Sam Khoury

I've called a bunch of service departments from various dealerships in NY, NJ, CA and FL to try to get a difinitive answer on whether or not metal in window tint affects the GPS in the Navigation system. I've gotten mixed answers. Most say yes but some say no. One of the ones that told me No was JM Lexus service department down in FL. They are supposed to be one of the largest if not the largest dealership on the east coast. Anyway, not only did they tell me no it doesn't affect the Nav system but the guy told me that they use Titanium tint and Quantum tint which obviously both contain metal.

For those people people that have metalized tints and had problems with the navigation system, is the tint you have completely metallic or is it a hybrid tint (i.e. part dyed polyester, part metal). Thanks.

bravo261

iTrader: (1)

you'll always get different answers. go to a shop that says it won't affect the gps, and have them install it with a clause that says you'll get a refund or exchange should the gps be affected after all. some people have the installers cut a section of tint out around the antenna in the rear window. i was safe and just got a regular tint

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Here's my $0.02 after just having it done...

My Formula One Premier metal tint DOES affect my '00 nav (antenna's different than the '01-'02's) sensitivity, even though I had a cutout around the antenna on the rear glass.

It's not fatally crippled, but sensitivity is affected and the signal is weaker to the antenna.

One question I have is - once you have a rear window tinted, can the tint be removed or would that ruin the rear window?

Mariusz

Mine DOES affect the NAV.

diamondgs4

I have not have my rear window tinted yet but I'm sure the impedence and RF characteristic of the antenna will be altered by the metal content of the tint nearby. (think of it a printed circuit board).
My suggestion is to reroute the antenna to the front. It is a $30 less DIY project anyway. No big deal !

GunnerMac

Bit - Yes, the tint can be removed without ruining the rear window, but I think the longer it is on the harder it is to remove. I had to have my rear window tint removed and re-tinted because of a some slight creases in the orginal tint. Suggest you get it done by a professional.

Sam - I don't think there is a consensus...I have Madico "Cool Chrome" metalic tint 35% all around and have had no problem at all with my nav.

AutoCoutureSC

iTrader: (8)

in the owner's manual of the alpine dvd nav, it says that any tint with titanium or such will affect the reception of the GPS antenna.

wwest

I think the GPS satelites' orbits are centered around the equator.

If that's true then the further North (or South) you are from the equator determines the level of signal available. Florida would always have a higher signal strength than NY. A metalized tint that works in FL would be less likely to work in NY.

LexGS3

Does metallic tint affect the fm radio signal at all? Im debating if i should get my windows tinted or not but am afraid that my radio stations wont come in that well. Also do the electrochromatic mirrors still work with the tint? Im thinking about going with 35%

GS430 GUY

Sam,

Just get non-metallic tint. As I told you, I had tint that had very little metal in it and it screwed the NAV up, so I had it removed. Went with non-metallic and haven't had a problem since and the tint is doing well after 1 year. That is my 2 cents on the issue.

Sam Khoury

I've decided on getting Sun-Gard tint. Here are my 2 choices.

Sun-Gard Midnight Charcoal 20% - Dyed Polyester (non metallic)
Sun-Gard Perform X Slate 20% - Hybrid Dyed Polyester/Metal

I was also considering NR Charcoal (Non Reflective dyed polyester non metallic) and HP Charcoal (High Performance metallized) from Solar Gard. You can see their specs at the following link. These are the guys that make the Quantum tint also.

Solar Gard Automotive Film Performance

I decided against Solar Gard for a couple of reasons. First, there was no authorized dealer in Queens. Second, the authorized dealer/installer I spoke to in Brooklyn had no idea what I was talking about when I asked if he had the HP Charcoal and NR Charcoal tints. Nothing drives me more crazy then when I know more about the products than the dealer selling them. The other thing that kind of annoyed me was the unusual tint percentages that their tint comes in. The NR charcoal comes in 17% and 23% and the HP Charcoal comes in 22%. Couldn't they just have 5,20,35 and 50 like everybody else?

Sun-Gard recommended a guy to do the installation and they indicated he's one of their biggest buyers in the area. I spoke to him and he was very helpful. He told me that he does about 8-10 cars per day and he's done a lot of cars with the Perform X Slate metallized tint and had no complaints with regard to the navigation. He told me he has no preference and that he could give me a guarantee and replace it for free if I had a problem so the only risk I have is the potential to damage the antennas in the rear window if he has to remove the tint. The other thing is that he'd be able to do the rear window in one piece with the Perform X Slate metallized tint but he'd have to do it in 2 pieces with the Midnight Charcoal non-metallic tint. He told me that he only uses the Midnight Charcoal on SUVs and Mini Vans to match the factory tint on the rear windows and that he uses the Perform X Slate on cars with no existing tint. The price for installation would be $180.

Before he installs the tint, I was thinking about asking him to tape the metallized tint to the window tightly before actually applying it and then turning on the car and see how the Nav system responds and the AM radio (because I heard it can affect this also). If it appears to affect them, then I tell him to use the non metallic one. Do you think this a valid test?

DevilDog

ANY tint with metal will inhibit the GPS signal to the antena. I've seen this many times! Especially with the GS series. The GS has the nav antena mounted under the rear package tray, not in the back glass. The RX, LS, IS, ES and LX all have the nav antena mounted under the front dash. This is why you rarely hear of a nav complaints on those models. Those owners rarely tint the front windshield. A radar detector will also inhibit the nav antena reception if it's within 1-2 ft from the nav antena. I had an LS430 owner today complain that his nav was always lost. He mounted his radar detector on top of the dash dead center. Doing this completely blocked the nav signals. When I turned it off, nav signals were strong.

My 2 cents...


DD

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Just one point of clarification there. That's true on the '01, '02, but on the '98-'00 it's on the glass.

DevilDog

Sorry Bit,

But Lexus has never had any nav antena installed in the rear glass. For some reason many people have this same misconception. I know this to be true. I work on them on a daily basis.

DD

Sam Khoury

Forgive my ignorance, where is the "rear package tray"?