Called around a few reputable shops in my area for some quotes and the type of tint they use. The three shops I'm considering all use different tints, 3M FX Premium, Suntek Carbon, and Global QDP. Any experience with these brands or any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

 

I have FormulaOne Pinnacle series ceramic tint. Made by LLumar. Has been very good at keeping the temps low, and no radio interference as far as I can tell. Had it on for 2 years now, no issues so far. Highly recommended.

Not sure about your suggestions though, sorry

 

look past the brands and look at what material they are.

a dyed tint will be the cheapest. we all know what dyed tint looks like, as it turns color after a few years..fading purple tint! remember back in the 90s and early 2000s??

a ceramic tint is made with ceramic! and will offer the best in heat rejection and UV rays.

then there are metallic and carbon based tint. these are good options as well.


the better the tint, the more costly it is.

this is just a brief run down, as Im taking a break from working.

if you want to know more, google the key words above and research till your eyes are blue

 

I just did a nice 70% Global ceramic tint on my wagon primarily to keep the pooch cooler as the AC doesn't do much back there.


Since I've put it on I haven't had more than one non-rainy day but it seems quite pleasant.


There is no noticeable distortion and the frit and defroster lines are well taken care of - in part because of the product and in part because of having a great installer. I also did the moonroof and THAT has helped. If I were to do it again, then I'd probably do a 50% on the moonroof (the lowest VLT ceramic) but the 70% does the same heat rejection.

 

as xtc said, pinnacle

 

at the time, i did legal limit of 35% here in Texas. as soon as I did it, the legal limit dropped to 25%....

lol

but I do enjoy my 35%!!

If i get daring, i'd likely do a 70% on the front wind shield

and maybe 70% on the moon roof.


and my brand of choice for ceramic is Huper Optik.

 

I've heard Huper Optik is also a great brand!

I think it's probably illegal in most states to apply tint that darkens the windshield. If you're concerned about this, I would recommend LLumar Air Blue or something similar (strictly for the windshield).

 

right! 70% would be pretty clear. I would just use it for heat rejection as the front wind shield is the largest of all windows

 

Huper Optik is great tint - but - it is very expensive, hard to work with and very few people will do the installation. The cheapest quote I got for Huper was $700. Global was about half that (but I also knew the installer).


Most (All?) states have a prohibition against tinting the windshield. There are multiple reasons but the primary one is that you will add distortion along with reducing visibility.


Yes, the windshield is often the biggest piece of glass, but for heat rejection, a foil screen works better and doesn't reduce visibility when driving. People with certain skin conditions can get an exemption but the motor vehicle departments are cracking down on fraudsters. If you need tint for your eyes then sunglasses work far better.

 

I second ceb's recommendation for Huper Optik. I live in the Bay Area and did not want a dark tint, and did not want different tints on the front vs rear windows. I was more interested in heat and UV rejection.

I got 70% -- excellent heat rejection and keeps the car looking stock. Does not attract any attention from the police.

OP, if you PM me I can give you a recommendation on a Huper Optik installer fairly close to Berkeley.

Huper Optik is expensive, but one of the best on the market and comes with a lifetime warranty.

 

I have a 1st gen TSX and I just got my windows tinted about a month ago. The local shop that does tint carried SunTek window films. I went ahead and got their CarbonXP series on all 4 doors plus the rear window. I got the same CXP18(I think this is 18%) tint all around(except windshield and sunroof) cause I prefer a uniform look. It looks pretty dark from afar, but up close you can see right through. It does a great job against the heat in this South Florida sun.

 

+1 for Huper Optik Ceramics.

 

Curious as how durable a tinted windshield is to annual vehicle registration stickers. Not to mention toll tags and parking stickers. Anyways, replaced many windshields in the past due to rocks so tinting it is not worth it for me.

 

Part of my annual process for applying the registration sticker is to stick it on my pants or shirt enough times that it's just tacky enough to stick, but dirty enough to come off easy without a fight. Makes replacing them every year a simple job. Did the same thing with my toll tag.

So it's possible to do something so the stickers don't damage the tint. The thing the shop told me they could do is to leave a little cutout area where the tags go, so you can apply directly to the window instead of the tint.

There are ways.