directorguy7

So have a 2016 on order. I have a guy that tinted my last 4 cars. He does an outstanding job, especially for the price (around 200 for high quality materials and lifetime warranty.) With all the cars I have had, he had to pull off the brake light housing in the back window to get the tint nice and tight and professional looking. Will the window shades in both the back and sides be a problem, or are they pretty easy to remove without breaking them?

Inyoury

You will not any problems for that. The only problem you might run into is the windshield if you tint that, you have to have them be very careful not to use too much liquid around the sensors behind the rear view mirror. Audi uses a gel inside the housing that makes cracked lines once the area is exposed to more than extra moisture. If those show up it will dry with the cracked look and the warranty for the sensors are void. It happened to me before and it was not cheap to replace them.

TheHeadFL

What film are you going to use? I can't see getting a quality film for $200, even with a friend discount.

My 3M Crystalline cost $400 for the sides/rear, and another $150ish for the windshield.

Hulamau

Excuse my unawares on the subject, but what states allow tint of front windshields and what %tint are you talking about??

My '16 A6 is just going through the Panama Canal passage now toward San Diego port unload on June 2 and then on to Audi NS directly from there who will be tentatively doing the tint on all side windows and rear window, but windshield it it is verboten in Arizona and I think California too.

You must be talking a light 10% on the front of some such tint grade, right?, can't imagine rolling with a 30 on the windshield and all around ... That would make for a pretty closed in look both inside and out it would seem.... Am curious how many here do have aftermarket or dealer applied tint to their A6 windshields though.

I am setting it up to get the full front half of the car plus side mirrors , and sports pack '16 side sills wrapped with XPEL Ultimate the same day I pick my car up from Audi NS.

Do most of you folks consider 3M Crystalline the top window tint out there? I could have the aftermarket shop do the window tint too along with the XCEL Ultimate as they offer that as well.

Thanks for any clarification on this issue.

Hulamau

slickrick68

I put on spectra photosync 75% and its comparable to crystalline if not better; both are top notch films.

TheHeadFL

As far as I know, none, but tons of people do it anyway and go unnoticed.

I got Crystalline 90 on the windshield. Meaning 90% light transmittance. It is basically invisible but blocks all the UV and a decent amount of heat.

I have also heard people rave about Huper Optik tint.

Hulamau

Thanks slickrick, will check
It out .. 75% seems pretty dark can you see out of it at night very well?

Using 45% on the rear and 35% on the side windows is about the range I've been considering for my Florett Silver Metallic '16 A6 when it arrives in a couple more weeks. I have the prestige, S-line sports pack with 20" and drivers assist pack, and with the prestige comes the rear side and far rear window shades too. Combining those with any darker tint than 35/45 wold seem pretty closed in, though I doubt I'll drive around with the shades up.
In any event I check out the source you recommend as well, thanks again.

slickrick68

it actually lets in 75% of light, but lets in less heat than even crystalline 70.

TheHeadFL

It sounds like you have tint ratings confused. Higher numbers mean more light, not less. 70, 75, or 90 is going to be near invisible.

Hulamau

Yes indeed, I did have it backwards, thanks for clearing that up, several of you.

This issue with tinting the front window then seems largely around insuring not to get the area around the rearview mirror and embedded sensors wet during tint application and, of course, keeping the front tint extremely light to almost invisible save for the UV reduction and lowering the heat transmissibility.

Will get that all sorted out and get up to speed on window tints over the next couple weeks before I have to do my new A6. In the past, I just had the Audi dealer apply their best tints with each car purchase or lease but they never even mentioned front screen tints as an option.

No doubt, I should able to swing a decent deal doing the full front half of the car with XPEL ultimate plus adding in the 3M Crystalline, or one of the other top tints mentioned and have the same installer do it all. Have got the names of the top XPEL applicators in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area who do a lot of volume of XPEL wrap and come highly recommended, so thats a start.

Will try to get this all applied the same day as I pick up the car first thing in the morning so I can drive the two hours back home to Sedona at end of the day in my new toy!

Thanks again all for the education on this issue.