immediately had the "mirror" style tint put on by a tint
installer in Hawaii. He had every window done, and also installed a 4"
strip across the top of the windshield. The front doors are probably
about 30% and the rest are about 60% opaque.

I don't think I'm legal because RI doesn't allow any tinting from the
driver's shoulder forward. Since I've never been stopped by the
police (we did have a thread once on why Vanagons don't get stopped by
cops), I've kept the tint.

The tinting is real nice to have because it provides a lot of privacy
for when my wife and I are windsurfing. All the gear fits inside the
vanagon so we don't have to worry about prying eyes and also getting
into and out of [wet/dry]suits is much more pleasant when noone can
see you.

The mirroring tint has held up well over 8 years but it is showing its
age.

Drew Jenkins
drew@sunrise.com