GuddsCLtypeS

i just got my windows tinted on sunday, 5% on the sides and rear, and 50% on the driver and passenger (VT state laws says ZERO tint up front but it just looked weird so i got the 50% to contrast the 5%). the guy that did it owns his own business called "Tint My Ride" and has been doing it for 15 years and guarantees his work, so i know i can have him re-do it if this problem im bout to describe doesnt solve it self.

it basically looks great all around..except the rear windshield..the trouble spots are: where the pieces of tint meet (cuz he had to do it in pieces due to the curve of the rear windshield) there is a visible white line, and on the top of the window where that big dot matrix is i can tell that its having trouble sticking. he said that after it dried over the next few days i could smooth it out with my fingers and it would go away. i gave it a full day and zero difference (there is also zero sun, its been raining all week and is supposed to for the rest of the week) so i called him, he said that if it was still like that at the end of the week to come back to his garage and he'd redo it for me.

did this happen to anyone else? and did it go away after fully drying? and i know im gonna get "this thread is worthless without pics" but its night time and theres no real need for em..after i get my m5 lip on ill post a thread with pics of the tint and lip done..

Shawn S

If he isn’t skilled enough to do the rear window in one piece I wouldn’t expect him to be any good at handling the “dots”.
Should have checked them out better before you decided to go there.
It might hold and it might not. Only time will tell.

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

any good tinter could have done it all in one piece.

ps. run your rear defroster as much as possible to help with sticking.

bim6180

yeah...mind was all one piece....have him re-do it..

sham

yea mine was all done in one piece

NiteQwill

A good installer can tint over dot matrix and one-piece. Get a new installer.

belcom

iTrader: (1)

mine was done in one piece but that area with dots also was fucked up. came back and they said there was nothing they could do about it. bastards! and that was Ting King in Toronto. They participate in all import autoshows all the time.

willieesco420

he has to sand the dot matrix for it to stick right.. And the other guys are right.. Any idiot should be able to do it in one piece..

m733l

iTrader: (1)

me too. one piece on my back window. had my tinter wet sand the dot matrix...came out great.

AcuraCl1

iTrader: (1)

Mine is one piece all the way up to the dots, and then I had a black vinyl strip put over the dots. Looks really good. My installer is awesome, and told me that unless you do some real work, and still most of the time, the tint will not hold up on the dots for a long time, unlike the vinyl strip.

As far as running the rear defroster, as from past experience, you do not want to run it, becuase the rear heats it back up, but alot of the time, it becomes sticky and does not want to stay on there real good. Thats where bubbles come into play.

Kramer1

iTrader: (4)

YEP that guy is an idiot.....Any reputable window tinter can do it in one piece!! Mine was tinted in one piece all the way up thru the dots. No problems sticking or anything!! That guy needs to stop thinking about his TV show and relearn his tinting skills!!!!

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

One piece rear in all my cars I ever had. The dots stuck fine in all 3 of my CL's.

treyster

You must have gotten a VERY good deal. It should have been in one piece. if he can't do it, I would get the rear window done at a reputable company. My guy did a so-so job on the dots, but it was all in one piece

sjammer

I would get my money back and go to a better shop. My rear window was done in one piece and the dots are fine.

rearwheelkilla

Mine was done in 1 piece also, but as stated before unless he is going to spend some time prepping the dots, its best to leave them untinted

I think its also best NOT to turn on the defroster as I was told my my formula one tint installer, it affects the drying process, she said not to use it for a month

o1s

mine is 1 piece as well, i didn't want to pay for the extra work for the tint on the dots though. i am getting a black piece of vinyl for the dots.

CL6

I want to get my windows tinted but I've seen the dots left alone, the vinyl put over them, and the spaces in-between hand colored with tint. Do you get used to having a smaller rear window (when the vinyl is in place)? This is what's held me back.

belcom

iTrader: (1)

isn't that dot matrix shit the internal antenna for the radio? I think I read somewhere that it is.

Titand19

ok everyone here was really nice.


I'll just put it out there, your tinter S U Cks and is a toolbox

NiteQwill

No, the antenna is in the glass next to the defroster lines. Hence the reason NOT to put any metallic tint over the glass. The Dot matrix is a manufacturing process to keep the glass together should something penetrate it. It bonds the two edges of glass together (automotive glass is 2 or more layers).

belcom

iTrader: (1)

akei, gotcha

GenXET

the problem with re-tinting the rear window is when you peel out the old tint, 99% of the time it will damage the defroster lines, and they wont work no more. So it is better to do a good job in the beginning then keep re-tinting the rear

Rpappi

you should not have had him tint over the dot matrix. it looks like crap. paint it instead.

Joshimoto

The back and side windows are not 2 layers, they are temperd only the front windsheild is two peices, the dots are there for astetic's only.

When I used to work at a shop that did window tinting we found the best thing to do is to tape off the area where the dots are and paint it gloss black, using black sticker material some times has the same outcome as the window tinting.

And any window tinter with 15years exp. should be able tint the back window in one peice easy, he was just being lazy.

GuddsCLtypeS

ok...im gonna try and handle all replies in one response lol

so i guess the general concensus is that his doing the rear window in 3 pieces was bad and didnt have to be done that way..if the tint isnt sticking to the dot matrix by friday he has told me that he'll redo the window for me. if thats the case, i'll have him sand the dot matrix like some of u said to prep it and then tell him i want it all done in one piece. as far as the option of going someplace else, i cant, i dont have the money to pay anyone else so his work is guaranteed so ill have him deliver on that till he gets it right..

and as far as him being a shitty tinter, i dont think so. he owns his own business and our local porsche/benz/bmw/land rover/honda dealership (yes all one dealership) calls him to have their customers windows tinted when they ask, he also does store front windows as well. ive also seen several cars done by him before, and they looked perfect, and on the local car forums about 10-15 people posted vouching for his work being awesome. so im really not too worried about it, i just dont wanna have to have him do it again and then have to wait for it to dry again and yada yada yada

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

I've read on AZ that people that sanded that area starting getting this brown (rust???) buildup between the tint and the glass.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

not really. The hotter you get the tint before removing it the better. I've heard from other people that have had their tint removed after years of having it on their car came out just fine. it's all in the technic and how hot you get the tint when removing it I believe.

Anyone else care to comment on that???

GuddsCLtypeS

uhoh someone else comment on this..i dont wanna have him sand it and then end up with a brown rusty buildup in a year...and if it is okay to sand it, how is that done? with a really fine grit or something?

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

try doing a search on here about it, you'll be sure to find the info with some good searching.

gingerbread

mine was one piece and they said they wouldn't tint over the dot matrix because it might not stick, but they did offer to put black vinyl over it. if he doesnt have vinyl just tell him not to tint over it and find a craft shop and do it yourself.

GenXET

im not saying it cant be done, but just most of the tinters are lazy and they will just rip it off which will damage the defroster lines in process. Even if they use a heat gun and take the tint off, there still a chance that it will damage the lines. Thats why I said 99%, if you are that 1%, then you are lucky

NiteQwill

Well, not on all cars. Most higher-end newer model cars now have two layered side and rear windows (a la Mercedes, Audi, etc.). The dots I heard from numerous glass places are there for a reason, to keep the glass together AND aesthetics.

But what do I know... I don't make automotive glass, I help people who go through it in an accident make sure they live.

acuracls6spd

My buddy owns his own tinting shop in maryland if anyone wants "PROFESSIONAL" tinting on there cars in maryland just send me a messege and I will get you the info... And yes it will be ONE piece and the dots will be sanded haha I can't believe that guy has his own buisness and is still 3 pieceing his work haha thats crazy oh well as I said just send me a messege if you want the best work in maryland without a doubt

shill1234

1 other thing to think about is the quality of the tint,If its 3 pieces it probably isn't a metal film.If it's not metal, then it's the cheap dyed kind, which means in about 6 months it should start fading into a wonderful purple kind of color.Hope purple matches your color of your car.

acuracls6spd

Hahah yea it will look like Barney sweat all over your back window... If I can remember correctly from watching my buddy, I think he used a dryer sheet and rubbed iton the window cause it made the tint more firmer and easier to handle so you can one piece it easy...oh well... this thread is getting beat... who cares

Darkness

lol @ "Barney sweat"

eddie30013

I had my whole window tinted with one piece and vinyl put over the dots. All the tinters around here said thats the only way to do it with the CLs

GuddsCLtypeS

i think ive replied to most comments but when it comes to the tint the guys using, its the best. he guarantees his work for life and said he has been using this same kind of tint for years now and not a single customer has come back with fading or peeling tint..the only thing i am worried about is the dot matrix. im going back on friday and telling him to either sand the dot matrix then re-tint it or re-tint it and then put a vinyl strip over the dot matrix..even though i really dont wanna do that.

Rpappi

from what i have seen painting the antenna looks ten times better.

this is mine when i was done.

GuddsCLtypeS

painting the antenna? u mean like filling in the holes of the dot matrix by hand? if thats the case how'd u do it and what kinda paint do u get, i want it to match the 5% tint if thats what i end up doing.