I've recently had some moles removed that came back as "atypical", so now my Dr. says I have an elevated chance of getting skin cancer. As such, I'm looking at ways to reduce my sun exposure. One thing that's always frustrated me is trying to put on sunscreen before getting in the car. So I figure it would be better and more convenient to get the windows tinted. So: do I want ceramic tint? I'm thinking that I will get 50% tint because I do need to see when I drive in the dark also. The place I'm thinking I will use has Llumar, is that a decent brand?
Llumar used to be middle of the road or better for commercial stuff, which put it head and shoulders above any diy tint. My experience is that most people won't own a car long enough for it to fade to purple or have annoying issues with their tint before they sell the vehicle.
I tried to tint the glass on the front door of my house, and it's barely functional... no way am I going to try it on my car. I'll have to think about how long I think I'm keeping this car. Thanks!
Living in Texas, I get tint on pretty much every car. Ceramic or titanium are good because they don't fade like the ones that are just coloring. I think they offer better UV and heat protection, too. If you're having a shop do it, the cost difference is probably not a big deal since most of your cost is in labor. I can DIY tint on flat or flat-ish surfaces, but when it comes to curved windows and rear defrosters, I leave it to a tint shop. An hour of their time and a cost to me outweighs the full weekend of frustration I'd have.
Tint percentage will be based on your state and possibly the year of the car. In Texas, the rules are as dark as you want (limo tint is wicked dark) on the back and rear side windows and 25% on the side windows and windshield, which I guess means the strip at the top. If you go to an installer, ask about windshield tint. Just like manufacturers are offering, there are now options to tint the windshield with a clear tint that has UV and heat blocking properties. Again, your state laws may vary.
Quick look says Illinois is 35% on the side windows and as low as 5% on the rear windows. You might want to go to 25% on the side and rear to even out the look a little more, but that's a total aesthetics choice.
FI
I do 35 on the front doors, 20 in the eear, and 55 on the windshield. Seems to be a good compromise for day/night visibility
Depending on the car, I would lean toward the clear ceramic tint. I don't like the reduced visibility at night with darker tint.
First off, props to just deciding to "pay the man"
Thats smart money.
Second off, I always go darker than legal and don't get hassled, but I keep a respectable vehicle, not a clapped out Crown Vic Felonymobile.
My old F250 came from Arizona and it had limo tint all the way around including over the factory tint in back. On one hand it was very private. On the other hand it was almost undriveable at night. I ended up having it pulled off and had the front redone to match the factory rear tint, I was a lot happier with that.
Thanks guys! I had previously read that windshields already block 99% of UV because they are 3-ply (2 glass with a plastic sheet in the middle). But I will look into that.
I am considering the clear also, but from what I can tell, the 50% is not a whole lot darker than clear. I definitely want to be able to see out at night. Other than that I'm mostly concerned with the UV blocking. But I'm assuming the place will have samples and I may change my mind when I get there.
My advice would be:
1: Stay legal - Obviously 50% is probably nowhere near being illegal in your state, but methinks you should probably go darker than that. I *think* GA is like 33 or 35. I don't like dealing with cops. I had no idea the tint that was on my car when I bought it was too dark till I got pulled for it.
In Georgia, you can get an exemption for "light sensitivity" if the Dr. writes you a note and you fill out a bunch of paperwork, but obviously you'd want that BEFORE the tint goes on.
2: Find the BEST local tint shop and give them a call? I'd bet they've dealt with your situation before. I would think UV filtration would be the biggest concern, at which point they may not need to be "tinted" at all. I sell conservation and museum glass for picture framing and it has a clear film that's 97 or 98% UV filtering, which is the most protection you can get without tinting.
This is all good advice, thanks! I'm thinking I'm going to stop by one afternoon since it's on my way home anyway. I think seeing how dark each of these tints are in person is going to be helpful.
I do believe I could get a Dr. note for a darker tint, but my impression is that it's for people who have already had cancer. Although I haven't looked into it too seriously as I think the legal tint will be fine for now at least.
I've run 20% in Georgia for 10? Years, with never an issue.
I'm pretty good at figuring things out. I repair phones, fix most house stuff. My last car I spent 60$ on tint, 20$ on tools, and every bit of it looked terrible. I will never attempt tint ever again.
Llumar and solargard are good brands. 3m suprisingly is not that great in my experiences
Stand outside the bay and watch the pro do it.
They have computer programs and cutting machines now that cut the roll of tint into the proper shape and size for your car. A professional can flat sling some window tint. It doesn't take long and you'll be on your way. I DIY everything. Everything. But tint has a skillset that my brain doesn't posess. I've tried and failed enough to know to just pay the man in this case.
