is it true that some tint can ruin the interference of your navi, if you used a metal based tint on the back window?

 

I have heard that some tint can interfere with the Navi, but I have not experienced any problems with mine.

 

No problems with mine either

 

what about radio?

 

2moor - I just went though all this with getting my windows tinted. Yes - it is true that you can screw up your navi/radio reception with a metallic tint. I did extensive research on the net and by talking to 3 shops in the area.To avoid this issue you want to use a high quality non metallic tint, which most professional shops carry anyways. You might pay a little more but its definitely worth it. A good shop, who is not trying to cut costs and make a few extra bucks already knows that any car that has an extensive tech package should not be using a metallic tint

The shop that did mine used 35% Llumar Non Metallic. I have had no issues with nav/radio/satellite reception since it was installed 2 months ago.

Hope this helps.

 

yes, it can mess up radio too as well.
not just XM either, FM too.

check out the http://www.llumar-axcess.com/comparison.html
lol.

 

fack
the dude at the dealer said it only messes up the radio.
not the navi.
damn i will just save up a lil more
cuz i was getting a deal for 129 for all the windows
and then he bumped it up to 195 for the non-metal film tint

 

thats still a really and i mean REALLY good price for all the windows

 

Yeah, 195 is a pretty good deal. Make sure that includes the moleskin though. That generally runs about $10 a window. Also, when checking out tint shops, it helps to find one that uses the computer cut film rather than having them trim the film on the window. It's not uncommon for the leads for the antenna and/or GPS to be cut while the film is being trimmed on the rear window.

And no matter what kind of tint you use, it's not going to interfere with XM reception. The XM antenna is the little pod on the roof of the car towards the back. Its not integrated into the back glass.

 

That's a GREAT deal for a tint job - assuming its done by someone who knows what there doing. I paid $265 for the job on my car. Tint was cut on a computer plotter, and done by a guy who has been tinting cars/limos for 14 years.

 

That's the ideal way to do it. Did the $265 include the moleskin?

 

The guy at the dealer should not be trusted.

The GPS antenna is located under the rear shelf, right under the rear window. This antenna uses radio waves to receive signals from the GPS satellites to allow the Navi unit to calculate it's location. No radio waves, no location, no Navi...

Take this as an object lesson that "people" at the dealer aren't always experts, but will most often present themselves as such. There is a whole lot of misinformation that gets spread around between salemen and personnel at a dealership and distributed as gospel to unsuspecting owners. Even the service people have the same problem.

Do the research yourself, Acura Navigation System Owners Manual (2006 model, others should be similar), page 5, under "Accessories Precautions"..."If you have rear window tinting installed, be aware that if the tint has metallic properties, it can seriously degrade or prevent GPS reception."

Take that to the "dude at the dealer" and watch him say that they only put that in to cover themselves (thus covering his statement) and it's just legal mumbo-jumbo.

 

Sure did.

 

DuckDodgers - I couldn't agree more with your example about reading the owners manual. Obviously people, if its stated in the owners manual, the engineers have done testing and discovered that tint with metallic properties interferes with reception to communication devices.

I am an engineer myself at a medical company that designs life support systems. I cant tell you how many times the people who write the owners manuals come to the engineers to validate a warning printed in the manual. They don't just write a bunch of fluff in there to give the manual some substance.

As for the car sales people - the majority of them are FAR from experts. a LARGE majority of them have one thing in mind. What can i say to persuade the customer to spend a buck? NOT - What would I do if this was my own car.

 

yeah he is doing the 5 windows in the back, and then the two front side windows for 129 then for a better film he is doing another 36, and then 40 for both front windows.
so its gonna be 195. He is a guy i know, so i am getting a good deal.
dark in the back, like 35% and 65% in the front.

 

haha he was a foreigner, of asian descent. he may of thought i was talking about the 2nd gen tsx

 

i used to have metallic tint in my old car..it did interfere with my radio reception quite a bit..i had it removed b.c i dont like the way it looks either.

 

I've got metallic tint on mine and have zero problems. Think about it, it's surrounded by sheet metal. Is a thin sheet of plastic really going to have an effect on it? I've never had any problems at all, radio or nav.

 

Gen 1 TSX's specifically warn NOT to use the metallic window tint because it MAY cause interference.

Whether the antenna is surrounded by metal or not makes no difference. On G1 TSX's the antenna is shooting up through the antenna shelf and needs the clear glass to capture the already weak signal.

 

Then how do you suppose my 1st year nav has zero problems with metallic window tint.

 

Excellent. I got the dealership to have mine done. The guy they have there normally charges $250 for the Acuras if they're referred to him by the salesman, so $265 for a good quality tint job is a heck of a deal.