Window Tinting advice

[Ingres]

Midnight express -- 10 year warranty RRP is $395 we can cut 40 off depending on how hard the car is

formula one -- 25 year warranty, RRP is 545 and we can drop to 500

Bolle is much the same.

New cars from car yards get a cheap as film which costs them about 220 and they charge you 500+

so never ever take up the tint option when buying a new car, you get a cheap film with not much warrenty.

we dont compete with other stores as we are all franchises and can all charge whatever we want.

Dear Madrox,

I got mine done at a tint-a-car in brisbane, the manager quote me the following:

Midnight Express - $350

Formula 1 - $395

Bolle - $500

But after receiving a phone call right in front of me, he told me that a customer just cancel a house tinting and if i want to do the car tinting today, he will knock $50 off as his labour is already in the workshop. So i chose Formula 1 at $345. (Don't know whether what he say is a gimmick or not?) but overall i am happy with the service and the finish product.

Is the price reasonable??

[riftime]

All,

I finally got the car windows tinted. Friend of mine did his car a couple of weeks back, it looked good and I opted for the same thing.

Tint Professor (Melbourne) - INCOGNITO (carbon based film), $265 summer special.

My car's black, it looks awesome with this tint.

Happy Customer.

[ELEGNT]

does it have to be 35% all round to be leagal or can u go darker on the back doors and rear window? just leaving the front doors 35%????

thanks

[DJKOR]

does it have to be 35% all round to be leagal or can u go darker on the back doors and rear window? just leaving the front doors 35%????

It varies from state to state I believe. With what you have said, I think that may be the case in other states but in Queensland unfortunately the following applies:

"Automotive tinting material which has a light transmittance factor of not less than 35 per cent (T35) may be used on any non-tinted side or rear window."

Source: Modifications - all about modifications to motor vehicles

But like it has been said, you can easily get away with 20% on the Aurion. I don't find that level of tint fun to drive with at night though.

[ELEGNT]

But like it has been said, you can easily get away with 20% on the Aurion. I don't find that level of tint fun to drive with at night though.

thanks daryl, y is it that you can easily get away with it? im worried about voiding my insurance thats all

[DJKOR]

I should be more specific. It's easy to go undetected from the popo. Because of the design of the car, a 20% tint seems 'fit' for the car. Insurance is a different story however. I'm not too sure what they can say in regards to that. Others here that have gotten 20% tints have had invoices written up for 35%. In a way, that can cover your a** for a little.

[riftime]

I'm a little confused. I thought that the higher the %, the darker the tint? i.e.: a 35% tint will allow less light to enter the car than a 20% tint. So I'm not sure how a 20% tint would be of concern to an insurance company if 35% is not (hence, why would it get written up as 35% tint when it was 20%?). Last I looked at my insurance forms, under options/modification section, it was written as just "tinted windows", no mention of %.

To go out on a limb, I would say that your question on whether you can legally tint your rear & rear-side windows even darker, I'm hoping that calling a dominant tint company in your state should clarify the legalities? I'm also hoping that if deemed legal, insurance shouldn't have a problem with it?

Look at some utes, vans, etc... some have NO rear window. By that precedence, doesn't that mean that theoretically you can paint your rear window black, remove your rear view mirror and happily drive with just the side mirrors? A bit extreme, but that's what those van drivers do! I'm sure that VICRoads and the like in other states disagree with my thought process... :)

Edited January 14, 2009 by riftime

[ELEGNT]

the less % you go the darker it is hence 10% limo or somthing

[DJKOR]

Yeah, the percentage figure is the amount of light transmittance through the window tint, ie. 35% means that 35 percent of the light that is directed at it is able to go through.

As for the rear window tinting issue, that's what I thought as well and that's where it gets a little sketchy. It's hard to locate the actual document that goes through the specific standards.

Insurance wise, if you have an illegal modification done to your car (in which tinting is a modification), that has the potential to void your insurance. As well, it is a sketchy subject.

[nathanb]

I recently had my Aurion tinted by the same guy (solartint) I've used for all my previous cars. They always do a really good job. They used some special carbon film that doesn't interfere with the radio this time. Seems to be just as dark as the previous metalic tints I've had with a slightly more yellow/smokey tinge compared to the bluer tinge of the previous tints.

Anyways this time I noticed they left a cut out on the rear window around the third brake light. It looks kinda crap because we have the light interior. I knew this wasn't just because they are lazy as previously they have removed the cover to tint the full window and on the aurion you dont even need to remove anything as there is a gap.

When I asked the guy about it he said that the RTA (NSW) has started cracking down on rear window tinting that covers the rear brake light. He said a number of his customers have come back demanding he fixes the rear window as they have failed a pink slip. He also has a number of letters from the RTA for him to cease tinting over these brake lights or else face fines for each car. He said they now have no choice but to leave the cutout by default.

He offered to redo the window for me but could not offer a receipt or warranty for the back window. Seems like the RTA is targetting new cars as they come off their 5 year period and need to get their first pink slip. apparently it has only started happening in the last few months and he believes the RTA may have sent letters out to inspection stations regarding this.

I called the RTA and they confirmed that along with the 35% tint thing you must also not cover the third rear brake light with any form of tinting.

I've since noticed a few new honda accords with the same cutout except due to the postion of their brakelight the cutout is much bigger. :)

Edited January 14, 2009 by nathanb

[riftime]

Interesting. Is it possible to tint the center brake light on the Aurions? I thought the parcel shelf is moulded around the centre brake light and inaccessible from the inside of the car (where the tinting is performed). I'll need to check my rear light now, hoping that it's not tinted and therefore potentially rendered my car unroadworthy.

Regarding the % tinting, I could have sworn that when I was sitting in Tint Professor's waiting room and glancing at the wall that had samples of the various tints displayed next to each other, the lesser % appeared lighter rater than darker. However, since I'm the only one who is confused about it, I'll accept the more common description as correct... :) Come to think of it, a tint that reduces light by 10% would be pretty pointless. It would be hard to notice the difference on a bright day. Also, nobody mentions much about tinting with a % greater than 35%. Given that there are darker tints out there, they must obviously be smaller % rather than larger %. LOGIC PREVAILS, the % tint must relate to the amount of light it allows through rather than the amount of tint applied to the window.

[mrbigbob]

Hi members, Im a member also that has owned and operated 3 x Sol-aces throught out Sydney, Bankstown, Castle Hill, and Lansvale

so if any of u guys need advice or tints just please message me or call, im only to happy to help

Im based at Picnic Point Bob 0411 333 069

[byw]

I am getting my car tinted tomorrow morning and I am wondering whether to leave the warning stickers on the side windows or remove them before having the windows tinted. For the TRD, there is a "Toyota Auto Alarm" warning sticker on the front door windows and a "TRD Protected by Data Dot DNA" warning sticker on the rear door windows.

Does leaving the stickers on the window cause any problems with peeling etc. as the stickers are quite close to the edge?

Any TRD owners with tinted windows? Have you removed the warning stickers or left them on?

Edited April 12, 2010 by byw

[Alonso]

anyone know a good place in perth?

[byw]

anyone know a good place in perth?

I have used DMS Energy in Osborne Park for a few cars in the past and they use 3M films.

$350 for RAC members, otherwise, $400.

[DJKOR]

Any TRD owners with tinted windows? Have you removed the warning stickers or left them on?

Well I had no control over this, but my 'alarm' and Data DOT stickers were removed before my windows got tinted. If they are stuck to the inside of the car, I'd recommend removing them and not tinting over them.

[byw]

If they are stuck to the inside of the car, I'd recommend removing them and not tinting over them.

Thanks Daryl, I am also thinking of removing them before tinting as they are stuck on the inside and located very close to the edge of the windows. The location of the stickers does not allow much film at the bottom edge to fully cover the stickers allowing the film to peel easily if the "glue" on this thin edge does not hold.

[Lewie]

anyone know a good place in perth?

Peter Garden - Mobile: 0439 877 978 - He's done all mine, my friends and my relatives cars. Any % you want (at your own risk of course). He may be a few dollars more, but

you get a top quality job. http://www.realtint.com.au/

[CONROD]

anyone know a good place in perth?

Peter Garden - Mobile: 0439 877 978 - He's done all mine, my friends and my relatives cars. Any % you want (at your own risk of course). He may be a few dollars more, but

you get a top quality job. http://www.realtint.com.au/

Recently got our New ZR6 tinted by tint-a-car in Newcastle.Its our 4th car done by these guys.

They normally charge $395 but knocked $100 off for being a repeat customer.They used a metal film on the sides and a carbon based film on the rear,due to the aerial on the rear window as the metal film causes reception drop out apparently especially on the AM band.As for the alarm stickers I insisted that they be left on,due to their high quality the stickers have no detrimental long term effect on the tint what so ever, and the rear window was done in one piece (as it should be )

We didnt have to worry about the high level stop light as it is in the rear wing.

Speaking of tint Toyota quoted us $495 and we had to arrange to drop the car off to them and them some bloke would come and take the car (where to they wouldnt say ) tint it and then drop it back to toyota for us to pick it up again,I politly said I DONT THINK SO.

Our biggest worry was having some ***** head prising the door trims off,but fair dinkum they were doing a few Aurions and invited us to come in and have a look at their work prior if we wanted too,

Top quality work, thumbs up

[SCOOTA44]

35% here in tassie side and rear windows. its one of the additions I haven't done yet, but its nearly winter, can wait till it warms up again !