Hey sorry it has been so long to get my pictures on here to show you the tint. I have been really busy with work and the holidays but I finally got some pics. They aren't great but they are good enough.

 

I saw a place online that showed a lot of different tint colors and none of them was black. The closest to that was "charcoal". Actually, all the tints I have seen seem to be black.

How about types of tinting such as film or the more expsensive types? What are people using? My problem is that even though I live in a city of 50,000 there are not tint shops here.

 

There are some differences to what you can see online and what you really see in person. charcoal is very close to black.

as for the types of tint, i looked into various companies and it seems that tint shops don't always carry different brands.

find a tint shop closests to you, find out if they guarantee the tint for the life of the car, life of ownership (that is once the car is sold, the warranty is void) or number of years. Use the online tints as a reference but get it done professionally and make sure the warranty is good for the life of the car that's when you know how much they will stand behind their product.

there is a window tint association which i forget the name but they inform you on the basic questions you should ask the tint shop when shopping for window tinting for your car.

hope this helps.

 

I think black is the most popular of all tints but I would have to agree with monkey on his tips. I dont live in a very big city either, I dont even think 50,000 people live here but I got lucky with working at a Toyota Dealership they know local people who can do those types of things. The guy I went to is a professional but it isn't his real job it is like a side job kinda and he did it in his garage and I am very pleased at how well it turned out and the quaility of the tint and the installation was great, like no bumps or anything. Maybe there is a person in your city who does it but does advertise or isn't well known. Maybe you should go to a scion or toyota dealership and ask someone there, who knows right?

 

I am off on Monday and Tuesday, so I think I ask at my Scion dealer about where to go for tinting. I see a lot of cars around my city that have tinted windows, so they must be getting them done somewhere. Here is a place where I found a lot of info about tinting:
http://www.tintdude.com/forum/index.php
The site itself is for those who actually do tinting, but the message board has a lot of consumer questions. One thing I saw mentioned was the danger of black tinting turning a purple color over time. I don't remember if it was a particular type of tinting.

 

Some reality just for the mix on this topic... SOME shops in the So. Cal area have been known to install a lesser quality film then what you been quoted. Example, if you call Kalifornia tint in Rosemead/San Gabriel, your're more then likely to be told they have Titanium film, or Solor Gard and for a typical Xa car they might do it for $110 out the door. Thing is they dont have this film and a few years ago lost that account for installing a lesser film then sold several times. Reason they can do the job now at that price is the cost of the film they carry now... and you can imagine what Korean one ply film will do in a few years! Just ask the shop your calling if you get a manufactures warranty for life time. This way if the shop changes film companies or closes you can have recourse with another dealer suggested by the manufacture in your area. This is not an isolated case and often abused to compete with the many shops so close to one another. I started tinting cars in 1986 in the San Gabriel area at a few area shops, now to the more then many. BTW: I only used the one example, but not to far from there on the same street, another shop will do the same, however they do carry the Solor Gard film, but only Charcoal will be installed after you pay for Titanium... just look at the box the installer uses, it should say Titanium on the end with the %. Charcoal film is also a great film btw, but a little cheaper besides color and less heat rejection and carries the same warranty. Warranty is key and the opperative word, as most trust worthy shops have no problem eating the profit margin a bit for peace of mind. So ya... something like that...

 

roll ALL your windows down and if at night, turn on all interior lights as well and put BOTH hands in plain view. That way they know you're not a threat and nobody is in the back seat hiding behind 5% rear window tints with a gun ready to kill him.

California Tint will fade over time. California tint in Rosemead did tints for my Camry 2 or 3 years ago. 5% tint in the rear, 35% in the front. I paid $110 out the door and now the rear looks like 15% and the front looks very very light. It's not that bad. It's just that 5% in the rear used to be impenetrable with eyes touching the window even under bright So Cal sun, now you can see through their so called "5%" after 2-3 years but no bubbles or peeling though!

 

Anyone ever been told that felt needed to be installed in the rubber part that meets the windows to prevent the tint from being scratched? I'm thinking of getting my RS1 xA done with House of Tints (they're nearby and do conventional tints as well). Anyone had any experience with them here in Irvine, CA?

 

This is why i love Las Vegas, i can tint 0% if they had it and not even get talked to.

The cops are so chill out here about car mods. Just no flashing blue red or yellow led lights. That is the only rule. u can slam ur car to the floor, install hid's without right angles, get 5 million color led under car kit.. etc.. and no one cares.

on my old celebrity i was running straight headers, and the cops thought it was cool ;) lol

Viva Henderson baby! (just oustide las vegas)

im tinting mine soon, when i can save 100 bucks, i know a guy in town ;)

 

Funny you should mention Vegas. Cops there are either well hidden or not paying much attention. I drove like a crazy man there on the main drag in a Lamborghini last October and did like 150mph on the highway. Not so much as a peep from my radar.

If they were not after me with what I was pulling I can see you doing all the mods you like. I think the Cops in LA are seen to be like Bullies. Picking on us.

LOL

 

I used these guys to do tint job on an Expedition and they did an excellent job. You might check them out if you're in NC.
http://www.protint.com/index2.ivnu

 

The poster in in California.

 

From what I hear Vegas doesnt have too many cops. I dont see many at all. They don't care too much about what you do to your car. They are more after speeders and drugs crap like that. I mean I drive fast around town and rarely see a cop radaring people but I see people all the time getting pulled over..... You were just lucky I guess! hahaha

 

I have a question for you guys. I recently got a typed note from my eye doctor to let me have tint on my front windows (illiegal here). On the note my eye doctor says "mild tint", now my question to you guys, what % would your opinion of "mild tint" be??

 

vegas is VERY lienent on cars. I was running straight headers on my chevy celebrity for many many months.

I think the rules for vegas are as follows.

1. dont get CAUGHT speeding.
2. Anything is cool except visible smoke.
3. No blue red or yellow windsheild sprayer led lights.

id say thats about it.

 

5 - 10 % !!

 

Tinting windows is rather easy, the hard part is find good quality film that will not turn purple as it wears. Go to an auto store and get their kit. It includes a packing knife, spray bottle with and for water and soap and a squeeze. A credit card works well for this too.

For the side door enclosed windows use a sheet of newspaper on the outside to make a template for cutting the film. Leave an inch at the bottom of the pattern. For the side windows and hatch, they need to be traced from the inside.

You can use anything semi sharp to cut the paper to make a tight fit.

Use these templates for cutting the film and the packing knife for that. Lay out the patterns to make the most of your film. Make sure to clean the window several times and dry it.

When you install the film you need lots of patients, a source of heat rather its the sun or a heat gun and lots of soapy water. Be prepared to get everything wet, lot sof swearing and squeezing of hte film. Make sure to have the right side of the film facing the window to stick on the inside and spray both down.

Park the car so the sun is facing through the window towards you and the film. THe heat from the sun will help the plastic to shrink and stick to the glass as you squeeze it out inplace. Use a paper clip of dull butter knife to tuck the inch extra at the bottom inside the window gasket. Just keep squeezing it to get all the air bubbles out and for the plastic to shrink to the curve of the window. When its dry, dry up the rest of the area and you are done.

You can buy precut quality film, but at a price. Keep in mind the windows have like a 2 to 3% tint already, so a tough cop can pull you for legal tint if he wants.

I have not tinted my own windows, but have done a mossy oak windshielf strip I bought from walmart. Nice to look up and be reminded of nature while I am riding i 64, i 95, 195 and 295, not to forget 460.

 

Where was this in Waxahachie so I don't go there?

 

I went with 5% limo style on the sides, 15% on the back and 50% on the driver/passenger. Professional highly suggested I *NOT* get the 5% on the back and if I had chosen it, he'd have talked me out of it because of night time visibility. The lil' red wagon is out in the sun curing now but they did a really clean job. It's not even, but my xA was re-upholstered with leather from the dealer's, so I really need the heat protection on the back more than anything. And I don't want cop trouble, red is a "hot" enough color as it is, and we know the stock car isn't a mover compared to others.

I got it all done for $250 and he used Llumar film. Never took a knife to my windows. He prided himself on having a machine that cuts the film to the *exact* window measurement for the make/model of my car. Called, quoted, and installed the very same day.

Very happy and will try and have pics when I've gotten the car washed...in 5 days or so after the tint cures