Windshield tint and si
Got my full windshield tinted a couple years ago and have not had a problem w/ safety checks (never been to Servco for them). Now I got another Lexus and wanted the windshield tinted. Same shop I had the first one done says they don't do them anymore, because Lexus dealer and some inspection places measures the tint and flunks a windshield w/ less than 70% light passing through. Heard some have passed because there is a variance in the factory tint (possibly location specific). Talking about only a couple percentage points that can do you in.
Under the new inspection laws, will every station have a meter to measure the tint? Ca anyone recommend a tint shop that has a meter which can be used to actually see if the tint that will be used is legal after application? Wanna get ceramic tint if possible. TIA.....Aloha |
Yeah my good friend does tinting and he checks the factory glass first. But we're on the big island. Not sure where in Oahu you could go. I run full illegal on my Lexus anyway :D
|
What if you had Servco measure the the glass first then plan accordingly to the results.
|
Originally Posted by Taks_is300
(Post 8398824)
What if you had Servco measure the the glass first then plan accordingly to the results.
|
Every safety check station should have a tint meter, even before this new sticker came out. The safety inspection and tint laws did not change, just the process of how they do the inspection and the sticker. The new process with pictures of the car now forces the stations to do things more by the book.
With a tinted windshield, meter has to read 70% or higher in order to pass safety check, and recon (if recon tests it, as they're not consistent). There is no 6% variance given on the windshield like on the rest ot the windows. Metering the factory glass by itself would be a good indicator. Even better like the OP mentioned is to have a sample of the tint metered up against the windshield to check the % in various places. Every car is different, even sometimes in the same exact model car since there are manufacturing variances in any factory coating and purity of the glass. For me, I had 3M ceramic tint (70%) installed on the windshield of my 08' ls460 that metered out to around 64%. Before I went for my recon, I bit the bullet and went to TnT to remove the 3M and to see if my car would pass with their customized Llumar Air Blue 80 film. I was lucky and my car metered out to 74%. TnT told me that they've noticed certain cars will not pass even with their custom film. They said that it's rare and frustrating, but sometimes one car will pass and another same model car will not. The reason why the majority of cars will pass with TnT's film is that it is a really an ~ 82% film that is custom manufactured just for them by Llumar. Guess when you're as big as them you have the financial means to buy film in large quantities and convince the manufacturer to do custom runs. They certainly charge enough for their tints Ok, that was long enough... good luck with your tint |
On a side note, you can check with other tint shops to see if they have a film that will actually meter out higher than 70%. The tint should probably be around a 80% film. I think 3M ceramic has a 80% and Solar Gard may have something also. I would imagine other places would be cheaper than TnT
|
Originally Posted by 1Putt
(Post 8400185)
Lucky you neighbor island guys...
|
You're right, forgot about the recon... guess before they were more lenient on safety checks there?
Wow, re-tint every year... def pays off to know folks or if u can DIY |
Originally Posted by 1Putt
(Post 8400180)
Every safety check station should have a tint meter, even before this new sticker came out. The safety inspection and tint laws did not change, just the process of how they do the inspection and the sticker. The new process with pictures of the car now forces the stations to do things more by the book.
With a tinted windshield, meter has to read 70% or higher in order to pass safety check, and recon (if recon tests it, as they're not consistent). There is no 6% variance given on the windshield like on the rest ot the windows. Metering the factory glass by itself would be a good indicator. Even better like the OP mentioned is to have a sample of the tint metered up against the windshield to check the % in various places. Every car is different, even sometimes in the same exact model car since there are manufacturing variances in any factory coating and purity of the glass. For me, I had 3M ceramic tint (70%) installed on the windshield of my 08' ls460 that metered out to around 64%. Before I went for my recon, I bit the bullet and went to TnT to remove the 3M and to see if my car would pass with their customized Llumar Air Blue 80 film. I was lucky and my car metered out to 74%. TnT told me that they've noticed certain cars will not pass even with their custom film. They said that it's rare and frustrating, but sometimes one car will pass and another same model car will not. The reason why the majority of cars will pass with TnT's film is that it is a really an ~ 82% film that is custom manufactured just for them by Llumar. Guess when you're as big as them you have the financial means to buy film in large quantities and convince the manufacturer to do custom runs. They certainly charge enough for their tints Ok, that was long enough... good luck with your tint
Originally Posted by 1Putt
(Post 8400199)
On a side note, you can check with other tint shops to see if they have a film that will actually meter out higher than 70%. The tint should probably be around a 80% film. I think 3M ceramic has a 80% and Solar Gard may have something also. I would imagine other places would be cheaper than TnT
Do you know what percentage the Air 80 is? Always thought it was 80%. Years ago I had a car done at TNT and the work was not professional enough for me to go back again and yep it was costly too. Al's is always way overpriced so I'll Yelp it and see what I can find. Surprises me that most tint shops don't have a meter on hand to test with. Mahalo for your help!!!
Originally Posted by HiloDB1
(Post 8400239)
How is being neighbor island lucky? We have the same safety check laws as Oahu. Whats really messed up is recon is a state law. But only Oahu has recon stations. I'm just lucky personally because Hilo is small and I know a few people ;). BTW I strip the tint off of my car before safety and then retint after. One of the benefits of knowing people :D
|
The normal, "stock" Air 80 is supposed to be 80%, or maybe 78%-80%. As I mentioned earlier, TnT's custom Air 80 is about 82%
TnT mentioned Tacomas weren't passing the 70% even with their custom Air 80 |
Go to Al's, Best work and best products. Lifetime warranty.
|
If you guys are still interested, this guy installs ceramic 85% film on the windshield for $150. Just got it done on my XB.
Jun 808-454-3899 |
Any updates on this? I'd like to hear from anyone who did it successfully and passed. If so what % do we need to use?
|
I figure if you use a anything 85% and higher you should be safe. I thought one of the 3M films had a 90%
|
Originally Posted by 1Putt
(Post 9324212)
I figure if you use a anything 85% and higher you should be safe. I thought one of the 3M films had a 90%
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:33 PM. |
© 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands