Window Tint

jamesalanb

jamesalanb

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Hey guys. I'm thinking about getting my windows tinted on my car. This is the first car I haven't rushed to do it on, primarily because I'm not that "cool" anymore and don't necessarily need to hide anything. I'm now purpose driven! My car gets Africa hot sitting in the parking lot at work all day and there in zero refuge from the sun. I've read about ceramic film being the best for heat reflection but that is way out of my budget for tinting. Locally in Louisville (home of the 2013 basketball National Champion CARDINALS) the two best options I can find are Carbon film by Suntek and one called Llumar, that they made no line mention to. Both are right at 200 bucks and "legal" limits are 20 in the back windows, 35 in the front. Being an Autogeek my choice has to look great with my car, along with serving its purpose. I am considering going 20 the whole way around because I'm one for consistency and I think the darker may look better, but then again I may stay with 35 all around. Its not like car products that I can stock up on, its a one shot deal... Anybody have an opinion?
 
This is what 20% looks like.

I like it, it's not too dark where you can't see out of it and it's not too light. You can make the outline of faces when you're standing close and from far away it looks more pretty much all black. When the sun comes though the windshield you can make out some of the interior.
 
I use lumar atc 35% when I tint windows in Illinois that's what's legal for all the windows.


Chad @ divine details
 
When I had the Geeks On Call franchises, I had 12 PT Cruisers. Being in the AZ sun, I wanted them as dark as possible, to hide the average $3,500 in computer parts that were in the back of each car.

We did 35 in the fronts, and 20 the rest of the way around the cars.

The 20 is too dark, if you have to maneuver the vehicle in any direction other than forward after sunset.

If you do 20 on the front doors, you will eventually get a ticket.

If I was doing it again, I'd do 35 on the front doors and back window, and 20 on the rest of the side windows.

Jim
 
Don't go any higher than 20%. I have 27% and it's too light. If you want heat rejection, the only way to go is ceramic film. Stay away from Suntek. Its the cheapest brand. Do one percentage around the whole car otherwise it looks awful and tacky.

Here is 27% on my car. It looks a lot darker in the photo than it really is:

DSCN0022-1.jpg
 
otruba_843 said:
Don't go any higher than 20%. I have 27% and it's too light. If you want heat rejection, the only way to go is ceramic film. Stay away from Suntek. Its the cheapest brand. Do one percentage around the whole car otherwise it looks awful and tacky.

Here is 27% on my car. It looks a lot darker in the photo than it really is:

DSCN0022-1.jpg
Click to expand...
I think that the rear windshield can be a different tint level without looking weird. I agree for the side windows should be the same tint. If you want heat reduction, tint the windshield in the 50-70% range, at 70% you won't notice it tinted but the heat buildup will be noticably lower.
 
I lived in louisville for 3 years, 20% all around. The place I went to get tinted wouldnt even tint my car if I went any lighter.
 
terrangama said:
I lived in louisville for 3 years, 20% all around. The place I went to get tinted wouldnt even tint my car if I went any lighter.
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I've "heard" that to get illegal tint you better expect to know the tinter pretty well, I don't blame them. I wouldn't risk a license over tint.
 
20% all the way around no questions about it! 35% is just too light for the look you want to give your car! 3M makes the best (longest lasting, color, and durable) film around IMO. Have first hand seen LLUMAR and it is a good tint, however it can give off a purple look if it’s too light of a film tint. Also you will not lose your license for having tinted windows (at least not in the Midwest). Worst case scenario is you get a ticket and are told to have it removed or you could face further charges. Easiest way to avoid this is a tip I learned from the local police force I detail for... and that’s to roll all of your windows all the way down if ever pulled over for any reason. My last bit of input is 5% or aka Limo tint is entirely too dark for driving purposes!
 
I went 20% all the way around for consistency purposes and to keep the interior as cool as possible. Where I live, the legal limit is 35 back, 20 front. My past six vehicles have been tinted this way, and I have never received a ticket yet, but that doesn't mean I won't someday. When I bought my current car I had the dealership send it out for tint so that it was one less thing to take car of down the road - though I had to pay cash and couldn't get a receipt. Had no issues going darker than the legal limit. What others say about driving at night is true, so it's something to consider. One thing you may want to consider in your decision is whether illegal tint is a primary or a secondary offense. Where I live it's a secondary offense, meaning you have to be pulled over for something else first.
 
EWtheDETAILER said:
20% all the way around no questions about it! 35% is just too light for the look you want to give your car! 3M makes the best (longest lasting, color, and durable) film around IMO. Have first hand seen LLUMAR and it is a good tint, however it can give off a purple look if it’s too light of a film tint. Also you will not lose your license for having tinted windows (at least not in the Midwest). Worst case scenario is you get a ticket and are told to have it removed or you could face further charges. Easiest way to avoid this is a tip I learned from the local police force I detail for... and that’s to roll all of your windows all the way down if ever pulled over for any reason. My last bit of input is 5% or aka Limo tint is entirely too dark for driving purposes!
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Should've been clearer, I was talking about a business applying tint beyond legal limits and having a customer putting the blame on them.
 
af90 said:
I've "heard" that to get illegal tint you better expect to know the tinter pretty well, I don't blame them. I wouldn't risk a license over tint.
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EWtheDETAILER said:
Also you will not lose your license for having tinted windows (at least not in the Midwest). Worst case scenario is you get a ticket
Click to expand...

He wasn't talking about your driver license, he was talking about the tinting license...which is news to me that you need a license to tint windows.
 
EWtheDETAILER said:
20% all the way around no questions about it! 35% is just too light for the look you want to give your car! 3M makes the best (longest lasting, color, and durable) film around IMO. Have first hand seen LLUMAR and it is a good tint, however it can give off a purple look if it’s too light of a film tint. Also you will not lose your license for having tinted windows (at least not in the Midwest). Worst case scenario is you get a ticket and are told to have it removed or you could face further charges. Easiest way to avoid this is a tip I learned from the local police force I detail for... and that’s to roll all of your windows all the way down if ever pulled over for any reason. My last bit of input is 5% or aka Limo tint is entirely too dark for driving purposes!
Click to expand...

Supposedly, if you roll your windows down all the way, you can refuse to roll them up on grounds that you could incriminate yourself. Probably total BS, but I heard it somewhere and thought it was interesting.
 
erichaley said:
Supposedly, if you roll your windows down all the way, you can refuse to roll them up on grounds that you could incriminate yourself. Probably total BS, but I heard it somewhere and thought it was interesting.
Click to expand...

Eesh, this thread went into the ditch somewhere, the reason to roll down your windows if they are tinted is so the cops can see in the car, which is the reason they have tint laws. And you're rolling them down not to avoid a tint ticket, it's to avoid getting your head blown off by a trigger-happy cop who can't see if you are reaching for anything.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Eesh, this thread went into the ditch somewhere, the reason to roll down your windows if they are tinted is so the cops can see in the car, which is the reason they have tint laws. And you're rolling them down not to avoid a tint ticket, it's to avoid getting your head blown off by a trigger-happy cop who can't see if you are reaching for anything.
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Well, that too ;)
 
Setec Astronomy said:
He wasn't talking about your driver license, he was talking about the tinting license...which is news to me that you need a license to tint windows.
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It's against the law in most states to apply illegal tint, not to mention a customer pleading ignorance and pinning any tickets on the installer. Not to mention in this day and age where anyone can sue anyone? Imagine if someone got into an accident, blamed it on the tint and sued the installer? Sounds crazy but then again just look at the news.

But back to the OP there are legal ways to get tint beyond legal limit, yes 35% is light and 20% looks better but it does get difficult to see out of and into. Most people aren't going to see you wave them on with 20% especially at night.
 
af90 said:
Should've been clearer, I was talking about a business applying tint beyond legal limits and having a customer putting the blame on them.
Click to expand...

Setec Astronomy said:
He wasn't talking about your driver license, he was talking about the tinting license...which is news to me that you need a license to tint windows.
Click to expand...

Gotcha... I don't think there is a license but you can get your hand slapped if caught selling illegal tint...I just took it as the ticket or fine if your one of the few that get caught... its a cash only game for anything darker than legal...but most businesses advertise it witht he escape of saying its for residential use.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Yeah, so the tint shop isn't worried about any "license", they are worried about being prosecuted.
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Exactly and I don't know about you, but if I was a tinter I wouldn't put my neck on the line over some random person who just wants dark tint.
 
erichaley said:
Supposedly, if you roll your windows down all the way, you can refuse to roll them up on grounds that you could incriminate yourself. Probably total BS, but I heard it somewhere and thought it was interesting.
Click to expand...

Setec Astronomy said:
Eesh, this thread went into the ditch somewhere, the reason to roll down your windows if they are tinted is so the cops can see in the car, which is the reason they have tint laws. And you're rolling them down not to avoid a tint ticket, it's to avoid getting your head blown off by a trigger-happy cop who can't see if you are reaching for anything.
Click to expand...

Yeah all the above! Rolling the windows down basically allows the officer to see you and helps put them at ease when approaching the car. The other thing is it takes most of the tinted windows out of there vision. :dblthumb2:
 
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