White 2012 3.5 Altima Coupe 6MT Start to now - PICS PAGE 1

[AlexN09]

Leave the mesh portion black, go with a gloss tint and color match the eyelids!

[Innovazn]

Leave the mesh portion black, go with a gloss tint and color match the eyelids!

I shall follow this lead.... Thought about it if i was to matte the tail lights, it wouldnt match the rest of the car too well...

[Innovazn]

After a long Month i finally got the keys (intelligent key fob) to my Altima....Gotta say, it feels very different from an 2002 Pathfinder... although quite fun to drive...

Im an ultra noob when it comes to standard driving.. having not driven one for nearly 5 years... (and that one being an 02 civic) its very different.. I have to have staleld about 20 + times today... but im slowly getting the hang of it...

Stupid me curbed the Passenger rim cuz i couldnt judge distance and size of this altima... oh well new rims will come anyways so might as well trash these ones and get used to the car before i put the new rims on (when i find a set i like)

Pictures will come with all mods going in and walkthroughs if i have the time and patience for it... So far ive only changed the vanity mirror lighting lol...... Lots of ideas coming in the more i sit in the car.... CMOD grill and Stillen lip will be painted within the month and installed as well! Tints and all should be in shortly... -ramble ramble -

[AllenB]

Congrats on the new arrival!

Don't take the stalls personally- it took me a full week of constant driving to stop killing it and that was coming straight from another stick! The clutch engagement is a bit lower than most and takes a little getting used to but is very easy to live with once both parties come to know one-another.

As a minor point, I just had my windows tinted (likely not what you were referring to but commenting anyway). I went with 20% Madico Onyx film on all windows. VERY pleased with the look, especially on a white car BUT be careful with the metalized films as they will kill your radio reception with most installations. I say most since the majority of shops do a great job with tint but don't understand why the film affects reception. If you opt to tint the windows using metal film, make sure they cut the film near the "dots" at the top of the glass- it will break the electrical connection between the antenna and the defroster elements. My shop had no clue about this (15+ years in business) and thought I was nuts when I explained it. After I showed them, they were amazed (and I think confused)... Over 20 years of work in Military communications actually paid off!


/r

Allen

[funkee]

Hey Allen, thanks for the great info about reception. The small rear coupe windows have a film on the exterior with dots as well. Do those help aid in radio reception?

[AlexN09]

The dots are called the dot matrix and they are only for blocking sun and fading the border of the glass for a cleaner look, however, on our coupes there is an antenna embedded on the glass within that dot matrix. It looks like a defroster line but it is actually an antenna. I even had a vinyl sign shop tell me that there vinyl might block reception but I didn't believe them a there material isn't metallized.

[Innovazn]

Tint i bought isnt metalized (so they say) and i was just cleaning the windows earlier... Its going to be hard as hell to do the back window...

[AllenB]

Hey Allen, thanks for the great info about reception. The small rear coupe windows have a film on the exterior with dots as well. Do those help aid in radio reception?

Sorry for the hi-jack...

As mentioned, the "dot matrix" (a subtle throw-back to 80's printers) has nothing to do with reception or the actual glass, it's there to do little more than look pretty and annoy tint installers.

The issue with back glass that contain integrated RF antennas is that metalized window film creates a short between the antenna element and the rear-window defroster. The short shunts the RF energy you are trying to get to your radio to ground instead- this is what caused your radio stations to disappear when you tint your windows; the signal can't get to the receiver in the radio.

The two (antenna and defroster) look very similar but the antenna is at the very top of the glass and the defroster elements are lower- The antenna on our cars is actually all within the "dots" at the top of the glass. You can tell the difference in the two if you follow the "lines" of the wires in the glass since. You will notice there are two separate sets of "wires" in the glass that are not connected to each other.

By taking a razor and cutting the film along the "dot matrix" you physically break the electrical connection between the antenna and the defroster. It doesn't take much but it is important to get all the way to the edge of the glass to the edges of the window which it is usually difficult to reach (if they did a good job installing the tint). Even a small piece still connected (not cut) at the edge of the window will provide an electrical path and cause a short.

Slicing the tint shouldn't create a problem with it sticking and if it is done in the "dots" it isn't noticeable unless you know exactly where to look.

Some tint shops will sell some lesser quality (non-metalized) films to keep reception, sacrificing the heat rejection properties of metalized films. Others may "up-sell" folks on using a vinyl strip over the antenna element- while this solves the problem it accomplishes the same as slicing the tint by electrically isolating the antenna and will often be sold at a higher priced "option" that doesn't look right. I never understood this since it just makes more work for the installer unless they just don't understand the root cause of the reception problem.

/r

Allen

[Innovazn]

Hey Allen, thanks for the great info about reception. The small rear coupe windows have a film on the exterior with dots as well. Do those help aid in radio reception?

Sorry for the hi-jack...

As mentioned, the "dot matrix" (a subtle throw-back to 80's printers) has nothing to do with reception or the actual glass, it's there to do little more than look pretty and annoy tint installers.

The issue with back glass that contain integrated RF antennas is that metalized window film creates a short between the antenna element and the rear-window defroster. The short shunts the RF energy you are trying to get to your radio to ground instead- this is what caused your radio stations to disappear when you tint your windows; the signal can't get to the receiver in the radio.

The two (antenna and defroster) look very similar but the antenna is at the very top of the glass and the defroster elements are lower- The antenna on our cars is actually all within the "dots" at the top of the glass. You can tell the difference in the two if you follow the "lines" of the wires in the glass since. You will notice there are two separate sets of "wires" in the glass that are not connected to each other.

By taking a razor and cutting the film along the "dot matrix" you physically break the electrical connection between the antenna and the defroster. It doesn't take much but it is important to get all the way to the edge of the glass to the edges of the window which it is usually difficult to reach (if they did a good job installing the tint). Even a small piece still connected (not cut) at the edge of the window will provide an electrical path and cause a short.

Slicing the tint shouldn't create a problem with it sticking and if it is done in the "dots" it isn't noticeable unless you know exactly where to look.

Some tint shops will sell some lesser quality (non-metalized) films to keep reception, sacrificing the heat rejection properties of metalized films. Others may "up-sell" folks on using a vinyl strip over the antenna element- while this solves the problem it accomplishes the same as slicing the tint by electrically isolating the antenna and will often be sold at a higher priced "option" that doesn't look right. I never understood this since it just makes more work for the installer unless they just don't understand the root cause of the reception problem.

/r

Allen

-RAGE!!!- NO HIJACKING!!!

just kidding, its all information that is shared usefully and im no forum nazi. (besides its part of the whole "tint" deal i have going on

[Ranga14]

Any pics?

[Innovazn]

Any pics?

Should be able to see it off the face book link. If not I'll work on it this friday. Car is still in the body shop getting paint work done.

[Innovazn]

As stated in update, Just got my Altima back... The front grill doesnt exactly sit well with the hood. I mean its in there and all but theres a gap... everything is on proper too... Normal?

[aphu]

post pics

[Innovazn]

post pics

Front Page

[aphu]

Grille lOoks good. IMO Paint the lip white.

[Innovazn]

Grille lOoks good. IMO Paint the lip white.

in person, it looks extremely aggressive. reaaly good ._.

[SanoSuKe]

are you leaving the lip black?

[Innovazn]

are you leaving the lip black?

It was painted black. You really have to see it to appreciate it. It looks really freaking good.

[SanoSuKe]

I dunno man, I don't see white coupes pulling off the black lip..

I mean ofc it's up to you, but it looks like the car is missing something from the fascia

[Innovazn]

I dunno man, I don't see white coupes pulling off the black lip..

I mean ofc it's up to you, but it looks like the car is missing something from the fascia

eh, once i drop it and all im sure itll all look fine

[DReed86]

Hey Bro Sweet coupe. Best color!! and I love the Grill!

[AlexM.]

Hey Bro Sweet coupe. Best color!! and I love the Grill!

Dreed lives!

[DReed86]

Hahaha yeah I have been MIA for a while... new job has been very stressful.

[Innovazn]

Hey Bro Sweet coupe. Best color!! and I love the Grill!

Thanks ^^ i know, it was so worth the extra $$ for the colour.... Quite rare on the roads.. maybe seen 1 other that was a 2.5 around here...

[DJ_B_Easy]

Hahaha yeah I have been MIA for a while... new job has been very stressful.

Wahh!

OP nice work taking the AC from stock to not in very little time.

[sndtgr08]

I think it looks good. Just that factory ride hight is

[Innovazn]

I think it looks good. Just that factory ride hight is

Oh man, around here the altima looks like its sitting at a SUV height -.-' its retarded.. I mean like i said, the roads arent THAT bad..... but its just the slants and bumps

[Innovazn]

Hahaha yeah I have been MIA for a while... new job has been very stressful.

Wahh!

OP nice work taking the AC from stock to not in very little time.

More to come... By next year, Ill get rims and Audio... Been in mad debate with my buddy whos an audio buff and were looking at options and course of action.

[aphu]

Honestly if you like appearance better then music then get new wheels. I love music so I got my system first but then got my wheels right afTer haha

[DJ_B_Easy]

What's to debate? I was an audio guy before anything else...