Window Tinting - General Discussion
An Open Forum for the Window Tinting Industry.
53,994 topics in this forum
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- 14 replies
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So I had a Tesla model 3 with full ceramic installed. This customer got it done two months ago. First complaint was a smudge possibility thumb print on the headliner. Ok no big deal I ask her if she could come in for me to clean. She stated she was busy and unable to come in. I asked if she had glass cleaner and that should remove the mark easily. Next day I get a call saying there’s bubbles. I told her please let it dry and I could check when you make an appointment. She states she super busy and makes an appointment two months later. Today was the day and her boyfriend brings the car in. They’re those arrow stickers to each imperfection. Front windshield two dust specks…
Last reply by Dano, -
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- 1 reply
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Was wondering if anyone can guide me on the steps to buy core (tint software) or how long does it take for them to get back to you
Last reply by watchdaride, -
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The best shop in my city quoted about $250 for formula one for the two front windows and about $330 to install formula one stratos (both prices inclusive of labor). It looks like folks on reddit are getting their entire car done for around $400-500 or less! I guess this partially depends on how good formula one is compared to other products on the market. My main objective in tinting is lowering the heat inside the vehicle. Any thoughts on whether these are fair prices? This is for a 2012 corolla.
Last reply by watchdaride, -
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Last reply by doctor4766, -
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Hello old TD fam, It's been many years since I 've done anything window tint related and I just started a new job as a department manager of a graphics/wrap shop. Day 3 I've been asked by the CEO to have our East & West facing garage bay windows tinted with a mirror tint to keep prying eyes out, and more importantly, to keep the heat out from the Colorado sun. There are 12 windows on each garage bay door; 3 rows & 4 columns, each window measuring approximately 36" wide x 21" tall. We have 20+ garage doors. My question to you is, what window film would be recommended for my type of situation? tyia
Last reply by Tint Eastwood, -
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Hi everybody, I plan to open a flat windows tinting business in San Francisco, CA. My partner is a pro in tinting with 15 years experience in our home coutry, I am a marketer. We need to set up prices correctly, not to mess up the existing market. Could you please advise the approach to price policy, or probably, the exact cost of the most common jobs? We will start with the most accessible films. We have an LLC, and plan to get all the insurances and licenses, and grow a legitimate business as we had in home country. It could look naive, but i believe that it's always best to ask for advice. I would highly appreciate it. Thank you.
Last reply by Basil, -
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Hey guys! I hope you’re all doing well. You all seem to be educated and maybe can give me a brief lesson on doubling window tint and absorption in the car? Thank you! https://www.xpel.com/web-assets/downloads/XPEL-PRIME-Spec-Sheet-USA-V2-1.pdf
Last reply by highplains, -
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Thought i'd ask the experts here on any opinions between these two films. I'm a believer that the installer is the biggest differentiator and am only looking at what i'd consider the top 2 shops in my area. Two of those stores flipped to XPEL in the last few years since i've used them (both carried Wincos previously). No experience with XPEL and how it compares to Llumar/Formula One stuff. Mainly looking for great heat rejection as well as what's going to hold up well for several years in the southern US (HOT). XPEL shops both quoted their film as having 88% heat rejection, but looking at TSER that looks like BS. Comparing a 30% VLT, looks like 57% XPEL,…
Last reply by highplains, -
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anyone done the panoramic roofs on one of these? is it save to use a dark film? im just trying to avoid any thermal stress facture incidents.
Last reply by DynamicATL, -
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The front WS of current car is tinted in Xpel 70%. Mainly due to reduce heat. However, it doesn't do much for glare. Considering getting the front WS tinted at 55 or even 45 (variables of interior color, light coming in from the sides, etc) For those that do this for a living, what's your take on *exterior* visibility at 55% front WS tint..... While I'm shooting for glare reduction, it's somewhat a consideration of pedestrian and ability to make eye/hand contact if you want to wave them off or acknowledge you see them, etc....
Last reply by DynamicATL, -
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Hello, new here. I've always gotten all my cars tinted when I lived in FL and again in WA, where I moved to. Had a tint guy I always went to that was really good in FL, barely any specks or gaps. The city I live in WA now doesnt really have any good tint places so I travel 1.5 hours south to get my cars tinted by an one-man tint shop. He also does a great job. Anyways, I got 15% all the way around with a 80% windshield with Suntek CIR tint. It's the first time I got the whole windshield done and didn't know what to expect. I assume the windshield is pretty hard to do since it's a big area. He did an awesome job on all the windows as usual but I did find sever…
Last reply by ykimchi, -
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Hello, I have done research, including reading this forum, on choosing a reputable tint shop and after eagerly waiting a week for my appointment I am not completely satisfied with the results. I want to preface this by saying the shop owner is willing to correct anything I am not fully satisfied with but I want to ask the experts here first if my disappointment or expectations were unreasonable. I have had other vehicles tinted in the past and I have never seen anything like this. 1). Large spaces around the entire window. I was told this was because Teslas do not have window frames and putting tint to the edge could cause iss…
Last reply by DynamicATL, -
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Just got my tint done yesterday will these bubbles go away or was it just a bad job
Last reply by Dano, -
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Hi, I at crossroads with picking window tint for my car. I am set on getting a ceramic film, but the options are so many that has me confused but have narrowed down to 4. Here are they.... Xpel XR: $422 Autobahn Black Ceramic: $385 Llumar CTX: $375 3M Ceramic IR: $375 All 3 installers are listed on their respective brand sites. This is for my personal car. I want to pick best performance for $. Thanks!
Last reply by Jerry Hernandez, -
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Hi everyone, I need help picking the best window tint for my car. I want to get a ceramic film and have gotten few quotes. Now while comparing them it got me confused. Here are my options listed from most to least expensive. Xpel XR Autobahn Black Ceramic Llumar CTX or 3M Ceramic IR I am looking for perfomance and longevity.
Last reply by Jerry Hernandez, -
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- 8 replies
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I have a 2014 Cherokee and had the front windows done to match the rear factory tint (20%?). I then had 5% put over everything except the windshield (just a strip of 5% there). How would I calculate the percentage of the windows now?
Last reply by Bird Howells, -
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I recently got sun strip tint on my vehicle, and I decided to clean my windshield a few days later, but it seems that some of the cleaning solution I used must’ve bubbled up the edges of the tint. (you can’t notice it from the inside, but as you can see in the picture, noticeable from the outside) I was just wondering if this will go away with curing. Any feedback would be much appreciated!
Last reply by pbalentine, -
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Hey guys! I thought this would be the best place to ask for recommendations on where to buy chameleon tint ! Trying to purchase and then have someone install for me. Any feedback is much appreciated! Thank you.
Last reply by DynamicATL, -
- 2 followers
- 10 replies
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Saw quite a few posts about Llumar films curling and never had the issue until right now as I’m starting on a commercial job. Distributor just told me I should not be using badly shampoo and should only use X100 with this film. First I’ve ever heard that in all my years. The film is curling off the bottom of the glass and I need a fast solution to this issue. I can try overnighting some X100 but any suggestions in the meantime?
Last reply by treimche, -
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- 11 replies
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Never had this happen to me a customer wants me to give them a price on two vehicle with them providing the tint what is your guys opinion on that
Last reply by smookee408@yahoo.com, -
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Wanted to say hello to everyone since it’s been awhile since I visited the best place on the internet for tinting! Hope everyone is having a great start to the season and doing well! Life has been crazy complicated for me lately but that comes with age! cheers stan
Last reply by TintDude, -
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- 3 replies
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Hello I recently got xpel ceramic window tint applied to my car. And I noticed the spots today. What are they?
Last reply by pbalentine, -
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Does anyone have a list of each manufacture, of what they pay in labor to replace bad window tint under warranty.
Last reply by Tintbox, -
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Hey my fellow tint dudes … I’ve already gone thru about 40 ft of film on this 1960 impal rear glass …. I’m getting ready to send the car to the crusher 🤣 can anyone shed some light on how to tint these windows … it’s not necessary the curve of these windows for so the chrome trim stands off about 1/2 inch off the glass so the film can’t lay flat for shrinking! Any tips
Last reply by token, -
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- 8 replies
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Can Blockout film be installed on a large exterior window if not any options thank you
Last reply by sd1, -
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In AZ, 33% is lowest legal vlt. (driver's window) I have an installer telling me that 35 is legal to install over windows with vlt of 70. The final vlt I compute for that is .35x.7=.245 or below legal limit. The installer claims that legal limit does not consider vlt of window itself, just that of the film. Seems to me tho, if I get checked, the LEO's machine will indicate the .245 and create problems for me. Is the installer correct? How would the officer differentiate between the two unless they are good at back-computing the math using the label on the window. Will the label on the window even be readable with tint on it?
Last reply by DynamicATL, -
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Tint industry fellows Some of you know me, some of you don't, and some of you know me strictly as tintguy1980. I recently bought a house that is in need of tinting so I'm reaching our to you to see if anyone can supply me with no less than 25 feet on a sixty inch roll. Somebody here has to have a partial laying around they don't mind letting go of. I'm looking for one of the following: Crystalline/Prestige 40 HO C45 Global Ceramic dual reflective 45 I am able to pay by CC or personal check (including shipping cost). If anyone can help PM me here or email tintrdav@aim.com Thanks.
Last reply by Tintguy1980, -
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You might already be using this method and if so, why the heck haven't you told us about it? If not, this method might just be your new favorite thing. I discovered this method doing a removal on an SUV hatch and didn't want to get glue all over me from it being over my head. I tried this method and will be using it on ALL removals from now on. By now we are all using some type of adhesive remover that works really well turning the glue to goo; but it's rather messy. Usually we pull the old piece off in one piece leaving the glue. Spray the glue with remover and then put the removed piece of film back on the glass reversed and let it soak. …
Last reply by Dano, -
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- 6 replies
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Formula (around not perfectly accurate) is base film x next film % (keep going for multiple layers) then x2 gets approximate % of light passing through all layers. Example. Three layers of 30% film would be about 5.4% 30x.3x.3x2=5.4%
Last reply by TintDude, -
Hello, Over the years I've had a few cars tinted and noticed each had a different hue to them. 1st Car Suntek Carbon - Nice strong black 2nd Car Rayno S7 Carbon Ceramic - Subtle green hue 3rd Car Suntek Ceramic IR - Noticeable blue hue I live in VA and stick to the legal limit of 35% rear and 50% front. The rears I don't notice the hues but in the front is where I can definitely tell. Does anyone have any recommendations for Ceramic tints that dont have a hue at 50% and are a nice strong black color? I've been looking into LLumar CTX and I've been reading it has a more subtle blue than Sun…
Last reply by duweeee, -
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Hi all, Been trying to do research on this and talking to a local reputable shop but can’t get a clear answer. I’m looking to tint my windows to be around 30% with the Llumar pinnacle ceramic tint. My car is currently stock and the windows say “Transp 70% min”. So my question is if I want a 30% tint, does the shop need to apply a 40% tint film to net ~30% (70%x40%)? I asked them about this and they said that’s not how it works and I’m assuming if I asked for 30% they’re just going to apply a 30% film. Will it come out as 30% or 21% based on the calculation? Does the stock 70% not actually need to be accounted for? Any help is appreciated, thanks!
Last reply by DynamicATL, -
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Hi guys, I'm looking to start my own care care company, I've got years of experience in the collision industry, but I'm trying a go at my own business and start small with details and small car care, but would like to be able to offer window tint, I've been watching alot of videos, and want to start out on my own vehicle and family members to practice on. Any suggestions one what is a decent affordable tint to use or if I should just start out using a high end ceramic film. Or any suggestion on starting a business. Thanks guys
Last reply by Dano, -
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- 1 reply
- 401 views
Hey everyone! I am moving to California in the coming month, been finding a lot of shops out there are hourly pay. Maybe from the highly competitive market location? I’m use to commission rates where I am at now. Any experience on what a 10+ year auto tinter should be looking for $ hourly? I have numbers in my mind but genuinely wondering about what the market is like also what the pay is like. Mainly Southern California?! Any insights are helpful! Thanks
Last reply by Dano, -
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I have bad heat gain in my home during the summer months. Windows are low e double pane andersens. I contacted a tinting company which utilizes Huper Optik. The options being recommended are: Ceramic C35 Fusion F28 Fusion F20 Does anyone have any technical reasons why it would be best to choose one over the other? They did install some small samples of each, but I don’t feel any are a bad choice aesthetically. I would be doing a fair amount of glass so if you do have an opinion on looks, I am will to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks for any insight into this, having a hard time making a decision. Mark
Last reply by Mvanders, -
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Hey everyone, my name is jeff and i run Martin Metalwork LLC you might have seen my ad running on the side bar of the forum recently for wall mounted tint racks. Im coming here today to let everyone know that i am working on a group buy offer for the 8 roll rack. I currently am offering it in a vinyl wrap group on facebook. I wanted to extend it out here as well. I currently sell them for 150$ on a made to order basis. however if I buy the materials in bulk for guaranteed orders I can bring that down to $110 for a rack that will hold 8 rolls. they are made from 1/8th inch powder coated steel and have a modular design. to allow for 8 rolls stacked vertically or two 4 roll …
Last reply by martinmetalworkLLC, -
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Hey guys, I just wanted to hear some stories of everyone else's tint story, for the previous 2 years I've dabbled with tinting family and friends' cars and just this year I decided to take this seriously, I've got got a shop space, and a plotter and I would my hand cutting skills are all right. For the last month, I've just been practicing and practicing before marketing myself to do actual customer vehicles. I plan on starting to do customer vehicles starting April after some more practicing but I just can't get over that feeling of messing someone's tint up and they end up being quite upset, so I just wanted to hear everyone else's story regarding how long did it take b…
Last reply by Diablo's Tint, -
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Hey guys, So my friend did my tint on my front windshield when he fist started to tint. Of course, he tinted right over the inspection stickers so now I have no way of getting my car inspected as they cannot take the sticker off. Can I just use a scalpel knife to cut around the sticker so I can get it inspected? (I am not extremely worried about how it looks as that is a harder to see area but I just want to make sure I can cleanly cut it out without tearing the tint.)
Last reply by mobiledynamics, -
Hey been looking into new squeegee blades, Saw quite a few different kinds with no real comparison. Some being: Blue Max Orange Crush Redline Extractor Hybrid Pink Clean Cropped PPF Black out Yellow Flat out Clear Crush Any experiences or opinions would be great.
Last reply by The Razors Edge, -
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film handler
by sd1- 1 follower
- 2 replies
- 418 views
does anyone have a film handler they are looking to sell
Last reply by sd1, -
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I have clear glass on a 356C recreation and would like to recreate this German factory green glass look. It needs to look original.. UV Ceramic protection.. Project is envemo_356c_no119 on Instagram Does anyone have experience with llumar air blue 80? Is it as dark at the photo posted below? Thanks in advance for your help..
Last reply by sd1,
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Air80 vs Stratos70 Windshield
Since there is no limit of darkness on the top strip, I have wanted to tint it. But I would go very dark, to help with sun glare in the evening. -
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Air80 vs Stratos70 Windshield
Yeah that’s a very fair point to a degree I’m probably overthinking it. I don’t see really significant glare reduction until you get into much darker tint. Like you I think visibility for me is more important living in the country. I’ll probably see what the specs list the differences between 70% and 80% and then double check with the tinter as to what they recommend. Likely will end up with 70% with a strip along the top. Air80 seems to be much more popular, not sure if it’s due to performance or the difference in cost being so much more for the stratos. thank you -
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Process
Hey guys - so I work for a vinyl graphics company that is adding window tinting to their repertoire and I had a question about your guys' ideal process. I have my plotter set up and my window tinting software ready to go, but I am completely ignorant about the way that tint installers prefer that things be cut. Currently, I will plot/weed the tint and cut the backing away as much as I dare before handing it over to the installer. I was thinking that the installer would prefer the tint to be cut to shape which I believe I can achieve with the perf cut on my plotter. Is that the typical process or should I not be worried so much about it being cut to exact shape? -
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Air80 vs Stratos70 Windshield
Im in TX, plenty of of what you mentioned. While I do sit higher in an SUV, glare reduction is not improved much at all with what I have. My 80% is almost clear, not dark at all. With all tint, it adds a bit of reflectivity from the outside, which I notice makes it slightly harder to see from the outside looking in, in the form of a glare not darkness. At the end of the day, it's not permanent, it's only money! -
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PPF installer for hire in SoCAL
Hello. My name is Adrian i have good experience with paint protection film and i just moved to California, Irvine, i'm open to travel one hour away for the right job. You can contact me at 5717330693 -
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Boat window tinting tips
Best tip would be, “Sorry, no boats”.- 1
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Boat window tinting tips
The answer is to not heat that area too much so that you leave some slack in the film for when you get it to the inside. Also cut your pattern a little large so that you can trim a thread off the edges after shrinking to not have a furled edge. After you do a few of those you'll figure out how much to leave/trim to not have any light gaps. Also I'll leave a hardcard wrapped in a microfiber in the bottom overnight to collect water and keep pressure on the film while it dries. Sometimes you can take the top rail off the glass if the jackwagon boat builder didn't put too much pressure on the glass package when it was installed. If you pull the rail off of a tight package it's a pita to get back on, looking like it could crack the whole time. Congrats on getting it done. I've seen plenty that couldn't, which is why I price them like I do.- 1
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Boat window tinting tips
Thx everyone for the tips the install went fine, however i did run into a new problem on the main curve of the glass from thr outside the tint would lay flat on the big curve but when applying it seemed like there was too much tension and it would not stay down i ended up heating it up and flattening down but some of that area got overheated and warped a little, if you know how to tackle this problem please help me thank you!- 2
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