2015 Cherokee Trailhawk factory match tint

solodogg · February 4, 2015

I've been lurking for quite some time, but am still completely confused on what would match my Trailhawk the best. OEM rear glass is smoked 21% VLT, front windows are 70% VLT. Currently, i've got Solargard HP22 Charcoal installed, and it doesn't come anywhere close to matching. The rear windows have more of a bronze/brownish tint to them, the Solargard has more of a green hue. On the outside, the fronts are a lot darker, and definitely more reflective.

I have been talking to different shops locally, and while nobody claims a perfect match (and I don't expect one), nobody has attempted to match one before either. One of the local dealers carries Johnson Renegade film that he said would match close, another carries 3M FX-ST for a close factory match. I've also read reports of Llumar ATC actually having more of a bronze hue than the ATC line, but a little more reflectivity than the OEM tint.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what to use for as close as possible match? I'd rather the outside match better than the inside, but anything close is good enough for me. Solargard is nowhere close, and the workmanship of the shop I used is quite horrible (they have already redone it twice, and it got worse the second time).

SeanA011 · February 5, 2015

I use SolarFX Prime series on everything I do. I have yet to come across a vehicle that the 20% didn't match. I'm sure there are a few that it don't but I've had pretty good luck with it!!

tintshoptx · February 5, 2015

Jeep must've totally changed up there factory tint on that vehicle because ALL the Dodge & Jeep vehicles that I get in here are grey in color. So I would have to see one to give you a close match. All the 14 Dodge & Jeeps I do Express Window Films HP 20 matches awesome because it is more grey in color. If more of a charcoal then SolarFX Ultra 20 matches great. Both are excellent films & color stable. The Prime mentioned above is a good film but not color stable like the Ultra series.

solodogg · February 10, 2015

I ended up going with the 3M FX-ST film. Match from the outside is pretty decent, from the inside still more of a green/grey shade than the bronze type finish on the back glass. Still a lot happier with the overall reflectivity and look of the film than I was the SolarGard film.

palmettotint · February 11, 2015

Nothing will ever be PERFECT perfect because it's a one-shade-fits-all film. All manufacturers have a slightly different color and percentage. I can tell you from experience that Viper 20% and Huper Optik Extreme 20% matches almost to a "T". They have that slight brownish hue to them compared to other's greenish or blueish. Hope this helps!

wickedtint · February 12, 2015

Ewf classic black 20 is very very close.

twotint · February 12, 2015

The root of the problem is the front door glass io has a solar tint that is usually greenish adding to the color difference. The 3M film has a bluer hue then the other films you mentioned. The blue will help take away from the green. Suntek's film is a little brownish on some of their lines which helps match the rears like yours. As long as you found a good enough color that's about all you can hope for. Glad it worked out for you.

solodogg · February 14, 2015

The root of the problem is the front door glass io has a solar tint that is usually greenish adding to the color difference. The 3M film has a bluer hue then the other films you mentioned. The blue will help take away from the green. Suntek's film is a little brownish on some of their lines which helps match the rears like yours. As long as you found a good enough color that's about all you can hope for. Glad it worked out for you.

Hey, someone fairly local. Next time I'm in need of tint, i'll come pay you a visit. I can't seem to find anyone down south that offers more than a single line of tint, and all of them are metallic films that don't come close to matching the OEM tint. The guy that did my 3M film doesn't normally do automotive work anymore, but told me he would take care of it this time since he had some film that would match decent, and felt bad about the work that was done before.

solodogg · February 20, 2015

So, I finally got a chance to see the window tint with a very nice bright background since switching from Solar Gard to 3M, and this actually looks more like Solar Gard all over again than it does the way 3M has been described to me. Interior looking out is definitely much darker, outside looking in looks VERY green to me, vs the rears have more of a brownish tint. I was told by the installer that this is the 3M FX-ST line at 20%, and supposed to be a dyed film. Still looks to have a metallic look from the outside compared to the rears, almost similar to the Solar Gard that was installed the first time, but maybe in a lighter shade.

Is there anything anyone could reccomend that would get closer than this? This is the second window tint job, and i'm still not happy. I've never had this many issues with getting tint to match, but this one is proving to be a pain. If someone within a couple of hours of Evansville, IN would like a chance at getting it closer, i'd love to give them a shot!

Tinteks · February 20, 2015

what it comes down to is.. it is what it is.

I use qdp and on most the vehicles that come in the 2 fronts match great.

I am not going to stock many films just to match back ends, a lot of the time I have noticed and dealt with customers that just wont have it not matching.. Honda pilots, Mercedes suvs, and a few others have a different glass for the 2 fronts them what the back windows are smoked with. so its near impossible to match perfectly.

having to retint it to see what works seem like a waste of film and time.

if the customer is that picky I learned from wasting time doing it to just rip it off and let the customer go down the road.