I have a Black on Black TSX (see Photo Gallery for pics), and I'm thinking about tinting the windows, any thoughts/comments? Also, anyone know what the tint limit is in California?

Hope everyone is loving their TSX as much as I do!!

 

I think tint can look really good. I like the look of 35% all the way around. It's illegal here in CA but it looks really good IMO.

In CA...itz 70% on the front doors and there is no limit on the back.

I'm lovin' the TSX too...Itz the shizznit....

 

I have 35% all-around but "limo" (don't know the %) on the rear window. I saw a pic of one in the photo gallery - ill see if i can find one

 

on your car i think you should tinted 5% in the back windows and leave the front
the way it is...my car's color is Carbon Gray and i had it tinted 5% in the back
windows and left the front alone...it came out really beautiful. Also it didnt effect
the NAVI system. I love my TSX ...it rocks.

 

Hey Dan - can you post a pic? Id like to see the tint

 

My friend has a black ITR with 15% all around. It looks really nice and isn't so dark you can't see back out of it. I'm planning on getting 15% on my CG TSX.

Limo tints are like 5% or something around there. I have another friend with a white GT-S that has 5%. It's crazy, like looking at black glass. The thing that sucks about them is when it's night you can barely see out of them yourself.

My opinion is that if you want to tint your car, get 25% or below for your car. I think the darker it is the hotter it'll look on any car. The only catch is if the police where you're at are going to be biotches about the tint. I know where I'm at they won't pull you over for any minor offenses (tints, no license in front, aftermarket headlights) but I hear if you do get pulled for speeding, they will ticket you for other things as well.

- pixel

 

One thing to keep in mind in LA is that the "meter maids" can and will ticket you for all sorts of vehicle code violations, including missing front plates and obviously illegal tints.

Anything is legal on the back windows here. Front driver and passenger windows legally must be at least 70%. Since the factory glass is usualy no more than 85% to start with, you don't get to do much on the front windows legally. In practice, the only thing you can really get away with and be 100% legal is a "UV shield" type of film that doesn't really darken much at all.

Also, keep in mind that people's experience with the tint impacting Navi seems to vary greatly. IMO it's a matter of the specific tint material (possibly even the specific batch) as well as the overall GPS reception in your area. After consulting with my tint guy (who's done several cars for me before) I decided to go with ceramic tint film rather than metallic for the rear windows. We did some testing, and the metallic materials did impact overall reception though it did not completely disable the Navi in this area. It might have become a problem in an area with more problematic reception though.

I have a light car with light interior, so the tint tends to be a bit less obvious. However, I don't particularly like very dark tints because they impact my ability to see poorly-lit things (like pedestrians) at night. Went with 35% on the back window and 50% on the sides. With the higher-end tint products you get very good heat and 100% UV rejection even with the lighter materials.

I also put an additional 50% tint on the sunroof. I find that the Acura/Honda sunroof glass is just not dark enough for LA sunshine. The tint guy estimated that the glass itself was somewhere between 30 and 40%, so multiplying that by a 50% tint means the sunroof is now somewhere in the 15-20% range.

 

I have a black TSX with 35% all around. Hasn't affected my navi, not that I can tell at least. As for radio not sure, don't listen to it much but when I do it sounds fine. There are a ton of pictures with 35% all around in the photo gallery on black TSX's. That's how I decided to ge tmine 35%. Beware if you want total privacy your definately not going to get it with 35% you can still see through the car, just not as clear. I just wanted to have the same percentage all around instead of tinting the back darker.

 

Tinting the TSX will be one of the first things I do to the car. My plan as of now will be to tint the rears 20% and the front 35% (Legal tint in Massachusetts). I think this should look pretty good.

Make sure you go to a reputable installer who has the good tint (ie. Llumar tint) because you don't want the tint to bubble and look shitty after a few months.

 

im going to tint my car 20 % all my windows and my cousin owns the shop so ill have him tint my whole windshield . I have my truck done and if you ever ride in a car/truck with it done u would want it done also ,there is no need for sunglasses when u have ur windshield tinted .I would highly recomend getting it done if u know a tint shop that is really cool and tell them to tint it light so cops cant really tell 100% ...just my .02
ill post pics sometime this week of my tint and parts , david

 

How dark are you doing the windshield? The only reason why I wouldn't want to do my windshield is because it would make it too dark to see at night, even if the car does come with HIDs.

 

I have black/black as well & am tinting it on Thu. This should not only help w/ the heat but also keep the interior from fading We are only allowed to do 35% and nothing on the front windshield.

On a Side Note: I think I have decided against the metal trim kit but still uncertain about the rear wing spoiler

 

Does anyone know of a place that does chemical tinting of windows? I'm not even sure what the process is called but I'm looking for that now, I know it's costly, but I would rather have the windows really tinted.

 

Yes for tints.

 

I recommend tints, but you have to anticipate getting pulled over at least once a year.

 

Definitely tint is the only way to go. Never been without it.

 

I just got a TSX as well and want to tint my cars with 35s all around. But like others are noting, I'm apprehensive about it because living in SoCal, I definitely don't want to get a ticket.

 

Does anyone have pics of 70% tint? It's the legal limit for the fronts in cali. I would like to get tint as well but want to stay legal and am wondering if 70% really makes much of a difference.

 

I got a ceramic tint....It's similar to the metalic tints in that in won't bubble or fade over the years. However it doesn't have any metal in it.

It's a little more pricey, but I think it's worth it. My radio reception, tv reception, & valentine radar have all not been effected.

I have 15% Formula One tint. If you can find it this tint is really good because I was given a plastic card with a barcode for my warranty. Formula One offers a lifetime warranty on the tint no matter who installed it. If the shop where I bought it closes I just have to find someone that sells Formula One tint..and they will do the work and get reinbursed through the tint manufacturer.

 

Go to

http://www.autowindowtintings.com///index.ihtml?

and click on tinting demo. The animated GIF will show you the effect of different tints--front, back, or both.

 

Thanks Dr. T. Unfortunately it goes from 0 tint to 35% tint. I guess that 70% tint makes almost no difference and is probably not worth it.

 

I forgot--the site I mentioned above also tells you what combinations are legal in your state. Cool!

 

Does metal tint really affect your car's reception? Some say do not use it while others say it does not really matter. Ceramic is a little too rich for my blood ... $400 So I think I am going w/ the metal & hoping for the best

 

I was about to get ceramic for $255 installed on the back doors and rear window. $400 sounds really high...unless you are doing the fronts too.

I heard that it does effect Navi and I'm not sure if I would risk it if I were you. Just save the for the ceramic because if you put it on and it does effect the performance. You'll end up paying for them to remove it and then put on a new tint. This could cost you a lot in the end. Just my

 

ARe shops able to install tint without scratching the tint on the TSX now?

I'd hate to get tint only to find that it scratches up easily? Or gets scratches, I'd like a 35% in all the rear glass and 45-50% on the front windows. I have 35% front 20% rear on my Accord and the 20% is a bit much for me.

 

All factory glass already has a bit of tint to it. This is pretty much inherent in the nature of tempered or laminated glass. Usually it's somewhere between 80-90% light transmission, but some are a bit darker. Legally, 70% is the darkest glass that manufacturers can deliver on a new car under Federal rules. There's no point in trying to apply film that is so light, except for pure UV protection.

It's somewhat inaccurate to say that California allows 70% tinting. California law does not allow ANY tint films to be applied to the front windows. You're limited to whatever the manufacturer chose to include in the glass (which of course can't exceed the Federal 70% standard). The one exception is that California law allows the installation of UV-rejecting tint films of no less than 85% light transmission to the front windows of a car. The owner is supposed to always carry a certficate listing the type of film used and certifying that it meets the California rule.

Realistically, I have put light tints (50%) on the fronts and had no problems, but I know people who have. These have always been people who parked in areas with heavy patrols and got nailed by the parking police. Darker interiors tend to be more of a problem because it always makes the glass look darker than it is.

 

When I went in to tint my car we did some testing. The FormulaOne dealer who I've worked with before told me that he HAS had problems with the metallic tints on navi-equipped cars before, but that he has also had some cars with no problems. It seems to be specific to the vehicle, the particular film (FormulaOne makes 4 different grades of metallic films) and maybe even the actual batch of film.

We did some testing with the navi in diagnostic mode, which allows you to see what satellites are being recieved and how strong the signal is. We used some scrap pieces of film that were placed on the rear deck, over the navi antenna and determined that even the high-end metallic film did impact the signal. Not enough to block it out completely, but enough to make several of the satellites fairly marginal. Some of the cheaper metallics (which are more reflective and contain more metal) were even worse.

I decided that the blocking was sufficient to be a problem in some situations: where the sky is partially obscured, limiting the number of satellites in view, where there are buildings around to block some or all satellites, when there's rain or other atmospheric disruption, etc. I went for ceramic on the back window and have had no problems.

As I said, it seems that there are a lot of factors that go into whether or not there will be sufficient impact to disable the Navi system. If you have a good tint shop they should be willing to work with you to test the system before you do the install. Info on getting into the diagnostic mode for the Navi is somewhere in the FAQ section.

 

Can someone post a link to their TSXs with tinted windows? And can anyone recommend a good tint shop in SoCal? Preferably on the west side. Cheerz.

 

 

I've used A-Pro Glass Tinting at 11715 Santa Monica Blvd. Did an excellent job with ceramic on the rear, high-grade metallic on the rest of the windows including the sunroof, and moleskin. He's definitely not the cheapest, which is to say you almost certainly could save a hundred bucks or so by going up to the Valley, but I've done three cars with him and he stands by his work 100%.

 

Thanks VeniceBeachTSX, I'll check that place out tomorrow...do you have any pics of your TSX?

Norcal, thanks for the pics, what % are your tints?

 

Sorry, no pics yet. Got a few things I want to do first and I'm in the middle of moving this week as well.

Hope you have a nice tint experience. As I said, those guys are good and stand by their stuff. I watched them and they clearly know how to disasseble everything they should (even removed the deck-mounted brake light) and put it back together again when they're done, which is worth a bit of extra cost to me.

If you want to save money around here, you've got to go up to the Valley. I've got a couple of references up there too if you want.

 

So I stopped by A-Pro Glass Tinting today...nice guy named Tom helped me out...I didn't get any tints yet cuz I have to think about how much $$$ I want to spend...the Classic series is the cheapest @ $169 and then the Ultimate is $359...plus he recommended getting moleskin on all doors for $50...tint is by FormulaOne

What are people's experiences with moleskin? And are those prices ridiculous or reasonable??

VeniceBeachTSX, what did you end up getting at A-Pro??

 

Those prices seem good, I'd get the mole skin too.
I paid $280 for regular metallic on my Accord. (friend of a friend deal.)
I'd gladly pay $300+ for tint on the TSX if I new it was a top notch job.

 

I got Pinnacle (ceramic) on the back because I have Navi and it was the only one I tested that did not degrade the signal at least somewhat. Ultimate did a decent job but there was some signal degradation.

I put Ultimate on all the other windows.

In a previous vehicle, I had used the Premier product, which was very nice but is highly metallized and much more reflective. I didn't want to mix it with the Pinnacle because the look is very different, so ruled it out for the side windows on the TSX.

Classic is a 100% dye tint, and Comfort is combination of dye and metal. Neither of these will be color stable in the long term. While they give a lifetime warranty on the installation, they won't guarantee color stablity. I would avoid both of these.

I don't think you mentioned whether you have Navi. If so, I'd go for Pinnacle (ceramic) on the back and Ultimate on the sides. (Or if you really want to blow lots of cash, Pinnacle all around.)

If Navi isn't an issue for you, consider either Ultimate or Premier. Both are very good products, but they look different. Some people like the more reflective metal look of Premier, some don't. Probably depends on the color of your car too.

Moleskin is definitely a good idea. You will end to get fine micro-scratches without it.

There are other FormulaOne dealers in LA. You can save money by going up to the Valley or down to Long Beach/OC. (Tint Pros in Huntington Beach has been recommended elsewhere on these boards.) Depends how much your time is worth. There is a real premium for any kind of service on the west side.

I just noticed that Formula One have finally updated their website, and it has a full dealer listing as well as product characteristics. http://www.formulaone.com/

As I said, I have had very good experience with both the product and this installer. I know I'm not getting the best prices, but the combination of convenience and known quality of work are worth it to me. YMMV.

 

It looks pretty snazzy on my NBP/Ebony TSX. I had the 35% smoked high performance Llumar tint & it does not seem to be affecting my Navigation but far away radio stations are no longer picked up as clearly ... small price to pay for less heat/fading me thinks

 

TSX69, can you post some pics so I can see what 35% looks like on a NBP...cheerz.

 

Tis supposed to snow tonite & I am sure U don't want picures of the car in the darkness of my garage
so it may be a few days b4 I can do this.

May also have to mail them to you since I do not have a web site to upload them to but I will be happy to take pics for U

 

You can use Photobucket.com for free hosting of your pictures. There are a lot of members, including myself, who use them for pic hosting.

 

Here are the pics from my Photobucket (keep in mind that I did not wash my car 1st & yes, I left the "Child killing airbag warning" on my car bc I thought it was funny in a twisted way:

As u can see, 35% really is not that dark; I wish the law would allow a lil bit more.

I am posting all 8 pics here 4 your convenience but if this is too much, let me know & I will edit it out.