12-28-2021, 05:08 PM | #23 | |
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My solution: I also tinted the rear windows with the Xpel XR+, but with a lighter tint. This evened out the color disparity, and made it look much better from inside. |
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MarkCav72.00 |
01-22-2022, 04:20 PM | #25 |
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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:
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. |
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01-24-2022, 12:19 PM | #26 |
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I went with the basic tint 25% on front windows, $107 out the door, beautiful! Best part is it matches the factory rear tint's color, both I think are brownish or charcoal. I suspect that higher grades of tint are basically a markup scam, I saw a video of two vehicle's temperatures measured, one had basic and the other top of the line, not even 1 degree of difference.
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01-25-2022, 10:10 PM | #27 | |
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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. Quote:
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01-29-2022, 11:37 AM | #28 | |
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dananelson1226.00 |
01-29-2022, 05:29 PM | #29 | |
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All in all, this is what I wanted: ceramic all over for heat rejection and UV protect family (skin cancer kills!) and the interior. I can leave the pano open open all day and the tint makes it very usable. |
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01-29-2022, 05:45 PM | #30 | |
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01-29-2022, 06:19 PM | #31 | ||
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01-29-2022, 08:24 PM | #32 | |
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01-30-2022, 04:46 PM | #33 | |
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SeldomSeenKid7.50 |
01-30-2022, 07:00 PM | #34 |
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I just had all my windows and windshield tinted for $400.00 OTD.
Windshield is 3M Crystalline Series 50. The fronts are done in 25% 3M Obsidian Series 25. The remainder of the vehicle is done in 3M Color Stable Series. These are my go-to tints and I love them. Of course, this is El Paso and things cost less here. |
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horseygrl22.50 |
01-31-2022, 12:00 AM | #35 | |
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Living in Phoenix was pretty easy to see how much of a difference there really was I guess. |
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02-06-2022, 05:31 PM | #36 | ||
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02-06-2022, 09:09 PM | #37 | |
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02-13-2022, 06:38 AM | #38 |
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Got Xpel prime xr plus yesterday. Stayed legal at 35% and did clear on windshield. $400. Most I’ve ever paid and only had the cheap basic tint on windows and nothing on windshield prior, so we’ll see over time if it’s worth it.
I REALLY wanted 15% matching on front windows but worried about maybe getting pulled over offer or at least issue with inspection Last edited by NCRob; 02-13-2022 at 06:44 AM.. |
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02-13-2022, 08:44 AM | #39 |
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Did they remove the door panels?
My first X5 and I want to get it done with the shop that did my last few cars, but he claims he does not have to remove the panel. The cars he did for me in the past held up fine but a lot of people on this forum and others are stating you need to remove the panel? |
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02-13-2022, 08:59 AM | #40 | |
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02-13-2022, 11:09 AM | #41 | |
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Also, just curious what you guys are told on cleaning the inside of the film/window and what chemicals/solutions you were told are safe? I had my guy tell me to use isopropyl
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03-17-2022, 09:00 AM | #43 |
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506 wraps in hillside NJ- not far from the city. exclusively uses 3M ceramic and does not remove the door panels. They can also tint over the factory glass to match the fronts even more. I did 20% over factory which technically makes the rear windows 4% and did 5% on the front 2 windows and it's a good, crisp, match.
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07-11-2022, 04:25 PM | #44 |
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This seems to be the longest running tint thread in this SUB
For those who have contemplated vXR vs XR Plus, paper specs vs real life. My tinter says...even though on paper , it's like 8-10% higher performing, he stated he can feel the difference inside a vehicle with XR Plus vs the same % in XR. Has anyone jumped the XR Plus route ? Interesting remark on the 15% being darker than than the dyed rears... Last edited by chefwong; 07-11-2022 at 08:29 PM.. |
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