I am thinking of tinting my 2005 Acura TL to keep the car cool in the summer from the sun. However, the Acura TL has very poor visibility. There are too many blind spots from my point of view. If I tint my windows and the back windshield, would it mess up the climate control system and the defogging functionality of the back windshield? Did any one have their windows and back windshield tinted? Any negative effects after tinting. What are the pros and cons of having tinted windows? If you had your windows tint, what shade level would you suggest? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you for reading.

 

ive probably got some of the darkest windows on the site and i have had no problems with the rear defogger. (2oo2 CL-S).

 

The only negative thing that can come from window tinting is attracting the cops if your tint is too dark. And to me, a car with 20% on the doors and 5% on the back window is a perfect combo. Some states I realize that won't work, but I have had no problems with that combination on 5 cars I have owned and lived in 3 states and traveled through many more.

Remember, tint will block UV rays and the heat that comes along with it. Your AC system does not have to work as hard to keep the interior cool. Therefore, your compressor is used less than a car without tint. The trick is, you got to have a tint with total UV block. Tinting without UV block will help with eye strain, but the rays of sunlight that carry the heat will go right through it. So, a good dark film with a high UV rating is the way to go.

 

I've had F1 Pinnacle on my TL for about 10 months and have had no problems with it. And no, it does not in any way, shape or form interfere with the climate control system. Tinting does help in keeping the car cooler. Most automotive tint (Llumar, SolarGard, F1) block 98% of UV light. Another thing to keep in mind is heat rejection and usually the darker the tint, the percentage increases. For example on the F1 Pinnacle 35: 99.5% UV Protection, 52% heat rejection, 60% glare reduction compared to the Pinnacle 15: 58% heat rejection, 81% glare reduction, UV protection is the same.

As far as how dark one should get it, that would be an individual preference and how much privacy you desire. I have 35% around. Some others will opt for 15Rear/20Sides and some will go 5% around. Do a search on tints and look at some of the photos to get an idea how it would look like. You should also view what your state law is and that can be found here at the bottom of the page. FYI, some installers will not tint darker than what the law states or they will have you sign a waiver. Hope this helps you.

One more thing, if you park outside during the day, a good UV heatshield will help. I purchased a UVS100 from Covercraft. It fits the contour of the windshield with no gaps and sags.

 

Thanks for the valuable information. I really appreciate your feedbacks.

 

Tinted @ 20% .. no probs with any function. Only drawback is backing down my driveway in the dark. With the reduced light coming in, and the darkness of my driveway, I'm almost always going over my damn grass. No probs during normal operation though, so I guess I'll just pave a wider driveway and be done with it.

 

Tint could attract thieves and break-ins. Often, tint is a visible sign that further mods can be found on the vehicle, including aftermarket stereos (although not as much of an issue on the TL as it comes with a high end stereo from the factory), etc. Also, tint is helpful to thieves when breaking glass. The tint makes it quieter and cleaner to smash the glass and remove it as a sheet. You just hear a dull thud and there's no shards flying everywhere.

 

dont park somewhere where you can get broken into, or keep a watchful eye on it. it sux not being able to go out anywhere these days without someone smaching your windows or dinging your doors.

 

... or stealing your Xenon HID's or getting carjacked

 

No Cons !!!!!!

 

That comment cracks me up! I have to say I 100% agree with you there. I have 22% all around and it's great, the only kicker is at night backing out of my g/f's driveway I just about take out the brick statues on each side

Other than the nightly backup vision, it's a wonderful thing.

 

It's a safety feature. It keeps the idiots from seeing you flipping them off when they do something stupid. This way you get to vent and don't get shot at.