What have you done to your CX-5 today?

[mrplt]

Honestly, the difference between front to rear is very minimal post-tint. Looks like they did a great job!

They did a pretty good job, I agree. I didn't want to match the rears because 35% is already not legal here.

How much?

I paid around $400 Canadian. Cheapest quote was $250 for cheaper tints (SunGard, non-ceramic) at another place. I went for XPEL Prime XR, there is also Prime XR Plus that the place didn't recommend as it has a blueish hue and that it wouldn't match the rear privacy glass.

@mrplt Oooooo, I missed your added pics. Nice.

Now you're ruined. You'll get used to the blocked UV / IR rays and you don't really even notice anymore. Then one day, you'll have a rental or a loaner or be riding in someone else's car and feel your skin cooking! THAT'S when you notice how nice the tint is ... When it's gone.

There is also a safety aspect to window tint. In the event of a broken window (or sunroof) , it helps to keep you from getting a broken glass shower. My daughter had a piece of metal fly off an oncoming pickup truck and shattered her driver side window. The tint held it together and in place instead of blowing in on her face.

I have had the tints for a day now and I can already tell the difference. I am honestly dreading having to drive a loaner, lack of heads-up display alone is a big difference.

@mrplt did the windshield tint affect your HUD?

Nope, it doesn't affect the HUD, rain sensor, light sensor or the active safety features.


I parked my car behind a CX-5 Signature, here is the difference. (mine is the red)

 

[mrplt]

Sorry for sending two messages in a row, but I have a quick question concerning the tint.

This is the passenger side, and I feel like they left too big of a gap. They did a really good job on the driver side, the gap isn't visible at all.
People that had windows tinted, should I contact the tint shop about this or is this "normal"? Thanks!

 

[HyFlyer]

... should I contact the tint shop about this or is this "normal"? ...

That's normal (IMHO). Same as all of mine. I'm no tint installation expert but I assume if it was all the way to the edge it would get damaged / peeled eventually through open/close cycles.

 

[Mantra 7]

I assume if it was all the way to the edge it would get damaged / peeled eventually through open/close cycles.

My windows have zero gap at the top but the track seals need cleaning periodically to prevent scratching. Check yours, you'll be surprised by the amount of dust and dirt that collects on the sealing surface. It's a simple matter of running a damp microfiber cloth in the channels each time the car is washed. Of course, owners that use drive-thru quicky washes won't get this done, but if they really cared about their vehicle they wouldn't be there in the first place. Initially, windows with no tint gap look better, but in the long run will look worse if not cared for properly.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

I dont have window tint if it's on the passenger window, ask yourself... how much does it bother me? Will it be cracked open all the time? When it's closed or full open then you won't notice. So only when it's partially cracked will the tint show. I only crack mine in the summer on really hot days. If it bothers you that much you could try taking it back and having them reinstall it, hopefully for free. If it was me, I would probably just forget about it.

 

[mrplt]

Thanks for the replies @HyFlyer @Mantra 7 @Jack Rabbit . I found a couple scratches on the tint too so I'll just drop by on Monday to see what they can do about them.
EDIT: I checked both tints and also noticed a couple of scratches on both windows (fortunately not the windshield or the sunroof). So when I went this morning, I wasn't fully happy. They said they will redo both windows, and gave me a good discount if I want to get the rears done too. So I'm going again next Monday.

By the way if anyone is not satisfied with the wireless charging (I hate how it shuts itself off after a very short time -- really not reliable on long trips for me), I got a Magsafe charger that stays on the AC vent. Charges way faster, doesn't overheat the phone -- at least in summer, and it has legs that stay on the AC vent frame so it won't fall and/or break the vent.

 

[Catch22]

Happy 4th!

Best Buy had Thinkware F200 Pro Front and Back Dash Cams with hardwire kit, 32 GB microSD, microSD adaptor, and GPS accessory for $169.99.

Note: I chose not to install the GPS accessory.

Clean installed. I had to position
the front dash cam lower than preferred (it’s at same level as RVM), and because of the shape of the windshield the camera is a little canted. Also my Covercraft UVS100 sunscreen can’t be pushed forward all the way. Despite these downsides, for the price I think it’s well worth it!

Shout out to @sm1ke and @Anchorman

Guide: - 2nd Generation CX-9: Running cable for rear dashcam

A little while ago, I was made aware of the fact that I had incorrectly run the rear camera wire (and the original front camera wire to the 12v socket) over the curtain airbag in the A-pillar. This is not ideal, as the wire would interfere with the curtain airbag deployment if the airbag were to...

mazdas247.com

Regarding the A-Pillar molding, I chose to undo the tether - it was a PITA to reinsert lol

 

[sm1ke]

Happy 4th!

Best Buy had Thinkware F200 Pro Front and Back Dash Cams with hardwire kit, 32 GB microSD, microSD adaptor, and GPS accessory for $169.99.

Note: I chose not to install the GPS accessory.

Clean installed. I had to position
the front dash cam lower than preferred (it’s at same level as RVM), and because of the shape of the windshield the camera is a little canted. Also my Covercraft UVS100 sunscreen can’t be pushed forward all the way. Despite these downsides, for the price I think it’s well worth it!

Shout out to @sm1ke and @Anchorman

Guide: - 2nd Generation CX-9: Running cable for rear dashcam

A little while ago, I was made aware of the fact that I had incorrectly run the rear camera wire (and the original front camera wire to the 12v socket) over the curtain airbag in the A-pillar. This is not ideal, as the wire would interfere with the curtain airbag deployment if the airbag were to...

mazdas247.com

View attachment 311290

Looks great @Catch22, very clean!

 

[sm1ke]

Sorry for sending two messages in a row, but I have a quick question concerning the tint.
View attachment 311211
This is the passenger side, and I feel like they left too big of a gap. They did a really good job on the driver side, the gap isn't visible at all.
People that had windows tinted, should I contact the tint shop about this or is this "normal"? Thanks!

That's how my tint looks too. Standard fare for basic tint installation it seems. I have seen a local company tint right to the edge so that it looks just like the privacy glass on the rear windows. Wish I knew about them before I had my windows tinted. The next time I have tint installed on my next vehicle, I'm going to them.

 

[mrplt]

That's how my tint looks too. Standard fare for basic tint installation it seems. I have seen a local company tint right to the edge so that it looks just like the privacy glass on the rear windows. Wish I knew about them before I had my windows tinted. The next time I have tint installed on my next vehicle, I'm going to them.

When installed properly, as you said, it should be flush with the edges. My dad's been getting his cars tinted for as long as I remember, and I was never able to tell.
The shop I went to deals with Corvettes/Porsches/Teslas etc. and I know for a fact that owners of those cars won't be okay with such a gap. From my understanding, if they can't post your car on their Instagram (as in if your car is not Instagram worthy), they won't pay as much attention.
The worst part is that you're not supposed to roll down your windows for a while, so you can't tell right away if they did a good job or not.

By the way, has anyone received an update for the 10.25" infotainment system? Mine says no update available, and I receive an error when I try to update Gracenote Database for some reason (not that I care)

Edit: Front window tints redone (35%), rear windows done (50%). Windshield stays at 70% and sunroof at 35%.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Saturday replaced all 4 brake rotors, pads, and brake fluid. Much needed and glad to finally have that out of the way!

Used Bosch Quietcast rotors and pads and Prestone Dot4 brake fluid. Pretty happy with them!

 

[TAdams1965]

Picked it up from the dealer. Happily it fits in the garage.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

Picked it up from the dealer. Happily it fits in the garage.

Huh?

All I see is a beautiful Corvette!

 

[Jack Rabbit]

Huh?

All I see is a beautiful Corvette!

Hmmm. Unless he still be single, usually how things work...is Red one is probably hubby's daily driver and Vette's the wife's car.

 

[sm1ke]

That red looks great next to the blue

 

[TAdams1965]

Hmmm. Unless he still be single, usually how things work...is Red one is probably hubby's daily driver and Vette's the wife's car.

Single, both mine, as well as a 1992 Z28 under restoration.

 

[ColtX-5]

Last week, really. Installed Koni Special Active shocks and struts.

 

[TAdams1965]

Dropped off for paint correction, PPF, and ceramic coating.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Dropped off for paint correction, PPF, and ceramic coating.

How much does paint correction run? Not sure what happened, but noticing I have a lot of etchings in my paint.

 

[TAdams1965]

$100 per hour. My car was delivered Wednesday, so I only drove it 3 days, paint looked pretty good. My C8 only needed one hour of correction. Every car is different. When I took my C8 in last year they had one they had just finished, it needed 6 hours of paint correction.