bOhEmIo82

You guys got any recommendations on how dark I should get it tinted. I was thinking about tinting it as dark as the moon roof is tinted. Also, I've heard of "blue" tint, and that Mercedes have it. What exactly is blue tint? How is it different/better from standard? I know that the tint at Toyota is supposed to be top quality. That's where i'm getting my done at, plus it has a warranty.

chipmOnk

Do tint shops wipe/clean the glass before applying the tint, or should you clean it before going to the shop? I'd have to see a finger print or smudge under the tint.

SOL0

if its a quality place, they'll clean it. I recommend 20% as far as the tint. It's dark enough that it's difficult to see in, but not so dark that it's difficult to see out

Huey

5% all the way around. it's the only tint i get.

Shadow_tC

I'll be getting 25% on my tC, but I'm still considering 20%. I do a bit of night driving, and I know the 25% was a bit hard to see out of, so if I went darker I know I would have problems.
Anyway, I'd say that 20-25% will give you a nice, clean look without being too dark.

- Desirée

bOhEmIo82

I'll be getting it done at Toyota, so that should be as quality as it can get eh?

SCI_TC_GUY

any good shop should give you a warranty on the tint.....the local one that I'm going to gives 3 year warranty against bubbling, peeling, and scratching......even just hairline scratches.....I actually would prefer going to a shop rather than have the dealer do it because shops do it all the time.... some even day in and day out.....seems like there wouldn't be as high of a demand for tint through a dealer so they may not have as much experience......but whatever.....


BTW...I'm going 35% all the way around....

Mabus

anybody have any problems with the tinting? my passenger window keeps getting tint scratched by gaskets...theyve done them twice so far. they said that it may be somthing in the door and it would be the dealerships prob. (said they dont take off door panel. I went to dealer and they said they must not do it right if they dont take off the door. How can I get this fixed???? I dont wanna keep getting window tinted every six days.. they told me if it does it again to "deal with it and leave it" not very professional huh?

bambams247

OH YA! Definetly! Thats what I did and 15% in the fonrt, should of went 5% int he front, regret it, but 5% is the only way to go! If you want to see pictures goto

www.lukisweb.com

and then check out one of my posts has random pictures of the car after a wash!

cla9614

I agree,

5% In the back is a MUST. That's what I have on my tC. Unfortunately Cali has laws against any major tint in the front (too many drive bye's i guess?!?!)

wilder

I got my windows tinted a little while back. On hot days when I rolled my windows down it would squeek and leave streaks on the way back up. I could wipe the residue off but the next time it was hot and I messed with the window, same thing. Pretty much the full length of the driver's window, and about 1/4 on the passenger's.

About a week later I rolled my driver's side window up and noticed a scratch. It was a vertical scratch pretty much the full height of the window. I took the car to Toyota and it ended up being a hassle. First they said they wouldn't cover it under warranty, that it was the tint job. I told them I've used the same guy on all my cars (included a Celica) and had no issues like this in the past. After looking into it, they determined there was debris in the door, which included a rock that scratched my window. Upon telling me this, I asked how in the world does a rock get in my door, because I'd like to make sure it doesn't happen again. They gave me a beat around the bush kind of answer and left it at that. I also noticed there were a few more scratches the

Any ways, they said they would cover the problem under warranty (this one time) and had to order me a new driver's side window and the track. A few days later I took the car in when the part arrived and after a day without my car, they call and tell me they got the moonroof glass instead of the driver's window and had to order it again. Needless to say, after 3 trips to the dealership my window is replaced and is newly tinted. In one more day I will be able to give it a try and see if the problem happens all over again for me.

One other thing, they never even addressed the issue on the passenger's side window, so it looks like I will need to keep cleaning off the residue for the forseeable future. My tint guy did tell me there is a product they make for plastic windows on convertible cars that I could use to help make the window roll up easier. He said another thing some people do is use some Pledge on their windows. Me, I'm going to give the plastic window stuff a go. I just hope it doesn't scratch again.

fausty

wilder, couldn't the debris have easily come from the tint job? I mean, they'll use tools to work the tint film on. If they had to set the tools down, and maybe on the ground, there's a possibility it was the fault of the tinter.

In any case, hope it doesn't happen again. It's cool the dealer covered it.

scottc

Diamond brand tint (by SunGard) offers a replacement warranty... any scratches... just bring it in for retinting, no questions asked. Costs $50 for the warranty at a local shop. Worth it the first time your buddy slams his belt buckle on your window, etc.

jaydub

I got 20% all the way around, no pic yet though.

Dr_Isotope

iTrader: (1)

It's the 21st century folks. 5% is so 1987... Plus, anything approaching 20% in Cali will get you a nice fat ticket.

A good 35% film will block nearly the same heat and still allow you to see things at night... like pedestrians and black cars. 35 all around...

RCFelix

Dr. Isotope.....what is the borderline % of dark tint in the front windows to be considered legal in California? I just heard that you can go as dark as you want in the rear windows...maybe I'm wrong on that one...not so sure.

Eiso

We got the same name, and same opinion

35% is what i'm going to tint my car! Legal goes with my ego!

Dr_Isotope

iTrader: (1)

You could paint the back windows black if you wanted to. As to the fronts, we'll go straight to the CVC:

Notwithstanding subdivision (a), clear, colorless, and transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the front side windows, located to the immediate left and right of the front seat if the following conditions are met:

(1) The material has a minimum visible light transmittance of 88 percent.

So basically, any tint at all on the front is completely illegal in Cali-- optical grade glass is 93%. I doubt auto glass is 88% by itself. 35% is just much less noticeable than any darker grade. With the sunroof open and the extra light coming in, they won't even notice you at all.

garciaog

A reputable tint professional will tint your car and back their work up. They will also clean the glass before applying the film, so no worries there. There is absolutely no reason to remove the door panel to tint the door glass. A silicone "squeegee" is used to push the interior weatherstripping down into the door panel to allow the area under the weatherstripping to be tinted. After the film cures to the glass (about 72 hours depending on sunlight and temperature), you are supposed to lower both windows completely down, then back up. This should be done about three times, and the weatherstripping should re-form as it was before the tint.

Sometimes, the tint that is applied may be too thick, and the weatherstripping that is pushed down will kink, making it very noisy to roll up/down, I had that problem, and luckily the dealer replaced the interior weatherstripping on both doors under warranty, but they vowed never to do that again because they claimed that the tint was too thick.

I personally have 20% tint all around, and it is light enough to bypass the tint meter-holding cops here in my area during the day. At night, the tint is nice and dark. I would not recomment 5%, because if you live in an area with strict tint laws, having the tint stripped off is a pain in the ****.

RCFelix

Thanks Dr. Isotope for answering my questions! But damn California laws! hehe well...I'm still going to tint my driver and passenger windows but not to the point where it can be noticeable for cops to pull me over...good idea about the extra light from the sunroof open!