Before you tint your car read this!
07-19-2008, 05:57 PM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location:
Posts: 153
Before you tint your car read this!
A recent post I read on window tint got me started on a reply,but I had so much to say I decided to start a new thread. I tried searching for all previous postsregarding window tintwithin the forum but as usual had no luck. I apologize if some of this is repeating previous threads, but I want you all to be aware of how difficult it is to get someone to actually do a good job on your car and use a good quality film. If you are concerned with the laws on window tintthentake a look atthis link: http://www.llumar.com/na-eng/automot...tint-laws.html
First off you should know that there are hundreds of different brands of film and most ofthem are very poor in quality! Some black or charcoal coloredfilms have a green or blue hue to them when exposed to direct sunlight. Also, the hueappears more noticeablein lightershadesthen it does in darker shades. It is true that you get what you pay for, and the same applies with a good tint job. That guy that does it for so "cheap" could be using poor quality film and may not be very experienced. Make sure you take your car to a reputable establishmentwho has an experienced tinter, not someone who just learned how to do it. Look very close at other cars already tinted at your potential shop. Make sure the work qualityof other cars isimmaculate before letting them work onyour car.
Interior color plays a part on how your film will appear as well. Light colored interiors usually cause the tint to appear much lighter than darker colored interiors will. Your front windshield is what is really going to make your side windows appear so light because of how much light it lets in your car! Ive seen many different combinations of film percentages onMustangs and the ones that have their front windshield tintedalways look the best. Tinting the front windshield isexpensive and causes minor loss of visibility at night so keep that in mind. Depending on how dark you go on the back and the sides usually determines what percentage you want to use on the front (if any). On my car I went with 20% on the back windshield and the side windows and used 35% on the front. My interior is black so I felt 20% was dark enough for the back and sides. In my experience, it all depends on where you live as to whether or not your going to get pulled over. However, you have a much greater chance of getting pulled over when your windows are ridiculously dark!
Of all the films Ive ever had on my cars, I would have to say LLumarseems to beof the highest quality as far as longevity. The tint I have on myMustang now is LLumars ATR LLumaStar. If you use a more reflective type of film its going to be much darker than just a regular "black" film. LLumar has a very high quality film called Platinum Plus that definately falls into this category. However,I dont recommend using platinum plus because the reflective propertiesof the film wouldntlook very goodwith the stock Mustang colors. There are a few other reputable brands other than LLumar out there which may better fit your taste, but you should research these brands before having them installed on your car. Look for brands that offer lifetime warranty for material, labor, color, and fading.
Another major problem with getting a good tint job is called "Dot Matrix". Dot Matrix are the tiny little black dots that go around your side quarter windows and across the top of the front and rear windshield. The dots are a problem because they cause the tint to not stick to the glass between them. These dots are baked on the glass and cant be scraped off. Sometinters Ive seen on theforumswill actually lay a tarp on the inside of your car and power sand the dot matrix down so the tint will be able to better adhere (thiscan later cause corrosion of the dotsand the tintwill peel back anyways). Another solution for tinting over dot matrix is the use of matte black vinyl. The vinyl is applied to the inside of thewindowand matches the black ceramic around the windows. This will cause the dot matrix to disappear and you dont have to worry about tinting over it. This will in turn cause your film to peel back and come loose from the window which looks like crap. Again, inspect other cars tinted at your potential shop as far as how well they are tinting over the dots. There should be minimal to no air bubbles between the dots! Nice and smooth is how it should look. This link is a must see to understand a good job vs. a complete crap job:
http://tinyurl.com/5rtjao
If for any reason you want to have the tint taken off, all you have to do is peel back a little corner and rip it off the window. Any remaining glue on the window can easily be scraped off with a razor blade. For the rear windshield you should turn on your rear defroster to heat up the glue so the film doesnt rip off the defrost strips.
[IMG]local://upfiles/95312/36AE62E0062C48768D3136BC1F342691.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/95312/7D225EE17FE84F1AAB22E17BA5B40D68.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/95312/5A32417029444B0E8BA961DB040C1ED9.jpg[/IMG]
First off you should know that there are hundreds of different brands of film and most ofthem are very poor in quality! Some black or charcoal coloredfilms have a green or blue hue to them when exposed to direct sunlight. Also, the hueappears more noticeablein lightershadesthen it does in darker shades. It is true that you get what you pay for, and the same applies with a good tint job. That guy that does it for so "cheap" could be using poor quality film and may not be very experienced. Make sure you take your car to a reputable establishmentwho has an experienced tinter, not someone who just learned how to do it. Look very close at other cars already tinted at your potential shop. Make sure the work qualityof other cars isimmaculate before letting them work onyour car.
Interior color plays a part on how your film will appear as well. Light colored interiors usually cause the tint to appear much lighter than darker colored interiors will. Your front windshield is what is really going to make your side windows appear so light because of how much light it lets in your car! Ive seen many different combinations of film percentages onMustangs and the ones that have their front windshield tintedalways look the best. Tinting the front windshield isexpensive and causes minor loss of visibility at night so keep that in mind. Depending on how dark you go on the back and the sides usually determines what percentage you want to use on the front (if any). On my car I went with 20% on the back windshield and the side windows and used 35% on the front. My interior is black so I felt 20% was dark enough for the back and sides. In my experience, it all depends on where you live as to whether or not your going to get pulled over. However, you have a much greater chance of getting pulled over when your windows are ridiculously dark!
Of all the films Ive ever had on my cars, I would have to say LLumarseems to beof the highest quality as far as longevity. The tint I have on myMustang now is LLumars ATR LLumaStar. If you use a more reflective type of film its going to be much darker than just a regular "black" film. LLumar has a very high quality film called Platinum Plus that definately falls into this category. However,I dont recommend using platinum plus because the reflective propertiesof the film wouldntlook very goodwith the stock Mustang colors. There are a few other reputable brands other than LLumar out there which may better fit your taste, but you should research these brands before having them installed on your car. Look for brands that offer lifetime warranty for material, labor, color, and fading.
Another major problem with getting a good tint job is called "Dot Matrix". Dot Matrix are the tiny little black dots that go around your side quarter windows and across the top of the front and rear windshield. The dots are a problem because they cause the tint to not stick to the glass between them. These dots are baked on the glass and cant be scraped off. Sometinters Ive seen on theforumswill actually lay a tarp on the inside of your car and power sand the dot matrix down so the tint will be able to better adhere (thiscan later cause corrosion of the dotsand the tintwill peel back anyways). Another solution for tinting over dot matrix is the use of matte black vinyl. The vinyl is applied to the inside of thewindowand matches the black ceramic around the windows. This will cause the dot matrix to disappear and you dont have to worry about tinting over it. This will in turn cause your film to peel back and come loose from the window which looks like crap. Again, inspect other cars tinted at your potential shop as far as how well they are tinting over the dots. There should be minimal to no air bubbles between the dots! Nice and smooth is how it should look. This link is a must see to understand a good job vs. a complete crap job:
http://tinyurl.com/5rtjao
If for any reason you want to have the tint taken off, all you have to do is peel back a little corner and rip it off the window. Any remaining glue on the window can easily be scraped off with a razor blade. For the rear windshield you should turn on your rear defroster to heat up the glue so the film doesnt rip off the defrost strips.
[IMG]local://upfiles/95312/36AE62E0062C48768D3136BC1F342691.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/95312/7D225EE17FE84F1AAB22E17BA5B40D68.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/95312/5A32417029444B0E8BA961DB040C1ED9.jpg[/IMG]
07-19-2008, 06:13 PM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: TEXAS
Posts: 1,491
RE: Before you tint your car read this!
ORIGINAL: dlarge122878
Lemme guess Steve O............You can only read the books with all the little pictures in them?
Lemme guess Steve O............You can only read the books with all the little pictures in them?
07-19-2008, 09:30 PM
#7
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 45
RE: Before you tint your car read this!
well sounds pretty good, i just dont htink i would ever tint my winshield. in my truck wich is a reg cab black interior i have 28% and its dark, its not worth the risk of losing visibility at night over looking cool for a tintied winshield.
07-19-2008, 10:17 PM
#8
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 154
RE: Before you tint your car read this!
ya i think i would have to agree with duff daddy on that one, besides you can just go out and buy a decently dark pair of sunglasses and your eyes wouldnt even know the difference, plus it would be a lot cheaper and easier to do
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