pvansh

I recently took my car in for service at the dealer and wanted to get some rattles in the doors fixed. I was told by the dealer that the door panels had been opened when I got my car tinted and that they were not put together properly -- hence the rattles. Long story short, they said they wouldn't fix it under warranty and that I should take it back to the tint shop or pay the dealer to fix it.

Two questions :

1) Do the door panels really need to come off to tint the windows? I never knew that was necessary.

2) Is it normal for a dealer to deny warranty on the rattles for that?

Thanks!

drdug27

some cheaper tint places do remove the panels and they do not put them back right, therefore the dealer is not responsible. when researching tint places make sure they do not remove door panels.

you can try to get the tint place to fix them but chances are they would just cause more damage. personally i would just cut my loses and see how much the dealer will charge.

GoHawks

Actually if they're going to do the job right they should remove the panels. You need to get the film below the top edge of the door panel so that it doesn't peel when the window is raised and lowered.

If it's not put together properly, then that is more indicitive of the type of shop they are.

Secondly, putting the door back properly involves making sure all the clips are snapped in. Not rocket science and I think the dealer was being a bit of an a$$ as a result.

I had the windows tinted on my RL. I watched them as they did it. He removed the panels to make sure he got the film down far enough. I was concerned about rattles and making sure all the LEDs in the interior door handles would work properly along with any rattles.

Absolutely no problems afterwards.

Ron A

If you want to try it yourself, here's some info from the 3G Garage

F-016: DIY: Front/rear door panel/handles/wstrip/glass/window regulator removal
https://acurazine.com/forums/car-talk-5/my-car-super-street-143797/
https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/trance-list-93985/

pvansh

Thanks for the info Ron, but I'm a little afraid I may break some clips or make it worse. How difficult is it to do and what is the likelihood I might damage something and make it all worse?

Distorted Reality

I had the same problem a local Tint place removed my door panels without telling me and managed to brake both my window cables on my front doors, and didnt bother to tell me they did it. A week later I took it to the dealership they told me that they apparently removed the door panels to put the tint on. They fixed it under warrenty only because I complained for 2 days straight. But any person who knows how how to tint will tell you, you do not need to remove the door panels under certain circumstances. Only reason why it would need to be removed is to make sure there is no excess dust down there, but thats only needed to do on older cars not brand new cars.

But thats a pain in the ass dude I know I had to deal with the tint place who denied every doing it and said The acura dealership was full of shit, in the end they didnt do anything for me or refund my money. But it sucks dude.

pohljm

Any top notch tint shop will be well versed in removing and reinstalling door panels on vehicles that require it for a proper job. On the TL there is absolutely no reason to remove the panels to do a proper job. You do not need to remove the panel in order to extend the tint below the sweep. the tint is cut long to extend and it is floated down on the wet glass. just like you do not need to remove the rear brake light housing to tint the glass inside there, just float it into place. Or you can have an inexperienced shop remove the panels and they will also trim around the light housing because they dont know any better.

Hopefully they did not cut off your sweeps like alot of hack places will do!

pvansh

The funny thing is, this shop is pretty reputable. I know a lot of people who have had their cars done there without any problem.

Do you guys think its worth going back to the tint shop? I know when I got my tint done they were very nice / helpful. But I'm thinking that they may make things worse if they open them all up again. Plus it has been a while since I got them tinted.

Distorted Reality

Hell yeah it is worthed, you paid for a quality job with zero problems and you got them. You don't necessary need to go back and argue with them, just go back and tell them your current problems with your car and how the dealership won't fix your car under warrenty. If they are a reputable shop like you say they will either refund your money, or pay for the damages to your car. If all fails file a complaint with the bbb.

Ernie Golfs

The shop that I go to has been in business for over twenty six years. Their work is always guaranteed 100%. They always remove the door panels. If the panels aren't removed, water will go down the inside the door during installation. Inside wipes need to be removed on the 04-06 TLs to install felt that prevents scratching of the tint film. If an installer does not know about the felt installation, he's not an experienced installer. If your installer does not remove the door panels and does not recommend installing felt on the inside wipes, he's not doing a complete and professional job.

GoHawks

I asked about that for my RL and he knew what I was talking about with respect to the TLs. Said it wasn't necessary in the RL.

pohljm

Wrong! The inside of the door is designed to have water running through it . The felt/moleskin wipes will not prevent scratching. They will give you a false sense of security. The only thing that will prevent scratching is using a top quality film and keeping the inside of your car and interior glass very clean. The felt/moleskin story is another way for an installer to generate revenue. removing the door panels when it is not necessary for the install is another way for you to develop rattles. And an experienced honest installer will level with you.

Jotas

Now this is becoming a tug of war. I was under the impression that for a professional install, door panels always come off, but now I'm hearing a different story. I guess I'll have to find out from the tint shop I eventually choose what their method is. I would imagine each shop has their own theory.

pvansh

Sounds like its based a lot on opinion. I know the shop I got mine done at said I don't need moleskins and I have had the tint for over 1 year and no sign of any scratches.

I'm taking my car to the dealer I bought it from tomorrow and I'll see whether they're willing to fix it or not.

darksom1

Wow...talk about right on time...I was going to get my baby (06 NBP 6MT) done up tomorrow, and now I see I need to ask some serious questions! Thanks for the 411!!!!

Good luck on getting your car taken care of. Some dealerships can be the antithesis of "professional". Still others, like mine, who fixed my 03 when it was out of warranty "technically" (date it went in service) because they wanted to be righteous unto me! I will always try to work with a place like that. It's those ones you have to fight tooth and nail with for an ounce of professionalism that irk the hell out of me! But it is what it is...good luck again!

jimmyl729

i like the discussion going on here as i want to familiarize the process of tinting.

here is what my tint shop did. i asked specifically to install felt and paid extra for it. they stripped the inner rubber wiper. i found out because of the excessive road noise and vibration of window. went back to shop, they said will replace the wiper with felt. now the wiper has been replaced with felt, i still hear road noise. this leads me to believe they have definitely taken the door panels apart and did not seal stuff back properly. i really doubt the dealership will fix it under warranty unless i find one really nice service department. im fukin pissed and dunno what to do.

bottomline is, wtf is up with all these fuckin ghetto irresponsible tint shops who fucks up your car for a simple tint job. IF U DONT KNOW HOW TO TINT A TL THEN ASK ANOTHER TINTING BUSINESS FOR ADVICE DONT JUST FUCKIN GUINNI PIG IT. those fuckin mother fuckers...

sandiegodrive

The place I got my 05 TL's windows tinted removed the door panels. They handle on average about 7 to 9 3G TLs a week. So far my car has had its 3M Carbon Tint (Due to Built in Ant.) for over a year and a half. No problems ever since. And no rattles...ever! Oh and the reason they have so much business is becuase the dealer recommends all new TL owners to this shop.

Tintguru

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I have been tinting for over a decade and yes in most cases removing panels is completely valid. ONLY IF YOUR FULLY EQUIPPED TO REMOVE PANELS OTHERWISE YOU SHOULDN'T BE TINTING! I prefer a perfect application as I warrenty my work. Dust, hair and small bubbles are rampant in a tint job if the panels are not REMOVED. Older vehicles the whole window should come out. I also run a full autoglass shop and tinting is one of the services we offer. So also having experience in that field is necessary! Most tint shops are just not equipped to remove door panels properly. Find that shop that has the experience and track work of quality work. I'm so sick of the no self respecting shop removes doors panels comment. Obviously someone that doesn't do it for a living.. These people are also the same ones that will complain when's there's crap or hair in the application. Yeesh!

wusty23jd

Welcome to Acurazine

Thanks for sharing your opinion and experiences. Obviously, this is a collective group of people from all walks of life, so it's always good to hear various perspectives.

Just a word of advice - Coming into a new group and throwing haymakers on your first post should be done with caution, especially when it's a thread that is 12.5 years old.