About to tint my car - what tint percentage?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm about to tint my Honda Fit on Tuesday. For the back windows and hatch I want to strike a balance between privacy (I will have my camera gear in the back) and being able to see out the back when backing out at night. I have no experience with tints.

I was thinking:

70% in the front windows
20% in the rear windows and hatch

The car naturally has a dark fabric interior.

 

[Proprioceptive]

I'm about to tint my Honda Fit on Tuesday. For the back windows and hatch I want to strike a balance between privacy (I will have my camera gear in the back) and being able to see out the back when backing out at night. I have no experience with tints.

I was thinking:

70% in the front windows
20% in the rear windows and hatch

The car naturally has a dark fabric interior.

Depends on what state you live in... but I got 35 on my front windows and 15 on my rears... and I wish I'd gone 15 all around, but seriously, don't get any lighter than 35

 

[JulesMaximus]

You're in California IIRC, you can go as dark as you want on any of the rear windows but you cannot legally tint any part of the windshield or the driver and passenger side doors. That said, many people do tint the front door glass a bit so the car doesn't look strange but you may get hassled by CHP if you do this.

 

[BassBomb]

my car came with 8% all around and i couldnt see shit
took it off the front two windows and now its bearable
if i were to do it myself from the start it would have been 25% all around (unless you have front tint laws)

 

[halik]

had 35% all around on my CLK, even that was a bit too dark

 

[basslover1]

IIRC I have 35% on my driver and passenger windows, and 25% everywhere else, including the sun visor. I wish I would have done 25% on the front windows some times, but in FL 35 on the front is the lowest you can legally go. Sometimes it's hard to see out the back window at night, but I'm not usually in an area where I need to back up and there aren't any street lights, so it's not that big of a deal.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm in California, so I can't tint my fronts. But I will anyway because 70% is supposedly pretty hard to tell?

I'm debating between two places: both get great reviews - one is tinting all 9 windows for $250 with Solargard HP Charcoal, the other is doing all 9 for $450 using Suntek HP Charcoal in the rears and 3M Crystalline 70% in the front. 3M is supposed to be the best out there, and even though it's a light 70%, it blocks more than twice the heat of the Solargards supposedly. But the price difference is huge!

 

[coxmaster]

I'm in California, so I can't tint my fronts. But I will anyway because 70% is supposedly pretty hard to tell?

Uhh.. A lot of cars come from the factory darker than 70%..

 

[jpeyton]

35% all around, which is the max for my state. It's a great balance between privacy and visibility.

 

[basslover1]

3M tint isn't that good nowadays actually. The place I went to, the owner was a 3M rep for the southeast for about 30 years, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't even carry it anymore.

The really good tints are Ceramic based, but they are costly. That's what I ended up going with Formula One Pinnacle series. Pricey, but worth it IMO.

 

[coxmaster]

3M tint isn't that good nowadays actually. The place I went to, the owner was a 3M rep for the southeast for about 30 years, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't even carry it anymore.

The really good tints are Ceramic based, but they are costly. That's what I ended up going with Formula One Pinnacle series. Pricey, but worth it IMO.

That brings up a good point.. talk to people you know that have had their windows tinted. Some shops are good but a lot of shops are horrible.

Checkout their previous work, and get recommendations from friends.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Why do I get the feeling that ceramic tints are out of my price range?

I found the tint shop on Yelp. 5 out of 5 stars. Basically a guy who does wonders working out of his *really* clean garage.

 

[coxmaster]

Why do I get the feeling that ceramic tints are out of my price range?

I found the tint shop on Yelp. 5 out of 5 stars. Basically a guy who does wonders working out of his *really* clean garage.

What is your price range? Im getting my windows tinted for $149.99 from a VERY good tint shop. Thats for 4 doors and the back window with ceramic.

 

[Synomenon]

I did 35% Llumar ceramic tint all the way around (except for the windshield) and it keeps things cooler than w/o. It's kind of light, but w/ my car's dark interior, it looks darker than it really is.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Man, what the hell is wrong? If I go for Llumar ceramic - I can't seem to get the tint done for under $300.

One place quoted me $400 for Llumar AIR in the front and Formula One Pinnacle in the rears.

Another quoted me $380 for Llumar Axcess

If I go for a traditional film, like SunGard or SolarGard, I can get the job done for $250 or less.

This is in the Bay Area of California BTW.

 

[amdhunter]

Don't be one of those guys that mix dark black with light front tints on your car. That looks so tacky. Choose a number in between (50% looks really attractive on most cars) and stick with it. You'll be much happier.

I thought about tinting my RX-8 with 50%, but I think tints in general is getting played out. Might just be me though...

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Don't be one of those guys that mix dark black with light front tints on your car. That looks so tacky. Choose a number in between (50% looks really attractive on most cars) and stick with it. You'll be much happier.

I thought about tinting my RX-8 with 50%, but I think tints in general is getting played out. Might just be me though...

I don't have a choice. I need dark in the rears to protect my gear from sight, and light colored fronts so I don't get pulled over in California.

 

[Kirby]

Mines around %30 I think.

 

[CraigRT]

I had 13% on my Altima, man that looked good on a pearl white body..

My Maxima has 25%, It's a good happy medium.

 

[basslover1]

Man, what the hell is wrong? If I go for Llumar ceramic - I can't seem to get the tint done for under $300.

One place quoted me $400 for Llumar AIR in the front and Formula One Pinnacle in the rears.

Another quoted me $380 for Llumar Axcess

If I go for a traditional film, like SunGard or SolarGard, I can get the job done for $250 or less.

This is in the Bay Area of California BTW.

Shop around more. I was able to get mine done (Formula One Pinnacle) for 300ish. I forget the exact amount but it was barely over 300 after tax. This also included getting my old tint removed, so it can be done.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Shop around more. I was able to get mine done (Formula One Pinnacle) for 300ish. I forget the exact amount but it was barely over 300 after tax. This also included getting my old tint removed, so it can be done.

Where are you located? I'm *really* starting to think that it's a Bay Area thing.

I've called 4 places that offer ceramic - Llumar and Formula One

ALL of them have quoted around $400. And they won't offer price discount if paid by cash because they say the film itself is just too expensive to purchase.

I've called 4 other tint shops, but they either carry just the metalized or cheapo Suntek / Sungard / Solargard stuff, and that would be around $250.

This is for all windows on a Honda Fit.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

I'm in California, so I can't tint my fronts. But I will anyway because 70% is supposedly pretty hard to tell?

I'm debating between two places: both get great reviews - one is tinting all 9 windows for $250 with Solargard HP Charcoal, the other is doing all 9 for $450 using Suntek HP Charcoal in the rears and 3M Crystalline 70% in the front. 3M is supposed to be the best out there, and even though it's a light 70%, it blocks more than twice the heat of the Solargards supposedly. But the price difference is huge!

If you are willing to drive to San Jo I can save you a boatload of cash and have the entire car done for under $200. http://lifetimetint.com/direction.php

20% rear and 35% front windows is what I have and have not been pulled over for tint.

70% is not dark enough at all.

 

[thescreensavers]

I had 13% on my Altima, man that looked good on a pearl white body..

My Maxima has 25%, It's a good happy medium.

Yea I want to do 25% all around on my car.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

If you are willing to drive to San Jo I can save you a boatload of cash and have the entire car done for under $200. http://lifetimetint.com/direction.php

20% rear and 35% front windows is what I have and have not been pulled over for tint.

70% is not dark enough at all.

What exactly do you mean about saving me money? Are you actually the guy who does the tinting? (noticed you're in Bay Area).

I wanted to go for 70% just to have that little extra heat protection. I drive around a LOT and I probably have a way higher chance of getting ticketed over someone who only commutes daily.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

No,

that is not my shop. However they are significantly cheaper than the prices you quoted.

These guys tinted one of my cars about 8-months back and did a fine job. They are the cheapest around. If your car sits in a lot of sun and is rarely covered I would advise you to buy a premium tint as the lower quality metallic tints tend to fade over time.

The shop I linked you to carries two lines of tint, one budget, the other premium. Look on their website.