The ULTIMATE Tinting Guide
 

Well for all of you guys looking to go get your windows tinted you have come to the right thread.

What is window tint?
Automobile window tinting, by its nature, reduces the visible light transmittance through a car's windows

What do the percentages mean?
The percentages that window tint comes in is how much light is allowed to be let in by the window. For example, a 50% window tint will allow 50% of light inside the car, whereas a 5% tint will only allow 5% of the light from outside in. When you go to look for which window tint you want keep in mind that the lower the percentage the darker it is.

How low can I go?
It depends on state to state. Look here: Window Tint Laws By State. What you have to keep in mind is that the lower you go the harder it is to see in the car AND the harder it is to see outside of the car. My car has 15% tint on it and at night it can be hard to see outside of my windows. My friend has 3% tint and you can just straight up forget looking out your windows at night.

Should I do the windshield?
That is up to you. It is illegal in most if not all states. When tinting the windshield I would stay in the 40% and up range. Tinting the windshield will greatly affect the darkness of your inside tint as well because less light is in the car. Driving at night with windshield tint is not that hard at all if you have HID's. With normal halogens it might be a little trouble but nothing too bad.

What kind of tint should I get?
When you go looking for tint you can get a bunch of different colors and types. There are blue tints, green tints, and yellow tints. You can also go with a charcoal like tint or just straight up black. Metallic tint is a tint that looks almost like a mirror instead of being black. This tint makes it harder for the person on the outside to see inside your car.

Where should I go?
I would recommend that you post up this question in the regional forums. The reason being there are TONS of tint shops, some good, some bad. I would make sure I get a lifetime warranty for color change and bubbling.

My tint has bubbles!! What do I do?
When you first get your tint applied you will see bubbles for the first 3-4 days. Make sure you DON'T roll down your windows for those days. The bubbles will eventually dry. If they do not then I would take it back to the tint shop immediately and demand it be re-done. If bubbling occurs later on and you do not have a warranty for it you might as well take it off and get it done somewhere that offers a lifetime warranty.

What do you recommend?
Well I would say that if you are just looking for UV protection and a little dark look to your windows go with 50%. If you want to stay legal but have it still look dark and not really have to deal with police I would go with 35%. If you want to match your back windows of your SUV from the factory I would suggest a 20% tint. If you really want some privacy I would go with 15% or lower. If you just straight up don't want people to see you I would go with my combo...15% on the windows and 35% on the windshield. You could go darker on the windows though.


Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks,
Elliott

nice writeup

Thanks, I hope it helps some people. Would have helped me when I got my car tinted.

very good writeup. Thanks

Nice.

Definately needed for newbies posting on the IS forums... :D

:thumbup: could someone sticky this post?

How do I clean it?

It's recommended that you don't try to clean it with any solution for the first week of the tint installation. You can use a dry or slightly damp towel to take off smudges if you really want to. After the tint settles in, you should use a quality microfiber towel and some window glass cleaner that is not ammonia based, and that is said to be 'tint-safe'.

Safe products are:
Stoner's Invisible Glass
Plexus Plastic Cleaner, Protectant & Polish
DP Krystal Vision Glass Cleaner
Meguiar's NXT Generation Glass Cleaner
3M Glass Cleaner
Wurth Glass Cleaner

Added that! Thanks man.

Thanks! I will be getting tint for the first time soon.

It will really set your car off Mike.

Thanx for the great info. I will keep this in mind in the very near future.:thumbup:

A very good post. You've included and answered the typical questions someone who wants tints would ask. Glad that this is a sticky now.

A couple of details about the tint and the cars in general.
Lexus uses large defrosts in most of the models. The older LS, IS and ES are the worst. This can cause areas that were heated to show fingers or what most people would call bubbles. This is normal and it seems a lot of shops will let it dry and have you come in so they can squeegee it out at a later time unless they have the car all day. I think this is the preffered method since you have little chance in distorting the film like you can with heating them on the spot.
On the new IS it is best to pull the front door panels to get a clean job. Make sure you are dealing with someone that has done this before. If not you run the risk of needing your door locks reprogrammed and may even get a air bag light. Its best to hang the panel and not remove it. Disconnecting the plugs is were the problem comes in. The new GS can be done either way.

If you are a AM radio listener than you would be better off with a extruded (dye) film to eliminate reception loss on the back window. There are good and bad dyed films. The better ones are Llumar AT, SunTek Carbon, and the 3M CS. There are a few others but these seem the most popular. Ceramic film is also an option as well but the price is much higher. You do get much better heat rejection though.

The sputtered films - Llumar Platinum Plus, Solar Guard Quantum, SunTek Infinity, and Sun Guard Endurance ect. will take longer to dry out. In the summer months it can take up to 2 weeks and up to 3 in the winter months. This film will pucker up as it dries. Will look like dimples on a golf ball. Its normal and will go away. The sun is the best thing for drying film.

I tried clicking on the state guide it its not working....I need to know the laws for Florida

Useful info. Good job. :thumbup:

Tint becomes one of those things that you cant do without (well atleast for me). I cant imagine driving a car without tint now. It'll feel like walking around in public naked.

Nice write up.

I use to tint my own cars and they all come out great. It takes me alot longer to do it then the shops though.

I only do it if I can get commericial quality tint at a decent price though.

The place where I took my car to get tinted says that it was a bit difficult to do the job. What would make tinting windows difficult.

I tinted my car myself with 20% Solargard tint from SnapTint.com. They sell kits that come with laser pre-cut sections of the film for each of the windows in your car.

The job took a little bit of prep and a lot of patience, but two hours after I began, I was finished. The tint, being of such a high quality, has shown no ill effects over time. The cuts were 100% spot on.

All told, it put me out $55 and a couple hours of my time, whereas a tint job with Solargard's premium tint would have run me more than four times that at a professional shop.

Tinting itself is not difficult. Its doing a good clean job that makes it tougher. Lexus seals are a little tight and the trim is usually in the way. These things make doing a clean install a little harder. Nothing a good installer cant work around.

I just had my windows tinted using the Solar Gard Supreme series. I'm waiting another couple of days to let it dry out.

What do you think of solar gard supreme? the color appears to have a slight greenish tint. is that while it drys or is that the color of the film? i was hoping for a charcoal color tint since my car is black. if that's indeed the color I suppose i can't do much about it at this stage right?

other than that the job is surprisingly good. he recommended i clean the windows by using "SprayWay" products..

If you decided you don't like tint, how do you remove it, assuming it's been installed for a number of years? Specifically, how do you remove it from over the rear window defrost grid without destroying it? (I didn't have the tint installed in the first place)

This is one of those things best left to the pros. I have seen many cars over the years that customers have tried to remove film on with damaged defrost lines. If you feel the need to diy than here is a good link. http://www.tintdude.com/remove.html

I went to a tint shop where I've done 4 cars there. Always a clean and professional job. The guy (15 years experience) says I gotta take out the tweeters (which also means the door panels) before he installs it. He says the tweeters block the window and he can't get all the way in. It would get dirty easy. Anyone have this encounter before? I have a 03 GS300 (no nav)

As a tinter I can tell you that the tweeters are not a problem. They are on the IS but not the GS. It makes it easier but not needed.

I'm not to sure about Metal tinting. What I've been hearing from most tint shops here is that Metal tinting isn't a good option because if you have the smart key it will "kind of" interfere with the frequency. It also affects your FM radio. Just a heads up for people thinking about metal tinting. I for one wouldn't be making metal tinting as a option.

Smart key is not a problem. You loose a little range and the radio reception will suffer as well.

CA tint law: http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/CA/

Great write up.

I am getting my 1994 LS 400 tinted in the next 5-10days.

I called up 'Novus' a local (and national) reputable glass/tint shop, and they quoted me the following for the car.

$140 for the cheapest, 5yr tint.

$165 for the next quality up.

$185 for the second to best.

$200 for top quality tint, lifetime warranty.

I asked about the front window strip, and he said $25 added.

He also said with "a Lexus" you need to go with the top quality. (Of course lol) --

I am going to get the best tint they offer, with the lifetime warranty and the $25 strip. So $225 + tax. I think that is reasonable with lifetime warranty.

In B'ham, Alabama btw. Which our law is 35% I believe, and is what I will get -- I've gotten a tint ticket on a previous car that was 7% (measured by the cops) -- Was really 5% tint, but the meter must be a touch forgiving, not sure.

On the previous car I had tinted by a friend who worked for Novus (He is really good with his hands) -- He charged me 100$ on the side, and did it at Novus shop on the weekend.

Took him a good 4 hours to do a 300ZX 1991. (Which is a 2-door, has front windshield/doors/small rear windows/ and the hatchback).

He took his time, and it was perfect imo. He didn't remove doorpanels, but did take off the rear view mirror.

On that car, we did 5% on doors/rear windows/hatchback window. Then 50% all the way down the front windshield (can't really tell at 50%.. it just makes it blend alot better) Then a 5% strip on the top.. It looked sharp, and never had any problems while I had the car.

Anyhow,..

I noticed people talking about removing the rearview mirror, and some inherent problems with it. Also doorpanels.

I've taken a look at the 1994 LS 400 -- and it seems like removal of the rearview mirror will be unnecessary as it is attached to the roof, not the windshield.

The door panel removal seems to be at the discretion of whomever is tinting. I'd rather they not remove them for chance of improper re-installation, but they will do whatever is protocol.

My question(s) are:

Given it is a 1994 Champagne LS 400.

A) Will my rearview mirrior likely be removed from the celing? (I'm thinking no).

B) Will the door panels likely need to be removed on this car?

C) Going from no tint, to 35% on this color, champagne, it should make a world of difference in the 'looks' department right? I'm thinking it is going to really give the car what it is missing.

I'm not crazy about the champagne (silverish color) -- looks a bit beige at nighttime under certain lights, and really silver in sunlight. (I like the silver, the beige tones that come out I do not) -- IE: My sig has a night picture which makes it look the tone I do not like too much).

I think the tint will really contrast the paint.. and help the overall 'look' of the vehicle... Agree?

D) On the front strip,.. alot of people do not get this, but I've always thought this strip 'completes' the tint job.. tieing it all together.

As such, what are your recommendations for the 'size' of this strip? Should I just leave it to the tinter to put on whatever he usually does.. or should I request the strip be 'X inches wide/vertical' ?

Thanks!

I live in Florida and if I didn't have tint I would die. One suggestion is DO NOT put the windows down for at least 48 hours even though they say 24 hours. Mine ended up shifting and wrinkling the paper.

this may be a noob question.. but is it necessary to remove panels to have tints installed? I want to get them but I can't get them at the dealer b/c they can only do legal limit tints which look practically non-existent but if I do get them at another place I don't want them messing up any of my panels, putting them back improperly or just plain damaging them...

Tint Laws for all states: http://www.tintlaws.com

This site is very informative. It's unfortunate I live in IL in this case, i've had SEVERAL friends get pulled for front tint and had to have a smooth tint job removed. :sad:

Thanks for the insight about tint, this is great info! :thumbup: :thumbup:

anyone know if there is a film that looks like the OEM greenish tint on the S550 mercedes? i think that looks sick and would compliment the green factory tint on my gs3, i just don't know what it's called and if its readily available.

I have a reputable tint shop near me that will do it for 125, im just trying to decide what to do.

I either want the 20% charcoal, or the S550 style tint.


Also, anyone know if sprayway glass cleaner is okay for tint? i don't see why it wouldn't be as its alcohol based...

Can anyone recommend a good tint shop in Los Angeles that uses HuperOptik. Some have recommended Song's Tint Master.

rear window tinting
 

Ok so I have a 1991 LS 400. I love the car. However, the back tint is bubbling and peeling and I can't see out the back window. It's driving me crazy! I want to remove it myself just to save me the money of taking it in and having someone else do it. I am worried about possible damaging the rear defrost though. Any suggestions on removing this tint safely with out damaging any of the defrosters?

For the first time in my life I am considering having my car windows tinted. I know nothing about window tint. I have never owned a vehicle with anything but factory tint.
I have a 2006 LS430 Ultra, black interior and exterior. It would be nice to get a little bit of a break from the heat during the summer months when the car is outside from time to time. I want as little tint as possible because I don't really care for the tint look. My question is, what is the least percentage of tint I can get, and will that amount of tint be helpful for reducing the heat at all?

look at huper optik. 40% should be right what you are after. not too dark, but rejection is up their with lesser darker tint

Illinois house bill 3325(actual house bill) has been heavily followed by Illinois car enthusiasts. While the new bill proposes some of the most stringent of regulations for window tinting it is a step in the right direction.

If you have tint darker than 30% on the rear, you will NOT be able to tint your front windows
If you have 35% on the rear section, you can also have 35% on the front doors, or if you go a touch darker in rear…30%, you are allowed 50% on the fronts
Suvs/Wagons/Vans with factory Privacy Tinting on the rear windows, only get to have 50% on the front windows