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I am thinking about doing this on my LS as it is white and the color would pop, however the place near me in NYC said they would have to remove the door panels.
Are they removing your door panels to get underneath? If so does it look complicated for them to remove and put back with no issues?
I'm here now, they stock 35, 45 & 50 instead of 30 and 40, so I went with the 35. Should be done in about 2 hours.
Computer cut. Its Performance Window Tinting in Columbia, MD.
I thought the Huper Optik's Ceramic line had five shades to choose from - 60%, 50%, 40%, 30% and 20%. This film has two layers of UV protection and is more of a grayish charcoal look to it. Huper also has a ESC line (Energy Saver Ceramic), which has two shades to choose from - 45% or 35%. It only has a single layer of UV protection, and has a clear bluish green look to it. If you are getting the 35%, then I assume you getting the ESC...unless Huper has added/changed their product offering.
Just went back to take a peek at it, it looks great! They don't seem to be removing the door panels...
Most shops do, but it's not imperative. My panels were removed by an ex-Lexus body shop employee that knew exactly where all the fasteners are located. Plus, they had spare fasteners if needed for virtually any car from Rolls, Lambo, McLaren, Maserati down to Fiats and Chevrolets.
The Huper they offer is the single layer product, they also have 50 which I assume is the double layer product. We went over all of that and I had come across that in my research.
The Huper they offer is the single layer product, they also have 50 which I assume is the double layer product. We went over all of that and I had come across that in my research.
I have only used the Huper Optik Dual-Layer Ceramic Series film.
All done, looks great! A little reflective, has a little green hue to it in direct sunlight (factory Lexus tint is green) which I think looks great, very upscale looking.
35% is the right shade, wouldn't want it any darker.
So, couple questions for you experienced tint people:
1. How long until I can clean the inside of the windows? They're all smeared and are a straight mess.
2. I do have some air bubbles and some "orange peel", blurriness to the film. I'm told this is normal and will dissipate with time...any thoughts?
The car is a mess, need to wash it. Pics will come I promise
The moisture behind the film has to dissipate. Very normal. Don't roll the windows down or clean it for 2-4 days. It speeds up the process to park it in the sun. Never use ammonia based glass cleaner. Same for your 60" flat screen TV
All done, looks great! A little reflective, has a little green hue to it in direct sunlight (factory Lexus tint is green) which I think looks great, very upscale looking.
35% is the right shade, wouldn't want it any darker.
So, couple questions for you experienced tint people:
1. How long until I can clean the inside of the windows? They're all smeared and are a straight mess.
2. I do have some air bubbles and some "orange peel", blurriness to the film. I'm told this is normal and will dissipate with time...any thoughts?
The car is a mess, need to wash it. Pics will come I promise
Yeah, the Huper Optik ESC line is more reflective, which most people do not like, plus it has a bluish green look in lieu of grayish charcoal.
Wait 2-3 days and lightly wipe the inside of the windows using just water. Never use any cleaner with ammonia. I highly recommend Invisible Glass to clean/polish windows, inside and outside. Outstanding stuff! The trick is to use a dry microfiber towel to remove any (I mean any) remaining layer of the product, and polish the glass brilliantly clean. (I can clean the inside of my windows once a year and they are perfect with no streaks, smudges or wipe marks visible for a whole year. If you leave a damp layer of any cleaner, including pure water, on glass it will dry and leave marks...)
The bubbles and orange peel effect will slowly go away over the next 2-3 weeks as it cures (dries) since it is warm weather and sunny. The more the car is left in the sun, the faster. Rotate it if necessary. You'll notice a huge reduction in the orange peel effect in just a few days.
Lock your windows and do NOT open them for any reason for at least 3-4 days and preferably a week.
Yeah I wouldn't like it on just any color. It works on the nebula because it has hints of those colors in it, but say on smokey granite, or liquid platinum I wouldn't want it black, probably not.
Here are some pictures off my iPhone (and posted from my iPhone) no idea how well they will come out.
Allright, took some pics. Took these before I washed it, its washed now and I must admit...I wiped down the inside of the windows LOL. Just with a damp waffle weave MF and then finished with an ultra soft and light pressure. They aren't perfect...but at least now I can see.
Let it sit out the rest of the afternoon. I'm really happy with the tint. Rarely does something turn out exactly like the image I had in my head, but this is exactly what I was looking for. The front windows are basically dry, the rear windows still have some bubbles/lumpiness.
Its a very classy look IMHO, looks almost like it could have come from the factory this way which is what I wanted.
So people searching will know, this is Huper Optik ESC 35%. It has a subtle reflectivity, it looks more reflective in these pictures than it does in reality. Think a subtly mirrored sunglass lens.
These are iPhone pictures pre-wash. Once it settles and I can really get them cleaned up I'll take pics with the SLR I used to take the pics after I got the car.
06-16-15, 10:28 AM
