Decayin

Does the TL come with factory tints or is that how the glass is?
My TL has a blu-ish fish bowl looking hue on the windows.
I'm trying to get them tinted, but this guy says he won't do any
jobs with windows already tinted?

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

The factory tint is 75%

This tint guy is crazy. I'd go elsewhere if he won't do it.

RedsTL

So what's the formula for how dark it will look adding another tint on top of the factory tint?

75% + 15% = __ % ?

Would it be .75*.15 = 11%
and .75*.35 = 26%

musty hustla

If you want confirmation...he's correct.

RedsTL

This makes me rethink my whole tinting situation again. lol.

Decayin

So should I ask if he could tint over it? or are you supposed to remove it before applying new tint on the windows?

mn2trance

You can't remove the factory tint as that's how the glass is already made. You can apply tint to the windows, including the little quarter panel one. If your tint guy can't do this, then that's sad. I'd go elsewhere.

raidertrh

My tint guy also told me that my '06 TL' s windows already had a factory tint. I had no problem having him tint them with the 30-level tent all around (except for the windshield). Looks sweet.

Decayin

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll see what this guy says.. he's offering a pretty good deal, but idk..

Can you post a pic of your 30-level tint all around?

Bearcat94

It's not quite that simple because even plain glass has some reflective value. IOW not 100% of light will pass through plain, untinted glass. That factor is unknown, but based on some data I found at 3M, I think it's about 85%, iirc.

Setting that aside the way it works is [Current % Transmission x % Transmission of the New Tint Film].

IOW, if the factory glass is 75% and your unapplied tint film is 38%, it's approximatley [.75 x .38]=.28 or 28% when finshed.


Also, FWIW, in the past users here have measured the OE glass, as delivered, with a tint-meter like the popo use and it was pretty close to 75% (I don't recall the exact number, maybe 72% or 76% or something on those lines).

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

Wrong. I had my factory tint removed when getting my new tint installed.

It's not 'how the glass is already made' at all. No idea where you got that idea from.

I would suggest you to get it tinted over the factory tint. I asked them to remove my tint and I was charged a extra $75 just for tint removal . Now I wish my tints were darker (currently 35% front driver/passenger, 20% back windshield and back passenger doors). I want 20% front windows and 5% the rest of the car. All this could have been avoided if I just got my tints installed over the factory tint.

Falcon1772

how did you get it removed? I too was under the impression it was how the glass was made...

Bearcat94

That's sure what I thought. That the "plain" OE glass itself was colored, not film tinted.

mn2trance

Please explain as I'm not the only one who had thought of that as you can see by the other posts below.

Here's the part number for the front window on a 2007 TL

013 73300-SEP-A20 GLASS ASSY., R. FR. DOOR (GREEN) (APTECH)
014 73350-SEP-A20 GLASS ASSY., L. FR. DOOR (GREEN) (APTECH)

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

I didn't remove it, the tint shop did.

I was just now driving and saw a early 04-06 TL with NO window tints at all. The sun was down and it was dark out, but when we were parked next to each other at a stop light with a street light post at the corner, I could clearly see into his car. It wasn't even slightly tinted a bit, just straight up glass.

Also, my friends girlfriend has a WDP 07-08 TL non-navi and NO TINTs on her car. When I compare her window compared to my car when I first got it, her windows are clearly not tinted from factory (looks just like every other car that is straight up see-through glass, not the slightest bit of tint).

Here's how my car looked when I first got it.





I DID BUY THE CAR USED IN JAN 2011 so it's possible that the previous owner got it tinted, but I was always under the assumption that THAT WAS factory tint. When I took my car to the tint shop they told me it was already tinted and asked me if I wanted to remove it, I told them to remove it and they installed 35% front and 20% rear. As you can see here.





Now I don't know if the previous owner lightly tinted it, as seen in my first set of pictures, but I know for a fact that the tint shop was able to remove it and installed the new tint over it because if the 'factory tint' was still in place my 35% front / 20% rear would be ALOT DARKER combined with the 'factory tint'

Reason why I say 'factory tint' is because at this point I'm unsure if this is indeed the factory tint you guys speak of, or if it's actually tint the previous owner got installed him/herself. Like I said, my friends GF 07-08 base TL windows look nothing like the windows on my TL when I first purchased it

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

The TL that I was parked next to at the stop light tonight, as well as my friends GF WDP TL windows both look exactly like this TL in this picture



I'm completely lost now as to what is considered 'factory tint'. Is it the picture above? Or is it the very first pair of pictures I posted in my post above?

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

That is not factory tint. The previous owner must have had it tinted. That's almost as dark as my 35% window tint.

This is stock. It's not much of a tint at all. Just a faint coloring in the glass so its not 100% see-thru.

Dsrtne1

iTrader: (1)

^+1

That's aftermarket tint. The factory tint is n the glass and it's almost not noticeable.

Edit: factory tint is also NOT removable.

Bearcat94

^^ Good example.

Factory doesn't do a film tint (I'm pretty sure), but as mentioned the factory glass measures 75% on an actual tint meter.

Some dealers will ADD a film tint to the new car and that might lead some to believe that it's a "factory" tint.

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

OK so that pretty much explains my confusion. I always wondered why I would see some TLs with very lightly tinted windows like you guys mentioned and posted pictures of. Now I know what you guys mean when you say factory tint.

So when I bought my TL it pretty much came tinted 50% front and rear. Either it was 50% front and rear or 35% front and rear.

Falcon1772

Factory is what they call Solar Glass, Its UV absorbent, which keeps the heat down. If I have the window half open and the shadow of the window is on my skin, that part of my skin is cool while the direct sunlight part is hot.