It might be tempting to tint your car windows by using a DIY kit, but the benefits of hiring an auto tinting pro outweigh any savings.

Tinting your car’s windows is a great way to reduce glare and heat as well as enhance privacy. Consumers typically have two options for tinting their cars windows: Do it themselves with a DIY window-tinting kit or hire a professional. Although a DIY window tint is generally less costly, it definitely pays dividends to invest in professional installation.

Check out these five good reasons to hire a professional window tinting service:

1. FAMILIARITY WITH LOCAL TINTING REGULATIONS

Because dark windows are a safety concern for law enforcement officers when they’re making a traffic stop, many cities and states have specific limits on how dark you can tint your windows. Most professional window tinting companies make it their business to say up to date on window tint regulations. While some shops may provide darker-than-legal tint, most shops make sure their customers stay on the right side of the law. DIY kits can’t claim such an assurance.

2. HOW TO TINT CAR WINDOWS

Unless you’re purchasing a more expensive professional-grade tint kit, you’ll likely find the tint in a DIY window tint kit is flimsy and temperamental when compared to the higher quality materials a window tinting pro would use. For a first-timer, window tint in general is hard to work with; a slight breeze or wind can cause creases or crinkles, and some may find it hard to keep dust or other debris from sticking to the tint.

An experienced professional will use a higher grade tint and ensure that it’s applied without creases, crinkles, air bubbles or debris.

3. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

Even if you successfully apply window tint to your vehicle’s windows, you may not do so perfectly. So try again, right? Not quite. Removing window tint is much more difficult than applying it, due in part to the sticky adhesive used to apply it to the auto glass.

4. HAVE A AUTO TINTING PRO GUARANTEE THE WORK

If a professional window tinting company does a bad job, car owners can always demand re-tinting or they can try to get their money back. If and when you make a mistake while tinting you own windows, however, you probably won’t be able redo the tinting without buying another kit. Once window tinting tint has been applied to a window, it cannot be taken off and simply returned to the store.

5. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TINT CAR WINDOWS?

DIY kits are most frequently used as a way of saving money. However, low-grade window tinting tint does not always provide good results for the car. For example, one of the main reasons car owners are interested in window tinting is that they want to protect their car’s interior from fading and cracking. Cheap or low-quality window tinting, though, does not always provide this protection.

At best, car owners may get a little extra shade inside their cars, but they will not be able to protect their car over the long run from the harmful effects of the sun. For this reason, it makes sense to invest a little bit more money into a mid-grade or high-grade window tint installed by a professional.

The cost to tint all of a car’s windows can range in price from $150 for a small car up to $580 for large vans.