Thoughts on aftermarket tint

[Bergerman]

I was just wondering what you all thought about aftermarket tinting and if you knew of any good places to get it done. I have a black I30 and have seen a max black on black that looked pretty nice. Are there any particular questions I should ask when looking into it locally? I have seen different percentages talked about on the forum too; what are your recommendations and estimated cost?

[maxhopper]

I paid around $125 to get my windows done with a lifetime warranty. Some cities have laws as to how dark your tint can be, so be sure to ask.

[nismo1219]

i stopped by the city hall/police station here and got a colored card just for that reason. as long as my windows werent darker than that card i am fine. i think i paid closer to $200 w/lifetime warranty. also, prices depend on the grade of film your using and how dark the tint is. the better and/or darker the film...the more $$ you'll have to pay. i have the "ultimate executive, 20%" tint. also, FYI...the lower the percentage = darker windows. the percent stands for how much light will pass through.

[danielekfuj]

Has anyone done it themselves? i was looking on snaptints.com they have precut film shipped for $75. I wouldn't mind doing it myself and maybe learning a thing or two, but i dont want it to come out looking like total crap

[A.Tech]

I will give you most (if not all) the info you will need.

Most cities and major ones in the US has a 30-35% law. However this can be ignored a little in some areas like the rear door windows and rear window can be a little darker. Now you have to remember that most places will do legal only but if you just sit there and talk to the guy and say you are paying just cash he will pretty much do what ever you want.

I would look for places that have precut tints instead of your crappy places that trace the window. The precuts ones are a lot nicer but a little more expensive and tend to be harder to find. I got mine this way with the premium version of tints with a lifetime warranty against fading, cracks, bubbles and and turning purple. The company is called TintKing. Now when I got mine done I asked for 25% all around and 5% on the sunroof.

I seem to think he did 35% on the doors and 25% in the rear. I wanted them a bit darker but you have to remember there are a lot of prick inspection shops in certain areas that will not pass you for really dark tints and some places will have that god forsaken light gun. SO it will not only be the cops this time around.

O and doing them yourself is not the best idea because I almost gurrintee(unless you did them and worked at a tint place before) you will not like how the turn out and they will always have some bubble or crack... spect of debris, a line... whatever in them and you will not like how the turn out. Pros also tend to clean the window and razor it and add a special chemical to the window the acts like a lube(to move and rid bubbles) and an adhesive. Like the place I went to used...

IF you plan on getting dark tints do it at your own risk. They start getting pretty dark like you can't see anyone inside around 20%(depending on quality) but even 35% looks dark at far away and any angle. O and don't let anyone tell you that getting really dark tints will not let you see good outside because they are morons that never had dark tints. I have 5% on my roof and I can see clear as day out... However I can't not see a damn thing if I look in...

Hope this helps...

[jltibbs]

i got 20% all around, 50% on the front

[R6_240sx]

Has anyone done it themselves? i was looking on snaptints.com they have precut film shipped for $75. I wouldn't mind doing it myself and maybe learning a thing or two, but i dont want it to come out looking like total crap

I would not recommend doing it urself if u have never done it before even if its precut. You will shoot yourself for how long it took to put it on perfect. If u think about it, it costs around $150 on average to get it done professionally so that's around $75 labor, that's nothing u can make that much in a day easily.

Plus the main factor is Warranty

[tmorales509]

well i dunno how dark mine is but i been pulled over a couple times for it, but the tested it and let me go, lol, i guess it looks darker than it is. im not sure what % it is, i got the car already tinted.

[Beancooker]

O and don't let anyone tell you that getting really dark tints will not let you see good outside because they are morons that never had dark tints. I have 5% on my roof and I can see clear as day out... However I can't not see a damn thing if I look in...

Hope this helps...

Okay, I'm not some moron, and had 5% all around on my '85 T-bird. Limo tint all around. Yes, in the day, you could see allright, not great, but allright. At night, it was like driving with welding goggles on. You can't see sheit. When only 5% of light passes through, and the available light is that of street lamps, you can't see much. Just as well, if you're trying to back up in your driveway, and it is not lit by some really bright lights, you may as well give up. So IMHO, I would recommend that you go no darker than 20%. Worried about someone seeing inside your car, get mirrored tint.

[A.Tech]

What I meant was you CAN see... but I suppose it depends on the type of Tint quality you get I guess but there is a lot of people on the .org back than that just were acting like they knew what people were talking about when they never had 5% tints. I did not refer you as one... lol

Cause I remember this kid getting trolled and flammed on .org when he got 5% all around. Yea it is Very dark and If I could get it, I prob would not... but everyone was saying stuff like "o you can't see out of it at all and it is too dark to see anything..."

I mean in all reality I look at it like this for example... too compare the two tints... I say look inside while looking out of a 5% window and it would look like you would have maybe 50% for an outside tint in terms of looking in if you had it(did that make sense? heh)... but there is a lot less light inside the car than out. So it is hard to determin I guess.

IMO I think 20-25% is almost perfect to have. And I wish I had 20%....

[A.Tech]

hmm mirrored tint.... damn... (but I have seen refective tints)I honeslty have never really heard of that though... I wonder where you can get that. I would like to have that... but I bet that is more illegal than having below 15% hahaha...

[danielekfuj]

if only i had a job...

[00MaxSE]

Get Lumar or Solarguard. They have a lifetime warranty or something. I got 50% up front, 35% back and 22% on the moonroof and eyebrow for the windshield. Got it done at Ziebart.

[SunLitSandMax00SE]

20% all around. I think it's prefect. I had 35% on my last one and I wanted darker. The chance of you getting pulled over for tint is probably 1 in 100 here unless it's limo tint or something.

[generation2000]

only tips i know for doin ya own tint are, use distilled water and a little dish detergent not much.

[mrzabala]

Cal= front and pass/driver windows must be clear... Had a couple friends get a fix-it ticket for it. It sucks. Have it done professionally and get the lifetime warranty.