Why Does Window Tint Turn Purple? The Dye Gives Out.
Film With No Dye Has None to Lose.
What turns dyed film purple, Rayno's 1,000 hour fade test, four questions to ask any shop before you pay, and what removal costs.
Window tint turns purple when the dye that colors the film breaks down after years of sun. Rayno, the maker of the films Tint Starz installs, measured the fading: in a 1,000 hour xenon test, the dyed films it tested faded up to 8.6 percent, against under 1 percent for its MonoCarbon. Faded film does not recover, and the fix is removal. Tint Starz does not install dyed film.
Every film figure below is Rayno’s published figure, read October 2026. Every tint price is a starting price.
What turns window tint purple?
Dye. Dyed film gets its dark color from a mix of dyes held in the film, and sunlight does not break those dyes down at the same rate. As some colors fade before others, what is left on the glass reads purple. Once it turns, it stays that way.
A car parked outside gets sun in every season, and UV comes through car glass in February as well as in July.
Purple is one way film fails; bubbles and haze are the others, and all three end with the old film coming off.
How much does window tint fade?
It depends on what colors the film. After 1,000 hours of xenon testing, which Rayno equates to about 10 years of sun, Rayno’s MonoCarbon film faded less than 1 percent. The competing dyed films in the same test faded up to 8.6 percent. Rayno rates every published Phantom S5 and S9 shade at under 1 percent fading.
| Film | What gives it color | Fading, by Rayno’s figures |
|---|---|---|
| Dyed film (not installed at Tint Starz) | Dye | Up to 8.6 percent after 1,000 hours of xenon testing, for the dyed films Rayno tested |
| Carbon (Rayno MonoCarbon) | Carbon particles | Under 1 percent after 1,000 hours of xenon testing |
| S5 ceramic (Rayno Phantom S5) | Carbon, with ceramic for infrared | Under 1 percent on every published shade |
| S9 ceramic (Rayno Phantom S9) | Carbon, with ceramic for infrared | Under 1 percent on every published shade |
Fading: Rayno published figures, read October 2026. Tint Starz stocks S9 in 12 and 70 percent, but Rayno publishes no figure for either.
In a 1,000 hour test, by Rayno’s figures, S5 holds true color 35 percent better than the leading competitors, and S9 holds it 54 percent better. Those are Rayno’s comparisons, not a test the shop ran.
What does “no dyes, no metals” buy you?
Two things: color with no dye to lose, and no metal in the way of your phone and GPS signals. Rayno describes MonoCarbon and both Phantom films as made with no dyes and no metals. Their color comes from carbon particles instead of dye, and with no metal, S5 and S9 cause no signal interference, unlike metallic film.
Rayno makes one more point, about ceramic. It says plain ceramic film tends to oxidize faster than other window film, so its color lightens over time, while carbon does not oxidize. Phantom S5 and S9 carry both: carbon to hold the color, ceramic to reject infrared.
Infrared is the part of sunlight you feel as warmth on your skin through the glass. By Rayno’s figures, S5 is rated 53 to 72 percent infrared rejection depending on shade, and S9 91 to 93 percent across Rayno’s published shades. Carbon has no published infrared figure: Rayno publishes none for MonoCarbon, so we do not quote one.
UV is a separate number. By Rayno’s figures, S5 and S9 block 99.9 percent of UV, and Carbon blocks 99 percent. That is the protection for your skin and for the dashboard, seats and trim.
What should you ask a tint shop before you pay?
Ask four things: what gives the film its color, the maker’s published fade figure, the maker’s UV figure, and the shop’s warranty in writing. Before the four, get the film’s maker and name, because “ceramic” on its own is a category, not a film. Here is what each answer tells you, with Tint Starz’s answers beside it.
- What gives the film its color? Dye, carbon, ceramic or metal. If the answer is dye, that is the film that faded up to 8.6 percent in Rayno’s 1,000 hour test. At Tint Starz the answer is carbon, with ceramic for infrared in S5 and S9.
- What is the maker’s published fade figure, and from what test? A number with a test behind it tells you more than a promise. Rayno’s figures are under 1 percent for MonoCarbon after 1,000 hours of xenon testing, and under 1 percent on every published Phantom shade.
- What is the UV figure? By Rayno’s figures, 99.9 percent on S5 and S9, and 99 percent on Carbon.
- What is the shop’s warranty, and is it in writing? A shop’s warranty and a film maker’s warranty are two different things, so ask whose warranty you are being quoted. The Tint Starz warranty is lifetime on S9, 2 years on S5, no warranty on Carbon, and the warranty page gives the length for each film.
What do you do once tint has turned purple?
Take it off. Purple film cannot be brought back, and new film goes on after the old film and its adhesive come off the glass. At Tint Starz, all-around removal runs $80 to $150, depending on the film’s condition and how much adhesive stays on the glass.
If the job grows once removal starts, the shop stops and shows you with photos or a video call, and confirms any new price before going on. The purple tint removal page explains how removal is priced, and what to check on the front doors if the car came with tint.
To start, call the shop with the year, make and model, and say which windows the old film is on.
What does tint without dye cost?
Film with no dye starts at $200 in Carbon, $250 in S5 ceramic and $350 in S9 ceramic, for every side window plus the rear glass on a coupe or single-cab truck. Shade does not change the price within a film, and a bigger vehicle starts higher.
| Vehicle | Carbon | S5 ceramic | S9 ceramic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe or single-cab truck | $200 | $250 | $350 |
| Sedan | $240 | $330 | $400 |
| SUV or truck | $300 | $400 | $500 |
These are starting prices. The final price depends on the vehicle, film, coverage, condition and installation difficulty. If old film has to come off first, ask for removal and new tint at the same time.
Ceramic window tint puts S5 and S9 side by side, window tint prices lists every starting price with what it covers, and ceramic vs carbon vs dyed tint compares the three film types shade by shade.
From Mount Prospect to the shop
Every film goes on inside the shop at 837 Oakton St Unit C in Elk Grove Village, by appointment, Monday to Saturday 9 to 6. From Mount Prospect Village Hall it is about 10 minutes outside rush hour: Central Rd to Busse Rd, then south to Oakton St. See window tint in Mount Prospect.
For an exact number, call the shop, or send the request through the quote form and the shop calls you back with the price within minutes during shop hours.
Does ceramic tint turn purple?
Purple comes from dye breaking down, and the two ceramics Tint Starz installs, Rayno's Phantom S5 and S9, contain no dye. Rayno says the carbon holds their color and the ceramic rejects infrared. Rayno rates every published S5 and S9 shade at under 1 percent fading; it publishes no figure for the S9 12 and 70 the shop stocks.
The ceramic window tint page puts S5 and S9 side by side.
Can you put new tint over purple tint?
No. At Tint Starz, purple film and its adhesive come off the glass before any new film goes on. All-around removal runs $80 to $150, depending on the film's condition and how much adhesive stays on the glass. If the job grows once removal starts, the shop confirms any new price with photos or a video call first.
The tint removal page has the details.
How do I know if a tint film is dyed before I buy it?
Ask the shop what gives the film its color, and ask for the film's maker and name so you can read the maker's own description. Rayno describes MonoCarbon and Phantom S5 and S9, the films Tint Starz installs, as made with no dyes and no metals. The dyed films in Rayno's 1,000 hour test faded up to 8.6 percent.
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