So I had a mobile tinting guy come to my house this morning to tint my windows. He looked around the car and said sorry, not doing it, way too much labor and left. He drove about 80 miles to get here, so he really didn't want to do it.

I know a number of you have tinted windows, did any of you have issues? Did they have to take the car apart to tint most windows? Finally what did you pay for the job?

 

2005 STR. No problem with installing tint. Surprised your guy turned you down??
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Yeah I was surprised. He said that he'd have to take out the back seat, remove door panels etc and for the $200 he quoted it wasn't worth it.

 

sounds like ur guy may not have had the tools or was not as confident in his skills''íe if he ruins something he would have to pay out of pocket...and lets face it we are a picky bunch..i suggest going to a reputable shop..i was quated 250-350 CDN$ for my x type which is also a four door and would run about the same..if u go to a shop that has been around for a while and will be around for a while..it makes the "lifetime warrenty"on materials and labour alot more realistic.(most likley only be perfect for 5-7 years,then may bubble a bit)..good luck,let us know how ya make out

 

LOL. The guy is an idiot. Be glad he walked.

There's nothing special about the S type glass. The dot matrix on the rear window may cause bubbles so you want a good tint guy to make it as bubbleless as possible.

 

mine is flawless and have 15% all the way around and it is fine for the past 3yrs.....winters and summers......paid like 200 bucks....not a bubble or color change in it yet!

 

When they did my 2004 STR, no disassembly required, back seat does fold down - release latch is accessable from the trunk. No special tools required - use the same tools on my other three cars and didn't take any longer

Couple of things to watch out for:
1) rather then cut the trim 1/8 to 1/4 " from the edge, see if they can blend the tint into the round edge of the glass
2) The dots will cause small bubbles since the tint can't confirm to the aspect ratio. Some companies will paint that area black before tinting as an option
3) Quality of the tint does matter.

 

I agree with all this. Use only a good tint. Lumar, 3m, suntek etc...

Find a guy that does computer / plotter cut tint - the back window has to be heatshrunk to fit. Best method is with a dryer sheet on the outside of the glass.

Computer cut tints take care of problem #1, make sure the tinter heat guns the edge before he rolls the window up to close it completely.

As far as problem #2. 3 solutions. (2 viable)

Paint or Black Vinyl around the dots.

Scraping the dots off with a razor blade or sanding them - do NOT let them do this.

I saw a guy use a glue stick - the kind kids use for craft projects to even out the surface for the tint to adhere. It left a tiny little line between the rough surface and the smooth glass, but it looked great for what it was.

Take care,

George

 

My 5% tint was something like $120, and took about 45 minutes (the front windows were not tinted, because NJ law ingests copious amounts of rectum). Was not a problem in any way for the guys who did the work.

 

I got the 3M carbon tint so there is no interference with cell phones, navigation, etc. I took it to a shop and they did say its a little more labor for the back window cause of the curve of it but they didnt turn me away. All windows but the windshield was about 300 and that was mainly cause of the 3M carbon tint. If I went with something without the carbon it would of been about 250. But he said he couldnt guarantee that it wouldnt interfere with the Nav so I just spend the extra 50 since I had it. I'm a little disappointed though cause there was something in the trim and when I was finally able to roll the windows down it scratched a small section of the tint. I ended up getting the piece that was scratching it out so its only a small scratch but the warrantee is only for fading and bubbling off so I am probably gonna have to get that window redone on my dime.

 

It's all about being subtle man.

I've got 20% on the back and 35% down the sides of both my Jags and never had any problems with the law. I'm side by side with a cop at a light at least once a week, and no one has ever bothered.

Do 5% on the front and they'll be searching your car while you're freezing your butt off on the side of the road and writing everything they can find. I hate the way the Jersey cars look with the back pitch black and the front clear, so I chose to go this route.

Take care,

George

 

I had the STR tinted last summer using the Pinnacle series film by Solutia Inc., I had a California compliant tint on the drivers and passengers sides then 35% on the remaining glass. Looks good, took about 3 hours and cost $400 due to the film.

I did have a small bubble that I made worse by rubbing it to see if it was a bubble (duh). The tint guy changed it with no question.

If you are in or around Stockton, California’s “garden spot” and want a good tint job this guy is the one to see.

 

Thanks for the replies fellas.

 

Thats the dumbest mobile tint guy EVER!!!!, I have tints on mine, not one problem installing them. even on my old jag, there just windows man!!!! LOL and no they didnt take anything down to install tints on it. WOW.. But I did my tints for $140 ( $40 being I had my whole front windshield tinted also)

I have 5% all around and 50% whole front windshield (i take medication for my skin so I need them to be dark, my GF love them though hehehehe)

 

Well I think the guy has been around a long time. He told me that the only cars he has problems with are certain Jags and VWs. Honestly I'm glad he didn't bother with it as I want it done properly and nothing broken.

 

while we are at the tinting subject
is it hard to remove a tint.. i want to change my tint to the UV reflective
currently it has a regular 20% tint on 4 windows .

DO you think the Jag can use the metallic tint ? or it will interfere with the radio antenna?

thanks

 

I had a spray-on tint on the Jeep, applied in '79....decided to remove it in the mid 80's. Practically impossible to remove with a box scraper....until...I covered it with wet newspapers, resoaked it with a spray bottle every 15 mins or so, and after a few hours....same box scraper made it practically leap off in sheets. Don't know if the films and/or newer sprays work that way or not...

 

Removing tint isn't hard (except for the back window keeping the defroster / radio lines intact). What's an absolute PAIN, is getting every last spec of the glue it leaves off, so that you can cleanly tint it again. Radio antenna is built into the back window. I used a suntek film on my car, which I BELIEVE has metallic content in it, and have no adverse radio reception affects.

Take care,

George

 

Cost $195 for my STR. Dropped it off at noon and picked it up at 4:00. I removed the ting off of the '01 and the tint was not bad but the glue was a pain. Getting it tinted this spring for the daughter.

 

Finally got the tint done today. It has rained 28 of 30 days so she was due for a wash too.