hey all- just wondering of any reccomendations on where to get windows tinted WELL. i dont want any bubble crap ruining my mini =P and for those who have had it done, what am i looking at price wise?? thanks! =)

 

any reputable tint shop should offer a guarantee on their work. so if the bubbles do not dry out, they will retint it. Im not in your area, so I dont know what it will cost you to have it done. It usually depends on what quality of tint you go with, the warranty that is included with the tint, and if you have existing tint to remove.

 

Check for any tinters that use Llumar films. These films are amazing. I just got mine done at a place called Fabini's in Ft. Wayne, IN. It cost $158.81. I got 35% all around(front 2, back sides(2), and the rear hatch).

 

any pic's? =P thanks for the info, i will definatly check it out, because thats wayyyy lower than i was thinking, i can totally swing that =)

 

Yeah I will post pics later today. And I'll get you a link to a thread with a lot more pics.

 

+1 on Llumar tint. It is by far the best product on the market.

I had it on previous cars and it looked as good a on the day I sold the car as the day I had it put on. 6+ years.

 

here are some links
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=107770
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ht=window+tint
I will post my pics later on here and the second thread that I gave you.

 

Window tints are for drug dealers

 

Then, I am one edumecatd' drug dealer

 

Here you go 35% all around...

 

thank you so much everyone =) i think i like the 50? and i heard around here it will be about 170 at a well known place which was recommended by my stereo place. ps... when i go pick up the mini tomorrow its gunna be a bill of 1200 i had to totally rebuild parts of my system and get a new deck so i could keep my steeringwheel controls =( bum deal cuz im broke haha needless to say, the tints will go on the xmas list =P

 

Hey get in touch with 1nf3rn0 he is in Ann Arbor.
I don't know if you will be happy with 50% It is not too much of a change to me, but that is me.

 

50% barely looks like your car is tinted. some angles it doesnt look tinted at all while other angles make it look almost like a 35%
but 35% will be illegal in most states. but then again 20% is the most popular.
and not to sound like a cheap guy but you dont necessarily have to go to a 'well known' tint shop.
just make sure they dont use cheap film (doesnt turn purple) and they guarantee their work
the price ranges from 100 to 170? mini coopers are actually quite easy to tint.
if you need any help or have any questions feel free to ask!
(and if you havent noticed yet..im a window tinter. work with my dad. nothing wrong with family business )

 

If you have any skilz you can do it yourself. I did mine for $100 including buying precut tint and the tools to do it. It was actually pretty fun. Looks like a pro did it... so much so that my buddies want me to do theirs. The Mini is easy. Big pieces of glass and hardly a curve on it.

 

wish you were in my area =P as im not very skilled at all in do it your self things (i usually ruin it haha), and i have never looked into tints.. can you get them in weird numbers like 40? i dont know if i want to do 35 because its only legal in mich on the rear, and i kinda want the same all the way around, do many people do the same?

 

One thing that kept me from tinting my windows was seeing older cars with purpled, bubbled tint; you mean to say that is no longer the case?

 

In PA all applied tints are "technically" ticketable offenses without a doctors prescription. I went with factory MINI shades for all 3 rear windows.

 

The translusent ones I hope. The sunblocker cardboard ones would be even more illegal if you drove with em on, heh heh.

 

Yes, tint film has changed since the 70's. My dad was against mine until he read about Llumar films and saw the finished product.

 

A few of us in the Dallas area have gone with Hüper Optik Ceramic films on our Mini's. Besides looking great they offer superior heat rejection as compared with other films. Costs a little more but in the unrelenting summer sun it pays for it's self with greater comfort and more efficient AC use.

 

how much more are you talking? in michigan it can get hot, but no where near as hot as texas =P do they look just as nice as "normal" tints?

 

usually most of the time people get same % all around.
and i have ceramic film on my car. 15%
it's not well known film. but my dad distributes the film. it's from korea.
but there are different percents such as 40. but usually most films go by the popular numbers such as 50, 35, 20 and 5. so on and so forth.
lookin at the tinting laws for michigan..it says you can get ANY % for the rear sides and rear. but the front two has ??
weird. but i'd say 35% would be nice. not too dark and not too light.
i personally like 20%.

(oh and these days films dont turn purple. unless it's cheap film. but you have to watch out for the ones that turn clear after a long time or change colors..)

 

Depends on the dealer as the price is set by them. As to looks there is no difference.

Trying to compare tint prices across different regions is impossible. In the South tint shops are as ubiquitous as 7-11's. Every shop offers tint it seems like. With that much competition prices are usually lower then in places like Seattle where it rains all time.

 

One note on the Huber optic film it is not completly black in color, and does not look as good with certain car colors. Lucky for me the shop we use in the Dallas area knows this and highly recommended against this for a Chili Red MINI. Not sure about other car colors. One great benefit of the Huber Optic film is that it lets more light in and repels more heat so you don't have to go with a real dark tint to get the same heat rejection. I went with 20% on the back three windows and 30% on the door windows. From the outside you can barely tell the difference and at night it is a little nicer to have the front windows lighter to see out of. In our neck of the woods the summer heat lasts a little longer and is a little more extreme up in your area you might be happy with a 35% or 40% tint all around. It would look good and be very practical. With A 50% tint I don't think you would notice much of a difference in looks and or heat rejection. I guess your biggest concern is do you want the tinted windows to look cool, be practical, or something in between??

 

something inbetween =P everyone seems to say no to 50's, so i will probably end up with 35's but someetimes they seem so dark =\ im sure the tint shop will have tons of photos to show me so i can make my mind up. but i appreciate everyones help!