Tint recommendation

JamesLA · 12-08-03, 11:14

Not strictly on topic, but it occurs to me that a bunch of detailing pros and enthusiasts would know about window tint. In your experience, what tint product(s) provide the best durability and wearability? Clearly I want something that will not scratch, bubble, change color, etc. I live in Southern California and park outside, so lots of heat in the summer.

Jliao · 12-08-03, 12:10

There are many compnaies that make tint film, including Mandico, Llumar, 3M, and Surtek (sp?). I believe the most popular ones are Mandico and Llumar which convers life time warranty on the film. The warranty covers bubbles, scratch, and fading. However, the durability of tint also involves the skill of tinter, inexperience tinter's tint can last for short period, whereas experienced tinter can last a long time because of the way they tint.

Depending on where you are at SoCal, www.tintdude.com is a good sources of windows tinting as well as providing tint shop. Check it out! Also, tintdude it self is located at Santa Barbra, they have over 20 years of experiences in windows tinting.

LouisanaJeeper · 12-08-03, 12:54

3M and Llumar are good brands.
You will also need a skilled tinter.
Remember to keep your tinted windows rolled up for 1-2 weeks (no matter what) after the job for best results.

russellp23 · 12-08-03, 01:28

Also you must cleaner with a cleaner that is safe for tinted windows, otherwise it will bubble and ruin the tint. That means no cleaners with ammonia, be sure to read labels carefully.

4DSC · 12-08-03, 07:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Jliao
There are many compnaies that make tint film, including Mandico, Llumar, 3M, and Surtek (sp?).

Madico. I've heard good things about both that and Llumar.

Metallized or semi-metallized (this does not mean mirror appearance) tend to be the premium ones with the lifetime FADING/PURPLING warranties and offer better solar energy rejection than cheaper dyed tint. It seems that lots of tints and tint shops offer "lifetime warranties" but only on a few tint lines do they actually offer a warranty against fade or purpling, so I would get one of those myself.

I was going to get tints this summer but didn't really have the cash for quality work and tint...

F1Crazy · 12-08-03, 07:55

I had my windows tinted recently and have done some research before deciding on the tint.

My primary goal was to find window tint that would give me the most heat rejection. I wanted to keep the factory look so even 20% tint would've been too dark for my tastes. Percentage numbers represent the amount of ligh transmission, 5% is limo tint, 35% is legal tint in most states. You can find state window tinting laws here.

I checked 3 major brands that offer lifetime warranty and have installers nationwide: Llumar, Formula One and 3M.
All of them use metalized tints that will not fade or change color and 3M additionally offers carbon injected film called Colorstable that doesn't have any metal in it and still comes with lifetime warranty.

Metalized tints offer the best heat rejection but it's good to check the specs before making a decision because it varies from brand to brand. I decided to go with 35% metalized tint from 3M because I liked the look and it provided a whopping 50% heat rejection. Other brands that I mentioned also offer good performance but I didn't care for their look, it was all charcoal and darker than 3M.

Initially I wanted to go with 3M Colorstable tint since I thought it would not interfere with radar detector and radio reception but after talking with the installers I decided not to worry about it and so far don't have any problems.

Installation is top notch, tint goes all the way to the edge of the side windows, rear window is done in one piece and it looks like film sticks to the dreaded dot matrix. This can be sometimes problematic and one of the installers said that he would sand it down but I didn't want to do that.
I was told not to roll windows down for at least 3 days and not to clean them inside for a month. I had a few bubles on the windows that disapeared with time.

I would recommend any of the brands I mentioned but if you want lighter, natural looking tint in 35% range then 3M is the way to go. It is more of a smoke tint with some blueish hue to it and is quite reflective in certain light. I think it especially complements gray and silver metallics. Charcoal looking tints like Llumar and Formula One look great on dark cars.
Picking the right shop is more important than picking the brand, make sure you get lifetime warranty on the tint and good warranty on the installation (mine is 5 years).

Good way to check if you like the look of the tint is to take some film samples from different shops and stick them on your windows. Removal can be problematic but some Goo-Off should take care of it.

Here's a pic of what my car looks like with windows tinted:

Jliao · 12-09-03, 01:30

If I remember correctly, metalized, charcoal, or dyed film will fade in a long run. Though, I "think" charcoal is the one that last the longest.

Guinnesspounder · 12-09-03, 01:49

Had my windows done this past weekend. Decided to go with 3M Scotchtint. Looks great, lifetime warranty and very nice people to deal with.

Pisadong · 12-09-03, 02:19

Actually, the dyed tint film are the one you have to worry about purpleing and fading. The metalic and ceramic based films will last. I have Llumar Platinum Plus 35% on my car that is claimed to reject over 50% of radiant heat. I like it alot. It has a semi metallic look that compliments the car well.

Another nice tint is Huper Optik. Ceramic based with similar attribute to metallic film, but it won't interfere with a radar detector or an interior mounted XM antenna. It's pricey though.

Here's a pic of my car

F1Crazy · 12-09-03, 07:32

Quote:

Originally posted by Jliao
If I remember correctly, metalized, charcoal, or dyed film will fade in a long run. Though, I "think" charcoal is the one that last the longest.

Metalized tints will not fade, they come with lifetime warranty, only dyed tints fade with time. Charcoal is just a color of the film.

svtsean · 12-09-03, 09:22

Hi, I'm a Formula one dealer and the reason being is that it is the best film bar none on the market, I have tryed almost every type of film out there so after 20 years experiance I can give an honest reply on the quality of film. 3M is very low on the tint pole, they are 10 years behind there competition with auto film, it fades fast ( especially when not charcoal ) and is noy user friendly when heat forming to rear windows. Manufactures have found that the colour charcoal will fade but won't turn purple like the grey/blueish shades, infact despite what the film companys are pushing as colour stable film all dyed product will fade. Only pure metalized films with no dyes will not fade, ceramic films also fall into this catagory. Huper optic is on the verge of bankrupcey and I beleve have filled for protection. C.P films who make Formula one have a new ceramic film being released in January 2004 called Pinnacle with a U.V protection of 99.8 % ( leader for the industry) and heat regection of 52% these are really high #'s for that light of film. on a side note C.P films sell 10 times more film than all of the other manufacturers out there combined!!! Fire away with questions. Sean

Guinnesspounder · 12-11-03, 01:34

Glad I got a lifetime guarantee to go with my tint!

We'll have to see how it goes in the long run. I trust 3M, they make great products and I don't have any reason to not trust them or their warranty.