Got tint? I need help!
 

I'm finally getting my E70 tinted on Saturday. It currently has privacy glass, so I'm a little worried about the currently untinted driver and front passenger doors matching up with the other windows.

I'm planning on getting everything done, including the windshield (nothing too dark on the windshield, but something to help with sun/glare).

This is my first time getting a vehicle tinted. Any suggestions on brands/types of tint to use and which to stay away from?

I tint all my cars. Lately I have used Formulaone by LLumar and happy with it. Premium brand by LLumar and has nice premium look and finish to it....makes people think that the glass is factory tinted. ;)
They have special clear film for windshield too to cut glare.

everybody knows the police can get annoyed when you tint driver and passenger fronts, correct? Like give you a fixit ticket to make you remove it. Not driving a hot rod, AND keeping it OE-looking can avoid their attention...and tinting a windshield is astonishing.

The clear film LeMansX5 provided the link to above looks like a pretty good option for blocking out rays and keeping it stock looking up front.

Also, you may want to double check with your state and local offices to make sure it is accurate, but here is a cool link I came across.

Maryland Window Tint Law - TC Window Tint

I have Llumar Formula one 30% on the front of my X5 and it matches the rears exactly. It is one shade darker than the legal tint in NY.

I also did the windshield and sunroof in the UV/glare reducing film. I love it. You would need to park 2 vehicles side by side with the exact same interior to tell that anything was applied to the windshield. It is as close to clear as a film can get.

These two things did wonders to cool the interior of the car when it is left in the sun. It was very welcome on the string of high 90 degree days in NYC.

Technically yes but it'd be more like a tack-on ticket if you give attitude. Personally I have 35% on the front sides where we're not supposed to have any and I just roll down the windows enough for them to see me and I've never had an issue. One time without doing that, I've driven right beside a cop waiting at a corner for speeders - I was turning onto his street and he didn't bat an eye. I was a bit worried of course, but nothing came of it. It's the reason my wife doesn't want to do it on her car despite my recommendation - just doesn't want the hassle. I don't mind the hassle because it helps in both aesthetics and shade. The more common fix-it tickets are the no license plates on the front.

Oh and definitely don't tint the windshield... that's the 1 window that will let in the light making the tint on the sides look lighter than it actually is. You can even see my face from the side if you look for more than a second. 35% all sides & rear is a good middle-ground. If a cop can still see inside, you'll be ok. They have more serious offenses to look for.

tinted windsheild is prohibited here in Canada.

Just get the UV film on the windshield, tinting it could be a problem.

I did airblue 80 on the front of the windshield and formulaone pinnacle on everything else. I also have privacy glass, but my kids actually wanted it slightly darker in the back, so I put 35 all the way around. It makes a huge difference in blocking out heat. Formulaone pinnacle has a nice grey shade. I also have wincos on my other car. Very nice as well, however it has a slight blue tint.

If I could do it all over again, I'd save some money and skip the sunroof. We just don't use it that often. In addition, the tint doesn't stick as well around the edges on the sunroof. It peels since it doesn't adhere to the "black dots" around the window edges.

Any highly recommended places in NYC? I'd prefer Queens, but Brooklyn is fine too.
Also, how much was it? Some places have told me $200, some have said $250.
Thanks.

I used Art of Tint in Manhattan. The did my X5 and my wife's mini countryman. I was very happy with their work. The price is hard to tell. It all depends on what tint, (Llumar formula one is much more expensive). I was over $800 cash for both cars. That included windshield on both cars, sunroofs, etc. I priced it as a package.

Tom was a very nice guy. He took care doing the job and redid one window that he did not like when it was done. He was very competitively priced for ceramic tint and took pride in his work. His number is 212.869.5800 or 917.685.4792.

You can tell him that Brian with the blue X5 and the white Countryman recommended him.

Ard,
I agree that dark tint is illegal and makes police unnecessarily uncomfortable. You can still see through 30% tint at night. We all know that rolling the window down, turning on the interior light and keeping your hands where they can see them is more important than one shade too dark tint.

The spirit of the law counts. What counts even more is showing respect to the officer pulling you over. Every traffic stop is scary, everything that you do to make it more comfortable for the officer gives you a tiny bit more chance to be let go. A PBA card or a courtesy shield never hurt either. ;-)

Here are two pictures of my X5. If you look at the front pictures, you can see the inspection and registration clearly. They are behind the UV film. It is as close as clear asyou can get.

I laminated the registration and inspection and taped them to the UV film on the windshield. This way I will not have to risk damaging the UV film in the future.

Its less than $250 in my area for Formulaone without the windshield.

I know that the X5 was much less than the Countryman; but, I do not remember the breakout. I also had the windows, windshield and sunroof done.

I do not want to quote prices because I got bids for the X5 and CoUntruman as one. I never asked the break out.

I would expect that the two front windows alone could easily be done for under $250.

When I had my RX8 I got pulled over just for the tints alone, no moving violation at all. I was at 30%, limit was 50%. I had been in the habit of leaving an ipod mounted since the tints hid it pretty well, forgot about it when i removed the tints, and got broken into that very night! I remember I had the whole car (R/L, rear quarters, and super curved rear glass) all for $180.

I always heard that tinting the sunroof would cause it to shatter... :dunno:

Im not a glass expert, but what would make the sunroof more prone to shattering? Doesnt seem to make much sense. If the sunroof has too much light coming in I just close the shade.

Land Rovers have a perforated shade which is nice, doesnt block out all the light but enough to keep the light from bothering you.

So Formulaone is definitely one of the top brands?

I've talked to a few tinters and they have tinted sunroofs and not one has had one shatter. I live in So Cal and goto Vegas often. FormulaOne is definitely a nicer brand. I paid close to $600 for everything (All windows, sunroof, windshield) with Pinnacle. Blocks out heat. The regular tint is significantly cheaper. Once you go with the heat blocking tint, its hard to ever go back to regular tint.

The place I was going to use doesn't have FormulaOne. They use 3M and SolarGard. Any feedback on those two brands?

Yes. Formulaone and Huper Optik are top brands.

Forget 3m if you have to choose from those two.
Best Ceramic Window Tint; Compare Reviews and Rankings | Bestcovery

Best Dyed Window Tinting Film; Compare Reviews and Rankings | Bestcovery

Thanks, S! The closest FormulaOne shop is well over an hour away. I'll definitely go with the SolarGard and not 3M.

Thanks. I know that place. It's on 25th and 10th, right? I go to the mechanic next door to them (Marty's) for inspection, oil, brakes..etc.)

I called them before, but I forgot to mention it. They told me $300 for a factory look (no tints for the driver or passenger). But they seem to be the best place. There's always a high end exotic cars parked there.

Will probably consider them. Thanks.

That is the place. They have the mural on the side of the building. I am happy with all the work they did for me.

I'm tinted!!!

Decided to go 5% all around with 60% UV on the windshield.

(Dirty pic)
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/a2042f7f.jpg


(After wash)
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/0a5d408e.jpg

nice!!!

How did they do the edges on the side windows? can you see the cut out line, or they did it edgeless?

I haven't looked because I can't roll down the windows for 3-5 days.

lol... lets hope you are not coming to a manual toll line... lol...

Haha... no... the closest toll road/booth is probably an hour away from me.

Looks good, but pretty dark up front. Are you still legal?

Love the wheels by the way.

Looks great, but I hope you don't do much driving at night.

FSETH - Thanks... no, I'm not legal. The front door windows need to be 35% to be legal. I really LOVE these wheels too! Cleaning them, on the other hand, SUCKS!

chiefneil - Thanks...LOL I don't do much nighttime driving.

I have given up on any sort of brush to clean mine. I just throw a small microfiber towel in the bucket and wipe mine down by hand. I swear it is just as fast and does a better job.

Phil has all sorts of great wheel brushes on his site (detailers domain), I bought a conical shaped brush a few years ago and it works great. Need a new one soon.

I got a wheel cleaning brush a few years ago from Phil (Detailer's Domain), but I don't see it on his site anymore. It works great, but I'm just not a fan of cleaning my wheels every few days.

I bought one like this from Phil a while back and it does not work very well on my e46M.
However, it works well on wheels with wider spacing in the spokes. Thread hyjack over.

http://www.eshine.ca/prodimages/16Brush.jpg

Those bristles look rough.

This is pretty close to the one that I have:
http://www.diseno-art.com/images_4/a...ning_brush.jpg

That's the one i have Seth. Needs to be replaced now, and you have to be careful of the hard wire/looped end. He has soft spongy wheel brushes now, i'm going to check those out.

Hijack over :)

Hijack not quite over...

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachment.p...1&d=1345511210


http://www.detailersdomain.com/EZ-De...ush_p_637.html

Best brush...

A

^ That brush looks 100% better than the one I have. Looks like I need a new one.

Thunder, I agree with you on the looped end. Plus, the bristles are too stiff and not thick enough.

Tint job still looks good Michelle. :)

I like that brush a lot! The handle is a lot longer than the one I currently have.

No worries about hijacking the thread - it's mine! LOL

:rofl: thanks, FSETH! The tint is almost dry and all of the tiny bubbles are gone. :thumbup:

not in Seattle :) it's legal to tint the driver and passenger side windows

Looks sinister...love the wheels. Right on time for the shindig :thumbup:

Thanks! :2thumbs:

He was referring to the windshield. I don't believe an aftermarket tint on the windshield is legal anywhere in the US.

I called a tinting shop once to inquire about a clear tint for my windshield and the first words out their mouth was, "Are you with law enforcement?"

FYI...

Welcome to TintLaws.com

Actually, one thing I dont know: Must your car comply with ANY state in which you operate it> Or only the state in which it is registered??

and to answer my own question... it seems to vary by state... LEOs love it as a pretext for checking out the vehicles though.

he said "everybody knows the police can get annoyed when you tint driver and passenger fronts"

thought that meant the side windows up front

Yes, police DO get annoyed with dark tint that prevents them from clearly viewing the occupants...IRRESPECTIVE of the legal status.

And obviously they can only ticket you when the tint is illegal.

But given that the OP is in Maryland, the legality of tint in Seattle seems...well... unhelpful.

:cool:

Sorry, thought you were referring to the part of his post that said, "tinting a windshield is astonishing."

I'm also thinking of tinting my X5. The rears have privacy glasses. Not sure if I should tint all windows or just two front side windows. I'm looking for mainly protection against UV rays than anything else.

Does the rear privacy glasses have any protection against UV rays? If not, I'll go for all windows (except windshield).

nice wheels, you need to update your sig pic.

as for the wheel brushes, I've found them to be more trouble than they're worth, plus they put a lot of strain on your wrist in my experience since you have to attack the rim with multiple angles just by holding a stick. A simple rag in soap water does the job for me.

The only way I'd do just the two front side windows is if it can match the rears. If not, it won't look right, IMO. Maybe do a 20-35% film on everything.

Thanks! I need to photoshop a new pic of the E70 since I no longer have the E53 to take a new pic.

Unless I take the wheels off, I can't get my hand though them from the outside to clean the inside of the wheels.