Window Tint

[jastra]

Hey all,

I have contacted tint a car for a quote on tinting for their different tints however i am yet to receive a reply. Just thought i would check on here to see what you guys recommend from experience and what sort of effect it has on insurance?

Cheers

[Wraith]

Hey all,

I have contacted tint a car for a quote on tinting for their different tints however i am yet to receive a reply. Just thought i would check on here to see what you guys recommend from experience and what sort of effect it has on insurance?

Cheers

In my experience no affect at all on insurance !

It will only have an adverse affect if it's an illegal range (usually below 30% light transfer rate) in which case insurance may be refused...

[imay]

Check with your insurance company . . . shouldn't affect their cover, but ALWAYS check first. Stay with a legal tint and it really shouldn't be a problem.

Get several quotes for the same gear, because the price WILL vary from store to store. Tint-a-car, Solar-tint, etc., all good. If they provide the life-time warranty it should be a good tint.

[gmonkey]

i payed $250 i think it was for Midnight Express, quoted $180 for Formula 1 and payed $520 or so for bolle but didnt want any of there sunnies so they took off $50 and paid 470 instead.

im getting a private company to limo tint 5% my back window and rear quater windows and do 20% on driver and passenger windows for $199

[jastra]

Check with your insurance company . . . shouldn't affect their cover, but ALWAYS check first. Stay with a legal tint and it really shouldn't be a problem.

Get several quotes for the same gear, because the price WILL vary from store to store. Tint-a-car, Solar-tint, etc., all good. If they provide the life-time warranty it should be a good tint.
yeh i want to stay legal :P so if i were to go midnight express there would probably be no effect? although i will check. Anyone on here have midnight express on an astra who has photos? or another tint?

[GreyRex]

From experience I would confirm with them what type of tint they will be applying

I got my windows tinted on my black car, and tbh i've never been happy with it because it has a slight green tint (or more of a metallicy look)... as opposed to a nice black tint

I went to another reputable tinter and he had a look at the tint and said that's it is a quality tint (and tested with a device on both sides of the glass), and that it was applied properly... and that I should leave it!!

So just be informed first :)

[GodsKnight]

I've never had a problem with Solatint..$310 internet special...$395 for strip and redo

[USC]

He said you should leave it because it will be a bitch to remove....and will scratch your windows everywhere. Ive had tint removed from an old car and it was hell...even damaged the rear dimister. I seriously dont know why people tint their cars...most cars nowadays are factory tinted.

[GreyRex]

He said you should leave it because it will be a bitch to remove....and will scratch your windows everywhere. Ive had tint removed from an old car and it was hell...even damaged the rear dimister. I seriously dont know why people tint their cars...most cars nowadays are factory tinted.

Some people prefer the look. It's personal preference

I'd like to think it helps protect the interior to a degree as well... namely the leather

[Wraith]

He said you should leave it because it will be a bitch to remove....and will scratch your windows everywhere. Ive had tint removed from an old car and it was hell...even damaged the rear dimister. I seriously dont know why people tint their cars...most cars nowadays are factory tinted.

It certainly IS a bitch to remove, but the process does not scratch the glass - at least speaking for myself anyway as I've removed the tint on a previous car of mine...

It was at least 5 years on and it was well and truly 'fused' to the glass, but slowly and painstakingly I removed it using mainly razor blades and with the final result there were no scratches...

People tint their cars as Miz as stated mainly for looks (each to their own) but the obvious benifit is reduced heat irritation to both you and the cars interior, especially with the lighter or higher percentage light transfer rate tints...

I've got 50% on my vert, it looks heaps better than darker legal limit tint and reflects more heat as well - personally I can't see the sense in going to the darkest possible tint shade unless you want that look, the darker the tint, the more heat absorbtion you get, but as said each to their own...

As for factory tint, that's all a big load of BS !

Unless the manufacturer actually applies a film to the glass, (like some Mercs have) it's not factory tinted !

Factory tint is just a marketing tool used by the car manufacturers, but what it really is - is the natural finish of the glass, (greenish colour) which in this case is called 'float glass' and is caused by the amount of lead and other metal contents in the glass molecular structure...

If you get crystal clear glass, it's known as 'opti' or 'low iron' glass and has almost zero lead/metal content, it has no greenish colouration at all but is much more expensive and the car industry dosn't use it...

I know this from when I worked at a mechanical engineering firm who had large dealings with the Pilkington Glass company :)

[Shay]

all experience me or my friends have had with tintacar has not been good.
i have their midnight express on mine, cost $350...
and after only 18 months ive started to notice a couple of little bubbles appearing in the middle of the windows, ive never washed them with anything harmful to them, and i waited a week after the date they suggested before using the windows at all...

mates have had similar experiences...

however in sayin that i cant recommend anyone else.

insurance wise, youll have no worry with a 35%, go darker and itll be technically yellow sticker-able but i think it would be hard for insurance to prove that the tint was "at fault"

[AH08]

I have the darkest legal tint on the front and one shade darker on all the rest. I've had darker tint on other cars, no good at night and on wet crappy weather.

Remove tint by wetting the window with windex and smooth out a black plastic rubbish bag on the wet tint. Park so the window is facing the sun for thirty minutes and the tint should come off easier. If not, repeat.

[Shay]

before and after 35%, much cooler in the summer...

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/oo255/shayward06/Image039.jpg

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/oo255/shayward06/Image127.jpg

[mmahle]

Mine's a midnight I think as well. For some reason the dealership didn't want to tint the front and back windows because it's illegal?

PS. The lancers have tint applied. Noticed that the passenger rear windows are darker than the front seats?

[Shay]

Mine's a midnight I think as well. For some reason the dealership didn't want to tint the front and back windows because it's illegal?

PS. The lancers have tint applied. Noticed that the passenger rear windows are darker than the front seats?

front is illegal, nowhere does it...

the mitsubishi's can get a "security film" put on the but sides and rear widow, but not the driver or passenger window...

[USC]

It certainly IS a bitch to remove, but the process does not scratch the glass - at least speaking for myself anyway as I've removed the tint on a previous car of mine...

It was at least 5 years on and it was well and truly 'fused' to the glass, but slowly and painstakingly I removed it using mainly razor blades and with the final result there were no scratches...

People tint their cars as Miz as stated mainly for looks (each to their own) but the obvious benifit is reduced heat irritation to both you and the cars interior, especially with the lighter or higher percentage light transfer rate tints...

I've got 50% on my vert, it looks heaps better than darker legal limit tint and reflects more heat as well - personally I can't see the sense in going to the darkest possible tint shade unless you want that look, the darker the tint, the more heat absorbtion you get, but as said each to their own...

As for factory tint, that's all a big load of BS !

Unless the manufacturer actually applies a film to the glass, (like some Mercs have) it's not factory tinted !

Factory tint is just a marketing tool used by the car manufacturers, but what it really is - is the natural finish of the glass, (greenish colour) which in this case is called 'float glass' and is caused by the amount of lead and other metal contents in the glass molecular structure...

If you get crystal clear glass, it's known as 'opti' or 'low iron' glass and has almost zero lead/metal content, it has no greenish colouration at all but is much more expensive and the car industry dosn't use it...

I know this from when I worked at a mechanical engineering firm who had large dealings with the Pilkington Glass company :)


You must have used a very sharp razor and be very very lucky. How did you remove the tint on the rear demister with a razor?

I know some companies use steam and a sharp razor..but still scratches very slightly....i didnt mean deep scratches but light marks. Ive also had tinters miss with their knife inside and chop off bits off the trims around the glass inside! Horrible experience..ive never had tinting done to any of my cars since.
The Mondeo XR5 has blue factory tint that is as dark as the film you get...trust me..tinters have asked if I ve had my windows tinted....the downside is the glass seems very soft..scratches easily if you have crap caught in a rag or something..dunno what kind of glass they used.

[gmonkey]

Jay manda got Tint-a-Cars Bolle Tint, its really good and is acctually a truer black colour than midnight express so for appearance sake it looks darker.. i got midnight on my last car and hers was much darker than myn..

http://triton.imageshack.us/Himg407/scaled.php?server=407&filename=mandasastra002.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=480

[Wraith]

You must have used a very sharp razor and be very very lucky. How did you remove the tint on the rear demister with a razor?

I know some companies use steam and a sharp razor..but still scratches very slightly....i didnt mean deep scratches but light marks. Ive also had tinters miss with their knife inside and chop off bits off the trims around the glass inside! Horrible experience..ive never had tinting done to any of my cars since.
The Mondeo XR5 has blue factory tint that is as dark as the film you get...trust me..tinters have asked if I ve had my windows tinted....the downside is the glass seems very soft..scratches easily if you have crap caught in a rag or something..dunno what kind of glass they used.

I actually went through alot of em USC and also used up quite a few scalpel blades as well to get it all done :)

I didn't do any cutting action on the tint, I just kept going at it in a scrapping fashion, picking up one bit at a time, it came off in little bits at a time...

I also used large amounts of methylated spirits to soften up the hardened resedue between the film and glass and then to clean up the glass when the tint was removed...

The back window in this particular car didn't have a dimister, (old LC Torana) so no probs about that aspect, would have to take different measures to tackle that one...

The tint on your Mondeo must be some sort of film applied to the glass from factory, as I mentioned in my other post, Mercedes do it to some of their cars and it too is a blue-ish tint, I'd say that's why it has a soft surface...all types of glass surfaces are very hard, polycarbonate, polyester, and other such type materials which can be made to resemble glass have a softer surface, but AFAIK except for some convertible rear glass panels manufactures don't use those materials for windshield or door glass panels...

[bartsisgod]

Im running 13% Tint all round on my veccy, never had any dramas from the cops and when i went in to get my car inspected by AAMI after some prick dented my rear wheel arch all the accessor asked is "what car are those wheels from?" He then went on about my opel badges and how they have "vauxhall" in england hahaha

anyways my point is some people appreciate a nice clean looking car, and the cars we drive arent known as rev head cars so cops will most likely look the other way in my opinion, as for insurance if im ever asked about how low it is or even the tint...thats how i brought it will be my response!!!

[USC]

I actually went through alot of em USC and also used up quite a few scalpel blades as well to get it all done :)

I didn't do any cutting action on the tint, I just kept going at it in a scrapping fashion, picking up one bit at a time, it came off in little bits at a time...

I also used large amounts of methylated spirits to soften up the hardened resedue between the film and glass and then to clean up the glass when the tint was removed...

The back window in this particular car didn't have a dimister, (old LC Torana) so no probs about that aspect, would have to take different measures to tackle that one...

The tint on your Mondeo must be some sort of film applied to the glass from factory, as I mentioned in my other post, Mercedes do it to some of their cars and it too is a blue-ish tint, I'd say that's why it has a soft surface...all types of glass surfaces are very hard, polycarbonate, polyester, and other such type materials which can be made to resemble glass have a softer surface, but AFAIK except for some convertible rear glass panels manufactures don't use those materials for windshield or door glass panels...

I can guarantee you there is no film on the glass, It has been verified by a professional. The colour was added during the manufacturing process. The glass is soft on the outside, even the windcreen...which got marked when auto wipers went on and it was very dusty.

[Wraith]

I can guarantee you there is no film on the glass, It has been verified by a professional. The colour was added during the manufacturing process. The glass is soft on the outside, even the windcreen...which got marked when auto wipers went on and it was very dusty.

Hmmm, curious I'll have to look into that one...

You can get glass that's had tint colour added to it in the manufacturing process, but I've never known it to be used for cars unless it's a very recent thing ??

Also strange as to why they'd use a glass material with a softer surface that can be easily blemmished ??

I'll research into it in my spare time and let you know what I find out :)

[USC]

Great...thanks mate :)

The blu-ish tint in the glass does look cool though! I dont mind that the glass is slightly softer as it may have something to do with absorbing stone chips rather than chipping...haha. A couple of marks are better than stone chips.

I also looked carefully at the edge of the door glass and there was no film added. Funnily, the xr5 is the only model with the bluish tint..all other mondeos have the greenish windows.

[jastra]

Just got this email from tint-a-car this morning.

Hi Jason,

Thank you for your enquiry about TintaCar window tint for your car.

Ashcool film reduces driver fatigue, cuts glare by 60%, improves air
conditioning efficiency, and provides almost total block out of UV rays. It
has a 10 year written warranty and gives a classic stylish finish. The
winter special price is reduced from $345 to $285 for your car.

Midnight Express is the darkest legal black tint, it has many beneficial
properties, for example, 99% UV rejection, heat transfer is reduced by half,
increased privacy, cuts glare by 60%, and has a 25 year nationwide written
warranty. Midnight Express is currently on special, the price is reduced
from $395 to $295 for your car.

Formula One is not as dark as Midnight Express, however it provides 99+% of
UV rejection with a SPF of 50+, it cuts heat transfer by 60%. Formula One
carries a written life time warranty. The current price for Formula One on
special is reduced from $465 to $325 for your car.

Bolle` film is the ultimate in style and design in tint. It provides the
highest heat and glare rejection, 99% of UV rejection, the latest technology
in film, and a warranty as long as you own the vehicle. The cost for your
car would normally be $495 which at present includes 2 pairs Bolle
sunglasses valued at $480 or we can do it for $395 without sunglasses if you
prefer.


We are located at 1/1 Winton Road Joondalup, opposite Harvey Norman on
Joondalup Drive. Our direct phone number is 9300 1172. Or, if you prefer,
our Clarkson Store is located at 4/10 Pensacola Tce, phone 9408 5113.

We usually need the car for approximately 4 hours, just ring the day before
to make a booking, or ring us if you have a specific need, such as leave the
car locked in our workshop overnight etc.

If we are removing old tint, we must point out, this adds a further $66 to
the cost and the time needed is a little longer. We can be more specific at
time of booking.
.
Please feel free to contact us direct if you have any further queries or
would just like to make a booking, We also offer an interest free payment
plan for your convenience.

Thanks again,

Christine




Bolle and formula 1 are looking good to me. Not sure yet tho

[USC]

Get Bolle mate :)

[gmonkey]

get bolle, midnight express isnt as good... and there prices have gone up a bit :p

go to joondalup manda got hers done there they are good.. i went to clarkson and they are quite scummy there

[Neeko]

interesting thread :) few points i would like to cover

Removal of Film
Removing old film is usually quite a simple task if the tint isn't extremely purple yet, otherwise extremely time consuming. Removing tint should NEVER scratch any glass!!
Must always use brand spanking new razor blades in a scraper. Trick is to scrape a corner away, grab onto the tint and yank the whole thing right off. Once you've pulled it all off, spray a bit of baby shampoo solution onto the glue using a spray bottle (99% water, 1%baby shampoo). Let soak in for a minute and scrape your life away. Keep in mind a sharp blade will never scratch glass so dont be afraid to press firmly on the scraper.

What do I do if the film is incredibly old and comes off in a million pieces?
Simple. Scrape a little bit of tint on the top edge of your glass and this time use a steamer to steadily pull the film off. Keeps it in one piece and should remove most of the glue with it.

This technique always has to be used on the rear screen as you can not use blades on the demisters.


Glass that does Scratch
If you check the black writing on the bottom of your window, and it's marked with "E2" in a black circle it will scratch a lot easier. Take care when using a blade and only use a sharp one!
European cars generally use this glass.

Traces of cuts in the rubber
Unfortunately, in most cases the rubber that holds the quarter windows in place have to be trimmed back slightly. This allows the tint to neatly sit behind the rubber. Since no tinter is the same quality of work varies quite significantly. Even a tinter with 15 years experience makes mistakes. ie: was tinting in ipswich last week with a professional that scratched the black surround around a 1/4 window on a golf.

Why get tinting?
Honestly I don't know how some people can live without it. Sometimes the sun even gets annoying with 5%tint on my windows. Not only does it keep out so much of the heat and UV, it also makes the car so much more cosy and comfortable to drive.
Even though a darker film gets hotter is doesn't mean the car will too. A darker film has a lower solar reflection than a lighter film keeping the car significantly cooler in direct sunlight.

Factory Tint
as wraith correctly mentioned, there is no tint applied to the glass. Its simply the glass itself. You'll be surprised how many types of glass are out there with completely different properties. Sometimes they vary so much that the solution to apply the tint has to be altered.
Generally automotive glass has a 80% transparency.

and finally

Why Tint-a-Car
You'll find that smaller tinting business's will generally have better prices then the larger companies and provide better quality. the tinters at tint a car specialise in tinting many cars per day, rushing their jobs, not getting all of the moisture out from under the film. Thus making them bubble after 1.5 years.
A smaller business just shows a bit more "love" towards the car ;)


pretty sure that covers everything
any questions just ask :)

[Shay]

Glass that does Scratch
If you check the black writing on the bottom of your window and its marked with E1 in a black circle it will scratch easily.
VW Golf is the only car I know of that uses this glass.

Why Tint-a-Car
You'll find that smaller tinting business's will generally have better prices then the larger companies and provide better quality. the tinters at tint a car specialise in tinting many cars per day, rushing their jobs, not getting all of the moisture out from under the film. Thus making them bubble after 1.5 years.
A smaller business just shows a bit more "love" towards the car ;)


1) do you only mean on the front?
cos my side windows say e1

and 2) agree with that tinta car, wouldnt go back, and pretty much a 1.5 years on the dot and mines has started to develope a couple of little bubbles.

thanks for that post mate, good to have a tinter on the site ;)

[Neeko]

1) do you only mean on the front?
cos my side windows say e1

and 2) agree with that tinta car, wouldnt go back, and pretty much a 1.5 years on the dot and mines has started to develope a couple of little bubbles.

thanks for that post mate, good to have a tinter on the site ;)

not a problem :)
i actually meant E2 sorry i'll quickly edit it. My car has E2 glass, so extra caution is needed if you apply a blade to the glass ;)

[USC]

QUOTE: Glass that does Scratch
If you check the black writing on the bottom of your window, and it's marked with "E2" in a black circle it will scratch a lot easier. Take care when using a blade and only use a sharp one!
European cars generally use this glass.


I do not think E2 means softer...where did you get that information from???

The XR5 Mondeo has E1 and CCC Windows all around...the softest glass I have seen on a car!

From : www.unece.org (http://www.unece.org)

The letter "E" and a number in a small circle in the corner of car windows indicate that the glass has reached a certain standard of security. The “E” and numbers are the result of the Agreement on Regulations for Motor Vehicle Equipment and Parts, which was reached at UNECE in Geneva in 1958, and updated in 1995. So far, a total of 123 vehicle regulations have been established, setting standards for almost all vehicle parts. These car parts are certified with a circle surrounding an “E” followed by the distinguishing number of country that has granted approval. For example, “E1” is used for car parts certified in Germany, “E2” for France, “E3” for Italy, etc.


Quote: Traces of cuts in the rubber
Unfortunately, in most cases the rubber that holds the quarter windows in place have to be trimmed back slightly. This allows the tint to neatly sit behind the rubber. Since no tinter is the same quality of work varies quite significantly. Even a tinter with 15 years experience makes mistakes. ie: was tinting in ipswich last week with a professional that scratched the black surround around a 1/4 window on a golf.

hmmm..If I owned a Ferrari and a tinter cuts the rubber around my quarter window to make the tint 'sit better', let me tell you - I would be mega pissed off. Its a result of poor workmanship and hasty job. If a tinter takes his/her time and is careful, that should not happen. You cut the tint on the outside, then place the film inside and push around edges with a plastic squeegee or something post edited
And finally, a lot of new cars already have factory 100% UV proof window glass.

[gmonkey]

lol all is good :) so no tinta car? any other suggestions?
Buy the quokka mate there is a fair few small companys advirtising in there

[USC]

I had a job done at Tint Professor in Nunawading once (head Office I think) and they did a fantastic job - even gave lifetime warranty.

[EL BURITO]

if your going to go TINT a Car go to Clarkson not Joondalup. They do a better job and take more care of the car

[hazrd]

Jase, im with the others on getting the paper and having a look at the locals, just make sure u go in and have a chat to them and get a bit of a feel for who they are first, i made that mistake and it cost me a lot of grief! :(

good luck :) u will really enjoy it no matter what darkness u get. people dont realise how much of a difference it makes until it actually goes on!!

[Vectracious]

OK, this has been tidied up and all irrelevant posts have been removed.

If there is even a tiny mention of the rubbish that got posted in this thread last night, the person responsible will have a 3 day holiday.

[adam_92]

does anyone know what sunnies you actually get with the bolle tint?

[gmonkey]

nothing special (well when i got mandas done they werent... they were plastic style cheaper ones)

[Neeko]

Jase, im with the others on getting the paper and having a look at the locals, just make sure u go in and have a chat to them and get a bit of a feel for who they are first, i made that mistake and it cost me a lot of grief! :(

good luck :) u will really enjoy it no matter what darkness u get. people dont realise how much of a difference it makes until it actually goes on!!

very good idea :) find out what their love for cars is like. Sounds silly but a car enthusiast is going to take better care of you.

[jastra]

nothing special (well when i got mandas done they werent... they were plastic style cheaper ones)
In the quote it said they wer worth 480 for the two of them. But somehow i doubt that lol.

[gmonkey]

thats RRP, which no one ever charges :p if u go into a store they have 3 pairs on display, one male one female one plastic unisex all are a bit meh..

[jastra]

just took it in to get done today :) tintacar at clarkson, getting bolle. pop some photos up later :)

[swisskris]

i got a friend that works at solar tinit that can get tiniting done reall cheap