Getting My Car Tinted...

adam

you need to find a shop thet you trust

everything else is secondary

how do you know ???
you don't
...... ask for references, and see some of their work

altimas are easy to get a high quality job
but nothing is perfect in this biz

Compare what they sell you to what they show you. should be pretty close.


I get paid afterwards, but keep in mind in many states your car is under a "mechanics lien" where once you request services. It is NOT the shop's intention to screw you out of money. As long as you are happy, they are as well.

I would go 32% if it will leave your car legal in your state. 38% if you're not sure. ATR35 is 38% and it is a tad light on light colored interiors.

I don't and won't use SG HP but have heard good about it. Enjoy

Depending on install tech, neither is better or worse, very little to no gap is preferred.

Back glass---if you can't see the line/gap standing near the car or sitting in the back seat facing forward, call it a one piece.

Hope this helps. I'm sure others will put in their pennies, too. And what Z said. Make sure you trust them. If they've been around a while, chances are they are straight.

coudnt of said it better than the posts above

Don't worry, you can always pay someone to peel it off if you don't like it. It's not a second mortgage.

Thanks zolar, RICHat22, TINT for your inputs.

Zolar and Richat22

I do trust the place i just want to be certain. They have been in the business for 15 years so I'm assuming they are good and legit. I'm only 18 and I don't want them to think that I'm just a kid and I have no idea wtf im talking about. I make sure I'm on top of things. I work part time at north fork bank and also a full time student at st johns. Yeah, I assumed that my altima se-r would be an easy job for them to do. Yes, I am aware of the mechanic lien. Even though I would like to see some cars with 38% and/or 35% tints my decision will most likely be based on the samples I will see on wed.

Thanks guys for the info, more will be appriciated.
Adam

The tint jobs not, but the car is! lol. I dont blame him for being cautious, but like others said..just do a little backround check and go with it!

click the link in my signature if you wanna see some HPCharcoal 32 installs. (among other solargard films) my car is done in HPCH32.

Yer aveetar!!! Bwahahahahahaaaaaa!!!



These guys are correct.

I like ATR but chose a similar 32% film that I won't name to get just a bit darker on my car

(blade @ Sep 11 2006, 11:55 PM) [*]430697[/*]

click the link in my signature if you wanna see some HPCharcoal 32 installs. (among other solargard films) my car is done in HPCH32.

Thanks for the link. Pictures helped out a little. It's still hard to tell how dark/light it will be because of all the angles and views. Good job on the work bro and nice car. Thanks guys for the input keep it coming.
Adam

Another thing that no one is really touching on.

Blade you might know the answer to this one...

What about the radio reception? Have you had your costumers complain of loss or anything? I listen to a lot of FM stations but at times I do tune to AM stations.

The shop where I am getting the tints done say that there will be no loss whatsoever. They claim that the HP Charcoal will not affect signal at all...

i've had 2 customer complaints of AM radio reception. both cars were subaru STIs. both were done in HPTrueGrey 28. both i spliced the film (after the fact) above the defrosters and below the antenna. fixed the problem....no more issues.

heard of an AM radio reception problem once on a jaguar x-type, that is it, and about 1/2 of all cars seem to have the antenna on the back. Who needs to listen to pat robertson anyways, nothing good can come of it.

How long do you guys think the shop should take to tint my altima se-r?

25 min to 3 hr.

The shop stated that it will take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half... They do it by first come first serve basis... the shop where I got my tints done for my other car did it by appointments.. Probably just shop preference... Does this sound right?

i always like it when you drop off the car and say call me when it's done, it depends on the shop but half the time i have to stop and answer the phone or have a walkin customer i have to show shades and give quotes which slows me down a lot. you had a question about payments, my customers always pay after..i have never asked for upfront payment. why do you ask? do you think your not going to pay if you dont like it? its an aftermarket product installed on your vehicle, no job or installer is perfect just keep that in mind. your altima is a simple car and since there removing the rear brake light i'd say you found a quality shop, i wouldnt remove the door panels either. good luck

No, It's not like that at all. I am going to pay for it that isn't a problem. I searched google for tint shops and information and I came accross an article that stated you shouldnt pay prior to the tint job because of the mechanic lien. I'm also asking because at the place where I got my tints for the other car they asked for the money upfront. Yeah, it seems that this shop is good and they know what they are doing. I'm actually going tomorrow near morning hours to get them done. I'll post pictures if you guys want to see how they came out. Thanks for the quick responses any other info would be appriciated,
Adam

Just a quick reference how do you guys (tint shops) go about having the costumers watching work being done on their car? I'm assuming some don't and some do? I just want to know whether the majority of you mind if the costumer watches or not. I'm asking to watch because I'm interested in tinting my rear tail-lights. I'm going to see how the tinter tints my windows so i can use the same technique to tint my tail-lights. How much would you guys normally charge for this? Free, hehe? Thanks,
Adam

I don't like customers watching because customers never watch, they try to help, I don't need their help. I don't need them eyeballing every little imperfection that will dry out or I might be able to rub out when it dries. I like to concentrate on the job, not Jimmy's 1st tooth. You won't be able to put tint on your taillights, you need to spray them, so don't pester your tinter.

i hope your joking about tinting your tail lights...with window film? not a chance, go with something called nightshade its a spray on type "tint" as for watching if there first come basis you might be hangin gout a while...other than that stand back and let the man tint...dont be askin questions

Yeah, By the way you can tint the tail-lights not with window film though. They have special film for the head-lights and tail-lights. Just like those films that are suppose to protect your headlights from rock chips etc. They have those but tinted. I will not be on the tinters a** I just want to view what he does. There aren't many questions to ask because I basically already know the answers to all. I just thought I can learn something new. I'm into cars and like to learn whatever possible. Thanks for the input,
Adam

I have noticed my AM reception not being as good however it is barely noticable and seems to clear up after the radio being on for a minute. It never used to do this but now does. FM was unaffected in my car 94 tbird with 35% HP charcoal of a different brand than what you mentioned. I listen to mostly AM if I have the radio on. Let's see any other factors. It is an aftermarket system and the antenna is NOT part of the back window. Hope this helps you make an informed decision. I would not be concerned with it affecting reception as much as I would be with quality of installation. Sorry this is so long.

I've been asking a lot of questions but I’ve done some searching and couldn't find anything.

How should I prepare my car before I get it tinted? Should I clean the windows with Stoner Invisible Glass Aerosol? The interior is pretty clean.

I just checked the weather and it’s supposed to rain Thursday and Friday over here and I am getting my tints tomorrow, which is Wednesday. I'm a little worried about the rain because I know I will be using the car and opening the door in the rain. I just hope the weather will change and not rain this week. What do you guys think I should do?

I almost can make my own forums with all the questions I am asking... lol
Heh, I might be helping out others who are or will experience the same situation. That's what forums are for.

just take 'em the car




they will handle the rest

That poor tinter..........

Take it to TINT_TERRORIST, I think he does mobile, so he'll go to you. I guarantee he will do it cheap and as dark as you want, maybe even darker.

Ok it's finally been done. I must say they did a great job on the car. There are a few streaks and very few bubbles that need to dry out. The owners of the shops actually do the tint work, which I liked. I ended up with Solar Gard NR 35% tint. I was going to go with HP but they told me that it would definitely affect my radio reception. The NR 35% look actually darker then what I thought it would be. Once it dries does it lighten up a little? I love the look of the tint though. Anyways, it also turned out that I did my previous car there too. The shop where I went to get it tinted sends the car to this tint shop, which is right next door. The owners were good guys and everything. We started conversation, he showed me his car and all went well. I even got a discount from what they charge. They finished it in an hour. Overall everything went well. They said 2 days and then I'll be able to open my windows, clean them, etc. Thanks guys for all your posts. If you guys want to see pictures of the results I’ll be glad to post some up. I took some pictures with my camera phone that came out decent.]

But take a reallistic look at your car. Is the backseat full of child seats, toys, ground in Big Macs, Fries, candy,etc? Try and remove anything that will hinder the tinter. You don't nescessarily have to have your car detailed prior to tint, but the cleaner your car is, the better job you'll get. We do the best we can with what we're given to work with!! If a car is particularly dirty/messy, I will refuse it until its brought in clean. BTW, If I pull a child restraining seat, I WILL NOT replace it, for liability reasons. It goes in the trunk. The customer can assume the liability for proper restraint!!