Help! Is this tint job acceptable?

August 20, 2014

Edit: Re-posted here: http://www.tintdude.com/forum/index.php/topic/78500-repost-help-is-this-tint-job-acceptable/#entry1187410

Hi all,

I recently bought my first new car, a 2014 Honda Accord Sport (great vehicle for around 22k, if you're looking these days). I really need some help with a professional opinion on whether or not the tint job I received was at an average/acceptable level for what you can get these days. I probably paid around $300 to $400 for the tints alone.

To make a long story short, I made the mistake of waiting until evening to buy the car, so I was tired and hungry. I purchased a 3M film and (mystery) tint package available through the dealer, installed by a 3rd party. I'm now fully regretting doing that.

I wanted to make sure I was getting a quality product, so I asked the service department 3 distinct times to speak directly with the installer. I would have paid extra to upgrade to ceramic or carbon tints if the chosen product was sub-par. They never let me speak with the guy.... terrible dealer service! I also wanted to check that they weren't installing metallic tints, for the sake of my cellphone signal when travelling.

So, the install was done on 5 windows (back and sides) with unknown tints (probably dyed if I had to guess, but who knows). Install was done on a rainy day, so lighting in the dealer's shop was limited to what the interior lights produced... at least I assume it was done indoors!

It's been 9 days since the install, and car has been garaged around 50% of those days. I get a rainbow effect when looking through the tints with polarized glasses (interesting for 5 minutes, but super distracting after that, as I like to view the scenery when travelling).

I also have air pocket issues with the rear window antenna and heater wires. At night, any bright light source will cause refraction off of every single one of the wires. It looks like 1 light becomes 20... so there is effectively NO visibility out of the rear window.

Just rolled down all 4 side windows, and both passenger side windows have some "warping" or waviness along the top edges, like they looked when they were new. I couldn't get any pictures of the effect, but it's very noticeable to the naked eye.

There are around 6 to 20 small bubbles in each of the 4 main windows, and a brush bristle (I think) is trapped under the rear window tint. The rear window seems to have a dozen or so small bubbles. The tint seems to be starting to adhere to the dot matrix pattern around the edges in only one place... about 2 inches long. Not sure if it's an issue of being cured or not. Before tinting, the windows were super dirty from new car haze, and some of the rear window was not cleaned before tinting, making the rear window appear a bit dirty at the bottom edge, but it's not terrible.. It will just never be showroom clean again.

The tints applied to the rear stationary windows by the quarter panel were cut poorly... the edges don't line up, and on close inspection, look amateurish. Also, there are about twice the amount of bubbles due to dirt on those windows.

Also, I have no clue if it will pass an NC inspection (I think it's 36% VLT, but not at all sure on that), and the 3rd brake light is now covered (not sure on the law about that)... haven't seen the intensity, but I'm sure it's been hindered.

Here are a few pictures of the problem areas. Sorry about the links (wouldn't let me post in body) and the quality, it's amazing how much lint shows up with fluorescent lighting!

Here, you can see the quarter-panel edge, and how it does not match up at all... I'm sure it's hard to get correct... but couldn't you just draw your own stencil from the exterior and transfer?

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=4841&pictureid=27489

Other edge:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=4841&pictureid=27473

Further down that same edge (note the trash under the tint):

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=4841&pictureid=27465

Other side of that same window:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=4841&pictureid=27457

Rear window, showing the bristle, dot matrix bubbles and the wire bubbles:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=4841&pictureid=27449

Some side window bubbles:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=4841&pictureid=27497

Thanks!!

Mike

TTS · August 20, 2014

None of the pictures are working for me on my mobile device..

Sounds like you have a mix of real problems and mis-information problems....

The rainbow effect will happen with all film no matter.

The tint alignment problems should be corrected along with the bristle in the film. I would ask the dealer to have those corrected.

Nobody uses metallic film for new car dealers anymore.... I'm sure you got a basic dyed film (carbon is a basic dyed film.. Don't get caught up in the hype) if you are not happy paying what you did for a dyed film your head probably would have exploded after paying what a good ceramic commands.

Just take it back... Ask to have the problems addressed... Use the search function for how to post pictures that work :thumb

Lock · August 20, 2014

:yeah

Pics will not work for my mobile device or my pc.

Godton · August 20, 2014

Links doesn't work for me neither.

Ocala · August 20, 2014

Pics don't work, try again. As far as what you "might" have paid for the job, keep in mind that the dealershit is going to want to make money off of it :money If you paid $400.00 to the dealer, that means that the installer probably only got about a 3rd of that. Not claiming that everyone who does dealer work are hacks, but they generally are not going to do as good of a job :twocents

WearTheFoxHat · August 20, 2014

LMAO the images are 1x1 pixel OOPS

Booms · August 20, 2014

:spit

August 20, 2014

TTS: thanks for the input! I should have never agreed to the dealer tint package... I had a feeling then I would regret it, and lo' and behold... I did. Live and learn I suppose!

And Whooops! I guess the picture links required permissions to view properly. Sorry about that! The BBS code I was using didn't work... and I couldn't find anything in searching yesterday. I'll try the photobucket method and see what happens.

August 20, 2014

As far as what you "might" have paid for the job, keep in mind that the dealershit is going to want to make money off of it If you paid $400.00 to the dealer, that means that the installer probably only got about a 3rd of that. Not claiming that everyone who does dealer work are hacks, but they generally are not going to do as good of a job

That's just sad... waaaay too much of a profit margin for what should basically a more expensive referral on the part of the dealer.

August 20, 2014

Here we go, I got the pictures to post through code and Photobucket this time:

P.S.: Should I just get a refund on this, considering the misinformation? I would like to pay top dollar to get much higher quality ceramic tints done in the Charlotte, NC area, with a shop that has a reputation for attention to detail. Any advice on that? Also... should I even have the dealership touch my tints with regards to removal, or should I just take it to the next shop I choose? I'm concerned about damaging that rear windscreen.

Original post:

Hi all,

I recently bought my first new car, a 2014 Honda Accord Sport (great vehicle for around 22k, if you're looking these days). I really need some help with a professional opinion on whether or not the tint job I received was at an average/acceptable level for what you can get these days. I probably paid around $300 to $400 for the tints alone.

To make a long story short, I made the mistake of waiting until evening to buy the car, so I was tired and hungry. I purchased a 3M film and (mystery) tint package available through the dealer, installed by a 3rd party. I'm now fully regretting doing that.

I wanted to make sure I was getting a quality product, so I asked the service department 3 distinct times to speak directly with the installer. I would have paid extra to upgrade to ceramic or carbon tints if the chosen product was sub-par. They never let me speak with the guy.... terrible dealer service! I also wanted to check that they weren't installing metallic tints, for the sake of my cellphone signal when travelling.

So, the install was done on 5 windows (back and sides) with unknown tints (probably dyed if I had to guess, but who knows). Install was done on a rainy day, so lighting in the dealer's shop was limited to what the interior lights produced... at least I assume it was done indoors!

It's been 9 days since the install, and car has been garaged around 50% of those days. I get a rainbow effect when looking through the tints with polarized glasses (interesting for 5 minutes, but super distracting after that, as I like to view the scenery when travelling).

I also have air pocket issues with the rear window antenna and heater wires. At night, any bright light source will cause refraction off of every single one of the wires. It looks like 1 light becomes 20... so there is effectively NO visibility out of the rear window.

Just rolled down all 4 side windows, and both passenger side windows have some "warping" or waviness along the top edges, like they looked when they were new. I couldn't get any pictures of the effect, but it's very noticeable to the naked eye.

There are around 6 to 20 small bubbles in each of the 4 main windows, and a brush bristle (I think) is trapped under the rear window tint. The rear window seems to have a dozen or so small bubbles. The tint seems to be starting to adhere to the dot matrix pattern around the edges in only one place... about 2 inches long. Not sure if it's an issue of being cured or not. Before tinting, the windows were super dirty from new car haze, and some of the rear window was not cleaned before tinting, making the rear window appear a bit dirty at the bottom edge, but it's not terrible.. It will just never be showroom clean again.

The tints applied to the rear stationary windows by the quarter panel were cut poorly... the edges don't line up, and on close inspection, look amateurish. Also, there are about twice the amount of bubbles due to dirt on those windows.

Also, I have no clue if it will pass an NC inspection (I think it's 36% VLT, but not at all sure on that), and the 3rd brake light is now covered (not sure on the law about that)... haven't seen the intensity, but I'm sure it's been hindered.

Here are a few pictures of the problem areas. Sorry about the links (wouldn't let me post in body) and the quality, it's amazing how much lint shows up with fluorescent lighting!

Hope these pictures work this time:

Here's the RHS rear door quarter panel window. Bubbling and poorly cut edge.

Same window, right edge: bubbles and edge issues again.

Same window, further down right edge, Trash caught under film, and bubbles:

Front window: can't really see the "wavy" effect present along the top 1" of the window... but it's there!! Pretty bad in person.

LHS quarter panel window: this is just sad...

Same window, some glitter trapped underneath I think:

LHS rear window: some bubbles

Rear windscreen: The bubbles were actually starting to adhere in a 2" or so long strip.. but nowhere else. Will this improve? I assure you it's not an optical illusion with the cloud there, it was noticable from all angles.

Rear windscreen: That will always be there. Notice the white lines above and below the printed wiring... small, but makes HUGE reflections at night. Can't live with that... any way to do tints on a rear window without getting that effect? If it's impossible, I'm just going to leave the back alone.

Sides don't look that bad from a distance:

Thanks again for the help!!