Hi,

My local shop said llumar ATR but in a charcol color was the best match to the rear factory privacy glass color ? Any comments ?

They also suggested tinting the rear doors and back window ? Does anyone think tinting over the privacy glass is needed ? Won't that make it to dark ?

Being in Texas, the idea of blocking more heat and sun sounds good, but I don't know if it is overkill.

-thank

 

Just had my fronts done. 18% not sure exactly the model... I am in OC and used http://www.xlnttint.com/contact.html

great work and guarantee, been using them for years... fronts were $85 for the good stuff.

I personally wouldn't do the others because that would make it too dark for me. In fact, when I tinted the fronts it made the whole car darker and would probably have chosen a few shades lighter if I had know factory was 18%

from the outside it looks almost a perfect match for the factory. from the inside it is a little darker and harder to see through

 

over here a shop that we send out our cars use 38% formula tints... that that pretty much matches the back...

 

i got my xb2 back in may. and tint is always the first thing i do. on my other cars i have always gone limo tint also known as 5%. but that was too dark for city driving in san francisco. so on the xb2 i had them match the factory tint on the front two windows which is roughly 20% tint. its not a perfect match but is close enough and blocks out the sun just the way i like it. it was $80 total. if you just wanna match your rear windows go with 20%

 

3M actually makes a 30% film. The factory glass is about 28%.

If you're tinting for heat, you'll want to add something to the back. No need to go "limo dark" but the privacy glass doesn't really block heat like a tint film.

-THE DON

 

i had 30% put all around -
darkened up the privacy glass just a bit, and the fronts came close to matching
HERE'S a pic of my xB taken at Nightshift Chicago showing the uniformity of the tint darkness

 

My buddy has a shop. He measured my window and it was 35% factory on the rear.He also uses LLumar. We put 20% on my front and 35% on the rears. He thought 35% just on the front would match pretty good but I like the 20%. The back would have been lighter then so we put the 35 there. I like it alot. It's not too dark to back up which is what happens with 5%. LLumar doesn't fade nearly as bad as 3M.
I've had it on my dually almost 10 years and it has just started to fade. Check with others about 3M

 

20% over the back and 10% up front with 50% front windshield all the way to bottom. I am guessing it is about 6-7% in the back and obviously 10% up front. Wish I would have just done 5% all around...

 

avus which xb is yours in the album. I'm thinking about doing something similar I would like to keep a similar contrast from fromt to back , was thinking about doing 30-35% all around.

-Mike

 

sic xb2 timmer357 looks real clean!!!!

 

Has any one used this company or try it. http://www.snaptint.com/car-tint-Sci...-complete.html

 

Personally I would just pay someone. That will keep in tact the guarantee against peeling, cracking, fading, whatever else they cover. Keeps these guys in business and any reputable shop will redo whatever you don't like. $75 or so in most places will get the front two done.

 

mine's the first one on page 7 - the white xB2
and i found out that its 35% all around, not 30% that was installed

fyi - the even tint effect looks even better when you paint the side view mirrors matte black too...

 

I just had my front windows tinted by D&L Tint in White Marsh, MD. They came highly recommended and have been around for a lot of years. They also use computer-cut tint which I liked a lot. I guess they did okay but I'm a perfectionist and expected better. I won't bash them because all I have to compare them with is my own work and theirs is about as good. Of course I've only done 2 cars...

Unfortunately they talked me into 3M CS-20 rather than the 30-35% I wanted. They claimed it would be the best match but I'm not so sure. The front windows are very noticeably darker than the rears. I agree with the guy who said that 30% would be the best match. 20% is too dark and 35% is probably too light but I'd rather have the fronts a shade lighter and at least looking legal than a shade darker and clearly illegal. MD limit is 35% light transmission and I probably have 15% now vs ~30% with 35% film since the factory glass already has some tint.

 

ScionFred, if the outfit you used is that highly rated and obviously has made a good name for themselves, then they should be willing to redo it to maintain that image. Most quality shops will guarantee their work. Tell them exactly what you aren't happy with and have it redone.

 

Thanks, I might make them redo it but I want to give it a few days first to see if it grows on me and the defects clear up.

What bothers me most is how they talked me into 20% when the 35% I wanted would be a closer match to the rears and be so close to legal that I'd never get hassled.

I remember several years back when a friend of mine got pulled over and the cop made him peel all of his tint off on the spot. I don't need that kind of grief.

 

BTW, here's a pic of my car. It was getting dark so it's not very good but you can kind of see how the front windows are darker than the rears.

 

Your box is looking sweet, but I agree with your attitude that the front should be a slight bit lighter if they aren't going to match. I personally feel 30% would be just about right and not create static with the man. Around here (Eugene, OR), the local traffic cops just got tint meters and are using them quite a bit. If you don't know from other posts, I work for the local PD so I kind of have it easier. Still, I got stopped the other night for my plate bulbs being too blue (LED super whites) and dark windows. On principle I want to "fight the power", but any more grief and I may go to 30% on my front windows. The back will be left @ 7% and they didn't even notice the windshield being done

 

I did 14% over stock all around with 35% on the windshield. It's dark but not too dark.

 

so I have a question, sorry if it's dumb...but if I wanted to do 30-35% all around on all 5 windows, will it make the rears darker as well? Does it essentially add up? If the rear is around 30% factory, does adding 30 over it essentially give you limo tint 5-0%?