I have an appt to get my '06 Anthracite TL with navi tinted on Monday 6/19. I called a company who was highly recommended by a guy who tinted some of my residential windows. i called him today and asked him about moleskin and if he used it as i have read here it might be a good idea. He had never heard of it and said if the tint scratches to apply some type of lubricant to the rubber seal. Not sure if this would be AFTER he reinstalls scratched tint but he has been doing this since 1989 so quite awhile.

He also said that since VA does not allow tinting to go under the 3rd brake light he would cut around it. how will this look. He said I could remove it before I take it in and he will tint the whole rear window. If this is better how hard is it to remove the light or should I not even bother.

Finally, he said he used Solargard and that it comes with a lifetime warranty. AFter looking at solargard's website it appears the tints that come with a lifetime warranty have metal in them which I also understand is not recommended for the nav or GPS.

There are not many tint shops in my town so I'm not sure if I'm taking a chance on this guy or if I should just make a day trip to NOVA or Richmond or even Greensboro, NC to get this done if anyone has recommended places. BTW, I live in Roanoke, VA incase anyone from here is on this site. Thanks for the advice.

 

I think you should find a new installer. Good tinters with TL experience will highly recommend moleskin and remove the third brake light in their install. Another thing to look out for is if they tint the whole quarter window.

I have SolarGard True Grey NR on my car. No interference with the electronics.

If you were in SoCal I would recommend you a place. I'm sure a few members here can give you recommendations. Search is your friend. You can search my name with keywords "tint" or "SolarGard" for my other posts (some with pictures). My signature has a link to one of those posts.

Good luck!

 

So its better to get your 3rd tail light covered eventhough it is illegal? Will it reduce the brightness of the tail light by alot if i use 35% tint on the rear window?

 

I haven't actually seen it on after the tints. Maybe I should take a look at it. I don't think it will reduce the light output by much.

The reason to remove the third brake light and tint the whole rear window is for aesthetics. Also, if you clean your windows from the inside, you don't need to worry about peeling the film around that area.

Clear headlights, tinted front windows, no front license plate, tinted tail lights... illegal, but still done (at least around here ).

 

Since it is illegal in Va to remove the 3rd brake light and tint under it is why the shop won't do it. He did say if you brought it to me with it removed he would tint the whole window. In looking at the rear window from the outside the black around the 3rd brake light seems like it would hide the fact that no tint is under the light. Is it difficult to remove it. I will make sure, if I use this guy, that he does the qtr windows under the gasket. That does look bad. Also, I will make sure that if I get scratches he will replace the tint. Without that promise I may hold off doing it. Wish moleskin was found in the local auto parts stores.

 

GET THE MOLESKIN. the people on this site know what there talking about. that guy most likely doesnt have a whole lot of experence with 3rd gen TL. the people on here do. remove the 3rd brake light. its not that hard if it is anything like the 2nd gen. we just slid a slimjim under the left side and pulled it out not a big deal. im sure that the police dont inforce that one anyway they can still see you through the window and can still see the brake light. not only that not all cars have a 3rd brake light. most do but some dont. i dont see why anyone would inforce that unless he is having a really bad day and you talk back and be a dick

 

Actually it is very simple to remove the 3rd brake light cowl. The light doesn't come off, it is just a cover around the light.