Defrost Delema...

[badvibrations]

Got my windows tinted yesterday. First time I ever got tint work on any car or any peice of glass that ever I've owned therefore I really don't know what to expect. At first It looked really good, the guy told me that any cloudyness streeks or small bubbles should settle with some sun and time, and that it took him so long to do the job because the rear window doesn't have that quarter inch of black edge that "most" autoglass has and it was hard to get the tint trimmed straight against that rubber gasket(in a few spots there is about 1mm of gap between the tint and the gasket). I'll have to wait and see but I know that the tiny little bubbles that are actually tiny little specks of dirt/hair will never go away unless tint material magicly alows matter to pass thru it...any way. The main problem is that I noticed one of the edges of the rear window coming up so i crawled in the back seat to try and press it back down. While back there I noticed that the wires for my rear defroster were'nt attached(they were kinda tucked into the edge of the rear dash like hidden maybe). Then I realize that the terminals that the wires plug into are no longer on the window and still in the plugs.

I know that my rear defroster was functional because I used it this winter. Is there any way to fix this or does the glass need to be replaced for it to work again?

I'm not sure what to demand from these fart breath buttheads. But The job cost me $165 before tax and I'm not satisfied with the work. $165 is like over 2 days of pay for me.

ANY comments/suggestions are welcome.

[equate975]

I would tell them to pay for the repairs at a better shop.

The grid "can" be fixed, but its not that great. The right way to do it would be to get a new rear window (I don't think you can buy a new grid, but I could be wrong).

[badvibrations]

I would tell them to pay for the repairs at a better shop.

I thought they were THE good shop...their follow up service here in a few days will tell if they are even good people.

[PiercedE30]

If you get a new rear window, get it tinted before installing it. Makes things much easier.

[badvibrations]

If you get a new rear window, get it tinted before installing it. Makes things much easier.

Yeah the installer said if he had the tools to remove the window he would have prior to tinting.

[PiercedE30]

Shit, all you really need is a flathead screwdriver to get it out. Undo the locking caps at the bottom corners and pull out the lock strip. Then you can push the window out by hand.

[Jand3rson]

Any tint place that doesn't have the tools to remove windows shouldn't be in business in the first effing place.

[TwistyTunedE30]

urrr...."the bubbles will settle"...?

[Jand3rson]

urrr...."the bubbles will settle"...?

Yeah, that's horseshit. There should be no bubbles, no smearing, no streaking, nothing other than perfectly flat, properly applied tinting.

That fucking hackjob took you for one serious ride.

[badvibrations]

The fucked up thing is that the place came recommended. My buddy used to work there type thing. One of two places in town and I have only heard bad shit about the other place. Shoulda gone to she city and overpaid for a proper job.

[badvibrations]

Went back today

Stopped in the shop today. I was told to "please" wait 2 weeks and when the glue drys all the way then we'll decide which ones need to be redone. Because after the glue drys the spots wont be as noticable?!? "On these older cars its almost impossible to get a perfect tint job." When I brought up the the rear defrost wires he told me that they just slide back under the gasket and friction holds them into place and that he just forgot to put them back. I can't seem to get them in. I'm going to another shop who is a little more expencive thats out of town abit. I'm gonna ask them for a consultation on my problem. I'm really getting pissed off. I didnt even get to talk to a man in charge. I talked to the instaler and he kinda got mouthy. I wanted to talk to the d00d that signs his check. I'll have pics up later of their master work.

[ditchdigger]

In defense of some of the things said, some of it is indeed true. Older cars tend to be pretty dirty and no matter how clean the installer gets the glass foreign stuff will work its way into the tint process. The dust in 20 year old carpets is constantly getting into the air..ect.

No matter how clean a person thinks their car is, if it is older than 8 years or so there is a ton of hair/skin/dust on every surface that is just waiting to ruin a tint job. so the "On these older cars its almost impossible to get a perfect tint job." is actually true



There is a "haze" that happens when new tint is installed. It sometimes looks like a oily sheen and can have little round shapes in it that resemble bubbles. that is trapped moisture between the film and glass and it will go away after a few days.....not weeks like they are telling you.



Modern cars have bonded in windows with that black edge surrounding them. This makes it much easier to tint, there is a alot of room for error with this style glass. When the shop quotes a car they tend to quote for this style glass and when you bring in a seal window car it is alot more work for them. Most good shops will ask year make and model and know offhand what type of glass is installed and they will charge you more for the job since they have to spend an extra hour or so pulling and reinstalling your windows to do it right, then there is the liability of possibly breaking the glass on top of that.



For $165 at what? 30% sounds like they quoted low and werent going to spend the extra time to do it right. the darker the tint the higher the tinters cost are. 20 and 15% is alot more expensive than 30%. 45% is the cheapest.



The only reason I know this stuff is I have a friend that is a professional tinter and I have spent 5 years in his shop observing how things go.



Clipping your defroster leads is just being lazy and is shitty work. That alone is enough reason to be pissed.

[badvibrations]

No matter how clean a person thinks their car is, if it is older than 8 years or so there is a ton of hair/skin/dust on every surface that is just waiting to ruin a tint job. so the "On these older cars its almost impossible to get a perfect tint job." is actually true

Maybe its just me but if it can't be done perfect I should be notified before they do the job. And that goes for anywhere.

I called and got ahold of the owner of the joint. I kept my cool. Told him that at this point I just want my shit fixed and the tint removed and my money back. He said I can bring in the car and they would get the defroster fixed. And getting the tint removed sounded negotiable. I dont think that I'm asking too much considering they broke my shit.

[ditchdigger]

That there is a fucked up shitty tint job that has damaged your car. It is not going to get any better over time.

That is appalling actually. What is the warranty length on the film itself? 2 year? 5 year? Any decent shop wouldnt let that out the door.

My 80 year old grandmother could do a better job than that.

[george graves]

My 80 year old grandmother could do a better
job than that.

LAIR!