Tinting Windows

12734 Views 18 Replies 13 Participants Last post by thunderstrike, Feb 12, 2018

Yipekiye

Discussion Starter · Sep 27, 2017

Was chatting with another guy about my car and he suggested tinting my windows. I had never really considered it before. Anyone else done it? I have GT Silver with LED headlights and darkened tail lights, so it would make some sense to tie that together better. How much does it cost? Photo attached of my car before replacing the side markers with clear.

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TheLip

· #2 · Sep 27, 2017

I live in Los Angeles and have tinted the windows in my 2-door cars for many years. I prefer a light tinting of the driver and passenger windows, and a darker tinting of the rear window and three-quarter windows (if any), for a couple of reasons. First, in California, you can get a fix-it ticket for tinting the windows on either door, so by using a lighter tinting than the back or three-quarter windows, it doesn't look like you are in violation. Second, I think that using too dark of a tint on the side windows is dangerous as it restricts outward visibility, especially at night. Third, having even moderate tinting does help keep the car cooler when sitting in the sun.

Around here, a good tint job of a 2-door car shouldn't cost more than $500.00 to $750.00. And it is worth it to go to a reputable place and pay the price. I have seen way too many cars with the film filled with bubbles.

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GregW

· #3 · Sep 27, 2017

I had the sides and rear tinted with the darkest legal tint here in SA (35% transmission). I've been having it done for years and consider it a real benefit for less sun penetration. We get basically 6 months of bright sun and summer temps above 44°C.

The Boxster cost $290 (IIRC) for a high quality carbon tint (allows phone signals through) with edgeless trimming.

With the great big rear window in the Cayman I'd definitely get it done.

Greg

trusted

· #4 · Sep 27, 2017

Had mine done to the NC legal limit. I recommend 3M crystalline. It's a pricey film but well worth it imho.

charlotte

· #5 · Sep 27, 2017

Tinting windows makes a huge difference in the summer heat, along with a sun shade and your interior won't feel like an oven when you slide in.

krehm1990

· #6 · Sep 27, 2017

GregW said:
I had the sides and rear tinted with the darkest legal tint here in SA (35% transmission). I've been having it done for years and consider it a real benefit for less sun penetration. We get basically 6 months of bright sun and summer temps above 44°C.

The Boxster cost $290 (IIRC) for a high quality carbon tint (allows phone signals through) with edgeless trimming.

With the great big rear window in the Cayman I'd definitely get it done.

Greg

I agree with Greg and the 35% high quality tint. I had it installed along with Suntek PPF and paid $300 US for the window tint which was discounted a bit due to the PPF installation.

Andros X Thomson

· #7 · Sep 27, 2017

I paid 130 for the 3M ceramic stuff with lifetime warranty. I got 40% and it looks good IMO.

Viffermike

· #8 · Oct 2, 2017

trusted said:
Had mine done to the NC legal limit. I recommend 3M crystalline. It's a pricey film but well worth it imho.

This. I live in Texas; tinted windows are an absolute must-have here. I had 3M Crystalline 40% installed about three weeks ago. Examples of how it looks can be found in this thread.

I've had Llumar, Huper Optik, Formula One tint on cars before this one. Of those, Huper is superior ... but 3M Crystalline (so far) has been tremendous in terms of heat rejection, color, and optical clarity.

trusted

· #9 · Oct 4, 2017

Viffermike said:
... but 3M Crystalline (so far) has been tremendous in terms of heat rejection, color, and optical clarity.

I couldn't agree more. I recommend people get a demonstration at a 3M authorized tint shop. The difference in heat rejection compared to other films I've had is night and day.

Yipekiye

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 5, 2017

So now that we are headed into cooler weather, do you just wait until spring? Or are UV and cosmetic improvement enough of a reason to do it now?

Viffermike

· #11 · Oct 5, 2017

Yipekiye said:
So now that we are headed into cooler weather, do you just wait until spring? Or are UV and cosmetic improvement enough of a reason to do it now?

Do it now. The sooner you can protect the interior, the better (For instance: environmental UV intensity is frequently higher in the winter months.)

thunderstrike

· #12 · Oct 8, 2017

Ceramic tint

I have the Ceramic tint installed for $230. Bit more than others in this forum. Ceramic tint seems to be cooler compared to my other car, 2014 GLI.

See it at:
pbase dot com/thunderstrike

thunderstrike

· #13 · Nov 27, 2017

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Gallatin

· #14 · Nov 27, 2017

Very nice!!! My next car might have to be in Graphite Blue.

autobahn

· #15 · Nov 28, 2017

trusted said:
Had mine done to the NC legal limit. I recommend 3M crystalline. It's a pricey film but well worth it imho.

We just had 3M Crystalline installed on our B8.5 S4 - it's amazing film, looks great, and you can install it on the front windshield as they have an optically clear option that should be legal in every state that doesn't have language banning films in general (for example, you can't TINT the windshield in Texas but you can apply a film). The optically clear option still rejects heat. There are other clear films out there that reject heat but IIRC they're not as good at it.

It is expensive -but IMO, worth it. Also worth noting that many tint shops aren't qualified to install it - it's thicker than most films and more difficult to work with. We had to travel to San Antonio to get ours done.

TheLip

· #16 · Nov 28, 2017

I live in LA. I am having my 718C's windows tinted next week. This is the first car that I have leased in 12 years that did not have the tinting done before delivery. It is amazing how much tinting helps in heat rejection; the naked windows do let in a lot of heat even in cooler weather. I am going ceramic this time.

nineball

· #17 · Nov 29, 2017

all my vehicles get 35% as soon as i have them in my possession, and going to a professional is of the utmost importance.

granted the photos are not the best for demonstration purposes and are not shot in the same light but it's pretty easy to see the difference in the rear 1/4 window between both shots. (i can't believe i don't have any good side shots of the car since tinting on this machine).

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2

Sails Call

· #18 · Feb 10, 2018

thunderstrike said:

It looks perfect. What brand of tint and %?

thunderstrike

· #19 · Feb 12, 2018

I have 30% street legal tint.

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