WaFp

Tough to tell in this pic (haven't taken any outside since the tint job), but the back is 20% and that new ceramic tint. The tint that I got on the sides is illegal in CA, but you can't even tell with the back being tinted. The sides are 60%. Shhhhh, don't tell anyone!

My impression of just the regular tint vs the ceramic tint is WOW! Living in the Sacramento Valley during the summer (read 110 degrees) the car gets really damned hot. On the one 80 degree day that I had the car out, the tint did a great job keeping the back nice and cool. Reading the literature, the 20% for the back blocks 78% of the infrared waves (the ones that transmit heat) vs only 54% on the limo black tint.

Thanks to Sal at Tintpros in Roseville, CA for the awesome job. On a side note about the bumps on the top of the rear window, they cover it with a piece of black vinyl. No bubbles, no worries!


Vette in the shop just finished


side window


back window before tint

glacierbay2

Black car=mandatory tint. Easy for me to say cause mine's AO. Whenever I see a black vette, my first thought is "he shoulda tinted it", my second thought is "he should have black wheels". My third thought is usually, "man, is that car dirty". Before you go extra dark, maybe you should catch a ride at night in a tinted car, just to see (or not see) for yourself.

shopdog

Tint is ok in bright sunlight, but it can be deadly at night. The tint doesn't even have to be very dark to grossly impair your vision at night.

inthehunt2

In Michigan, only the rear window can be fully tinted, and the tint % can be 0-100% legally. The side windows can only be tinted at the top 4" legally. So, I only tinted the rear window and it's at 20%.

Here's a pic...

inthehunt2

My stock 7-passenger extended-length TrailBlazer came with 20% tint OEM on the rear, rear side, and middle side windows. My wife complains about it, but I can see fine at night. I just double check my outside mirrors before making a lane change (they must be set properly - many people don't set them properly).

LS WON

The problem I have with tint is now whenever I remove the top the rear view mirror is totally blank so you can't see anything behind you.
Otherwise it really does help keep everything cool.

LS WON

Not only do you have to pay the fine but you have to remove the tint or pay someone to do that before you can get the ticket written off because you have to take your car back for inspection and if you don't you get no registration.

raider4251

Just had mine done today. Paid $145 and the back came out perfect (vinly over the dot matrix).
20% rear and 40% front.

bonnell

Same here. Max 35%. Love it.

HANNY

do the max 35-40% on the sides and go illegal on the rear. will really help the heat and the sides wont be so dark you cant see out and folks cant see you. p

HANNY

A good installer can do it in one piece, they use heat gun and can stretch and shrink the film. p

inthehunt2

That's the way Kristan did mine. One piece and about 1 hour of stretching and shrinking before she put it on. Lots of work around the dimples (without vinyl) and it came out really sweet!

Raazor

I would tint and stay legal.

phileaglesfan

I'm at the legal limit for Utah. Definitely go with a good tint, not a cheapo that will only last 1-2 years. But that seems to be as long as some people keep their car anyway these days.

inthehunt2

Definitely go with the lifetime warrantee. It won't turn purple or bubble. Definitely the way to go.

JetBlueLS3

Does the Vinyl strip go on the outside or the inside? I took my car back because of my rear window matrix and the guy told me it would look worse with the vinyl strip. I only have 35% so maybe that why?

alarmsetc

Just going with Lifetime Warranty Tint isn't good enough, you need to make sure you utilize a 3M or Llumar Window Tint product. Reason being is you need to ensure you go with a big enough company to offer the proper warranty.

For example Company B Offers a lifetime warranty window tint (YOU WILL USE THIS WARRANTY), plus you have to return to the original installing dealer if you live within 75 miles of the original tint shop. Also they only re-imburse the tint shop for the cost of materials. Which means the customer themselves will likely get 'push back' from the dealer.

3M Window Tint on the other hand PAYS THE DEALER to remove the tint, cost of materials and labor. 3M on average pays its dealers $300 bucks to 're-tint' a customers car, which means you WONT get any push back. You can goto ANY 3M dealer in the country and the absolute best part about the 3M Warranty is you will RARELY, if ever need it.

The only times we have to warranty 3M Tint jobs in our shops are because the original dealer who did the work didn't actually use 3M on the car. But, if the customer has a receipt and warranty card showing it was 3M, whether we KNOW it's not 3M tint or not doesn't matter. They still honor the warranty to protect their name and their brand.

So bottom line is, buying a lifetime warranty Window Tint isn't enough, because the warranty is only as good as the company backing it. Get a 3M product or at the very least Llumar and check out the tint shops reputation before you buy it. Not saying you have to pay the highest price, but if someone is ALOT lower than the competition, I'd be worried about their stability over the long haul!

Goodluck!

Joe Cassity
Alarms, ETC
http://lakelandwindowtint.com
http://tampawindowtint.com

alarmsetc

Honestly it looks better when you tint over it and there is mild haziness in the dot matrix area, instead of vinyl. Only way to truly get around that is sand down the dot matrix or use a form of glue as filler in the dotted area above the window(s), which I DON'T RECOMMEND!

wolfpack06

bought my car already tinted, 5% sides and back. It looks really nice, but its definately not the best to drive at night. I always have my side windows rolled down. But at night, all you see behind you are headlights... no car.

Dans C6

5% rear and both sides. also 35% on the whole windshield. looks sweet