subterFUSE

I live in Florida where window tint is practically a must-have.

On my car I have metallic tint, and on my wife's car we did ceramic.


Here are my reviews:


My car, BMW 545i.
LLumar 20% metallic tint on rear and sides.
Heat rejection is decent. AM Radio reception is very poor with the tint installed, because in my car the AM Antenna is printed into the rear window glass. Despite the fact the tint is installed on the inside of the window, the AM reception is very badly affected.
I have not noticed any decrease in keyless entry strength.
The LLumar film is a dark black color, and provides a lot of privacy.


My wife's car. BMW 325i.
Huper-Optik Ceramic tint. 35% Rear and sides.
This was one of the first ceramic films available, but it is actually not designed for car use. Mostly for homes/commercial applications. Therefore, the film is rather thick and does not heat shrink very well. There is a fair amount of ghosting/artifacts in the rear window.
Heat rejection is vastly superior to my car, even though my tint is much darker.
Unfortunately, due to the thickness of the Huper Optik film, the backseat windows have been scratched from rolling up/down inside the door. Apparently, some cars have interior parts inside the doors which can scrape against the window as it rolls down. The ceramic film got scratched because of this.
My wife's car has better AM radio reception, and we have noticed no problems with any other electronics.
The Huper-Optik film is a cool green/grey color. It does not give much privacy, but does block more heat.


Bottom line. The ceramic film is the superior product for heat rejection, and for electronics working properly, and if you live in a state with strict tint law enforcement.
Be sure you get a vehicle-grade film, however. Don't make my mistake and use Home-grade film, or else you might also have the issues with ghosting from heat shrinking.
I believe the Johnson products are approved for car application.

Is LLumar making ceramic films now? If so, I would expect those to be good also.



Like I said, since I live in Florida window tint is very common and almost a necessity of life. I have owned my car for 8 years now, so the $250-300 investment is absolutely worth it. My wife's car was more like $400, but also worth it.

s5blitzer

Excellent, thanks!

Rush2112

Got my windows tinted yesterday 35% all the way around with Pinnacle for $300 out the door.

I still have to take the car back for the strip along the front windshield cuz he was out of that.

I'll post pics once it's nice enough outside and they have dried.

I asked the guy in Woodbridge if he's done cars like mine and he said he had done many of them. Even those with the B&O so he's aware of the issues with the car. Took him 4 hours to do it, and so far looks good, except for the rear window. Looks like there's a rippling along the bottom of the window. I'll wait to see what happens after it dries and see if it was just me and it being wet.

Inyoury

You guys have to remember to have the tinter be very careful not to get the electronics behind the rear view mirror wet. Putting front window tinting apparently voids warranty if done by 3rd party if the electronics get wet. Rain sensor, adaptive headlight sensor and something else I can't remember. My dealer was very specific about this.

Rush2112

Thanks for the warning

fe342185

Hi all,

There are lots of discussions on this thread regarding legality in each state and i have a question. The percentage numbers is the amount of light that can pass though the film. Most of the people here are matching the percentage with their states legal limit. All cars equipped with AC already by default comes with approx 15% tint in the glass. You can see this when you set the window about halfway during the day and you look out through the window and open section simultaneously.

So the question is, should the 15% be added to the film percentage? I have been pulled over before for tints and the meter used to check the percentage clamps onto the window and shoots light through the glass and film.

According to a tinting shop in NYC due to that 15% factory tint it makes all films illegal in NY state and darker tints just stands out more than lighter ones.

Any thoughts?

subterFUSE

Yes, most cars today already come with a small amount of tint to the glass from the factory. Your estimate of 85% VLT is probably about correct.

And yes, when you add aftermarket tint film you must add the transmittance figures together. So a 35% tint film would actually measure darker than that on a tint meter because of the additional tint built into the factory glass.

fe342185

If this information is accurate then its likely that most of the people who used actual percentages for state limit on this thread still has illegal tint if measured.

Im in NYC and our laws are very tight so any film on the glass makes it illegal. Based on some of NYPD friends each cop has their pet peeves. Some hate people who block the box, some hate loud ricey abnoxious cars and others tinted windows. A few years ago a cop was shot by a thug on the back seat of a stolen BMW X5 which was tinted. Likely it was a factory tint but because it was thought that it was the tint that hindered the officers vision that may have caused him his life, a tint crack down was made which lasted a few weeks.

I was told by my friends to just roll all the windows down if pulled over and be respectful and polite and it will increase the chances of a warning.

noah123

How are Suntek window films for tinting or paint protection?? Best detailers i my area use that!!

Any inputs will be really appreciated-thx

tenspeed

Roll down the windows when leaving a car show and if pulled over after dark, turn on the interior lights.

I'm in western NY and I have tint. I've gotten three tickets and now I have a Rx from my eye doctor. I carry a copy of it with my registration and insurance card.