Hi all,

Do any of you have specific brand of tinting product that you recommend??
(I googled it...came up with ceramic being the best there is...but also comes
with higher price tag... Am I to understand the next best thing is carbon?? I
am not sure if carbon will cut the UV and stuff as much as ceramic??)

I will be receiving my car hopefully by the end of this month and wondered
if I should ask the dealer to tint it or take it to the specialty shop...

Would you recommend one over the other??

Thank you for your time...

 

I would take it to a place other than the dealer. Most places will give you a warranty on the tint.

 

x2 on not taking it to a dealer. They are just a middle man looking to make money in the deal.

I live in sunny and hot Phoenix and recommend SunTek window films. It's a pretty popular brand with installers and has all sorts of fancy grades. I've stuck with carbon in my vehicles. Sometimes the best isn't the most expensive.

 

I had Huper Optiks and love it. It really cuts the heat.

 

Just go with the reputable brand and a place that offer lifetime warranty on the workmanship and tint material against defects (bubbles, fades, etc). I had tried both ceramic and normal tints and they were all very effective in keeping your car cool. Ceramic may be the most effective but I don't think by much compared to its high costs, imho. the one thing I dislike about ceramic is the 'rainbow' hue it gives off...

 

I found a groupon for a local shop that uses Suntek Carbon XP for half the normal price so I'll be doing that in a few weeks from now. I've been doing research and for some reason installers used to really not like Suntek but now I think they've really improved their film.

 

I have a customer that tints high end cars and they use 3M. Here is a link to 3M and their premium tint line. Choose a tint shop that has been in business for for many years and includes a good warranty.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...omotive_Films/

 

Thank you everyone for your two cents~!!

I will probably take most of your advise...take it to the specialist.
As I was wondering about the quality of the tint of choice at the dealership...
(tho most convenient option...but I think I should consider otherwise...)

I would be very happy if the tint can mainly reduce the heat...maybe
reducing the rays second...

 

My dealership quoted over a grand for R60 tint including sunroof. Unbelievable. No data on film type or warranty either. 400% markup...

 

Sun Tech Carbon. Whatever you choose though get Carbon, it is the most expensive and hardest to set up but, gives you the best protection and looks the best.

 

I got my CM tinted about 2 weeks ago with Llumar CTX ceramic, 30% front & 15% all around including sunroof. It makes a drastic difference as far as preventing heat in the car. I plan on doing 80% Llumar Air for the windshield soon for more heat resistance since the summer is coming.

I didn't get it done from the dealer, went with a reputable tint shop. Lifetime warranty & the shop has been around for almost 30 years. Most shops will offer lifetime warranty but be careful, if the shop is not going to stay in business then your lifetime warranty is useless.

 

I would suggest not tinting the windshield because a lot of states it is illegal and can be unsafe at night.

 

Yes, I know it's illegal in most states, buy with 80% you can't even tell there's tint on. 3M Crystalline Air & Llumar Air are made for the windshield without any dyes. Haven't done it but still debating.

 

I have always taken my vehicles to a place here in Florida called Window Kote and they use Solar Gard product (http://www.solargard.com)

I have a combination of Galaxie and HP Charcoal. One is darker and went on the rear windows and hatch window, the other is a little lighter and went on the driver/passenger door windows.

I also got a sun-visor strip installed and it looks great.

 

Thank you for keep posting your stories and etc,...
It is surprising that the dealer can price it that much higher...(and without telling
what products they actually use...)
I found possible specialty shop...they seem to be reputable(according to reviews on
yelp...they said they use Sun Tek products(carbon)...so I will see once I get the quote
for my car...
Oh...just one more question...will tinting the sunroof make any difference in resale
value of the car??

 

I can't put much into what is good today but my 9 year old Llumar still is great.
I prefer it even to 3M.
Whoever you have install it make sure you get good film.
And make sure the film company will warranty at other locations in case your installer goes out of business (it does tend to happen with tint installers).

 

F1 Pinnacle is the finest window film you can buy, period.

Huper Optik Ceramic gives an off angle purple hue. SunTek CXP is actually standard deep dyed film with a little carbon in it which is mostly a gimmick. SunTek's other films have this carbon in them as well and they purple up really nice. CXP also has an off angle haze which is ugly.

Go with F1 Pinnacle.

 

One subject that has not been mentioned is RF (radio frequency) attenuation with certain types of film. I think it was the carbon film. If you use a radar detector like a V1 that has a rear facing antenna it will reduce the sensitivity of the unit. When I had both of my cars done, I had the rear window done with a different material. It can also effect cell phone reception in marginal reception areas. Unfortunately I can not remember witch is which, but you might ask your tinter or do some internet research.
Incidentally, I paid $200 or 250 to have all the windows done on the Mini in Ft Myers last year. Strange part was they charge the same for every car no matter how many windows you have. I sort of felt cheated because the Cadillac next the Mini was charged the same. My M3 was $275 here in NC with the same film arrangement; different on the rear window.

 

Tinting the sunroof will not affect resale, but it helps keep the car a lot cooler in the summer months.

 

Is this from your personal experience with CXP? I've been doing some research and from what I can gather, CXP used to be mediocre but Suntek has changed something in the past few years and people seem to like it a lot.

 

Just called the dealer that did mine and he said that one of the films that will attenuate RF signals, (which includes cell phone, radar and , gps with internal antennas) is 3M-FX. Any other film that has a metalized layer will do the same. If you google "window tinting, rf attenuation" there is U-tube test using a cell phone and metalized film.
Ceramic and carbon will not attenuate RF.
If this is not an issue, I'm sorry for wasting a post (or two).

 

"I would be very happy if the tint can mainly reduce the heat...maybe
reducing the rays second..."

I loved my Huper Optik film. I've had it on 4 vehicles. I just picked up a Mercedes E550 and the dealer offered to tint the windows. I requested Huper Optik and the Fleet Manager, a friend, suggested using a new film that was the same as Huper Optik but at almost half the price. I don't recall the brand. If you we're to call a Mercedes dealer they would probably tell you the name.

Mdri98,
Be careful when tinting the sunroof. I was advised against it from the tint installer saying that it traps heat between the film and factory tinted glass causing it to shatter. I'm not sure how true this is but I would assume he wanted to make more money by tinting the sunroof. I live in Arizona, so our temps may get higher than where you are at. I know my interior hits over 145 degrees during the summer.

 

There is truth to this theory but I don't believe it's any worse than taping blackout material to the inside of the sunroof the same way that businesses do with their storefront. Honestly, if you're concerned about heat and UV rays on your head, install an insert so it's not a factor. You'll be much cooler than simply tinting it. My two cents...

Agree on the fact it won't affect resale.

 

I was advised against tinting the sunroof also, so I purchased those blocking panels from OutMotoring. They block the sun light and as I rarely (read never) open the sunroof other than to crack for venting, they work for me.
https://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coo..._sunshade.html

I originally had them do a limo tint on the rear window and Huper Optiks on the sides. But I could actually feel the heat difference when I put my hand by the windows. So I had them redo the back with HO. So much better.

Black interior in Texas, believe me heat shielding was my major concern.

 

I guess I will let you know. The dealer did my sunroof at 5%. I hope I don't have problems because it is perfect.