Considering window tint on Torch Red Z06. Live in Florida..sun ..temps very hot in summer. And winter ..still 84 degrees in mid December!!!
Talked to shop and them have several options. What should I consider when making my choice. Thanks in advance!

 

Standard or ceramic tint? For rear window, one piece, no seams.

 

I went with ceramic tint at a shop with a good tint guy that's been around for a while. Ceramic tints cut down more on the heat inside the car. Tint shade is up to you.

 

Hi Stentplacer,
I'm in Westchase near to you. I had a local shop, MCOR install 3M Crystalline on my 2014 Z51 two years ago. It has gone through 2 Florida summers with no issues. With a windshield shade, temps are well controlled even with the glass top and nothing is hot to the touch when I get in the car after parking outside all day. The Crystalline product only goes to 40% and some people want it darker but it is about right for me as a daily driver. When my wife bought her Grand Cherokee, it received Crystalline as well.

 

HI neighbor!
Thanks...will look at the chrystaline

 

Just had mine done recently and one of the primary considerations on choosing the right shop is how they deal with the upper portion of the rear hatch window. The emblem dots can be tricky if they are not handled properly. The film can delaminate around the raised emblems, causing whitish spots to appear around the emblems, if the tint is not applied using the correct technique.

Some tint shops will paint that section black while others will glue a strip of opaque black plastic to it to avoid dealing with tint film over the area. Other shops while some will attempt to sand the emblems to reduce their profile so the tint film might stick to it better but my tint guy said that was a bad idea since the C7 emblems were significantly harder than the C5/C6 dot material and it would just create a mess or damage the glass. My tint guy knew just how to deal with them and they came out perfect (he asked me not to reveal his secret since he spent so much time perfecting it). He has done many Corvettes, including C7's and has 40 years of experience so I trusted his judgement.

Here's a shot of my rear glass (sorry about the dust).

 

Wow! Nothing is a slam dunk anymore!!! I have learned so many things from Forum Members! Something I will need to discuss at shop. This is a high end shop that does the best Xpel installations. Many Z06's. I'm sure they must have dealt with that issue prior.
I will be sure to discuss plan tomorrow!

 

I'd have to wonder why he wouldn't want his secret revealed? Especially to people not in his state, and thus no competition. If he patented this secret, then I would understand.

 

I know where he's coming from - I work in a patent-riddled field and patents are no protection in many cases. You reveal your secret in the patent, others adapt it just differently enough to avoid infringement and you no longer have exclusivity. Many times, our patent attorneys at work tell us to just keep certain things - especially processes - a trade secret instead of filing a patent application as there is much more guarantee of keeping something secret by zipping the lips than making it public and depending on everyone to abide by patent law. Also, not that it's relevant here, US patent law does not apply to most foreign countries and many of those who do profess to subscribe to it do not enforce it anyway.

But this isn't something worth patenting - certainly not from the financial standpoint. I mean, it's a tinting technique! It would cost more to execute through the entire patent filing process than what he would make in Corvette tint jobs over his lifetime. The trick is to keep it within his shop so his local competitors don't benefit from his hard work freely.

There are lots of locals on this forum, including several tint shop owners and technicians. It's not my place to decide this for him whether to reveal his technique - he specifically allowed me to watch because I was so concerned about that area of the rear glass but swore me to secrecy. I posted all about the tint job, the shop and the owner in the SoCal section when I had mine done so anyone please feel free to visit that thread to find the contact info and call the owner to discuss this with him.

 

Where did you end up getting your tint done and how was the experience? I'm in your area as well and will be getting mine tinted in a couple months. Thanks!

 

My local tint guy has people coming from 100 miles away to get him to tint their cars. He did my CTS-V and it came out perfectly. When I asked him about my C7 he said there was no way he could give me 100% assurance on the flags, so I passed. Something like that would drive my OCD crazy.

 

I did 20% standard tint on my Torch Red 2016.
Also did a Vinyl Wrap Stinger hood.

Came out nice

 

20% tint also.........Cost $120 for the side windows and rear hatch. Works well here in the southern New Mexico sun which gets very hot in the summer months.

 

This back glass is a lot easier to tint in 1 piece than c6 and before so that should be a non issue on C7 (I would be shocked to see a 2 piece tinted rear glass on a C7). In my C5's and C6 I had the dot matrix painted and then tinted below the dot matrix on back glass and never had an issue with this method. But I like the Corvette flags on back glass on the C7, so I just had it tinted so the flags would show through (you just dont want it to release from them and start seeing areas where tint released and no longer see the little flags). I did 5% on rear, 20% on sides, and a strip across top of windshield. Good luck and also find a dealer that gives you lifetime warranty on your tint.

 

First thing is to make sure you check your state law for maximum tint.

 

Did you do the tint just on the sides but not the back? How does that look? With the flag issue I'm thinking maybe just do 35% on the sides and nothing on the backs but wondering if not tinting the back might make it look odd in any way.

 

My tinter does the entire rear, no problem, with no delam and the flags show through as intended. As mentioned, he developed his own technique to do this.

 

in Ocala we had 3M installed and we had it put on the windshield also. the amount of heat that is cut is amazing! On a 90 something day we do not get the blast of Hot air that we use to! Jest warm air when we open the door. We told installer to only go florida legal dark. Not cheep but worth it!

 

I decided not to tint until I find someone who is comfortable doing the rear glass without bubles etc.

 

What kind of "color" would you say the 3M crystalline has, is it bronze or grayish or bluish?