to tint or not to tint?

[uofom3]

throw up a picture of the car - some cars look good with the tint, others do not. I'm in the process of taking mine off, and i'm debating as to if i'll go back and have it re-done.

[Ryan Stewart]

Do what you want, a lighter tint isnt going to look back. I am at the legal limit of 35%. It helps with the fishbowl effect and protects/cools the interior in the summer.

As for removing the rear window tint its easy. Wet it down with ammonia from a spraybottle and then cover it with plastic like a black trashbag. Then if its a hot day park outside or use a heat gun on the outside of the car to get the window warm to the touch all over. The plastic keeps the ammonia from evaporating and it slowly eats the glue. After a few minutes the tint will come off very easily.

[MitchFong]

I have to agree with digital wave. I do not think becuase you have tint, it makes your car look any newer/modern. Most cars do not come tinted becuase it is illegal in some provinces/states.
I think that tinting your windows just attracts attention from police, makes it hard to back up at night, makes the car look "gangster" opposed to an elegant classic, and most of all, every honda you see is tinted out and i dont like the look IMHO.
On a side note, 10-15% in the back windows and the rear window does not look bad. And i wouldnt cry if it misteriously happened to my car. I just would not pay for it, as i think the original look, looks better. Get yourself some 19# injectors, or something along the lines of 100bucks.(chip, MAF, etc) i think you will be happier in the long run.

But to answer che13's question, i would rather have tinted windows then the baby shading thing.. So i would get the tint thrown in seeings how it can be removed if neccesary.

[Garageaholic]

i dont know how to post a pic of my new car.... how do you guys get a picture as a part of your 'signature' everytime you post something?? i can't figure out how to do that.. as you can see by my post number, i'm new

[bmwm3n528]

Do what you want, a lighter tint isnt going to look back. I am at the legal limit of 35%. It helps with the fishbowl effect and protects/cools the interior in the summer.

I ran tint even as light as 40%, still provides some UV protection, I think it cleans up the look a little...but like Ryan mentioned still retains most of the 'fishbowl effect'

Not the most glamorous shot...but here's what 40% Llumar film looked like one of my Brilliants.(Actually the car your valance came off of)

[p nut]

I had 50%/35% on my last car. I felt it was too light, but it did help in the heat. 35%/20% I feel would be perfect. Anything less than 20% in the back would impede visibility at night. I've got 5 or 10% on my S, and it sucks at night.

Oh, I also got the Llumar metallic tint. They say that it's got little metal flakes in it to reflect the heat better.

[ColdAccord]

i like tint. i got 50% on my last e30, my winter e30 has 30% in back 50% up front, and I'm gonna get the touring done 30% in back 50% in front (like in my sig; tint was photochopped in sig though)

[Digitalwave]

Uneven tint is even worse than normal tint.

[ColdAccord]

thats why i got 50% all around on my last coupe. but my recent coupe has it darker in back, and i like the look.

my touring in my sig has 30% in back 50% up front, and i also think it looks great

[S14sx2nr]

I concur with Ryan, it really does play a huge part in cooling the interior, I spent a year in Phoenix and it made a WORLD of difference for just that reason with the legal KS limit of 35% on the front windows and 20% on the 1/4s and rear window, and helps block UV rays from damaging your interior... just get the high quality tint and not the low end cheap crap.

-Dan

[Ryan Stewart]

bmw3mn528whatever, dibs on the wing. :)

I agree that uneven tint is funny looking but just some light even tint hardly makes the car look gangster. I think you people are thinking that everyone must get the 5% tint.

http://photos.imageevent.com/rstewart/glam/large/heratige5.jpg

That is 35%; I dont get harassed by cops and I can see out the back just fine at night.

Get some good laminar film. The best actually use metal flakes in the plastic to tint them but dont get those if you rely on a radar detector. Also find a big pro shop like who the dealer uses. The place that did mine had a program for my car so it cut the tint to fit the windows exactly.

[Royal]

Tint

[Garageaholic]

I concur with Ryan, it really does play a huge part in cooling the interior, I spent a year in Phoenix and it made a WORLD of difference for just that reason with the legal KS limit of 35% on the front windows and 20% on the 1/4s and rear window, and helps block UV rays from damaging your interior... just get the high quality tint and not the low end cheap crap.

-Dan

I had a black leather interior and it was hot as hell in there. I had 35% tints and it was reallly hot after i came out of work. I think that the color of the interior makes a big difference also, and whether it's leather or cloth..... am I the only guy that prefers cloth to leather out there??

[FredK]

Removing older purplish tint is not that hard. I used a heat gun, regular razor, and some Greased Lightning. The key is to steam it off by heating a wetted surface, and try to remove it in one piece. Be careful while peeling near the defroster lines, because the film is really weak near here. I carefully used the razor in the corners as to not disrupt any electrical connections. Good luck. It's a tedious job.

[erik325i]

Get some good laminar film.
Also find a big pro shop like who the dealer uses. The place that did mine had a program for my car so it cut the tint to fit the windows exactly.

I don't trust the precut film. There is no way for it to cut every single piece 100%. Even if there is only a 1/16" error, there is still a 1/16" gap, which looks like crap. Just find a good professional tinter and they won't have to rely on the precut film.


I have 20% in the rear, and 35% up front.

-Erik