Window tint experience

[IAATM]

I'll try to snap a shot for you this afternoon, but as I'm heading to the airport, it might have to wait until I return.

Sorry for the delayed response, here are the photos:

http://imgur.com/a/sC1l8

 

[Silentnoise713]

...Do you want to increase danger when driving at night?...

And to the OP, most installers don't remove all the glass from the vehicle to tint it.

Wait-a-minute... say whaaat? LOL!


I think the OP meant the place takes the panels off, which is proper. I cant image any place taking the glass out. Image the time/effort to take out the quarter panel glass and rear hatch glass. While taking the glass off the doors are not too difficult, trying to reinstall it and not scratch the newly installed tint (which should not be moved or have any pressure on it) proves to be difficult. If the shop comes armed with a bungee cord and a long shim to fold the panel back to apply the tint, itll work but thats the ghetto way. The guy who I used started out small making house calls and did it this way. Good times.

 

[tchiarella]

Wait-a-minute... say whaaat? LOL!


I think the OP meant the place takes the panels off, which is proper. I can’t image any place taking the glass out. Image the time/effort to take out the quarter panel glass and rear hatch glass. While taking the glass off the doors are not too difficult, trying to reinstall it and not scratch the newly installed tint (which should not be moved or have any pressure on it) proves to be difficult. If the shop comes armed with a bungee cord and a long shim to ‘fold’ the panel back to apply the tint, it’ll work but that’s the ghetto way. The guy who I used started out small making house calls and did it this way. Good times.

I'm pretty sure the shop I'm going to takes out the windows, but probably only the ones that easily come out and not the fixed windows. I don't know the details and I'm no expert but there is really only one reputable place convenient to where I live/work so that kinda takes care of that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tchiarella]

18% rears and hatch, none on fronts... Yet...

 

[flcruising]

Like some have said, the quality and materials of the tint have as much to do with the benefit they provide the car as does the VLT. Most metallized tints are cheaper and people tend to go darker on them. Ceramic based tints are generally more expensive and block a much higher percentage of heat, usually with a much higher VLT.

For example my previous two cars were tinted in North Carolina with Johnson's Ceramic tint. Legal limit is 35%, so they put 40% film all around (taking into account the built in UV blocking which ranges from 2-7% based on manufacturer). That 40% film blocked 80% of heat vs. the metalized film the installer carried.... 20% VLT with only 50% heat rejection. They had an even more expensive ceramic film... 70% VLT with 90% heat rejection.

So really what you need to ask is what you want to get out of your tinting experience. Do you want to block heat? Do you want to reduce glare? Do you want to increase danger when driving at night? Depending on your answers you'll come up with different preferences.

I'm having my 5 and prius tinted tomorrow. I haven't been hassled with the tint on my old cars since I moved, and my inspector is cool. I'm doing 35% all around on the prius, and 35%/20% on the 5. After I mentioned to the installer that I'd liked the film I had previously he ordered it for my cars.

And to the OP, most installers don't remove all the glass from the vehicle to tint it.

Great info.
I used to have a vehicle with 5% all around and swore I'd never do that again. Night and rain driving was terrible.
We went with 35% front and 20% rear (I think? it's been over 5 years now) and have not been disappointed.