3Wagon All very helpful - thanks for all the details. I'm not familiar with Autobahn i3 ceramic, but I'll look into them as an option b/c I really like the idea of 40% on front windows (also in Cali); have been debating between 35 and 45 which many other manufactures offer. Sunteck CXP; Pinnacle Formula One; xpel are currently my go to's.
I know pics aren't perfect with lighting conditions being a wild card, but if you have a few pics to share that would be great! Sounds like you have a great window tint set-up. Front window and Pano I'm iffy on; only because I'm not certain I'll benefit as much . . . something to think about. Cheers.
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Originally Posted by 3Wagon
I’ll post pics when I get more time, but I too struggled to get real good tint info.
I went with Autobahn i3 ceramic all the way around; 70% “air” (aka clear) on windshield and then 40% on everything else including Pano. I wanted the back to be dark, near limo when combined w/ the existing privacy glass and then the front windows to be noticeably lighter and the windshield to look almost clear. I will keep the car in Cali, so I wanted to be “legal-ish”.
Look wise, this came out like I wanted. I had a similar tint on my e46 wagon; in that case, I went with like 15% for rears and this came out about the same. The rear window was measured at ~12% after tinting; I am happy with this. You can barely see into the rear.
A few things I learned from my experience: - Ceramic film - def seems to be some different info on here, and while everyone’s experience may be different, here’s what I found. I wanted ceramic to cut the UV - this was my primary concern. Some issues raised by people said that ceramic can cause issues w/ a few things; One is HUD clarity; I found this to be a non issue. HUD is fine. The heat reduction is worth it.
- Windshield - first time I’ve tinted it and will never NOT do it. It’s not noticeable from the outside - seems pretty clear and I can’t imagine getting busted for it, yet it really drops the temps. HOWEVER, I do think the rain sensing wipers are just a touch less sensitive. It only matters in light misting; when it’s really raining, it’s the same. I did ceramic coat my windows, so that lessens the need to run the wipers in misty conditions. The trade off was worth it; the HUD was my concern but it’s nto a problem
- Dimming issue - Some complain they get a dash dimming issue with tinting. It hasn’t been an issue for me, but I think that may be due to those who tint w/ higher tint levels on the front of windshield. My relatively lighter tints didn’t cause an issue.
- Pano - tinting sky lounge wasn’t a problem. There ARE people who claim this will cause it to crack, but I’ve read every anecdotal report on the x5/x7 pano moonroof cracking on this site and others and there seem to be as many non tinted windows cracking vs tinted. I think there are other issues at play here and are not caused by tinting so I went for it. The tint now allows me to keep it open almost all the time (direct sunlight overhead still a bit much) and keep the car cool. The Sky Lounge works fine. Recommended.
- Color match - I actually needed to go out to my x5 and look at it, as I don’t really think much about the tint color. It’s pretty close, enough that I don’t notice. YMMV.
- Price - Just under 2k all windows.
ISSUE: the installer didn’t remove panels and just used a tool to get the tint down below the window line. This technique can work fine, all my windows seem ok but the back window is starting to peel up at the bottom bubbles. This can be a common problem, but I got worse luck that most, i think due to ambient temperatures being so low and then tint started to come up. This will be replaced under warranty.
On my e46, I went to a shop that took off the panels, wet sanded down the “bumps” and applied the tint. That worked pretty well and I never had problems. overall, I don’t really fault the shop; I think if it had been summer, the tint wouldn’t have had much of an issue. It’s pretty difficult to deal with the raised bumps; i’ve seen this issue a lot in forums. To me, this is the biggest detail other than the brand of tints; you can ask the installer their approach. A warranty will give you peace of mind though.
I hope this info helps someone. |