The Art of Tint NYC - not what I expected
07-17-11, 11:39 PM
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The Art of Tint NYC - not what I expected
Bad tinting experience…
A few months ago, I was in the market for a tint job for my IS 250. I did a lot of research about the type of film I want to install. I went through several forums such as E90post, acurazine, etc., and the general consensus was that Huper Optik was one of the best tint films. It was also said to be one of the hardest films to install due to its thickness.
I decided to acquire a tint service for Tom Kovach, The Art of Tint in NYC. I understood that he had a busy schedule and was highly recommended. I set up an appointment 2 weeks in advance and detailed my car with a Lexus dealer the day before the tint job in order to eliminate potential dust or dirt particles. The car was practically new!
I went to NYC as scheduled to drop my car off at Auto Designs NYC and met with Tom. He said the tint job will take about 1.5 to 2 hours, and he had to leave by xx:xx. At the time, I thought it was a bit odd, because I did not think it was a good idea to tell a client the time he was leaving especially due to many unknowns in the process, but I felt very confident with the process, since he was supposedly to be reputable. I left to get breakfast nearby and walked around to enjoy the scene in NYC.
I went back to the shop and inspected the tint job “briefly.” The car was brought out and was under the sun. It had a lot of water bubbles. I expected that! He told me that he had to redo one of the windows and “tried his best” to get rid of the dirt/dust. I though in this line of work, some impurities might be present. He had high profile clients, and most members in the forums were very satisfied with his work, so I gave him the benefit of doubt. That was a big mistake!
I have found some problems with the tint job a few hours later in an overcast sky. There were dust or dirt particles underneath the tint film in the front passenger, ¾ panel, and back windows. The imperfections were noticeable, since Huper Optik had a light mirror-ish tint to it. The cut for the ¾ panel windows were poorly executed. Some tints were scratched from squeegee during installation. I also saw some scratches on the rubber window seal (front doors near the side mirrors and the window support for the rear passenger and ¾ windows). It was made by a razor from cutting the film into shape (see pictures posted on page 2). This was a sign of sloppy work.
I was pretty upset with Tom’s tinting job at this point. I wanted to resolve this problem immediately. Giving him an opportunity to correct the mistakes was not an option as he has already made damages to the rubber window seal. I would have easily requested him to re-tint 5 windows. The question is about the damaged rubber window seal. His quality of work and experience did not meet my minimum expectation. More importantly, I did not have much confidence in him and did not want to invest any more time and money to go back and forth with this nonsense, so I had the tint removed the day after the installation by another reputable tint shop.
I paid by credit card and disputed the charge (granted a full refund). I have also reported to BBB about the incident before the refund. I just want to share my experience with fellow members as I do not like to post negativity about someone unless I really have to. I think Tom has no experience with 2IS. He tinted a lot of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, etc. I guess my “exotic” car did not attract much attention from him, or he possibly let other people tint my car when I left for breakfast. Please be careful if any members decide to go to him for a tint job. I am thankful that my problem was minor compared to others. Life goes on!
Thanks for taking the time read this!
A few months ago, I was in the market for a tint job for my IS 250. I did a lot of research about the type of film I want to install. I went through several forums such as E90post, acurazine, etc., and the general consensus was that Huper Optik was one of the best tint films. It was also said to be one of the hardest films to install due to its thickness.
I decided to acquire a tint service for Tom Kovach, The Art of Tint in NYC. I understood that he had a busy schedule and was highly recommended. I set up an appointment 2 weeks in advance and detailed my car with a Lexus dealer the day before the tint job in order to eliminate potential dust or dirt particles. The car was practically new!
I went to NYC as scheduled to drop my car off at Auto Designs NYC and met with Tom. He said the tint job will take about 1.5 to 2 hours, and he had to leave by xx:xx. At the time, I thought it was a bit odd, because I did not think it was a good idea to tell a client the time he was leaving especially due to many unknowns in the process, but I felt very confident with the process, since he was supposedly to be reputable. I left to get breakfast nearby and walked around to enjoy the scene in NYC.
I went back to the shop and inspected the tint job “briefly.” The car was brought out and was under the sun. It had a lot of water bubbles. I expected that! He told me that he had to redo one of the windows and “tried his best” to get rid of the dirt/dust. I though in this line of work, some impurities might be present. He had high profile clients, and most members in the forums were very satisfied with his work, so I gave him the benefit of doubt. That was a big mistake!
I have found some problems with the tint job a few hours later in an overcast sky. There were dust or dirt particles underneath the tint film in the front passenger, ¾ panel, and back windows. The imperfections were noticeable, since Huper Optik had a light mirror-ish tint to it. The cut for the ¾ panel windows were poorly executed. Some tints were scratched from squeegee during installation. I also saw some scratches on the rubber window seal (front doors near the side mirrors and the window support for the rear passenger and ¾ windows). It was made by a razor from cutting the film into shape (see pictures posted on page 2). This was a sign of sloppy work.
I was pretty upset with Tom’s tinting job at this point. I wanted to resolve this problem immediately. Giving him an opportunity to correct the mistakes was not an option as he has already made damages to the rubber window seal. I would have easily requested him to re-tint 5 windows. The question is about the damaged rubber window seal. His quality of work and experience did not meet my minimum expectation. More importantly, I did not have much confidence in him and did not want to invest any more time and money to go back and forth with this nonsense, so I had the tint removed the day after the installation by another reputable tint shop.
I paid by credit card and disputed the charge (granted a full refund). I have also reported to BBB about the incident before the refund. I just want to share my experience with fellow members as I do not like to post negativity about someone unless I really have to. I think Tom has no experience with 2IS. He tinted a lot of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, etc. I guess my “exotic” car did not attract much attention from him, or he possibly let other people tint my car when I left for breakfast. Please be careful if any members decide to go to him for a tint job. I am thankful that my problem was minor compared to others. Life goes on!
Thanks for taking the time read this!
Last edited by cloo7; 08-02-14 at 05:46 PM.
07-18-11, 01:02 AM
#2
Dam that a horrible experince you had, i have tinted all of my cars and jobs were done perfect. The back window should of came out easily, you just heat it up with heat gun and take the tint off. Then to get the glue residue you use one of those plate washing aponges that has a little ruff side to it for removal of bad stains. You spray the window with windex and work you're way. To me it sounds like you had a dumbass installing the tint and a dumbass removing it. Pretty shamefull you had a horrible experience like this. Btw you didnt have to come to 3gs forum and bumped the huper optik forums, as huper optik tint it self has nothing to do with the horrible install you had. What you should do is pos it into northeast forum for our fellow nyc tri atate area peeps can see. If you need a good shop that does regular tints you let me know.
07-18-11, 02:11 AM
#3
hmmm....i guess its safe to say that im glad i never had my windows tinted by this guy. i called him about a year ago or so with questions about him tinting my IS with the huper optik film as well. he answered confidently. since then, i havent gotten around to getting in touch with him and scheduling my windows to be tinted... after yur review, i think ill be holding off on having him tint my windows. if you dont mind me asking, what was the agreed price you paid?
07-18-11, 03:13 AM
#4
Getting a perfect tint job is not easy, especially when you work with something like Huper Optik. Problems happen and the reputable dealers will work with you to resolve them. You should have given Tom a chance to fix this, even if it means re-doing the entire car. You have your reasons for not going there again, the shop is not exactly in your back yard. But this is still a top notch place.
I've had several cars tinted there, including my IS-F, using Huper Optik 40% ceramic. They came out great every time. There were lots of water bubbles, but that's normal and they cleared within 2 weeks. I can't recommend this guy enough.
Initially, I was going to drive 5 hours to the closest Formula One dealer. One of the main reasons I chose Huper Optik and the Art of Tint is that it's fairly local, so if there were problems with the install, it would be easy to resolve them. So try to go local for your next tint job.
I've had several cars tinted there, including my IS-F, using Huper Optik 40% ceramic. They came out great every time. There were lots of water bubbles, but that's normal and they cleared within 2 weeks. I can't recommend this guy enough.
Initially, I was going to drive 5 hours to the closest Formula One dealer. One of the main reasons I chose Huper Optik and the Art of Tint is that it's fairly local, so if there were problems with the install, it would be easy to resolve them. So try to go local for your next tint job.
07-18-11, 04:05 AM
#5
I got my tint for cheap... cheap film too! It's been a year, no problem so far. In reality is all about who does your tint. The guy who did mine in the Bronx... did it in an two hours (that includes the 20-30 minutes we spent drinking beer and talking about what to do next with the vehicle).
07-18-11, 08:48 AM
#6
sorry to hear your bad experience. huper optik isn't for anyone to install, it's noticeably thicker than other tint so skills is big when it comes to installation. and it does take longer to do right right, i saw it first hand.
so the other shop took off the tint but broke your antenna and defrost lines? that's not right, if done right, everything will come off without damaging anything
so the other shop took off the tint but broke your antenna and defrost lines? that's not right, if done right, everything will come off without damaging anything
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07-18-11, 10:46 AM
#10
This is probably his first IS he tinted. I tried tinted my car myself and it was not fun at all. The back window is hard to reach since it's so cramped. The side windows are hard to tint since the bottom is so curved and the gaskets are seriously tight. I drove my friend over to pick up his car from tinting since it was left overnight, there was an IS250 inside and the tinting guy said he was behind already, took 2 hours and still hasn't finished half. He told us it wasn't a fun car to tint and not good for learners when I told him I DIY my tints.
Give him a chance to fix the problem though, but whatever you decide to do, I hope it works out.
Give him a chance to fix the problem though, but whatever you decide to do, I hope it works out.
07-18-11, 10:47 AM
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Thanks for the reply guys!
I thought the shop that removed my back window tint was good. The tint did not fully cure yet. The tint was removed on a very hot day, and the car was under the sun. It was removed slowly at an 45 degree angle. I am not sure sure if the process you described above will have a better outcome. I believe there are a lot of factors to consider here such as the type of film used and the adhesive associated with them. I have read many methods on how to remove the back window tint, but there are some form of disclaimers about the defroster damage. I will take your suggestion and post my experience on the northeast forum later.
http://www.tintdude.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=62403
I think you made the right decision not to go with him IMHO. I am sure a lot of people are very satisfied with his work, so I guess I am not that lucky. You asked the right question about tinting IS. That is very important! Installers should have some experience, so they won't be surprised. One example I can share with you is front door tweeter area. That is a difficult area to reach and to tint. I will PM you the price paid.
It is the feedback like yous helped me decide to acquire his service. You are right about getting the perfect tint. Imperfection will happen, but I am very happy that you are satisfied about his work. One thing I must mention is that I believe he is pretty busy. That is not that a good thing when he had to redo windows. The only way to add time is to compress it, and that is one ingredient for sloppy work. I think it is a good learning experience for me.
I am glad it is working out for you. I guess you do not have to go over the top to be satisfied. Time to complete a job is relative to some extent as long as the finished job is satisfactory for the client.
The funny thing is that it will usually take about 1.5 to 2 hours for a regular tint job. That is roughly about the same time Tom took to finish my car. A little portion of antenna (top 2 corners) and defroster lines (2 full lines - 1 full line on the bottom and 2 half lines in the middle of the back window) came off during the removal. Everything is still operational though. I am not sure if I could blame the second shop for the removal, since Huper Opitk leaves a mess when removed.
Thanks for the suggestion. I have never heard of them before but will place your suggestion for future reference when/if I ready for a tint job.
I have heard good things about that shop. Again, I will consider them should I decide to tint again.
I think I will leave it as is. I know there are repair kits for it. And I do not want to replace the back window, because I want to maintain the factory seal. The whole point is not about the back window. Tom's quality of work does not meet my expectation, so I want to cut my loses and move on.
Dam that a horrible experince you had, i have tinted all of my cars and jobs were done perfect. The back window should of came out easily, you just heat it up with heat gun and take the tint off. Then to get the glue residue you use one of those plate washing aponges that has a little ruff side to it for removal of bad stains. You spray the window with windex and work you're way. To me it sounds like you had a dumbass installing the tint and a dumbass removing it. Pretty shamefull you had a horrible experience like this. Btw you didnt have to come to 3gs forum and bumped the huper optik forums, as huper optik tint it self has nothing to do with the horrible install you had. What you should do is pos it into northeast forum for our fellow nyc tri atate area peeps can see. If you need a good shop that does regular tints you let me know.
http://www.tintdude.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=62403
hmmm....i guess its safe to say that im glad i never had my windows tinted by this guy. i called him about a year ago or so with questions about him tinting my IS with the huper optik film as well. he answered confidently. since then, i havent gotten around to getting in touch with him and scheduling my windows to be tinted... after yur review, i think ill be holding off on having him tint my windows. if you dont mind me asking, what was the agreed price you paid?
Getting a perfect tint job is not easy, especially when you work with something like Huper Optik. Problems happen and the reputable dealers will work with you to resolve them. You should have given Tom a chance to fix this, even if it means re-doing the entire car. You have your reasons for not going there again, the shop is not exactly in your back yard. But this is still a top notch place.
I've had several cars tinted there, including my IS-F, using Huper Optik 40% ceramic. They came out great every time. There were lots of water bubbles, but that's normal and they cleared within 2 weeks. I can't recommend this guy enough.
Initially, I was going to drive 5 hours to the closest Formula One dealer. One of the main reasons I chose Huper Optik and the Art of Tint is that it's fairly local, so if there were problems with the install, it would be easy to resolve them. So try to go local for your next tint job.
I've had several cars tinted there, including my IS-F, using Huper Optik 40% ceramic. They came out great every time. There were lots of water bubbles, but that's normal and they cleared within 2 weeks. I can't recommend this guy enough.
Initially, I was going to drive 5 hours to the closest Formula One dealer. One of the main reasons I chose Huper Optik and the Art of Tint is that it's fairly local, so if there were problems with the install, it would be easy to resolve them. So try to go local for your next tint job.
I got my tint for cheap... cheap film too! It's been a year, no problem so far. In reality is all about who does your tint. The guy who did mine in the Bronx... did it in an two hours (that includes the 20-30 minutes we spent drinking beer and talking about what to do next with the vehicle).
sorry to hear your bad experience. huper optik isn't for anyone to install, it's noticeably thicker than other tint so skills is big when it comes to installation. and it does take longer to do right right, i saw it first hand.
so the other shop took off the tint but broke your antenna and defrost lines? that's not right, if done right, everything will come off without damaging anything
so the other shop took off the tint but broke your antenna and defrost lines? that's not right, if done right, everything will come off without damaging anything
I have heard good things about that shop. Again, I will consider them should I decide to tint again.
I think I will leave it as is. I know there are repair kits for it. And I do not want to replace the back window, because I want to maintain the factory seal. The whole point is not about the back window. Tom's quality of work does not meet my expectation, so I want to cut my loses and move on.
Last edited by cloo7; 08-02-14 at 06:55 PM.
07-18-11, 11:06 AM
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This is probably his first IS he tinted. I tried tinted my car myself and it was not fun at all. The back window is hard to reach since it's so cramped. The side windows are hard to tint since the bottom is so curved and the gaskets are seriously tight. I drove my friend over to pick up his car from tinting since it was left overnight, there was an IS250 inside and the tinting guy said he was behind already, took 2 hours and still hasn't finished half. He told us it wasn't a fun car to tint and not good for learners when I told him I DIY my tints.
Give him a chance to fix the problem though, but whatever you decide to do, I hope it works out.
Give him a chance to fix the problem though, but whatever you decide to do, I hope it works out.
Last edited by cloo7; 08-02-14 at 07:03 PM.
07-18-11, 12:27 PM
#15
I understand you weren't satisfied with the job but I don't see where this elevated into a need for a negative rant.
You said the product is one of the hardest to install. I'm going to assume that your research skills are top notch and after doing so, you found this guy to be one of the best. Then you meet him and you say he's a nice guy.
He had a bad day and the install wasn't one of his best jobs. You send him an email and he personalizes the service and asks you to call him so he can know exactly what your complaint is. It does seem he was willing to redo the job again and get it right. This remedy wasn't something you were interested in. You then broke off all contact and took it somewhere where your car was damaged in the product removal. Then you dispute the charge to Tom.
I'm sorry that you had a bad experience but I do think the rant wasn't warranted by the business as you never gave them an opportunity to make it right. The business deserves as much don't you think?
You said the product is one of the hardest to install. I'm going to assume that your research skills are top notch and after doing so, you found this guy to be one of the best. Then you meet him and you say he's a nice guy.
He had a bad day and the install wasn't one of his best jobs. You send him an email and he personalizes the service and asks you to call him so he can know exactly what your complaint is. It does seem he was willing to redo the job again and get it right. This remedy wasn't something you were interested in. You then broke off all contact and took it somewhere where your car was damaged in the product removal. Then you dispute the charge to Tom.
I'm sorry that you had a bad experience but I do think the rant wasn't warranted by the business as you never gave them an opportunity to make it right. The business deserves as much don't you think?
Last edited by oohpapi44; 07-18-11 at 12:33 PM.
