Exact-Oh

Thanks TintGuy. I've mainly been an auto tinter, and I've stayed far away from situations like this. I couldn't imagine this customer replacing all of these expensive windows, only to have problems in 6-months.

Nice to see you too, TD! All is well on my end - and still tinting part time. I'm seriously considering full retirement, but I'll miss it. Thanks for the info. I might skip this job if the customer is really dead set on matching, or ask him to replace ALL the glass. I wouldn't put that past him, but then I could do all the tinting before the glass is installed!

Hey my tint friends! It's been a very long time since I've posted here at TD. I have a couple questions for anyone who has experience tinting large RV windows. 1. The customer is replacing some windows, but the replacement glass is clear while the existing windows are factory tinted approximately 20%. What's the chance I can match the shade and color between the two? He's asking for limo, so if I was dealing with a standard SUV I would just add 20% to 20% factory tint. Since these windows are flat and it will be much easier to see any minor differences between panes, I'm concerned. 2. The customer is rightfully worried about 4g/5g signal strength thru the film. These RVs run exclusively on hotspots, so the film cannot block any signal. Do you have suggestions for the film type to use; dyed, metalized, ceramic, etc.? 3. I asked the customer to follow up on this questions since he's purchasing the replacement glass, but... all of the glass is dual pane/thermo-pane glass. Should I be concerned with adding limo film to the inside surface of these windows? Any info would be appreciated. I've been tinting cars only, and only on a part-time basis for the last 10-15 years. I'm not too excited about this job with the unanswered questions above, along with some access issues to some of the glass. The window behind the rear cabin bed is partially blocked by cabinets, for instance, with only ≈3-4 inches of clearance. Either way, it could be worth the income, since he has two full busses to tint, but that's only if I can match the shade and deliver a product that works for the customer. Thank you, Exact-Oh

Tinted a 2013 BMW M5 last weekend. This car had the f'n sun shades on the back doors. Front panels simple to remove. After being a panel puller my entire 32- year tint career, I absolutely hate butting the film on the roll- downs, but I did on those back doors. Nice car though; too bad I couldn't test out driving it.

Bad news. BMW stopped using their typical top panel clips starting in 2020 on the 3- series at least, requiring a full panel removal. I'm not sure about 2019 models yet, but I own a 2018, and that car has the top clips we all know and love. For the 2020, there are 2 screws to remove; one behind the door handle and one under the arm rest (no need to remove the arm rest, it's hard to see underneath there). The perimeter clips are what I call the 'VW' style clips, except for one standard clip. They're the 2- stage panel clips that must be popped out before reassembling the panel on the door. Take care on the brake light, that's like earlier models with the cover popping down, starting in the rear, and the lamp itself has clips on each side, close to the glass, that must be slid out towards the side, away from the lamp. Simple car still, but I'll be missing the old top panel clips, negating the requirement to pull the panels.

Failed again today. Way too much stretch needed on the four corners. I cut it to size after installing since the window is out. Left it >2" big all the way around. Didn't shrink the wings at all this time, only the center. Just wasted another 65" of film!

I tried once yesterday, but shrank too much on the side wings, and it ended up too small, or I'd have to stretch it too much to reach the glass on the inside. I'll try it again today or tomorrow and only shrink the center portion, and skip the 'wings'.

I have the glass out, but it looks like it's going to be a b*tch to shrink. Any tips would be helpful. Thanks, Shell