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Tint Removal and Re-Tinting: Will it be "Perfect"?


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Good evening,

 

I recently bought a 2016 Honda Civic which was dealer tinted that I hated from the very beginning. It had lots of bubbles (I can only assume they're from dirt under the surface).

 

2 months in, I brought it into a local tint shop to remove and re-tint. I was told I would be "guaranteed satisfaction" after I told them about the issue I had with my dealer installed tint, and they were confident in removing and re-tinting the car (spoke with their receptionist).

 

On 5/10, my car was serviced. Removed and re-tinted. I noticed a few bubbles (all throughout 4 windows) but would told those are normal and would go away. The next day, after carefully looking at the bubbles, I noticed it may be debris - so I contacted the shop and told me to bring it by so they can take a look.

 

5/12, the shop tech looked at it and I was told that since my vehicle had an existing tint removed, that it wouldn't be perfect and that the tint was perfect - despite obvious signs of bubbles throughout. This came from their tech - not from the receptionist who I spoke to. They did choose to replace one window, but lo and behold, that had bubbles as well.

 

Fast forward to today, 5/15, the bubbles aren't disappearing. I'm also not talking about just 1 or 2 bubbles... there's at least 5-6 on each window, some as much as 8-10. 1 or 2 bubbles are in my direct line of side when I look into my side mirrors so my slight "ocd" kicks in.

 

Is that just the nature of a tint removal and re-tinting? Will the windows never be "perfect" because of previous adhesive from the tint? It seem to be what the shop is telling me, but I'm likely to call is BS. I'd like to get some feedback of professionals such as yourselves to give your input.

 

Thank you all for your time.

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I was told I would be "guaranteed satisfaction"....

 

Or?? 

 

Obviously you aren't satisfied....  was their initial offer "or your money back"?

 

Seems odd on their part that they would be confident knowing what your issues were with the last  job, but after the fact they have the opinion that because it's a remove & retint this is the best they can do.

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Thanks for the response, Roach.

 

I wasn't given an "or" when I first spoke to the shop - however, after emailing them today (5/15 - I'm better at explaining things by email as opposed to in person/vocally - I guess it's my shy, quiet nature), I was called back by the owner (left a voicemail, I called back, no answer - we're playing phone tag at the moment) and said to call them back to see what I'd like to do, or also offered my money back - with them removing the tint they installed.

 

I'm a reasonable person. I was charged $100 to remove, $250 to install 3M Color Stable. I understand that redoing a tint cuts into a shop's materials. When I finally get a chance to speak to the owner, I'd like to offer to pay for the materials (at cost) to have them redo my tint - That is, if it's possible to get a perfect tint job after an existing film was removed.

 

I've only ever had one new vehicle before which was tinted perfectly. I've never had a vehicle have a film removal and re-tinted, so I'm not sure if what the shop is saying is true. I just want my vehicle tinted correctly :)

 

 

I was told I would be "guaranteed satisfaction"....

 

Or?? 

 

Obviously you aren't satisfied....  was their initial offer "or your money back"?

 

Seems odd on their part that they would be confident knowing what your issues were with the last time job, but after the fact they have the opinion that because it's a remove & retint this is the best they can do.

 

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The hard part about removing film is removing all glue specially in the DOT Matrix areas.  Can it be done properly, 100%.  Do all shops do it properly, not at all.  So yes, you can have it removed and done properly once you find a shop that will strive for perfection.  

 

As far as the bubble thing goes...when you pick your vehicle there will be bubbles.  No matter the film, no matter the shop you will have them.  These are water bubbles that have to dry out which can only be done with time...more sun exposure can assist in speeding this up.  Depending on the film and the weather/location this can take 1-4 weeks.  We use Llumar which is ones of the faster drying films and we tell all customers 4 weeks.  When a car is first tinted, the water bubbles make it very hard to see small debris in the installation.  So this is why it needs to dry to be better inspected.  So the bubbles you are seeing/complaining about is 100% normal.  Do not get hung up on that, too many consumers think the film should be 100% set on day 1 which is not true since we use a water solution to apply the film and slide it in place.

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That is, if it's possible to get a perfect tint job after an existing film was removed.

 

 

 

Also get the phrase above out of your vocabulary.  There is no such thing as a perfect tint job.  We do not install in a "clean room" so no matter how "perfect" a job seems, there are flaws.  However, any good shop should strive for that perfection and customer satisfaction.  Downside I would guess 60% of tint shops/installers are not up to par.

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Thanks DynamicAppearance. "Perfect tint job" out of my vocabulary :)

 

I've kept my vehicle outside out in our blistering Florida weather since 5/10 - so far 5 days. Would it be unfair or unrealistic for me to ask them to redo the job within the 1-4 weeks period - if I finally speak to the owner sometime this week and find a fair resolution? Or should I let them know I'll wait longer to see if it cures some more and these bubbles disappear. I ask because when I first called the next day, the receptionist told me to bring my vehicle in as soon as possible - the next day - even though I offered to wait a week to make sure it cures properly. 

 

I also understand the clean room comment. Although I'm likely to assume that it was a rushed job and corners were cut, because my first time in the shop, it took about an hour and 45 minutes to remove and install film. The second time when they replaced the rear passenger, it took 15 minutes. I'm not opposed to waiting as long as I need, as long as it is done correctly. Like I said, I'm fairly reasonable - I just wish I was told the scenarios and was not given such excuse about removal/re-tinting :(

 

 

The hard part about removing film is removing all glue specially in the DOT Matrix areas.  Can it be done properly, 100%.  Do all shops do it properly, not at all.  So yes, you can have it removed and done properly once you find a shop that will strive for perfection.  

 

As far as the bubble thing goes...when you pick your vehicle there will be bubbles.  No matter the film, no matter the shop you will have them.  These are water bubbles that have to dry out which can only be done with time...more sun exposure can assist in speeding this up.  Depending on the film and the weather/location this can take 1-4 weeks.  We use Llumar which is ones of the faster drying films and we tell all customers 4 weeks.  When a car is first tinted, the water bubbles make it very hard to see small debris in the installation.  So this is why it needs to dry to be better inspected.  So the bubbles you are seeing/complaining about is 100% normal.  Do not get hung up on that, too many consumers think the film should be 100% set on day 1 which is not true since we use a water solution to apply the film and slide it in place.

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I had high hopes for this shop I went to. They've got great reviews and was recommended by another member from another forum I'm in (Civic forum). Facility is great, and front staff is wonderful.

 

They just don't seem to strive for perfection because their initial response to my email was a refund and remove their installed tint - without having the chance to speak to them yet. Like I said, I'm hoping I can offer to pay for any materials that may be wasted in this task - I just didn't want it to be a "If you don't like it, here's your money back" situation.

 

 

That is, if it's possible to get a perfect tint job after an existing film was removed.

 


 

 

Also get the phrase above out of your vocabulary.  There is no such thing as a perfect tint job.  We do not install in a "clean room" so no matter how "perfect" a job seems, there are flaws.  However, any good shop should strive for that perfection and customer satisfaction.  Downside I would guess 60% of tint shops/installers are not up to par.

 

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Thanks DynamicAppearance. "Perfect tint job" out of my vocabulary :)

 

I've kept my vehicle outside out in our blistering Florida weather since 5/10 - so far 5 days. Would it be unfair or unrealistic for me to ask them to redo the job within the 1-4 weeks period - if I finally speak to the owner sometime this week and find a fair resolution? I ask because when I first called the next day, the receptionist told me to bring my vehicle in as soon as possible - the next day - even though I offered to wait a week to make sure it cures properly. 

 

I also understand the clean room comment. Although I'm likely to assume that it was a rushed job and corners were cut, because my first time in the shop, it took about an hour and 45 minutes to remove and install film. The second time when they replaced the rear passenger, it took 15 minutes. I'm not opposed to waiting as long as I need, as long as it is done correctly. Like I said, I'm fairly reasonable - I just wish I was told the scenarios and was not given such excuse about removal/re-tinting :(

 

 

The hard part about removing film is removing all glue specially in the DOT Matrix areas.  Can it be done properly, 100%.  Do all shops do it properly, not at all.  So yes, you can have it removed and done properly once you find a shop that will strive for perfection.  

 

As far as the bubble thing goes...when you pick your vehicle there will be bubbles.  No matter the film, no matter the shop you will have them.  These are water bubbles that have to dry out which can only be done with time...more sun exposure can assist in speeding this up.  Depending on the film and the weather/location this can take 1-4 weeks.  We use Llumar which is ones of the faster drying films and we tell all customers 4 weeks.  When a car is first tinted, the water bubbles make it very hard to see small debris in the installation.  So this is why it needs to dry to be better inspected.  So the bubbles you are seeing/complaining about is 100% normal.  Do not get hung up on that, too many consumers think the film should be 100% set on day 1 which is not true since we use a water solution to apply the film and slide it in place.

 

 

Unfortunately, true customer service is not demonstrated until after the sale.  Once a shop has your money, a good portion of the time the service goes out the window.  Time for removal & reinstallation just depends on the amount of people working on the job.  Since the film was a newer film, it probably came off good.  So if there was 2 people on the vehicle, 1.5 hour is reasonable.  If there was only 1 person, then that is a little too quick.  Your vehicle should take atleast 1.5 hour just to tint and additional .5-1 hour depending on how the film came off.

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I had high hopes for this shop I went to. They've got great reviews and was recommended by another member from another forum I'm in (Civic forum). Facility is great, and front staff is wonderful.

 

They just don't seem to strive for perfection because their initial response to my email was a refund and remove their installed tint - without having the chance to speak to them yet. Like I said, I'm hoping I can offer to pay for any materials that may be wasted in this task - I just didn't want it to be a "If you don't like it, here's your money back" situation.

 

 

That is, if it's possible to get a perfect tint job after an existing film was removed.

 

 

 

Also get the phrase above out of your vocabulary.  There is no such thing as a perfect tint job.  We do not install in a "clean room" so no matter how "perfect" a job seems, there are flaws.  However, any good shop should strive for that perfection and customer satisfaction.  Downside I would guess 60% of tint shops/installers are not up to par.

 

 

 

If they are not offering to redo it, then I would just get a refund and go somewhere else.  If they are not willing to try to fix the issue, then they are probably writing you off as "picky" and want to move on.

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