RL RT Joe

Whats your long term experiance?

I had a discussion with my son about tinting the RL and he advised me not to do it.

I helped my son (at the time he was 17) buy his first car in 1998. It was a used 1997 Chevy with window tint that came from Texas. The tint job looked great at the time. 9 years later he is still driving this car but the back window tint is all bubbled up and is very difficult to look thru. He thinks this might be due to the rear window defroster heating and cooling

I tend to hang onto my vehicles for a long time and would hate to have this experiance with my RL.

So my question goes to those that have had tints or clear bras for ~8-10 years.

1) Do they still look good thru the test of time?
2) Did it cause more damage than good?

Thanks in advance
Joe

synth19

I have never owned a car for that long. However, on my other car it's been about 4 years since I had my tint (llumar-3M), absolutley no problems and still looks like day one. But then again, I rarely drive it in the winter (ie. rarely use the rear-defogger). As for bra's, I'm not a fan of them because I park downtown and in the city here and there. If some idiot bumps me, or if I rear end someone, my clear bra is toast. I'd rather just repaint my bumper every 3-4 years if chips get bad.

Scott in Houston

You can find tinting places that give lifetime warranty. You get what you pay for in tint. The higher end brands will hold up much better and they have warranties when applied by an authorized installer.

I'm lucky to hold onto a car more than a year, but I know from friends, etc. that a good tint can last 10 years.

123456SPEED

I've had all my cars tinted and never had a problem with the tint bubbling or coming loose.

as far as clear bra,
my 03 CLs had it from new and I removed it after 2 years. it had yellowed a lot and left a definite line across my hood where the edge was.
I guess it was from washing and waxing the hood. I haven't tried a buffer on it, but paint cleaners and clay bar did not remove it. The clear bra was pretty difficult to remove, and I thought the paint would surely come with it, but it didn't.

Treblig

Never had a problem with tints, but then I haven't kept any of the cars that I had tinted very long. However, I had my 2005 TL tinted with Formula One Pinnacle Ceramic tint which I traded in for my 2006 RL which I also have tinted with the Formula One Pinnacle Ceramic tint. The tint carries a lifetime warranty.

As far as the clear bras are concerned, I have thought about getting that done but just can't get comfortable with that line created by the end of the film. To my eyes, it stands out too much and collects dirt and wax which tends to highlight it even more. Like synth19, I'll just opt to have the chips and pock marks painted.

neuronbob

Can't help you with the tint other than that I went with a tint with lifetime guarantee. This is because in my extesive web research I found comments like the one above saying that the tints with lifetime guarantee are more likely to hold up for longer.

As far as the clear bra, I used Xpel on my TL. It was installed in the summer of 2004. When I traded it for the RL in 3 1/2 months ago, it had not yellowed at all. The 3M film used for Xpel and other films is apparently warranted against yellowing for some time (5 years? Don't remember off the top of my head). I have no problem at all putting a clear bra on my car because of this experience.

Edit: Good and regular cleaning is a MUST with a clear bra.

Jaysmith2000

I would just re-iterate the importance of a quality and warrantied tint job. I have an old I30 and it's bubbling, but my G35 coupe had no problems but I paid the premium to have it done right. I plan to have my RL tinted.

Infamous425

paying more $ does not mean you'll get a better tint job. it depends on how good the installer is. but most places have lifetime warranty against bubbling so that shouldnt be a problem. you should ask around locally.

and i prefer ventureshield over 3m

pimpin-tl

Even if you have the most expensive tint, most tint life cycle is 5 years at the most. It will either fade, or turn purplish.

We have Formula one on our old 01 Altima, and its now 6 years old. The tint has a slight purple color to it now, and it has faded. That tint was expensive too.

Using window cleaners with amonya (however you spell it) can cause the tint to go bad faster. Use ones that do not or soap and water.

I currently have used Madico and Suntek Films currently, and they are holding up just fine.

GoHawks

I don't agree. When I traded in my '93 Vigor (back in '01) it had tint on it that was close to 7 years old, and I had no issues with fading or turning purple.

The key is to never use glass cleaner with ammonia in it (that WILL turn it purple). I actually used a cleaner that was also a conditioner. Can't remember the name, but there are products out there.

I've had three cars with tinted windows and never an issue with bubbling. Can't speak to the clear bra.

Treblig

They way I understand it, the dyed films are subject to fading. Metallic or Ceramic based films are not supposed to fade and are supposed to be 99%+ optically clear.

neuronbob

I agree that all dyed tints fade at some point. Some of the better dyed tints are a bit better than five years nowadays, but I personally believe that anything over five years with a tint is pure gravy.

GoHawks, please find that conditioning product if you can remember it. I'd like to do what I can to preserve my tint.

backfire

I personally think its like the old saying you get what you pay for.... I have window tint on many vehicles and only had it bubble one time due to me trying to be cost effective. I have 3m Expel cut bras on 5 cars now and never a problem with their product. I did have another brand one time and it had issues. After all we all think we have the best car why not use the best products

taitando

It all depends on the quality of your tint as to how long it should last. In regards to the clearbra, I understand ealier years did get yellow, but the new generation shouldn't. As to stuff collecting near the line (i.e. wax, dirt), just use a q-tip with a solution of water and rubbing alcohol to take the stuff out.

pimpin-tl

Well the Formula one Tint was a metalized film with no dye. It still faded and turned slightly purple. And I never used Ammonia on it.

GoHawks

t was given to me by the tinter a while ago. It was called Filmchem 2000. I googled it but couldn't find it.