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The 2012 Window Tint Thread

395K views 924 replies 326 participants last post by  Tiger-Heli 
#1 · (Edited)
Let's see 'em! [headbang]
 
#519 ·
I haven't seen anyone post anything darker than 12%? Has anyone tried anything darker all around? I don't have mine yet, still on order, but I'm planning on 5% all around. I have it on my current car a Jeep and have never had any trouble seeing out at any time of night. Plus it really has kept the car much cooler in the summer as well as kept anything from sun fading. [8D]
 
#522 ·
2012 Pinnacle Formula1 15 tint

Here is my 2012 with Pinnacle Forumla1 15 all around. Had the choice of 50/35/15. I decided to go dark, so far I am glad.







Note that I have the sunroof open, with it close it is darker:



Out driver side and front windshield



Inside shot out of driver side.

 
#523 ·
Darker tint is always a good thing , looking good in the steerling gray C-dan [thumb]
Here is my 2012 with Pinnacle Forumla1 15 all around. Had the choice of 50/35/15. I decided to go dark, so far I am glad.

Inside shot out of driver side.

I love this, during the day picture barley looks like there is tint on there. Take it at night and you cant see $hit lol
 
#525 ·
I'm getting mine done next weekend. Pictures will be posted. 35% fronts. 20% back. Ziebarts is doing the installation. Has anyone had any work done there?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
#526 ·
I'm getting mine done next weekend. Pictures will be posted. 35% fronts. 20% back. Ziebarts is doing the installation. Has anyone had any work done there?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using FF Mobile 2
I had my last car done at Ziebart and will never go back. There was dirt under the film that caused it to bubble on all the windows and they gave me a hard time when I wanted them to take it off and redo it. There were several imperfections the second time around too, but it was such a hassle to get them to redo their first bad job that I decided to live with a few imperfections. I should have had them remove it completely and give me a refund so I could go somewhere else. They did not care at all if they did a quality ob or not. They are a chain, so I'm sure every one is different. You might check with other people who have had tint done at that particular Ziebart.
 
#528 ·
I got my Focus' windows tinted over the weekend. The only place that could get me in on a Saturday had GeoShield Darkmatter film, which I'd never heard of, but researched it a bit and decided to go for it. So far I am very happy with the results, it is ceramic film and was priced a bit cheaper than the Formula One film I was looking at. I got 48% on the fronts (thanks to Utah's ridiculous 43% law) and 5% on the back windows.
















 
#529 ·
Yeah, I live in Utah as well and had mine tinted with Formula One Pinnacle. I wanted to go with 40 for the fronts but they wouldn't go with it so I went with 50 for the fronts and 35 elsewhere. I didn't want to go so different on the back that it was such a big difference from the fronts.

Just remember that even without after market tint there is some tint in the windows from the factory so a 50, which is actually a 54, winds up being something like 48 when the factory tint is taken into account.


Brian
 
#530 ·
Got mine done last week. The tint guy said Texas requires 40% front sides, 20% rear sides, and no minimum on the hatch, but Tintlaws.com says that TX requires 25% all sides, no minimum on hatch, so not sure which one is right. I'd think he'd be keeping up with the most recent laws considering he owns the business. If I can really have 25% up front, I'm thinking I may go get the front sides re-done. Although...they don't look that different to me....

 
#531 ·
I found this on Texas' Department of Public Safety website. I wish we were this lenient in UT.

Window Tint Standards can be found in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 37, Part 1, Rule§21.1.

Note: Windows immediately to the right and left of the driver that have less than 25% light transmission will fail inspection, regardless of the year model of the vehicle.


http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/vi/consumerinfo/windowTint.htm

Hope this helps.
 
#533 ·
One more thing, I was wondering what everyone's experience was with the curing time. It's been about a 100 degrees here over the weekend and was wondering if two days is long enough to wait to roll the windows down. I've been melting in my car waiting for the ac to cool it down
 
#534 ·
Very likely. The 3-5 day curing time they suggest probably has a safety margin built in for people who park their cars in dark, cool garages. If it's been sitting out in the sun, they're likely dry enough to tolerate being rolled down.

I've accidentally rolled down several windows on the same day as the tint was installed & nothing ever came of it. The girl that picked me up in my current car when the tint was done rolled down the passenger window an hour after it was tinted because she couldn't figure out how to unlock the doors. It's also fine.
 
#536 ·
Do you know what brand of tint they used? That's kind-of immaterial, really, because no new tint job should be hazy, but it's a LITTLE more expected from the cheap-o films some places use. If they installed 3M, etc., this would be very surprising.

Either way, you should have some sort of warranty, so by all means...take it back. Three weeks is more than enough time for the tint to clear up.
 
#537 · (Edited)
I checked the Geoshields website, which is the brand of tint I used, and they say that hazing and bubbles is normal for 4 - 6 weeks while the film cures. Also under my warranty they say that clarity is guaranteed and they will replace it if the hazing doesn't disappear. YMMV depending on your brand of tint, but I would check their website to see what they say.

http://www.geoshieldusa.com/autowarranty.html
 
#538 ·
Just got my car back from tintcrafters of SW Denver and they used Llumar 3M tint which has been great stuff for me in the past. Got 20% all around,15% on the hatch and sunroof which was already dark so it's close to 5% now. $240 for a lifetime job.
Such an amazing difference inside the car which now feels more enclosed more now that it's darker and cooler.





 
#559 ·
Great Looks! Good luck with the car.

Can you provide a contact for the tint shop? I assume you would recommend them? No damage or mess left in your car from the tint work, right?

I've just picked up a new Ti hatch and is looking to get it tinted. I'm in Lone Tree, CO.

Thanks.
 
#540 ·
^Hey fatty hater... I would think your car might want to be slammed to rock out that scraping sticker. It would take a shit load of bbw to scrape that stocker. Let me guess... Your 15 and a half. Mommy and daddy picked you up your first car and the first thing you decided to do was get some vinyl to demean women. Good luck with that. As you get older you will realize that putting people down gets you no where in life and is only a mask for your lack of self worth. Rant over.
 
#544 ·
Lol ur far from the truth, I am 20, working full time as a car tech and paying all my stuff its aint sponsored by "mommy and daddy" like u say and will never be. Those sticker are just meant to be funny, I picked them up during our weekly cars meet, its just meant to be a joke, So you should think twice before talking, smartass
 
#550 ·
I failed to see the humor in them. Enjoy your stickers, "sir". [nutkick]
Although it really doesn't bother me what 'other' people do to their cars generally ... the first thing I thought when I saw that was that it was owned by some young and very immature kid ... keyword 'immature'. I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to find many people who thought it was 'cool' .... OR 'funny' ... except maybe more the same as the owner.

Hey ... whatever ... I'm not so much talking about it being offensive .... just immature and stupid, and reflecting far more badly on the owner of the car than the people it refers to. Just totally lacking any semblance of class ....


REV
 
#552 ·
#551 ·
I paid $179.xx out the door for limo black all around and a 7 inch strip on the windshield. That was for the middle quality tint. For the 3m stuff it was going to be about $30 more if i cecall correctly. It never hurts to call around to get quotes and see if someone is willing to go lower in price. This was in texas. I had a grand marquis tinted in michigan amd they wanted $285. I said that was way high and talked him down to $225 for 35 on front doors and 5% on the back windows. Best of luck on your tint shopping.
 
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