MK6 Front Tint to match factory 'Dark Tint' option

[Ideo]

Corey - missed it first time. Cheers for putting up the pics.

Sold it to me.

I don't want too dark and that looks spot on for what I am after.

[INASNT]

That's way off what other tinters have measured. In the 18 months since the post of mine you quoted, the average measured VLT for the rear windows appears to be around 40%. So even putting the "darkest legal" of 35% VLT tint on the front will result in those windows being slightly darker.

Unless you're using some funky tint which is "very enthusiastic" with their ratings, people who have put ~20% VLT tints on the front windows have also put a ~50% tint on the rear windows to match...


So I'd suggest people to be weary of your comment.

Hes doing it on the weekend so will ask him about the 50% for the rear to suit.

[Corey_R]

Yep. As long as you're aware that the configuration is not legal then ok.

That's another reason we know that 18% isn't correct. There isn't a state in Australia in which VW would be able to sell the Golf R (or any other model with "dark tint") if the VLT really was 18%. Minimum legal is 35% VLT.

[INASNT]

So got my front windows tinted last Saturday.

Went with 25% and its matches the rears really well.

Guy came to my house and did it in 1hr. If anyone is interested in getting their done PM me and I will send you hes details. Comes with life time guarantee. He does alot of work for Audi and Merc dealers

[keg75]

Hi all,

I am going to get my new Golf R (rising blue) in the next week. I have seen a golf R bonnet throuh the window at my dealer so think thats mine.

I need to sort out cash (yes cash - hehehe), plates and tinting for my car.

I would like to get something that's as close as possible to matching the rear glass. Although I am happy to let that slide and get a good quality tint that won't fade or discolour and is high resilience to UV and heat.

I called the stealership (dealer) and they quoted me 795 for streetlegal... I asked for a good price too so hate to think what the SRP (stealers retail price) is if thats a discounted price. I also got quoted 178 for a boot liner is this retail ?

I called tintacar and the first guy I spoke to said to do that use Octane. He would do the car for $395 - 50 bucks if i didn't do the hatch). He said octane is the closest they do to match the rear glass. He said they will do the two front windows and apply a clear film to the rear windows for UV. He said that he would prefer not to do the hatch window as in his experience they are a bugger to get right ie no bubbles crimples or stretch marks. He also said not to tint the sunroof in anyway as there can be a heat issue and they can shatter or crack. this bloke said they can do the tint prior to delivery if i arrange with the stealer.

I then spoke with another tintacar and he said that they too would use Octane to match the golfs rear windows. He said he has had no problems with doing the rear hatch before. I didn't ask about the sunroof. he charged 425 and would do prefer to do it after I had picked up the car as it can conflict with motor one or something. there's some sort of affiliation.

I will call another tintacar to work out who's telling the truth ie rear hatch...

I used to have an opel XC corsa (my girlfriends beep beep barina) and we had a metal tint on the car that was very good at heat and UV protection - it was by tintacar. it wasn't the darkest tint but the highest sun protection... I think the product name has changed now. Is the formula 1 the full metalised tint?

1) So in people's experience has the octane matched the rear glass better than formula 1?
2) Is the formula 1 a better tint in regards to sun protection?
3) Can you tint the sunroofs and not have them shatter?
4) Do people tint the rear hatches? Have you had any issues with bubbles warping and had to redo the hatch glass?
5) if VW tint in house (by subcontractor) and the trim is damaged then is that covered under warranty?
6) what is a fair and reasonable price for street legal? how does it stack up against F1 and octane? 795 is taking the whizz.

Think thats all I want to ask at the moment. Unless Rob from roy hill tinting want's to drive to Pperth to do the job. I'll pay for all the coffee and mrs macs you can eat on your journey.

thaks Keg75

p.s. I am looking at the boot liners for the golf R - don't want spilt milk stinking out the car. there isa two types suitable for the golf R whats their recomended retail? and whats better the rubber or foam one? thanks...

[Corey_R]

1) No idea. I'm not sure anyone can answer that, because most people don't have two of the same car to do side by side comparisons
2) Look at the respective web sites for those companies and look at the tint specifications. Take a look at this link from Solar Gard to see what the minimum you should expect to see in tint specs. There is a lot more to it than that, but they've dumbed it down for car owners for some reason. They also have a glossary if you don't understand what the specs mean - which is where you can see what would typically be included in home or commerical tint.
3) It sounds plausable what he's saying. Tint film goes on the inside surface of the glass, and tint can reject (reflect) the heat energy. This means not only do you have the sun blaring down on the glass and passing through from the top, but then it's being reflected back up from the bottom to add even more heat. Plus the hot air in the car is rising etc. But I would wonder "why only the sunroof and not any other of the windows"
4) Here is something I can tell you for sure. If someone tells you that they don't like tinting the rear hatch glass "because it's too hard", then run as fast as you can. What they really mean is "my tint skillz are crap and I'm not good enough to successfully tint the rear hatch". So go to someone who DOES have the skills to do it properly.
5) Maybe yes or no... whether it's covered by "warranty" isn't actually relevant. The dealer's subcontractor damaged the car, so make the dealer take responsibility and resolve the issue - even if they have to pay for the parts. It's certainly not your issue.
6) For two windows? I would say about $120 based on Sydney prices... but a fair price in WA is whatever you can get it for. Obviously the dealer is car more expensive than a third party, cause they're adding their margin on top. If you really want to know what the going price is, start calling the "Motor One" dealers and ask, since Tint-a-car already let you know that they're the ones the dealer use to put on "Street legal".


As for boot liners... look in the accessories thread

[Rays_R]

I think the stealership is taking you for a ride.

My dealership offered to do streetlegal on my car with clear on the rears for $190. Took it and ran with it. Was originally thinking of getting it done at a place in SA that do Solargard (supremes on front and quantum rears like others) however they were quoting $420. Called up tint-a-car etc and they were offering $395. Problem is not many places in Adelaide that do tinting. Figured that at least dealership will repair any trim issues and they were the cheapest.

Company that's doing it uses stuff called Suntek Carbon. Anyone have experience with it? Looking on the web, it seems reasonable and produces a green tinge so maybe it will match the green hue of the rears. Will let you know when it arrives.

[keg75]

i got final price of 728 for street legal and the boot liner... i think i'll just get the liner.

I won't tint the sunroof - it's dark as it is and it has the sun blind...

Just got word that the rear sill clear strip protection is regularly coming back with bubbles in it and not to install it. Anyone had experience with this. Better to have a strip with bubbles than scratched paint i would have thought.

[Corey_R]

Re the clear sill strip, see my response here.

[langers_sydney]

Hi everyone.
Thanks to all the great posts in this thread I am now the very happy owner of a tinted 3Door CW R.

I booked in with Rob from Hunter's Hill Tinting a couple of weeks ago and had the following done:
- 35% fronts (Solargard HP Supreme 35)
- 52% rears (Solargard HP Quantum 52)
Same set-up as Corey_R.

There were two things I wanted to achieve:
1) Factory / OEM look, i.e. rears darker than front
2) Not too dark - previously had 35% on my Black MKV GTI and had to roll down the windows to park. Also wanted to keep legal.

Rob did a great job - he is a real perfectionist and made sure that he got each window just right.

It really is testament to the quality of information on this forum that I was able to make a good and informed choice about my tints.

End result (apologies for the crappy iPhone pics)

Looks bloody awesome. Stupid question, but we are having a kid in three months and I want to block out direct sun and UV in the back of the R when he/she is in the car. Does Robs tinting eliminate UV as well at the levels you have had it done guys? The wife says sunshades or tinting for the back and no UV so I've got me orders, would MUCH rather tint if I can....!!!

LS

[Corey_R]

Does Robs tinting eliminate UV as well at the levels you have had it done guys?

Even the lighter tints block in excess of 99% of UV

[langers_sydney]

So two quick questions...

If something happened, you guys had an Insurance claim and someone inspected the car, could you get nailed for having darker than legal tint in the rear by the insurance guy? Even though the front is fine? I might check my NRMA policy.

and....

Is there any UV protection on the back windows of the R from factory already?

Sorry is already answered, I did look...


Ta

[Corey_R]

Yes

and...

Yes, but not as complete as having a quality factory film. It's very difficult to get any correct answers from VW on the factory tint, as even the "65% absorbtion" is incorrect and misleading, but there have been claims, including from VW dealers, that it only covers UV A (or B, can't remember) and not the other. There is also UV protection on all the other windows btw, but again, details are limited.

[chylld]

Is there any UV protection on the back windows of the R from factory already?

If your back window is glass, then yes it already provides a substantial amount of UV protection. Almost any glass does.

"Window glass blocks virtually all UV-B and at least half of all UV-A energy."
Ultraviolet Light: A Hazard to Children -- Committee on Environmental Health 104 (2): 328 -- AAP Policy

I'm enjoying the visibility out the front windows after doing my previous car to 35%. My front windows are glass so no need to apply any tint or UV protection. If yours are plastic then I suggest you get tint.

[keg75]

I have a golf R - I installed tintacar's octane on the front and clear on the rears/ hatch. The match is pretty close.

I looked at formula 1 and it looked a bit browner in the photo i took. so i went with octane.

Claude's guys (from West Perth) look to have done a good job. See how it dries over next few days..

will try and post pics.... soon.