julesboy

Hi everyone,

I have a 2006 TSX w/Navi and I want to start looking into getting my car tinted. I've read many threads talking about the window seals on TSX's being too tight and scratching the tint. Also that metallic based tint can screw up either AM radio or Navigation/GPS signals. So hear's my questions:

*Is a dye, ceramic or metallic based tint better than one another and for what reasons?

*Does any of them effect XM sat. radio signal, FM signal or the Navigation system?

*Is it essential for the best tint job to get them to install it with either felt, material of some kind, or moleskin? (also is one of these options better than another?

*If installing one of those options (ie moleskin etc.) Do you do all four windows that you can roll up and down? Wondering, as I seem to always be using all four windows.

*After getting the car windows tinted (using moleskin or felt or whatever) does that create any unexpected rattles or noises?

*If people have had problems with scrathing. How long after you take it home from the tinting place do you start to notice scratches on your windows. A week, a month, a year?

*Has anyone taken their car back to the tinter after having scratches appear and if so did the tinting place cover it and re-do it for free?

*Can someone explain the darkness or lightness of tints (what the %'s mean) and how it relates to what the CA laws are?

*What general price range am I looking for to get my TSX fully tinted?

*Can anyone recommend (in Los Angeles area - or even better on the westside) really reliable trustworthy places to get the job done correctly so I don't have to bring it back again to be re-done?

Sorry - I know way too many questions...

Thanks - in advance, I really appreciate any opinions, comments or feedback

cibs

haha you must really hate the search feature eh?

CJams

give me a minute and I will try to answer all 20 quesions

CJams

Jazzyguy

Tint Hiarchy goes like this:

1. Dye -worst quality, Will fade over time and turn purple

2. Hybrid of Dye and Metallic- Better than Dye as the fade tends to last much longer, will not turn purple only the tint will get lighter over time. Will ever so slightly interfer with NAV and not AM signal at all. This is what I chose although I dont have NAV but have been told.

2. Metallic -Will interfere with NAV and AM Signal/Wont fade

3. Ceramic -Best, will NOT fade, will NOT interfere with NAV or AM, Very expensive!

Installing Moleskin/felt is your best option of defense from scratches. However some report even without moleskin/felt they have ZERO scratrches and other like said above still get scratches with moleskin/felt installed. For the most part the moleskin will work against scratches.

feelgood13

I would like to tint my TSX but with the rear defroster lines in the back, it creates a strange glare effect at night because the film can sit fully flush against the glass. Anyone know what i'm talking about?

julesboy

Hey thanks so much for all the info CJams & Jazzyguy.

It sounds like the best way to go is probably Ceramic (so it doesn't effect the Navigation/XM Sat/FM,AM Radio signals) and to get them to use moleskin as a precautionary measure.

Never heard of the rear window tinting problems in terms of the defrosting lines on the window? Anybody have any thoughts.

Also would love someone to post any reliable tinting places in L.A. I would prefer to go to a place thats recommended rather than just giving some random place a go.

Thanks

Jazzyguy

Try to find a place that will use Formula One Pinnacle. After posting to your question I did some research for the past 4 hours because I wanted the scoop on ceramic tints. I found that that they are not that much more expensive (as I thought) and they come with a very good scratch resistant coating. Most dont even recommend moleskin with these tints as there is no nead for it. Also there are different types of ceramic film out there and the one that formula one offers (Pinnacle) is non-conductive thus they warranty it will not interfere with any electronics in the car. Other ceramic might still be conductive and made with metals. It is their best line, offers a national wide lifetime warranty on everything including any sort of fading.

Formula One is a brand name made by the same people that make Llumar films. Formula one is there top range company within Llumar, the Pinnacle offered by Formula One is their top film. So basically its the best of the best from this company. A lot of peole swear by it. This is what I am going with from a local shop here in Toronto. Price is $300 CAD. He says it doesnt need moleskin and he offered to replace if my felt scratches the tint. So he's pretty confident.

You can do a search on FORMULA ONE PINNACLE at club rsx clubtsx, ETC, this forum also. I also googled the shiat out of the name and just read for 4 hours.

julesboy

Hey Jazzyguy

Wow thank you so much for the info. I will definitely look into Formula One Pinnacle (ceramic) tint. 4 hours researching - that's a lot of reading thanks again so much for your efforts. Superb!!

Now I just have to find a place that uses it.

Rocket_man

I know this thread is old, but I just got 35% Pinnacle installed all around including a visor on the front window. I did a lot of research trying to decide between HO and F1. In the end I picked F1 Pinnacle 35%.... here's why.

- Tint Shop: There is only one shop in Houston that does HO and one that does F1 (actually two but they are owned by the same guy). The shop that does HO is Executive Motors and we used them to do my gf's 06 Civic Coupe. We used a metallic tint and they did an okay job. They left the car a mess inside with water/release agent all over the inside doors. It cleaned up but they should have covered these areas. They also trapped some dust in the back of the rear window. They offered to redo it but my gf was afraid they would screw up the defroster etc and it is not that bad so we live with it. The F1 shop on the 59 freeway (eXpert Tint) I'm used once before and the one on Westheimer I've used once and both jobs were done well and they left my car clean and no debris trapped in the tint.

- Film: The HO film might be slightly better heat rejection on paper than the F1 but just very slightly. I don't think a percent or two makes a big difference. The HO film is appearently a two-ply film which is why it is thicker, harder to get into rear windows, and take longer to cure. The F1 tint is single ply and I'm told is more optically clear. The 35% I got installed is very "clear" even before it has completly cured. Normally a tint is a little hazy until it is fully cured. I wonder if it will look even better when cured? I also understand that HO film is conductive even though it is not metallic. Perhaps a metallic tint is even ore conductive??? don't know, but part of the problem with radio reception in cars with rear window antennas is that some conductive tints actually establishes a conductive path between the radio antenna and the window defroster which is what causes reception to be degraded. This can be overcome with an insulating film over the antenna but who does that? The F1 film is supposed to be non-conductive. So don't have to worry abut that. And of course it should not (and appears not to) interfere with the Nav antenna on the rear shelf.

- Misc: I also got a clear bra on the car. The F1 shop offered to do an expended coverage bra using Venture (Xpel), the HO shop was using pre-made 3M kits with less than lifetime warrenty. The F1 shop knew a lot about Acura and MB tint scratching. They say the key is to clear the wiper and they don't beleive in moleskin. They say they don't have problems with srcatches very often but they will replace it if I do. BTW scratches are not covered by any tint warrenty. The tint manufacturer reimburses the shop for warrenty repairs, and this does not include scratches.

- In the end the eXpert shop on the 59 freeway did a very good job on the tint. The clear bra is still curing and there are water spots trapped under the film. They tell me this is normal and they will go away in a few weeks. I will post some pics when I get a chance. Here in Houston where it was 93 degrees last week you need a good tint and while the F1 was a bit more than the HO, in a few weeks I'll forget about how much I paid and just enjoy the car.

my

MattJP

BTW, 3M's Color Stable uses carbon instead of metallic or ceramic particles....

Rocket_man

Pics of my car with 35% Formula One Pinnacle. Taken on an overcast day.

tlbkcal

Feelgood, I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. I had my Sentra tinted a couple years ago and that happened. Does anyone know if this will happen for all tint jobs or is it a result of bad workmanship on the part of the tint shop? If this happens with my TSX also, I'd rather not tint it.

Rocket_man

I think it depends on the thickness of the defroster elements and the film. There is some of this on my rear tint but I don't think it has cured all the way yet. But honestly I don't really notice it. I just look right through. And my tint is not for looks, it is to keep the car bearable here in Houston TX. Can't live without it. If this is a real deal breaker for you and you don't need tint then you may want to reconsider tint. It may be less noticable with a lighter tint.

tlbkcal

you usually can't notice anything until night time when someone's headlights from behind shine through the rear windshield...then there's this "scattering" effect where the light from the headlights are scattered across defroster lines because that is where the tint film is not flush with the lines/window...it's kind of annoying

TypeRS

I got a quote from thetintpros and I was quoted $239 for all windows using FormulaONE Classic. Sounds kind of pricey. They also mentioned if my car doesnt have felt trim, it's addition $50 per side window to install. Does the TSX have felt trim?

For those with the Pinnacle film installed, how much were you quoted? (I have navi installed)

bjames2386

man the Tint Pros charge soo much, they do good work but I ended up going to another place in Mission Viejo, A Terrific Tint. Yeah the name sounds pretty lame but they really do some high quality work, google them and you'll find their website. I got mine done for $265 (student discount) with moleskin on all the doors, only thing is though don't let the guy influence your decsion on how dark you want to go, I regret not getting limo in the back...lol.

DC_TSX

I know this may be highjacking this thread, but what are the best shops in the DC/Nova area that offer F1 Pinnacle ceramic tint, ive had an itch to get this done for awhile.

jasonviper04

Has anybody got F1 Pinnacle in south texas?

Rocket_man

The car pictured above is mine and I live in Houston. There is only one dealer here in Houston authorized to sell F1. He negotiated an exclusive deal with them and so his prices are not the greatest. I know there are 1 or 2 dealers in SA. I just got the car so I haven't had it in the worst Houston heat, but it is a very optically clear film and at least in the short time I've had it it seems to be pretty good stuff and no Nav or Radio interference.

Threedom

We did 40% pinnacle on the TSX (black on black) and it looks great. Any lower would have been illegal in NC according to their light meter.

I did Ultimate F1 38% on my 330i because I don't have Nav and the F1 dealer here is fairly expensive.

BTW if you want heat rejection add 18% to the sunroof panel, it's a lot nicer and rejects a lot of heat. I was only charged $20 for that.

jasonviper04

I thought the picture looked familiar looks like the neighborhood that my cuz lives in.I go to houston a lot to visit family and friends so I will probably buy and tint my TSX in houston but I want to go with 5% tint.

jasonviper04

^^ Well I don't believe they have 5% if they don't than 15% if I can get them to do it.

Ride Slow Homey

just making sure you know.. tint percentages are based on transparency.. i've seen 5%, thats about as good as painting your windows black. Looks good, but you might want to go with something like 20%

jasonviper04

Yeah I had 20% on my tC and it was not dark enough for me .

DuckyTSX

LOL.... I just put 35% on my TSX and had 35 on my GTI.

I think 35 is too dark, I almost went with 45% and kind of wished that I did.

prnstr4life

find a reputable shop and go there. I paid $140 to have mine done since I get a discount at the place

slr

just got a new tints from the dealer, i figured that the side windows tints are slightly less dark than the rear, is that normal? its

klas

I had 35% on front and 20% back, it wasn't dark enough... but I wanted to stay street legal.... btw, anyone knows if LLumar film any good?

slr

35%front sides 20% back sides? what about the rear? anybody tried v-kool?

daftfunk

this is great tint. I have 3M CS-50 (50%) tint on all windows.
dark tint is sooo 2002! j/k

arrush

Anyone know who else makes ceramic tint aside for F1. I was going to do pinnacle all the way around, but they only offer 35% and 15%. I was hoping to find something like 20-25% so I could get away with using the same % all the way around. I'm in ontario and have black on tan so I figure with the light interior cops wouldnt bother me at 20%.

TOUCHOFDETAIL

TOUCHOFDETAIL

stuff sux if you're trying to do it yourself.