I am thinking about having my side windows and back window tinted for the purpose of keeping heat and prying eyes out. What are some disadvantages of tinting? will my rear defroster hurt the tinting or the tinting hurt the defroster? I hope this is the right forum,couldn't find one really addressing this topic. thanks for any input!!

What are some disadvantages of tinting?

State laws...getting pulled over for it and having to take it off.

will my rear defroster hurt the tinting or the tinting hurt the defroster?

Just make sure you get a professional to do it at a tint shop and it won't hurt it.

Yeah,i know laws are different for each state,will make sure it is legal before I have it done.

Can reduce visibility at night. Especially when reversing in dark parking lots. If you have the camera then that's not an issue. Tinting my windows is the first thing I do with every car. Gets very, very hot here in the summer.

I considered the night vision issue also,but I wouldn't be going as dark as legally possible,just something to knock down the heat some.

The night vision isn't an issue unless you're old and/or have bad vision, or you go darker than 20%.

IL law is 35% all around...IMO 35% wasnt dark enough so I went 20 and am glad i did....im sure 35% would def help keep you cool

If you're getting it done by a pro, and you should, then make sure you apy the little extra to get a tint with a warranty. Nothing is worse than your tint going purple after two years.

^tint goes purple because the owner uses ammonia based cleaners like Windex. If you want to avoid purple tint use Stoners Invisible Glass.

^tint goes purple because the owner uses ammonia based cleaners like Windex. If you want to avoid purple tint use Stoners Invisible Glass.

Cheap tint goes purple either way.

^^VERY MUCH THIS....and Stoners is a great cleaner! make sure its high quality tint like Llumar

Try to get the best quality tint possible installed by an experienced installer. You don't want some one that is just learning doing your car. Be picky, don't allow them to get away with damage to your interior or your weather stripping. I have seen a lot of tint jobs that were badly done with choppy film cuts and lots of bubbles. Although getting a good warranty is a good idea, these days saying you have a lifetime warranty on any product doesn't mean as much. Business's go out of business every day and that warranty that you hold is not worth the paper it's written on. It's your money get the most for it.

Cheap tint goes purple either way.

Never had cheap tint so I wouldn't know. [hihi]

Never had cheap tint so I wouldn't know. [hihi]

I've been in a bucket or two in my day...

Can reduce visibility at night. Especially when reversing in dark parking lots. If you have the camera then that's not an issue. Tinting my windows is the first thing I do with every car. Gets very, very hot here in the summer. THIS ... altho I have 20% on my Mustangs and it hasn't bothered me much. When I get this done I will get 20% all the way around and call it a day.

I have 25% on the front windows and the hatch and 5% on the rear windows. nice and dark, and mostly legal

ok,stupid question time. What do the percentage points mean? Is it the percentage of light that can get through,so a 20% tint would be darker then say what is legal in my state,35%? thanks for all the thoughts,hopefully I can get an appt today and get it done,I have found there aren't many places in my town that do tinting,so my choices are limited.

Ya it's the percentage of light that is let through the tint. I had 35% is my old s40 and I wouldn't want it any darker. It was getting hard to see at night.

I used to have 5% on my old ZX3. I loved it. A few times backing up at night I had to roll down my windows to see.

well,no appts open today,soon as i can get it in is thursday,but it was the only place I could find that had a lifetime warranty. does $250 sound in the right price range? Like I said,not many choices to choose from around here,just wondering if I am getting taken for a ride or not.

That's a little expensive. Believe I paid $180 for my 4 door with warranty.

Sounds about right to me. They wanted $300 for my hatch.

well,no appts open today,soon as i can get it in is thursday,but it was the only place I could find that had a lifetime warranty. does $250 sound in the right price range? Like I said,not many choices to choose from around here,just wondering if I am getting taken for a ride or not.

I think that's reasonable. Can I give you a recommendation? Use a company that has a template cutter. You don't want them making the cuts with a razor blade when they're inside your car. I would drive a fair distance to an installer that has this capability.

ok,stupid question time. What do the percentage points mean? Is it the percentage of light that can get through,so a 20% tint would be darker then say what is legal in my state,35%? thanks for all the thoughts,hopefully I can get an appt today and get it done,I have found there aren't many places in my town that do tinting,so my choices are limited.

Keep in mind that your car comes with a percentage of tint in the windows so if your limit is 30% say and you put 30% tint on you will be darker than the law allows. Most states allow a few perentage points over for this reason but be aware of it when choosing your tint.

The darker the better!

well,no appts open today,soon as i can get it in is thursday,but it was the only place I could find that had a lifetime warranty. does $250 sound in the right price range? Like I said,not many choices to choose from around here,just wondering if I am getting taken for a ride or not.
That's about right. I'm getting mine done on Tuesday; full tint for $235. It would have been $250 but he gave me a little discount since he misquoted me in a text. (originally $220, he did not realize it was a 5 door.)

Thats alot! Im glad mine came with tint >.<

>>>high quality tint like Llumar

Is Llumar one of the top quality films?

They have a dealer near me in NYC and I just want to make certain it's done right and with top qualify labor and material.

Thanks

^yes try googling it....i have llumar and love it! I paid 200 for 5 windows(coupe)....so a good rule of thumb ... more windows=more $

http://www.tintlaws.com is a useful site for finding out state laws.