TimGinCentralNJ wrote:
NJGuy-
Realize this post dates back a few months, but would appreciate recommendations on a tint shop. Also, have you run across any issues with the police re: your front window tint? I've had bad luck with it in the past. For as many NJ cars/trucks which seem to have tint on the front windows--often deep tint--every time I've bought a used car which had ANY tint, I've gotten pulled over and told to remove it. And I'm not a "conspicuous" driver either.
Got any pics you can share?
Thanks!
Tim
Tim,
1. I've only had 2 vehicles tinted, so I don't have much personal experience with tint shops within the state. I've only gone to a place called
Sound Waves in Parsippany, and have been pretty satisfied with their work for tint and automotive electronics. If you're looking for value, I don't think they may be the best place for tint. There are probably cheaper places out there, as I think I paid around $250 or so. I'm sure that they use Viper tint, which I understand is not considered a superior product by those in the industry. However, I got my car tinted there because they offer a lifetime warranty on the tint (I'm sure other places do as well), and I've been happy with their work in the past. The place also seems to have a good reputation, as they do lots of work on high end luxury cars. I believe a luxury car dealership (Porsche/Bentley/Audi/Land Rover) in town goes to them for their customers' window tinting requests.
When I got the EX tinted, I was in and out within 2 hours. I think that because I made an appointment, it might have helped to minimize my wait. They also said that their tint guy comes in almost every day they're open, while in the past he used to come in maybe 2 days a week. I'm not sure if this is the case with other tint places. If you're real busy during the week, I think they also do tinting on Saturdays; however, I'd be sure to book an appointment in advance if you want a Saturday installation .
If you're not willing to drive that far up there, I'd start looking for car detailing or customization shops maybe somewhere in Somerset County, or perhaps eastern PA; I'm sure they're a bit closer to where you live. But I have no experience with any of those shops, so I can't offer any recommendation.
2. So far (knock on wood) I have not experienced any issues with local law enforcement in regards to the tint on the front windows. It helps that I didn't go too dark up front, and that the interior of our EX is wheat colored. I guess this also depends on how "busy" or curious the LEO's are in your area. Do you think if you got one of those personalized plates that say you support the police, then maybe they wouldn't bother you in a tinted car?
. Oh, and if it was your 7-Series BMW that was tinted and I saw you on the road, then I myself might mistake you for a drug dealer
.
I'm more worried about getting pulled over and ticketed for the tint if I'm the one driving the car. Conversely, I'm not as worried if my wife is driving because unlike me, she's both pretty and a smooth talker
. She's only gotten warnings in the 3 times she's been pulled over for speeding (again, knock on wood). A lot of her driving is done on the interstates, so I'm not too worried about the NJSP pulling her over for the tint. In my experience they usually go after the most blatant offenders.
My wife did question the legality of the front window tint at first since they looked a bit dark; the initial haze on the windows after installation took a few days to go away. Once the adhesive fully cured, the windows became much clearer and easier to see through from outside. If you want the front windows to appear even lighter, you can open the moonroof shade. As you probably know, I wouldn't recommend going any darker than 50% on the front.
3. When I get the chance I'll take a few more pictures and post them up. I really haven't had the opportunity because a) my wife uses the car 95% of the time; and b) she parks in the garage, which doesn't really allow for good picture taking. There are quite a few threads here with photos of EX's in various states of tint so I'd say to look those pictures in the meantime while waiting for mine to get posted.