She-L-S

I know everyone here has recommended that I tint the windows on my new (gold) CL-S. I've always had cars with dark-tinted windows, but I've never had to get it done myself. I was talking to my dad about it, and he mentioned that he doesn't think it's a good idea because they use the tint film instead of baking it into the glass. Basically, no matter how well they do, it'll eventually get peeled, bubbled, scratched, etc (e.g. my last car) and will never look as good as it would if it were a factory tint. He thinks I'd be screwing up my car.

1) What are your experiences with aftermarket tint?
2) How do you find a shop that does QUALITY work?
3) Is there a superior brand of film?
4) What should the tint warranty include?
5) Is there a way to tint the windows without the film??
6) Does $240 for 35% on the sides and 20% on the back sound right?

Thanks guys! I tried searching for it, but the word "tint" comes up so many times in this forum that I would've spent YEARS looking through them! Appreciate the help.

~Kristine

JBlueCLS6

iTrader: (2)

Thats definetly overpriced for a tint job.

Where do you live, you should post that and people who are in your area could give recommendations on where to go for what I'd believe is alot less expensive then that.

I payed I think around 150 for my job and the % does not change the price.

Also most places offer lifetime warranties in the event that your tint does bubble or peel. ANYCAR looks better with tints as long as it isn't a ghetto job.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

$200 is about standard. I did mine all around in 5%. I don't rexcommend it. It looked great, but I got pulled over a couple times. I was always able to talk my way out of it, but IMO, it's not worth it.

I would do 20% all around. Try to make sure the guy doing the work does the entire back window. Some will try not to tint the very top.

Like JBlue says, most places offer a warranty on their work.

She-L-S

In WA, the legal limit is 35%, and I'd like to keep my car legal. I don't like people seeing in my car, but I don't need it to be TOO dark either. I'm doing it mainly for looks and privacy, although it'd be nice to have in the summer too. If I do it, it won't be until the weather warms up, so I've got a while to research it. I live in Eastern Washington, so any good tint shops in the area would be helpful!

Paclark01

1) What are your experiences with aftermarket tint?

Personally, I have had great luck with aftermarket tint. My SUV has the factory embedded tint from the factory, so I understand where the concern comes from about installing something on the window comes from. I have 3M Titanium Tint on my CL-S and have not had any problems. I had the same tint on my 2001 CL-S as well, and when that car was totalled my tint was 5 years old with no signs of bubbling, fading, cracking, or discoloration.

2) How do you find a shop that does QUALITY work?

I visited various shops and looked at their work. On top of that you should inquire about lifetime replacement warranties on the tint and installation. A lot of these places are fly-by nite and don't last longer than a couple of years so take your time and find someplace that has been around for a while. Consult with friends or others who have had similar work done.

3) Is there a superior brand of film?

I would say stick with 3M or Solar Guard. They have been around for at least a decade.

4) What should the tint warranty include?

Only purchase tint with a lifetime warranty, and lifetime on the labor too if possible.

5) Is there a way to tint the windows without the film??

Not that I know of, but may be someone else on the forum knows something I don't.

6) Does $240 for 35% on the sides and 20% on the back sound right?

I paid $200.00 for 20% on all widows (except the winshield), but it was on discount from $259.00. I use Ziebart as the installer for my window tint. They offer lifetime warranties on their film and installation. You pay a bit more, but their customer service at the location I use has been great.

Check out www.Ziebart.com for a location nearest you... Lol.. Sounds like a cheesy sales pitch.

JBlueCLS6

iTrader: (2)

Just a suggestion....

Most laws vary from State to State and depend on which windows you're tinting.

For Example I think in Jersey you're not supposed to tint your fronts whatsoever or it might be 35% but the rears can be pretty damn dark. Don't quote me on this because I'm not certain it is accurate however the general concept of it varying from state to state and the windows you're tinting usually DO vary.


I would do a very dark tint in the rear window (I myself did 5%) and 15-20% all around minus the windshield of course. Thats what I did. Doing the rears dark will keep out a significant amount of light and make the car appear darker even with the lighter tints on the side.

She-L-S

Yeah, that's how it is here, thus the 35% on sides and 20% on back. I'd still like rear visibility, so I don't want it too dark, and I think 20% looks nice.

She-L-S

I checked...no ziebart in my area. I'll ask around about the 3M and Solar Guard though. Thanks for all the help. Any advice is great!

mclarenf3387

As long as its a reputable shop that uses quality tint, you should have no problem with the tint over time. Stick to brands like 3M, Solar Guard, Huper Optik and Llumar.

My brothers car had tint on his old car for 7 years and it looked fine. I've had mine on for about 3 years and it still looks like new. We both used the same well known shop so we have no worries. Plus they back their work with a life time warranty which any reputable shop will.

jzhu625

iTrader: (2)

i got 20% tint on my White CLS

ljmushock

wow... i paid 250 for mine... comes with a lifetime warranty against any type of peeling bubbling cracking etc... looks flawless too... were talking people who have been in the business for 20+ years... if you go to the right shop you will be satisfied w/the results... i have 20% on all the windows, could not be happier.

ljmushock

oh... ps.... i love how all the guys are so informative and post such long nice repsonses... haha if you were a guy youd get a "NOOB!" and "USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION"! haha

BigLizard

just do NOT put metallic tint on the back window. I have tint on my baby and I think it looks

I've had no problems with it. I paid 200 bones for mine.

Zippee

Ask your dealer who they use for new cars.

Down here most people buying new cars want a darker tint than the factory put on, so it's a dealer option. If they have problems the dealer has to warranty them so they know who is good and who isn't.

She-L-S

Thanks Zippee...that's exactly what I did. They sent me to a guy who's been in business 21 years and does tint/detailing. He's the one who gave me the $240 quote. I didn't catch the brand of tint that he uses, but he said it has a lifetime (non-transferable) warranty against bubbling/cracking/peeling/discoloration, but NOT against scratching. He said he thought there was a tint somewhere that came with a warranty that included scratching but couldn't think of the name. The warranty is from the tint manufacturer, not the shop.

iisylentii

I paid 120 for my tint and i thought that was alot. You guys are paying double the price.

YeuEmMaiMai

I paid $180 since the back window was already tinted. Life time warranty by sunguard of mn. They have been around for quite some time

Time For Sleeep

lol. that's so-cal for you.


most places should have a lifetime guarantee for you. make sure you don't use metallic tint, i paid 120 for five windows as well, and I think that's it off the top of my head.

NightRider

In CO, I paid around $225 for everything 5%, and nothing on the windshield. Shops around here have been known to charge a slight premium for limo tint.

I have had my car tinted for almost a year now with no noticable signs or wear or bublling or scratching. I used a dfferent shop when I had the 04TL. The tint begun to scratch after a very short time, so I do believe you have to find a reputable shop. I went back to this shop a couple months later to ask about the cratching and they no longer existed! lol

If you are very worried about getting pulled over for tint (most cops have better things to do), dark on the back window and lighter towards the front is good. In my opinion this can sometimes make the car look a bit non uniform though. Say for example your state legal limit is 30% tint... If you get 20% all around it will give you better coverage on the inside, but won't look dramatically different from the outside. Not enough to get pulled over anyways...

I have heard that metallic tint can interefere with radio and nav units, although I think it looks unique.

rp_carbiz

She-L-S,

I am the distribution sales manager for a window film manufact. If you PM I with what part of WA you are in I can send you in a couple of good directions.

As far as price of a tint job, it is market place, film and installer that will effect the price. If you came to my shop in ATL with your car, I charge $275 for the car and even more for darker films. You are paying for how good the installer is and the film. The darker the film, the harder it is to see to cut the film and the thicker it gets.

I would stay away from any thing 3M makes. They do not make any of their products and are not made well. They will turn colors and have adhesive problems.

The film you are asking about that transfers from owner to owner is Sun Guard. I would not go with them either. They are having major money problems and their film is junk.

There are only a couple of companys that make film that I would think of putting on a car. You are looking at Aegis Films, Llumar and Solar Gard.

I have many customers in WA area. I will be more than happy to help you find the right one to tint your car.

kings4987

I payed $140 for 20% all around... its llumar film... looks great...i would ask around for a place thats recommended and if any of your friends have theirs done and it looks good. Wherever you get it done stress to them before they do it about the top of the rear window. i had to get mine redone because the first place messed it up. good luck get those tints

OrngeAc3.2

i paid $140 for 20% on all windows and an extra $50 for my windshield....if you stay somewhere b/w the 120-160 dollar limit you're good on price...as far as bubbling and all of that garbage, if you dont open your windows untill all of the initial bubbles evaporate, then you shouldn't have a problem with this....but pretty much any tint shop will give you a lifetime warranty on your tints...just make sure you keep your reciept...good luck with the new gold CL-S...btw, go 20% all around, dont get different shades on different windows, looks cheap!

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

I've had 8 cars with Llumar tint in various shades & I only had 1 problem. As long as the tint has a lifetime warranty you'll be fine. Prices vary by location & time of year. For me it varied from $160-$220.

She-L-S

Thanks for all the advice! I can't really "ask a friend" for advice because I live in a college town. Just about nobody who lives here is FROM here, so none of them had their tint done in town. Also, I REALLY want to keep my car legal, so I'm not going any darker than 35% on the side windows. Would you still recommend keeping it the same shade all arround and just do the back 35% also, or should I go 35% on the sides and 20% on the back?

Rpappi

where in washington are you. there is a tinter in the TSX forum that has a shop in fife. i have 20% and i have never been hassled at all by police. it no too dark and not to light. and visiblility is still good. if someone behind you has misaligned lights its still blinding.

OrngeAc3.2

just go 35% all around, it won't look too light b/c you have darker interior...but 1 shade all around is def. the way to go....post some pics when it's done

She-L-S

Thanks anyway, but Fife is a good 300 miles away from me

I'm not worried about being hassled, I just want my car legal. Period. 35% is plenty dark for me. I'd like to keep it classy, and too-dark tint on a gold car starts to look odd if you ask me...

spdy0001

I paid $110 for all windows 35% llumar lifetime warrenty. I will always do 35% cause its the best imo and ive never been hassled by the cops. I found this guy by stopping someone in my development who I have noticed has multiple cars tinted and it looked great. He suggested this guy and I found out that the tint guys does all the work for the local dealerships. Going direct to him I saved about a third though.

Find someone who can tint the whole rear window in once piece including behind the brake light and over the dot matrix on the top.

PimpCL23

DAmn! u guys shell out a lot for some tint!... i payed $110 for limo on all the windows... and it came with a life time warranty so, if it peels, bubbles or fades i could get it replaced for free!

edit: didnt see the post above mine... we paid the same!

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

I think if you're trying to stay pretty legal, then I would do 35 for the fronts and 20 on the rears. Just remember what I said before and get someone that will tint the entire rear window.

Also, fyi, our car has a factory tint to it, so although the film you are adding to your window is legally 35, you will likely read lower because of the factory tint.

My advice is to head to a tint shop. When I had my Maxima, I asked one of the guys that worked there to apply a small piece of scrap to the window so I can see what it looked like, and he put on a piece about 1 sq foot and it gave me a good idea what I wanted to get. I ended up getting 20% all around and loved it.

smooth CL-in

NOPE! No grade of tint is allowed on the driver and passanger windows. Two tickets to confirm.

foreveraflboy

I had mine done in the silver/metalic tint. I'm not sure if I went with 20% or 35%, but I believe it was the latter. Most people on here will say to not do the silver/metalic tint but I think with our color it plays very well. My friend has a PDG with dark tint and I truely believe that it does not look as good. Not to mention that I was told that it actually relfect more heat while allowing better visiability. Search under my name for pics or check out RonJon's site (two different on there with my car in my front yard) and see if you like it.

She-L-S

I think it looks great on your car (wish I would've known about that color before I bought mine!)....but mine is Naples Gold Metallic...still think it would look good??

YeuEmMaiMai

in MN it is 50% and none allowed on windshield. I went with the next lower grade (38%) and it allows plenty of light in. Pulled over once for a speeding violation and never asked about the tint so I think it's OK

CL6

Good thread. I've seen many CLs with tint. Never happy with how the back window is done. Either they put tint over the metallic grid and there are air bubbles, they put an opaque covering over it and it makes the rear window smaller, or they paint the holes and the rear window looks smaller. This is why I don't tint. Anybody know what I mean?

hornedfrog2000

15% all around ( I will go 5% next time.). Lifetime warranty, from a reputable, and long time dealer for 170$. The brand of tint was like fillmar or something like that, and is guaranteed not to turn purple, bubble, or anything like that. Tint makes a car look 5 times cleaner, protects the interior, keeps your car cooler, and protects the eyes from UV. One other thing, any tint around here is illegal, I drive past police all the time and they must figure they have better things to pull people over for I suppose, but I am also not out at 3 in the morning or giving them a reason to pull me over other than the obvious.

girls call me pogi

Does the tint get darker as the number gets higher or lower?

And what methods of tinting the windows are there?

Rpappi

when they talk about percentage its the percent of light that gets allowed through the tint.

50% is lighter than 35%
35% is lighter than 20% and so on.
limo is 5%. so only 5% of light gets through the window and 95% get blocked out.
most people get between 15-35%.

Rpappi

5 minutes ran out for editing

hmmm methods. i may miss a few. so anyone that sees anything that i miss or say wrong please correct me.
there are some tinters that will remove your door panels and some wont it really doesnt matter a whole lot. good tinters even with the door panels on still get a few inches into the door.

and the antenna on the back of the car. some people put a gel on the antenna to get the tint to stay right. some use a heat gun. and others wont tint on it but will apply a black vinyl strip so you cant see through it at all. what i did with mine is i used interior auto spray (black) and used the template from the tint and covered the inside of my car. then sprayed it out. it worked out great. either the vinyl or the spray IMHO looks the best.
HERE IS MINE

girls call me pogi

Are there special tints that won't darken your view from the inside?
I've been in tinted cars and I don't know if it's bad tint or whatever but it's a world of difference when you open the window.