Hello,

1st post here, thank you for all the knowledge that is shared.

I have a TSX that I got a week ago with the tech package. I want to get the windows tinted. The finance manager that tried to sell me tint at the dealer said that I MUST use Ceramic tint instead of Metallic.

She said that it will interfere with the GPS and radio signals if metallic is used. Any experience with this? The Ceramic tint is almost twice the price.

Thanks in advance.

 

some tint on some cars could interfere with the GPS and radio signal. but what kind of tint, on what kind of car, i am not 100% sure..

 

Metallic film has a good chance that it will interfere with the Nav system. However, there is two other cheaper films beside ceramic you can use. One is the cheapest which is dye based films. Dye films tend to fade after a while unless you get Formula One Tint. The other one is carbon based films. Cermanic is very nice and blocks alot of heat, but its mad expensive ranging from 400-600 bucks. Not worth it. Also do not buy anything from a finance manger has they always try to rip you off. Getting aftermarket tint might be cheaper for you. Also if you want something the finance dealer is selling you can negotiate that price as well. Good Luck lol I been searching on which tint is right for me also so feel free to ask me any questions you have on tint lol

 

I've used both ceramic and metallic and I have never noticed any difference in radio signals of any kind.

 

Metallic tint may reflect GPS satellites away from your navi's antenna, which is located below the rear deck. Only the rear windshield needs to be non-metallic (ceramic or dye tint). The door windows can be any type of tint.

There are three types of tint technology. The first is dyed tint. This tint was notorious for fading (turning purple) and bubbling. It has improved over the years, and now some manufacturers warranty against fading. Carbon tint is dyed tint, but carbon atoms are used in place of dye. This type of tint absorbs sunlight and converts it into heat. The heat is conducted into the glass, where the heat is pulled away by the air flowing over the glass.

The next kind is metallic/semi-metallic tint. These tints obviously have some metallic particles in them. This tint works by reflecting the sunlight away.

The last kind is ceramic tint, which does not use dyes or metallic particles to do its job.

The problem with metallic tint is that it has the potential to block/deflect satellite signals. Instead of seeing all of the satellites, your navi system might only see a few of them or hardly any of them. Thus, you need to either use a dye-based tint or ceramic tint for the rear windshield.

Personally I put ceramic tint all around because I wanted maximum heat rejection. I can park my car under the sun here in sunny southern california all day and jump into my car without any problems (except when I don't use a windshield cover and the sun bathes my aftermarket shift knob with lots of sunlight and heat).

As for radio signals, they shouldn't be affected. I have heard some people have had issues with certain AM stations, but who listens to AM now anyway?

 

You can install any kind of tints you want on this car. It wont affect the gps signal since the antenna is on the top of the vehicle, otherwise if it was on the rear windshield that would be a problem..

 

I was thinking the same thing, at least for GPS and XM. I am pretty sure the FM antenna is on the upper portion of the back window though. Which actually had me panicking when I thought the wires were cut from the dealer.

Matt

 

I was thinking metallic tint as well but the tint shop told me it would interfere somehow with the radio including XM, so I got carbon based instead

 

did u get suntek carbon nate?

 

OP - Welcome and congrats!

I'd stick with ceramic film just to be safe.

 

I have 50 percent Formula one Pinnacle on my White TSX and I've never ran into any problems. They're ceramic.

 

Does tinted window affect the key fob? i have tinted windows and i feel like the key fob does not work from far distance as it used to.

 

^ maybe ur battery is dying, doubt tint affects the fob

 

yea thats what i though at first but i changed the battery and it was the same. so i though may be just the key fob but then i tried with my #2 key fob and it was the same.

 

I agree, you got a very nice, brand new car, and you should get a ceramic tint. If you don't get the most premium brand, you can definitely do it for under $500.

If you go with metallic, you have nothing to worry about in terms of radio or fob interference. I can not speak for nav cause I've never used one.