I know this topic is getting beat to death, but need help picking out tint!

[Dblock2151]

Hey everyone, I'd like to get the front windows tinted to match the privacy glass in the rear. I want it to match perfectly, because, well, just like all of you, I'm VERY anal about my car.

I've heard Madico is a good match (I love Madico, have it on my brother's Jetta aswell), but I've also heard that it's a bit lighter/darker than the rears. My cousin just got 3m on his, and in all honesty, it looks like crap. It has a purple hue to it, and looks horrible.

I was hoping some fellow members could post up their tint pics, to show how well they match.

If only my X didn't have the privacy glass.

Thanks for the help in advance everyone!

[SigX5]

I had my front two tinted 2 days ago to match my privacy glass. 35% should do it. When the guy put his tint reader up to my back windows, it read around a little over 34%. I've heard good things about Madico and Llumar.

I paid the extra and got Pinnacle, which is a top of the line Formula 1 tint. Paid a little over $100 for the front two. I know it's a lot but I found from my research that it offers some of the best heat/glare reduction out there. But whatever brand you go, 35% should do the trick.

Shop around and find a reputable shop and they'll give you good advice as well. Mine had been in business for 17 years. Good luck.

[digitaljok]

It seems like the opinion of most people on the board and the two tint shops I've talked to is that Madico Charcool (NOT Charcoal) 35% is the best match. However, I just got Huper Optik Ceramic 40 installed today on another car and parked side by side, it looks to be a very similar color to the X5's factory privacy glass. Obviously the darkness isn't the same, but Huper does make a darker 30. Has anyone actually used Huper Optik for the match? Or at least have Huper on another car for the comparison? If it looks pretty close, that would be a better choice than the Madico, which does not reject as much heat.

[asawadude]

The generic dyed tints fade and the metallic hybrid tints reportedly cause radio, GPS, and cellphone interference (YMMV). Ceramic tints have none of these issues, but are also the most expensive and are the most difficult to install because they are thicker, it's more difficult to edge out particles and bubbles, and the cure time is longer. A good installer is a must with the ceramics; inexperienced installers will screw it up.

My choices would be the following ceramic tints:

1 - FormulaOne Pinnacle 35
2 - Huber Optiks Ceramic 35 (only price $$$ knocks it out of first place)

Here is Bimmerfest link to a 330i ZHP with HuberOptiks Ceramic 35 tints CLICK

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by digitaljok

It seems like the opinion of most people on the board and the two tint shops I've talked to is that Madico Charcool (NOT Charcoal) 35% is the best match.

You can try www.lorenzotintny.com , he does a good job.

[chefwong]

Here's the lowdown -

There are not Pinnacle dealers in the NE unless you are willing to travel towards NC or VA if I recall correctly, those would be the nearest state that has a F1 dealer.

Huper has a green-grey coloration to it. It will not look good. The dre line *home ceramic tint* has a blueish hue to it. I may try this at some point.....it's kinda like a charcoal with a hint of MB blue tint.

TINT will always look different in DIFFERENT lighting conditions. The color also looks different depending on the interior color of your car. Keep that in mind !

With that said, the best match is just regular dye tint. There are tradeoffs as it will fade, etc over time . I went with metallic tint for longevity reasons.

I would not worry about color. A good *tinter* would/should have a color in his stash to match BMW OEM. I would start my homework on a good tinter rather than a tint shop that carries a particular brand. Hope this helps a little bit.

[Dblock2151]

Thanks for all the imput. I have an installer, said he'd do the front windows for $40, since we've gave him so much business. It's Madico Charcool tint, I was maybe thinking, going with a very LIGHT shade on the rears, and going with a darker shade up front (somehow equalling them out to be 20%) so that the tint looks similar on the front and rears? Sounds like a dumb idea, but might work?

[X5Andrew]

I went 35 all the way around and love it. Dark but not too dark.

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...pics-my-x.html

[SigX5]

I did mine 35 because it's the legal limit where I live. Although darker would look better, I didn't want the cops around here, who are absolutely terrible, to have any incentive to pull me over.

[Dblock2151]

Originally Posted by X5Andrew

I went 35 all the way around and love it. Dark but not too dark.

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...pics-my-x.html

Love the way that looks! I'll try out the Madico tint, hopefully it doesn't look too bad.