Window tinting?

[motion]

I have a couple vehicles that I would like to have tinted. Not limo black, but fairly dark. Both are Montana plated, so no legal issues. I see prices all over the map. Are mobile tinters OK? Is there a certain type of tech that's better than the others? I don't mind spending the $$$, just want to make sure its good stuff and lasts.

[masraum]

Good luck. There are really great tinters and there are lousy ones. Finding the good ones isn't easy.

[rouxroux]

Plus there is all sorts of different tint. I prefer Huper Optik.

[DonDavis]

I've had 5 vehicles tinting in the last 10 years. I obsessed a little on choosing a shop. But, I caught myself and just chose one that had been in business 10+ years with a nationally backed tint manufacturer. That way any future warranty issues can be handled across the nation. 4 minivans, about $180-210, 1 Chevy Equinox about $160, all were front legal darkness and the rear was one shade darker.

Worked really well and the tint looked great. Flawless, actually.

[Rick Lee]

I had my wife's Mini, 328i and my 993 done, all for around $140 each. Lots of competition here in AZ.

[tevake]

I've had a couple cars tinted here on Kauai. and not only do they look good but the UV protection is obvious. When driving once you roll down the window with the sun on that side it is clear that the tint really helps keep the sun at bay.

Cheers Richard

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by rouxroux

Plus there is all sorts of different tint. I prefer Huper Optik.

+1 (if you don't mind the sticker-shock).

It is a ceramic tint that is way more efficient at blocking the heat than most others of the same light-transmission level. I hear it can be a biotch to install, so make sure you find a certified installer if you want to go that route. FWIW, that is what the BMW/Porsche dealer (Penske) has installed on their new cars here.

[motion]

Originally Posted by rouxroux

Plus there is all sorts of different tint. I prefer Huper Optik.

Any ballparks on what a tint with this stuff runs? Is it 2x or 3x normal?

I once went deep into a mine in the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil, near the town of Oro Preto. They claimed the mine was for the metal used in window tinting. I was totally skeptical about that!

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by motion

Any ballparks on what a tint with this stuff runs? Is it 2x or 3x normal?

For a typical 5-window job, I'd figure about $150-$200 for "normal" (but quality) tint, and around $500-$600 for the ceramic stuff. Of course, it probably varies quite a bit depending on your locale.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Had my Mercedes done about 4 years ago by a place in Long Beach. Super top-rate job. Still looks brand new with no bubbles or cracks, etc. Using good quality films is part of it (insist on 3M - not the cheap crap), a good installer helps too. It was one of the very few things I pay other people to do (it's a pain to do without taking all the glass out, which I've done on other cars I've owned in the past) and in this case I got good results.

To to a GOOD place - not a boy ricer Mecca with 30 Hondas with ground effects and fart can exhausts sitting out front - look for the shops that have nicer/newer cars in them. There's a reason.

Total cost was about $200 iirc. Big cars and SUVs were about $300 I think (my car is small and really easy to get at the back window by partially retracting the roof - I remember the guy giving me the "small/easy car" rate...

[speeder]

I tint every driver car I own or have owned for many years. I just can't live w/o it. Between the comfort, privacy and saving the interior + security of leaving stuff in the car at night undetected, it's mandatory. I prefer cars w/ dark or black interiors where a mild tint, (35%), makes a black backpack invisible at night on the rear seat floor. Knock on wood but my cars have almost never been fked with parking on the street in L.A. and I credit the tint for a lot of that.

I have two places I use, one is a stereo/alarm/tint place in my neighborhood that is cheap and does nice work, then a top-notch place in the valley for cars that mean a lot to me. I just paid $120 at the cheap place for tinting a long-wheelbase w126 Mercedes S-class and no one looking at it would fault the quality of the job. It's first-rate.

I pay about $155 at the better place for the same car. The big difference is in the quality of the film, both places are expert installers and offer the same warranty. The cheaper place uses Johnson film, a decent brand. The top-notch place uses Madico or Lumar, depending on your choice. It usually boils down to the color of the interior and which film looks better. Both of these films are really high-quality. It's like the difference between a pair of cheaper sunglasses and Persols, if that helps.

There are a million good tinters out there, just use Yelp or some other review site to find one. At my top tinter, the shop and lot is always filled w/ brand new $100k cars. BMWs from the dealer down the street, Maseratis/Range Rovers/etc.. That's usually a dead give-away plus you can look at their work and film right there on the spot on finished cars. Plus they're busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

[porsche4life]

Yup, the film and the install make all the difference. The guy that did my 944 did a hack job and I'm going to have to peel it off. I'm not happy...

The best tint I have ever seen was done by a friend of my dads. He was OCD about getting the window perfectly clean. Sadly, he was killed when a driver crossed the centerline and hit him head on about 2 months before we got the 944...

[rouxroux]

Another plus of the Huper is that it is a ceramic rather than a metallic base. We had it done to our G35 when new, and that allowed us to put the XM antenna on the back shelf instead of outside. Wonderful reception and no bumps on the outside. Huper is the only tint we use on our vehicles, have had some tinted 10+ years with no problems at all. In our market it ran almost 2X the cost of what is condidered "very good" tint, but after seeing comparisons, I was sold for life on this stuff.

[Zeke]

Good tinters used to be near the auto malls. They don't get as much work these days as they once did. One thing I'd look for for sure is whether they tint to the top of the glass or leave a margin on side openable windows. I hate the margin.

To tint all the way to the top and tuck the tint below the seal means they have to move the window during the process. In my experience some won't work that hard. And some won't guarantee a compound curved rear glass with a heater. The good guys do it all and stand behind their work.

[sc_rufctr]

I was always a bit sceptical about tint thinking it was just another way for the dealers to get a bit more of your money so I've never owned a car with after market tint.
And I didn't want the extra attention from the Police. They carry a device in their car that determines how "legal" your tint is and they often stop drivers and test their windows regardless of the car or value.

Then I bought this car for my daughter (she paid for it). As you can see it has tint but it's legal and not really dark.
I drove the car for a few days after I bought it and was surprised at the difference the tint made to the temperature inside the car. It's much cooler compared to my daily.
The air conditioning is also more efficient and the the car gets very cold very quickly.
I don't know what brand or type it is but I'm guessing it was installed when the car was new by the dealer. It's still in great condition. (Car is a 1996 model)

[stealthn]

Why do you need window tinting in Montana? Rouge gangs of deer breaking into vehicles?

[Hugh R]

If no legal issues in MT, go for it. If you have antennas is the rear glass, the newer films can interfere with radio reception big time. I have one tint on the sides and a different material on the rear glass do to this issue. $120 to $150 is going rate for a good job. Mine has ten year warranty on the sides and five years on the rear.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by stealthn

Why do you need window tinting in Montana? Rouge gangs of deer breaking into vehicles?

"Rouge gangs?"

What do they do, go around applying rouge to your face while you're sleeping?