mrsunshades

I'm sure you are aware of this problem - that Lexus and some other manufacturers decided to install this super sensitive coating to the inside of the glass, that cannot be razor scraped at all. I had one a couple years ago and I had no idea what I was getting into you, and figured it was a one-time deal where the manufacturers realized what a stupid idea it was, & wouldn't do it anymore. Well, a week ago I had a brand new all electric Subaru SUV. It had the exact same thing on the front 2 windows - IR or UV coating that cannot be touched ! Didn't know about it & gouged the coating with my razor blade ... SO ... Does anyone know or have access to some sort of a complete list of these vehicles? I was informed by my sales rep that anyone using the core software from Llumar gets these notes about potential problems with the software - I don't understand why all Llumar dealers don't get the same updates. I was completely unaware of this and it's going to cost me quite a bit of money to fix it because even though I didn't do anything wrong, it did happen at my shop!

Somtimes what it takes is figuring out a new way to do things - I was told by a doctor, for my knees & back, to stop kneeling on the back seat to do the rear glass. Well how am I supposed to do that?!? So what I do is go sideways - most rear seats fold down so you can put larger items in the trunk. So I sit down on that seat back and swing my legs into the trunk and I'm sitting down with the glass in front of me, instead of kneeling and having to crane my neck up. To do the install I sit down, backwards, on the seat (coming in from the passenger side) with the film draped "superman" style in my outstreached arms, and then just lean back and swing my arms into the car. Will post a video of this technique soon.

My professional opinion (and I do tons of windshields at the shop; many of my customers have suction cup mounts, security cameras, phone cradles etc) is give it about a week just to be sure & you can put whatever you want on the film - it becomes part of the glass. Suction cups are not a problem. I have a big phone cradle attached to my windshield with air 80 and I use it all the time. Only time I saw a problem was a customer came back and swore he had waited a week but you could see where the suction cup had attached to the film and then the tint was off and I knew he is only waited less than a day. I went ahead and redid the windshield for him since it was an isolated case. Then he was well satisfied. Other than that you can put the oil change stickers, SunPasses, parking permit stickers, suction cups, whatever - back on the inside cuz all this is ceramic & the electronic signal will read any highway passes or car wash memberships.

Whether it's a restaurant, a plumbing service or a tint shop, I am a big believer in giving the store owner a second chance - if they show a basic and sincere willingness to make it right when a customer isn't happy, that's all we are usually looking for. That's why when one of MY customers complains and comes back (a rare occasion but yes it does happen), I found that they don't necessarily want a perfect job, but just that I'm willing to take the time to make sure they're happy in the end . To me, that's a perfect job : when the customer is smiling and glad they came in. I don't sell window film or tint jobs; I sell comfort and satisfaction!

Sorry for being a noob but why can't I see most of the posted pictures on this website?

I appreciate the tip. Yeah, Llumar sold me a 60-in at the 36-in price because of an inventory problem so I just had that left over. That's a good idea though, appreciate it!

I have a brand new roll of Air 80 - 24" and it's a full roll. Still has the factory tape and it's in the bag. Make me an offer on this. I don't believe I can make use of it at my shop. I generally go with 36-in which covers most windshields. That's 200 ft² of film. If you can use it make me an offer! Best Regards Stewart/ SunShades Glass Tinting Alpharetta, GA. 678-463-2361

Like I said: HACKER ! (and yes, in the PC world a "hacker" is defined as "an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer". BUT in any other field or occupation, a hacker is " a person or thing that hacks or cuts roughly" !!! HMM does this sound familiar ?!?!

It is amazing that many people just cannot bring themselves to say those simple works - "hey I didn't know that" or "that's very interesting, tell me more about it"! I have a family member who's favorite saying is "Oh, I KNOW!" You can be telling him about literally anything that you've experienced and he'll say "I know", instead of "Huh, that's great - tell me more". I could say something like "Did you know that New Guinea lizards eat only purple cactus seeds" and he would say "Oh, I KNOW" !!!

OK - so you're saying that he cut through the rubber AND the metal of that seal ?!? How in the world would you do that, with a hacksaw? If someone did that, they are truly a hack tinter ... it's one thing to lightly trim the edge of a rubber seal (quarter windows usually) to get a nice fit for the film. This IS common practice and if it's done right it isn't even detectable or seen at all; you just see an awesome film installation that is clean and well fitted to the glass & rubber edges. BUT it is another thing entirely to hack through someone's rubber seal system to get it out of the car - totally unacceptable and un-necessary. Sure, tinters remove seals all the time, and door panels get pulled; done right it's fine and nothing gets damaged or altered.

I did a job using the Llumar LS 65 several years ago, and now some of the panes need to be replaced, and I can't find any. Does anyone out there have a small amount that I could buy or get from you?

So yes you can simply wet the window, use a soft scrub pad perhaps, and then squeegee, installing the film over the IR coating. Only problem with that is the film can never be removed without damaging the IR... that being said, if one uses a quality product & do it right the 1st time, it should not be a problem and the customer will be happy. Just explain everything to them 1st.