jisoo26

35%? You chicken....guess I am too hehe. Pictures!!!! Huurrrrrryyyy rofl

Phantom Menace

In the SF Bay Area--King Tint in San Bruno.
(510) 7124307

The guy takes the door apart to make sure its P-E-Rfect! I've had to do my tint over twice. The first was by Trust Auto in San Bruno. They're cheap. So is their work.

So I went to this guy in King Tint. He uses 3M tint, just about the BEST tint out there. He guarantees his work albeit he costs a bit more. In my experience, do it right the first time and pay a reasonable price the FIRST time. It sucks having to have it redone for obvious reasons.

BTW, I orignially had 35% in front & 20% rear. The fronts were cool but I wanted it to match the second time and went with 20% all around. Not too dark but dark enough so if you leave your wallet or something valuable on the seat, it wont scream out for someone to break your windows for it. Light enough to see well through in the evening time aswell.

05TiGr8Lady

Pictures? I think not... right now anyway... it's POURING down raining and dark

05TiGr8Lady

Thanks for the tips PM. I think 20% looks darker here because it's mostly overcast like it was here today. 35% is legal and even 30% looked too dark for me. I had been thinking about doing 20% for the back side windows so no one can see in. I might do it later... dunno.

Phantom Menace

If you like subtle, there is a "mercedes blue" tint that is very subtle. It is the same as on stock Mercedes', its a very light blue-ish. It'd go well with silver or grey, too. Check it out.

If its not your thing, 10-15% is good. Especially if you have dark colored interior. Looks almost like, "stunner" sunglasses. You know, what P-Diddy wears. You can see in but it adds a little bit of glare or reflection. Classier that Limo-tint, too.

All a matter of taste. Just remember, do your homework on the shop! Go and watch them do other people's windows before you commit. The rear window is especially prone to issues. Plus once put on, it takes an act of...well you know to remove without damaging your defrosters and the antenna.

Keep us posted. And post pics kay?

Skinless

Come on! You gotta post pictures!

I also had to reschedule due to the storm. I'm going in at 11am tomorrow. Still trying to decide what tint to go with... Probably 30% in front and 20% on the rest... or 20% all around. I'll post some pictures of my dirty car when it's finished.

I won $160 in Vegas over the last couple of days, so I think it's a sign that I'm supposed to get my windows tinted.

05TiGr8Lady

Congrats on winning Skinless! With tax mine was $179.52

I gotta tell you... it's been a while since I've had tinted windows, so when it got dark tonight, it was really dark... I had a really hard time seeing out the sides because of the rain too and I wanted to roll down my windows . Then I went to the Post Office drive-thru to mail holiday cards and holy crap, I almost rolled my window down again . Carlos said wait 24 hours...

flomulgator

getting them tinted as I write. BtW, Lake City is ghetto....I had to walk 17 blocks just to get my internets and coffee :P

Went w/ 35%. Carlos said w/ a black interior and small windows is going to look pretty darn dark with 35 (+ factory). The law is actually 32%. look here:
http://home.pcisys.net/~bpc/auto_law/tint/

read carefully and it will make you even more pissed off at government's free pass for SUV's. Anyways, if you get 20% you get no warranty on you trailered, off-road, show car tint.

Skinless

I went with 20% on the back 3 and 35% on the driver and passenger windows. I like it, but I'm kinda wishing I had done 20% all around. If I decide to change it at some Later date Carlos said it would be about $85 to take the tint off of the two windows and re-tint them a different shade. I definitely like it though.

Don't feel bad about almost rolling them down Linda. I went into a parking garage right after the tint and almost rolled down my windows on accident to grab the ticket. The parking guy was looking at me funny when I opened my door and leaned out to pay him.

I'll try to post some pictures soon. I forgot to bring my camera with me, and I was out Christmas shopping all day today.

05TiGr8Lady

17 blocks!!??!! It was more like 3 or 4 to me I ate lunch at Quiznos and right next door was Starbucks, so I got some tea and hung out there and did my holiday cards.

So far so good on the tint, although I'm still getting used to it at night. I haven't rolled down my windows yet. Figured I'd give them as much time as possible.

Oh yeah, wanted to ask you... Are you getting a reflection from headlights behind you on the lines for the defroster/antenna? It must just be part of having such a curved back window, but I noticed that right away and it was kinda bugging me. I'm sure I'll adapt

Skinless

I was gonna ask that same question. The defroster lines glimmer at night when there is light on them. Hopefully it goes away. If not I'll probably get used to it, but right now it looks a little strange.

I walked down to 130th (7 blocks) and took the bus (41) to Northgate to do some shopping while I waited.

Yeah, Lake City is a little ghetto...

Skinless

I just went out and looked a little closer at the back window. It looks like there are some really small air pockets right along the elements for the defroster. I'm sure this is what is causing the glimmer effect. I'd be willing to bet that these disappear in the next couple of weeks along with the rest of the small air bubbles. We'll see...

05TiGr8Lady

Thanks for the info Skinless, now I don't feel like I'm going crazy about the lights! I'll go look at my windows in the light tomorrow and see if I can see bubbles as well.

And man... I crunched my 8 today!!! I'm so mad at myself! I was backing out of a friend's driveway this afternoon (while it was still a little light out, so I can't blame the tint!) and everything was good until I let myself roll a little backward before I let out the clutch... And then it was the strangest sensation... I stopped going backward and there was a soft richocette-like crunch and bounce - I don't know how to put it in words. But basically I hit the driver's door of a Honda with the corner of my right rear bumper. It barely scratched the Honda, but I think my bumper flexed to absorb the hit and I think my paint cracked where the bumper flexed. Anyway, I have a scratch and two areas where the paint is gone... Guess I need to find a good body shop now.

flomulgator

I walked south because there didn't appear to be anything to the north, so I actually went to Lake City proper. Apparently that was the wrong way! I did get to go drool over some CBR's at the Honda shop though so it wasn't all bad.

Anyways, I'm guessing the lights are caused by bubbles you created when you turned on the rear defrost (caused by the temperature difference w/ no way for the expanding air pockets to escape) Thinking about issues like that, I stayed my hand when I was (inevitably) fogged up and I didn't notice anything like that driving last night. I'm sure it will pass.

I really started looking around and realized a lot of SUV's come w/ 20% stock, which really pisses me off. Look at a Lexus SUV sometime. In retrospect 35% is nowhere near too dark at night and I could've done 20%. 35 still looks good and very dark but it just doesn't have that blacked-out look when you look squarely at the window that looks so good on lighter cars (I'm WB).

For those haven't gone in yet the tint itself and the work is very good. Has a oh so slight and pleasing greenish-blue hue to it.

05TiGr8Lady

I haven't turned on my defrost at all yet... let's see what happens.

I thought Carlos did good work as well. When I first drove up to his tiny shop, I thought "Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into!?". And then when I found out I was the first in the group I was REALLY nervous, so I told him I was. He said "Don't worry, I'm the owner and I've been doing this for years. I'll do a good job." I apologized to him later. He said if there were any issues, like bubbles, to bring it back.

Skinless

Yep, I felt the same way. He definitely does quality work though. Sorry to hear about you munching your car. I'm sure it can be fixed up like new though. I recently got mine back after it got hit by that rock, and I can't even tell where it was damaged now. Also, I haven't used my defroster yet either... I backed out the other night without being able to see because I was a little concerned about it. I guess it should be safe to roll down my windows now at least.

BTW, got a Zaino kit for Christmas. Looks like I have some work ahead of me.

flomulgator

Little christmas present for youz guyz!

tint from the inside




tint from the outside at angle/light that you can see in:




tint from outside at angle/ligt you can't see in:




All tint is 35% all around, but stock has different light tints on different windows leading to slight difference in final tint.

FABRO

^^^ Looks good flom!

kristopher_d

I just got mine done yesterday. As you know, I wanted something very special, so I went to someone who's work I've seen before. And I'm am SO very happy I did.

http://www.the-winding-road.com/articles/graphics.php

I was going to try to wait until the January meet and just show up, but every time I think about how well it turned out, I just want to tap my feet and turn in a circle. :D I'm giddy.

That's just the wing window, but if you follow the link you can see the rest of it too. It's all done in tint, so I can see out just fine, and it looks sooooooo much better in person.
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Corners Speak Louder than Exhaust. Just Drive It!

Proxi

Looks killer, Kris! Grats!

kristopher_d

Thanks, I've never had any sort of graphic on any of my cars, so I was really nervous about this one. Now that it's done, I'm addicted. I can't wait to get a new motor in my 7 so I can take her over to Dan and get the same thing done. It's just so damn cool.

05TiGr8Lady

Congrats Kristopher! Glad they turned out like you wanted them to. Very Uni-Q...

kristopher_d

Thanks. Any body else get their tint done? It's going to be something to see all of these formerly tintless cars sporting darkened windows.

wndotinter

cool graphics...i do a ton of tints graphics. much more challenging than vinyl and like you mentioned...you can see through them. Here's a link to some of my work. http://community.webshots.com/user/ashandchar ... the silver RX-8's mine. the graphics i did in the door windows have changed now but i don't have pics of them posted. I tend to change my tint graphics often

TheBri

Cool graphics Kristopher!

I am now officially tinted as of about noon today. I did 35% on the front doors and 20% on the wing windows and back window. I'm almost mad at myself for not having him do 20% all around but whatever. It looks great. He does fantastic work.

As a side note I went to Vancouver, BC today for the Canucks v. Stars game tonight. The boarder guys looked at me funny both going into Canada and coming back to the US when I opened my door and explained that I couldn't roll down my windows because I'd just had them tinted. No big surprise that coming back into the US they were more obnoxious to me. That's always how it is when I go up for games. I think the Canadian boarder gaurds just understand the burning desire that I have to see hockey in person and the US guys can't understand why I'd drive all that way just to see a game.

I can take some pictures and post them if anyone wants to see the finished product. I'll be posting a bunch of pictures late this month anyway when I get the AutoExe CF body kit installed (finally). AutoExe has been obnoxiously unreliable for months. I ordered the kit back in late October and they finally got it made and on a container to the US just this week. Originally they said that they would ship it mid November. Then it was early December. Then late December...