window tinting

[DSGTI]

hi all brothers,

i am going to get my window tint at tintprofessor. Do you guys have experience or comment about it?
Also, may i know the specific tint ya guys have for your car? like for the side window and rear window? 35%?

much appreciated

[wokwn]

I am also interested in this. I hear that metallic tints on the back window kill the AM reception (which I don't care about) but does it affect FM?

Do you have any quotes from Tint Professor yet? I want to get my Jetta done in two weeks.

[mikinoz]

We have maximum legal in Tas, 35% sides and 20% rear, the rear being darker really helps make the whole car look meaner, and lowers the light to the interior.

As for tint professor I have no experience.

[Pharkus]

Posting for my interest as well.

I've seen some cars now with the metallic effect. Any dealerships around Melbourne anyone can recommend?

Maybe we can sticky a post with all the normal "options" and a list of trusted contacts =)

[DSGTI]

I am also interested in this. I hear that metallic tints on the back window kill the AM reception (which I don't care about) but does it affect FM?

Do you have any quotes from Tint Professor yet? I want to get my Jetta done in two weeks.

Hi wokwn,

yeh i have quoted from Tiint Professor, they said $250 for MK5.
what's the difference between the metallic tints and the non-metallic tints?

[wokwn]

Not 100% sure but apparently metallic has more mirror finish and can reject more IR (heat) without too much darkness.

I don't want the windows too dark as I do a lot of night driving.

[dilbert_rocks]

what's the difference between the metallic tints and the non-metallic tints?

I have been told that the traditional non-metallic tints are dye-based, and over time, they will fade / turn purple.

But I have also been told that there are now some non-metallic tints that don't fade, but are suitable for cars with radio antenna's in the rear window. Can someone advise / confirm which brand/type of film this is?

Also, can someone please confirm if both AM and FM reception is reduced by metallic film on the rear window?

[GermanwithaVdub]

anyone know a place that does metallic tint covered by lifetime warranty?

[sierra055]

Hi guys,
I spent around 7 years tinting cars with a mate who used to own a tinting business, so I can hopefully offer some relevent advice.

Firstly, almost all tints today are metallic based. The reason for this that it not only resists colour fade/change but also increases the films ability to reflect the suns heat. Typical metallic films block around 50-55% heat.

A dyed or carbon based film is not commonly used, and is only ever recommended for cars that have TV or radio antenna's in the glass. The reason for this is that metallic films, particularly ones with a high aluminium count, can cause interference. AFAIK, 3M is the only semi decent dye based film, but it will still fade.

There are many types of film available, and different effects available. If you want a mirrored reflective finish (which looks hot on white and black cars) then SunGard's Endurance product is really good. Typically 35% on the front windows and 20% on the rears looks quite good, but that is personal preference. My brothers white Subaru Liberty has 20% in the front and 14% in the rears and it looks HOT! Suprisingly it isn't too dark to see out of either.
I just had my MK4 GTi done last week, using 20% Omega Plus film. This is still a gloss finish film, but doesn't have the reflectiveness of Endurance (would look too mirror like on a silver car imo).

With regard to vendors, all I can say is you get what you pay for. My work car (VZ Commodore wagon) was done by Tint Professor, and all I can say is it is laughable. Their business model is very interesting, but that aside, they basically push the cars through as quick as possible with very little care for preparation and detail. For instance, when you lay the tint and initially shrink it, you should only use around 600w of heat. Tint Professor used 2000w on my car (while I watched them do it!). The problem with this is that it creates too much heat and causes the metallic film to seperate from the UV film and the adhesive to spread unevenly, but it does make the process a lot faster.

As far as installers, there are heaps around, and as I said earlier, you really get what you pay for. $199 for Tint Professor looks like that's exactly what you spent. My work car currently has a hair in the film on the passenger door, a number of bubbles on the rear tailgate window, and you can easily see where the adhesive has "grouped" as the film is not clear to look through. Although they do in all fairness offer a lifetime guarantee on the work, it's just suach a pain in the a$$ to get it fixed and re done.

In comparison, my Golf was done by Peter at Australian Auto Tint in Ringwood and it took him most of the day to do the car. The rear window took 2.5 hours alone as it had to be slowly shrunk 3 times to get right due to the curavture of the screen. I doubt too many fitters would take the time and care to do that! I have also had experience with Tint-a-Car in North Melbourne who did our work cars AFTER I hit the roof about the quality of mine.

I hope some of this helps anyway

[GermanwithaVdub]

thanks for that info!

[moguzhan]

Hi wokwn,

yeh i have quoted from Tiint Professor, they said $250 for MK5.
what's the difference between the metallic tints and the non-metallic tints?

i got my jetta done at a guy in broadmeadows, vic.

Tan tinting. he works from home for himself but has worked at mr windscreens for 9 years.

he uses llumar tint.
http://www.llumar.com/IntEng/AutomotiveFilm.htm - US imported. Better than the aussie ****.

he can do 5% to 35% whatever you want.

cost is about $240.00

i chose 20%. if youre interested i can give you the number.

last time i went over he was doing tint for a bmw 7 series and a riced out 180sx.

[BeigeJet]

Hi All,

My Jetta has metallic tint fitted by the dealer prior to delivey and has no affect on either am or fm reception. I also have a Toyota Camry Sprotivo '03 that has the aerial in the rear window that is also unaffected. Hope this helps,

Cheers

[Pharkus]

Does anyone know the legal limits for Victoria? Sides and back?

[wokwn]

http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/98272D4B-BE1A-403E-AEB3-91EC5DB0E621/0/VSI2.pdf

Basically:
"All windows of a motor vehicle, other than windscreens...must have a light transmittance of at least 35%"

[DSGTI]

hi all,

just get my MK5 tinted at TintProfessor, and i reckon that they have done a good work. I tinted 35% for the side windows and 20% for the rear window.