Advice needed for first-time tint purchase

[Wolfgang]

Hello. I recently purchased a 2015 Infiniti Q50 this past Saturday and I am looking to tint the windows. This will be my first time purchasing tint for a car, so I have been doing my research on the different brands and types. I live in Louisiana so it gets pretty hot here during the summer so I'd like high heat rejection if possible. I know I'd like to try and find a happy medium between dark tint and still being able to see while driving at night. I love the look of 5% tint, but I know it's very dangerous and difficult driving at night with 5%. I'm thinking of going with 15-20, just have no clue with what brand to go with. I've researched ceramic tints and those seem like the way to go for maximum heat and UV rejection, but wanted to ask the pros once I stumbled across this forum. Here are some options I have found in my area from 3 different shops...

 

SunTek non-ceramic for $175 (special they are running right now).

 

Madico Wincos ceramic for $280

 

Huper Optik ceramic for $320

 

All of the above options come with a lifetime warranty. I'm okay with those prices and I'm leaning towards the Huper Optik just because the shop that offers it has the most recognition in my area and been doing this the longest. Also, I have read that the huper optik has more reflection to it, which is fine with me. I just don't know if any of these come in different colors? I will attach a picture of my car for reference, if it makes it a little easier to try and decide on which one to go with. The color of my car is called chestnut bronze. Thanks in advance for any advice/help.

 

Edit: Nevermind about the picture, I can't seem to figure out how to attach a picture from my computer. I only have the option to link a URL picture.

[DynamicATL]

As you said it comes down to the quality of the shop.  If the shops were on the same level, I would go with the Madico Wincos.  This is because it has a natural gray tone versus the slightly silver/reflectiveness of Huper Ceramic which IMO would look better with your color.  However, that depends on what you prefer...you can get samples of both to compare.  Performance-wise they are very close and you should be happy with either.  I would skip the entry level since it will not help much with heat rejection, just there for the appearance factor.

[Wolfgang]

Thanks for the feedback. The shop that does Wincos also offers Charcool tint, anyone familiar with that? Apparently that is also a Madico product? Not sure if that's ceramic though.

[DynamicATL]

20 minutes ago, Wolfgang said:

Thanks for the feedback. The shop that does Wincos also offers Charcool tint, anyone familiar with that? Apparently that is also a Madico product? Not sure if that's ceramic though.

 

Charcool is more like a premium Color Stable Window Film.  It would be much higher quality than the Suntek mentioned above.  Madico does not have a Ceramic film, but their Wincos outperforms most Ceramic films.

[Wolfgang]

I am reading a lot about Wincos having a bluish tint/hue to it... is this an accurate statement? And if so, would that look better or worse on my bronze car?

[DynamicATL]

58 minutes ago, Wolfgang said:

I am reading a lot about Wincos having a bluish tint/hue to it... is this an accurate statement? And if so, would that look better or worse on my bronze car?

 

The hue is very light...majority of Ceramic and higher performing films will have a green or blue hue to them.

 

Here is an example Wincos 30 below...

 

[Wolfgang]

Update:

 

I went and checked out what both shops have to offer.

 

#1 - Huper Optik ceramic, will do 20% all around for $400 cash.

 

#2 - Madico Black Pearl Nano-Ceramic, will do 20% all around for $260 cash. I've never heard of this line of Madico film, anyone have any experience with this? The guy who owns the shop had it on his personal white BMW and it looked very nice.

 

They will do the 20% for cash only because of the laws here.

 

http://www.madico.com/nano-ceramic/

[DynamicATL]

Yes, I forgot about that line...it is newer line from them that I believe have been out for a few months.  Huper Ceramic and Madico Wincos are on the same playing field as far as performance...the Black Pearl Ceramic is not going to block as much as Huper Ceramic or Wincos.  That is why the price is lower...it is a step down in performance.  Now that level of performance may be all you need.  Our #1 sold film is Llumar CTX Ceramic which is going to be in the same realm and people love it.  However, I also carry 3M Crystalline that outperforms the CTX.  It is like having 2 sport cars...one tops out at 180 while the other tops out at 240.  The 180 model is plenty for most people, but some people want to have the 240 model which obviously is going to be higher priced.  I can say $400 for Huper Ceramic is a good price...it is $500+ in GA and closer to $1000 in CA.  Consumers would be shocked at what come of these higher performance films cost to buy.  As I have told couple of customers, a roll of 3M Crystalline can cost more than some of the cars we tinted.

 

On a side note, make sure the shop can truly install the Huper Ceramic 20...it leaves "ghosting" when overheated.  The Infiniti Q50 is not a hard vehicle to do (we are actually doing one right now in CTX), but I would heavily inspect it once it is complete.

[Wolfgang]

Wow, thanks for the great response!!

What would "ghosting" look like? I wouldn't even know what to look for.

 

On the madico website it says that black pearl rejects up to 87% of IR and blocks more than 99% of UV. What does the huper block out for comparison? I've been reading a lot about ceramic and I just figured you can't go wrong with any ceramic tint, I know different brands will offer their own different pros.

 

The shop here that offers the Madico has more of a reputation in the window tinting business. That's actually all they do here. The shop that offers the huper does auto audio systems first, then tinting. They started out with audio and that's what they are more known for. A lot of people will say the shop is just as important as the tint you get, if not more important. Thanks for your help so far by the way.

[DynamicATL]

This is Huper Ceramic 20 that another consumer posted.  The car in the photo is much harder to tint, so not saying this will happen on your vehicle.  Just what can happen when improperly installed.  Yes, quality of the shop is the most important.  Make sure you not only feel comfortable with their quality, but that they come across confident/knowledgeable.  If they are acting sus, it is typically a bad sign.