Window Tint Question

[Mazer18]

I've been looking to tint my rear window to close to factory for a while now. I've searched around and most "professional" shops are a good 45 minutes away. There's a guy in town though that's listed in the phonebook and has ads in the paper for his personal window tint service listed for both house windows/sunroofs and automobiles. I'm thinking about trying him out. I've got some questions first though.

 

Would you feel comfortable letting someone who is either working this as a side job or is retired and now doing this work on your vehicle?

 

I've seen a few of the older vehicles around town, especially older Fords, with a purple looking tint. If I went to this guy and ended up with that crap can I peel it back off easily?

 

Thanks in advance fellas and I'll get a few pics up ASAP.

[lsuguy]

I've been looking to tint my rear window to close to factory for a while now. I've searched around and most "professional" shops are a good 45 minutes away. There's a guy in town though that's listed in the phonebook and has ads in the paper for his personal window tint service listed for both house windows/sunroofs and automobiles. I'm thinking about trying him out. I've got some questions first though.

 

Would you feel comfortable letting someone who is either working this as a side job or is retired and now doing this work on your vehicle?

 

I've seen a few of the older vehicles around town, especially older Fords, with a purple looking tint. If I went to this guy and ended up with that crap can I peel it back off easily?

 

Thanks in advance fellas and I'll get a few pics up ASAP.

 

First thing I would do is try to find others who have tinted their vehicles with this guy. There are TONS of people out there who tint windows as a side job and have never really done it "professionally". My cousin tints my windows and does an excellent job.

Also the purplish color is from the type of tint used. Naturally certain "cheap" tint will not have the same outcome as others.

I would find out what kind of tint he uses and ask him if you could see some of the stuff he has done.

[jhm]

It all comes down to the correct application of the film and the film itself. I have had my tint on for 7 years and it looks good as new. Iwent to a place in town that specializes in auto glass. The owner applied Onyx (TRADE NAME) material, he gave me a warranty card with a serial number that is good for the life of the truck. Whoever you choose, ask what brand they use and what the warranty is. Nothing makes a vehicle look ghetto like purple tint.

[Mazer18]

Thanks fellas. I spoke with him this evening. He said $60 for the back window and it would take about 45 minutes. I asked him what brand and while he didn't specify a brand he pretty straight-forwardly said "I don't go down to the local store and buy this stuff; I order it commercially." Almost like I offended him.

 

I asked if there was a warranty and he replied "oh yeah!". I was looking to go with 20% on the rear to just get the factory tint look and he didn't understand that though. He said he only had 8% and 40%. I suppose the 8% will be pretty dark.....not sure what to expect with it; it won't be difficult to see through my rearview mirror/behind me will it?

 

I'm supposed to give him a call tomorrow afternoon to see if he can do it. Thanks again guys. Here's a "before" picture. I'll get an "after" picture up tomorrow.

 

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I would drive the 45 minutes to have the "professionals" do it. A bad tint job sure can make a vehicle look like crap!!! The 8% is going to be dark, but I believe you will be able to see out of it....or at least a little. I used to have 5% on my windows and you could see out of it a little. It also had a bad glare in some light. IMO, you may as well not even put tint on your windows if you do the 40%. I would go for 20% if possible. Good luck!

 

Just my $.02

[androgelrx]

Thanks fellas. I spoke with him this evening. He said $60 for the back window and it would take about 45 minutes. I asked him what brand and while he didn't specify a brand he pretty straight-forwardly said "I don't go down to the local store and buy this stuff; I order it commercially." Almost like I offended him.

 

I asked if there was a warranty and he replied "oh yeah!". I was looking to go with 20% on the rear to just get the factory tint look and he didn't understand that though. He said he only had 8% and 40%. I suppose the 8% will be pretty dark.....not sure what to expect with it; it won't be difficult to see through my rearview mirror/behind me will it?

 

I'm supposed to give him a call tomorrow afternoon to see if he can do it. Thanks again guys. Here's a "before" picture. I'll get an "after" picture up tomorrow.

 

 

8% would be very dark at night. I have 20% in the front and I think that's kind of dark to drive at night. If there is no light behind me, I have a real hard time seeing anything from the side view mirrors at night. I would stick to 20% or higher in the front windows.

[lsuguy]

I agree with the other posts. If your worried about it being too dark the deff do not go with 8%. I also second the other post that says drive 45 minutes. He doesn't have much of a selection of tint.. 40 being not worth tinting and 8 being really dark. The "pros" will be better stocked and you won't have to worry about bad tint.

[gabet95]

Don't go cheap on tint, it becomes very obvious when you do. $60 for just the rear window doesn't sound like a deal. He's charging for the mobile service.

Drive the 45 minutes and get it done right. You can probably get the whole truck done for like $120.

[lsuguy]

Don't go cheap on tint, it becomes very obvious when you do. $60 for just the rear window doesn't sound like a deal. He's charging for the mobile service.

Drive the 45 minutes and get it done right. You can probably get the whole truck done for like $120.

 

That was another thing I wanted to say. $60 is way too much for just the rear. I just did my 2 front and a brow on the windshield for $75. Would definitely go professional

[jhm]

I checked what the shop used on my truck, like I said it is excellent material with a LIFETIME warranty. I would reccoment it to anyone. Good luck!

http://www.sunsationalglasstint.com/Mercha...Product_Count=0

[jhm]

If they are not using 3M tint, walk away. The warranty is for his side business lifetime, not your truck's lifetime.

I disagree about your 3M comment. Not ALL 3M films are warranteed for life. ALL Madico films are. The shop that applied the Madico film to my truck has been in business for 35 years. I think you are confusing the original post with my follow up.

 

 

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_U...1beT4DCJBL6BVgl

 

vs

 

http://www.madico.com/WindowFilms/Auto.asp

[Ron505]

I disagree with the 40% comments being not worth it. With 20% on the back, I think 40% on the sides would be nice at all times (day and night). On my old Accord I had 35% around the back, and 45% on the sides, and it was perfect. By the time you darken the rear, you can't tell that the sides are very much lighter. Just my opinion. BTW, 8% is WAY too dark.

[chaser841]

I have a regular cab 08 Silverado. I have 15% tint on the rear and 35% tint on the sides. It does a great job at blocking light at all times of the day. Plus with the Graystone Metallic color, it looks really sharp. I have had both Solar Gard and Llumar brand tints on my vehicles. Both had lifetime nationwide warranties and didn't have a single problem with either of them.

[glacked]

I have both my vehicles tinted with Formula 1 ceramics. Lifetime warranty with repairs at any shop that sells it. They will even repair key damage for free once. I went with 15% up front on the truck and have 35% all the way around on my car. No complaints and I'd recommend the F1 brand to anyone.

 

Drive and have an established business do the work. My patrol car was done by a part-timer and there is a huge difference in quality of work. Something to look for is a company who pre-cuts their tint to match your vehicle. The guys who do it by hand, while they can do good work, generally mess up at least once during the install.

[HapHazard]

I disagree with the 40% comments being not worth it. With 20% on the back, I think 40% on the sides would be nice at all times (day and night). . .

 

+1

 

I also observed that the OEM "tint" on the front windows of my '09 Silverado is 70%. I believe that means that a 40% tint would essentially be 40% of 70%, resulting in roughly 25%-28% actual tint