I've had window tint before...but..

[Silver Ecstasy]

Update again:

I called on 8/22 and told him that the type of Solargard I wanted is no longer available. So I asked him to talk with his tinter and see which of the 4 Solargard's available has no green hue, it's reflective and metalized for heat-rejecting. He said sure thing.

I call today (8/26) and ask if he'd heard from his tinter. He goes "Naw, I told you he's supposed to call me when he gets the Solargard in". I was like "Um..I told you I wasn't sure which Solargard I wanted since they cancelled the tint I wanted." He goes "So...you don't even know which tint you want now?" Christ does this guy listen?!

Anyhow, i'm working late Friday night, so i'm going to go in there and ask for a refund Friday morning. Because it's obvious this guy does a terrible job handling anything over the phone. If I have to pay an extra $70 to have the next shop remove the old tint, I will. Atleast i'll know it's gonna be done right because they'll have to make sure the windows are absolutely 100% clean before they can apply new tint. SO it's almost a guarantee.

I took my gf out to dinner the other night and just as the sun hit the driver's side window, she was like "My god that's terrible!" You see nothing but a dirty ass window all over the place. And when the sun isn't hitting it, it looks hazy.

This is just like when it took me almost 2 months to get my Bose radio. Such bulls***. Anyhow, there's a shop around the corner from me (should have went there in the first place) and they are like the tint MECCA in this area. The guy is extremely reputable and does a grade A job. The only reason I didn't go to him is because when I called up there, his secretary told me they used Johnson film. Now I find out, they'll put whatever film I want, as they have it all there. DAMNIT.

 

[Hyun]

best of luck to ya

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

best of luck to ya

Thanks heh, i'll need be good once I get that money back.

 

[coololddude]

tinting windows is not rocket science. you should have ZERO issues after having tinting professionally done. just dont roll the windows down for a day.

 

[CWPspeed3]

We'll just today I started noticing a bunch of tiny bubbles forming on my drivers window. I'm going to clean it when I get home to make sure its not just dirt. Is there a normal time line when bubbles usually appear in tints after getting them done?

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

The bubbles are supposed to appear during the curing of the tint. And they're supposed to go away with time. Not come around with time.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Update Finale:

I went this morning and asked for a refund, and he also removed the tint. The car actually looks pretty decent without tint, although i'm still yearning for the tint back.

I stopped at the place that is supposed to be the best in the area, and spoke with the guy for a little bit. He said they use Johnson film too, which was disappointing for me. I told them I just got done removing that film because I was unhappy with the results. They said they have had a lot of luck with the film and said it honestly sounded more like the application rather than the film. I can see that being true because it wasn't done in a very clean atmosphere and he wasn't very courteous of where he was putting his hands on the film, because that ended up beneath the film and the window.

Solargard is no longer used around here because Solargard won't warranty their film + labor. They will only warranty the film, but the shop loses on the labor to re-tint the car. So most shops arn't carrying it anymore.

 

[mckraut]

Hope you enjoy the new tint, sounds like you've been through a lot with your MS3.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Meh...I try to keep things simple, but sometimes it never seems to work out that way.

My Bose replacement was a headache, this tint situation was a headache, my rain-sensing wipers are a headache LOL.

I think I have a lot of faith in this other shop though. Almost everyone I know has gotten tint there and they have never had an issue. This shop is a tint-only place and they're extremely reputable, whereas the place I originally went does a little of everything in one location. It wasn't done in a clean enviroment, and the bay doors were wide open so there was definitely a high chance of dirt and dust in the air. I just think it wasn't prepped or installed properly. It doesn't sound to be much fault of the film. For what it's worth, the Johnson film did reflect nicely and it has the highest amount of solar energy rejection out of any of them. Llumar is pretty similar with their 35% and I have a choice at this new shop to get either Johnson again, or try Llumar. I'm almost positive i'll just stick with Johnson and have it done right the first time.

But i'm going to make sure this time around what guarantees they have.

 

[CWPspeed3]

That is Auto One's motto though, "we do everything but arent great at anything". They warranty film and labor though right?

I'll be cleaning my car tonight before we head up to Doc's and checking the windows again.

Good to hear they didnt give you too much hassle for getting what you wanted.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Yeah I think it went as smoothly as it could have. I'm probably going to go to that other shop and have them re-do it Matt. I'd let Ron know about your bubbles too.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Update again:

So I went and got my car re-tinted today at Notorious Tintz. First off, I have to say: it looks phenominal. The film is extremely clean, it's easy to look through and doesn't have that nasty haze and dirt that I had before with the other job. Frank, is one of the most professional people i've had the pleasure of working with, regarding automotive related work.

It gets better: the tint I had before was NOT Johnson Silhouette film like I was told we would be getting (reading this Matt??). The film we got before was Rayguard which is a non-reflective, non-metalized, non heat-rejecting film. And it's only backed by a 5 year warranty to boot. The windows had not been prepped before installation, and installation was done very poorly. They bent our weatherstripping down whereas Frank has a tool to tint properly without having to fold the weatherstripping and possibly damage it.

Also, Silhouette tint requires warranty paperwork that the customer must have prior to leaving, in order to make use of their lifetime warranty. Without the tint film serial number for the roll of film that was used, Johnson will not warranty the film. Matt and I got zero paperwork other than a receipt.

Also! The film I had installed prior, was charcoal black. The ACTUAL Silhouette film I have now is practically clear with the reflective properties still, and it's metalized to reject heat. I'm EXTREMELY happy with the overall outcome and can't wait for the windows to finish drying for some finished results.

 

[CWPspeed3]

Oh man, I guess I will have to see yours then talk to Ron. I had a feeling that Curtis was doing something fishy, I didnt have a good feeling about him. I saw the boxes they used were Johnson film but I couldnt tell what kind. I can tell for sure it doesnt reflect heat my car is hotter on the inside than it is outside.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Oh man, I guess I will have to see yours then talk to Ron. I had a feeling that Curtis was doing something fishy, I didnt have a good feeling about him. I saw the boxes they used were Johnson film but I couldnt tell what kind. I can tell for sure it doesnt reflect heat my car is hotter on the inside than it is outside.

Well i'd talk to him sooner rather than later. Especially if you have any defects in yours too. Isn't that unbelievable?? You'd be totally shocked if you see my film compared to what we have now.

Plus, I purchased the tint insurance from Frank. If I get a ticket for front windows being tinted, Frank will strip the tint and let me show the police, waive the ticket, then re-tint the front windows for free under the insurance. The insurance was $45, and the cost of tint was $220. If I didn't get the insurance, stripping the front windows would cost $30, and re-tinting would cost $70. So in a way, I save just over 50% off what it would normally cost.

 

[PCspeed3]

Glad to hear you got them redone. By the way, when i got mine done they said give it 2-3 to clear up all hazyness. Park cit in the sun as much as possilbe.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Yeah they said it should take about 4 days before I should start rolling the windows down. But with the metalized film rejecting so much heat, it takes roughly 3-4 weeks to completely dry and completely be haze-free.