Window Tinting

teacherkris

New member
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
Location
San Diego
TDI
2015 Golf SEL
I have the dark interior and as summer is rolling in I'm realizing how hot it will be. I have never had windows tinted before but I want to do it the right way which I understand is having the windows "dipped" (sorry if that's not the right word). Any insight? Anyone in the San Diego area have any recommendations?
 

Shife

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2015
Location
Michigan
TDI
2015 GSW SE DSG White/Beige
Never heard of having the windows "dipped".

I had Llumar CTX 15 put on the rear, CTX 40 on the front sides, and Llumar AIR 90 on the windshield. I'm very happy with the result. The ceramic film rejects a lot of heat and I notice no adverse effects at night.

This is the first car I've ever had tinted and I did so primarily to make life easy on my toddler.

 

exbauer

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Location
USA
TDI
MK7 Golf
I always go to SD Tint in La Mesa for all my cars and friends cars. They are a little more expensive than other tint shops. But, their quality is what you pay for. Talk to Andrew there and he will steer you in the right decision for price and tint.
 

richyrich

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2013
Location
Ontario
TDI
2014 Touareg, 2015 Sportwagon (gone to the big emissions-lot in the sky)
Is it just me who finds some tinting a safety issue? Here in Canada we have a lot of four-way stops and whenever I pull up along with some highly-tinted idiot (i.e. black windows) I have no idea whether they've seen me. Ditto crossing the road - IMO there's a certain amount of eye contact involved in these situations, or you at least get a sense of whether a driver is looking vs messing with the radio?
 

Shife

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2015
Location
Michigan
TDI
2015 GSW SE DSG White/Beige
Is it just me who finds some tinting a safety issue? Here in Canada we have a lot of four-way stops and whenever I pull up along with some highly-tinted idiot (i.e. black windows) I have no idea whether they've seen me. Ditto crossing the road - IMO there's a certain amount of eye contact involved in these situations, or you at least get a sense of whether a driver is looking vs messing with the radio?
I'd argue that there are situations completely separate from tinting that obscure your view of a driver and that eye contact is not a reliable, or predictable, indicator of behavior.

As far as safety.. This is my first car I've ever tinted the windows on and I'm middle aged. My eye strain is almost completely eliminated. I have an absolutely clear and glare free view from my vehicle. It was not cheap to have done, but I won't own another car without it.

The wife and I will be asking our eye doc for a prescription for both of us, because the benefits inside the car are substantial. I am flirting with a ticket for having what I consider a safety feature in my vehicle here in Michigan. It is ridiculous that I have to get a prescription for this.
 

drew1202

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Location
San Diego, CA
TDI
2015 Golf TDI
i got 15% all around and a 5% bar or whatever the thing is called in the front. 15% isnt bad you can still see into the interior of the car but I have the beige interior.
 

Ballmiester

Member
Joined
May 12, 2015
Location
New York
TDI
2015 golf sportwagen
Anyone here of Llumar tint blocking AM reception my GSW is tinted and no issues meanwhile my buddy just tinted his golf an has no AM radio but he isn't sure if it was working before that or not is the antenna in the rear window defroster
 

Shife

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2015
Location
Michigan
TDI
2015 GSW SE DSG White/Beige
Metallic tint will block signals. Ceramic will not. What product was specified on the Llumar warranty documents? Mine has the Material (CTX), lot numbers, and box numbers recorded on it.
 

Thunderstruck

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2004
Location
Chicago
TDI
2015 GTI SE 6M
I had Pinnacle Formula One ceramic tint put on my car and it's great. It really does reject heat, was out a few weeks ago and the difference between putting my hand in the front window and against the tinted side window was amazing.
 

Caseyb476

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2014
Location
CO
TDI
2015 Golf SE 6spd man
I have the ceramic tint on my car (45% front/ 35% rear). You can easily see in/out. It's just dark enough to hide the awkward look of clear windows.

It TOTALLY blocks out heat. In Denver, direct sunlight is like a blowtorch. In this car, I can hold my arm in front of the side window, and barely tell its in direct sunlight. Too bad I cant tint the windshield ;)

As far as safety concerns, my tint is very light, and does a FAR better job of blocking light compared to my prior WRX which had very dark tint (non-ceramic). So if you feel dark tint is a safety issue, get light ceramic and it will still block nearly all UV/IR rays.
 

Shife

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2015
Location
Michigan
TDI
2015 GSW SE DSG White/Beige
Too bad I cant tint the windshield ;)
You can. Llumar, Huyper, and 3M all have clear or nearly clear ceramic films for the front windshield. I had mine done and it was absolutely worth the price. You can't tell anything is on the front window, but there is a drastic reduction in interior heat when I leave work and the car has been baking in the parking lot all day.
 

GTiGLi

Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Location
Memphis, TN
TDI
2001 New Beetle
I did 3M ColorStable 20 around the whole car. I'm going to have my windshield and moonroof done in Crystalline 70% to reduce the UV and keep the car cooler without making it hard to see out of. It's not necessarily legal where I am, but if you tint the whole windshield with 70, it's so much lighter than the side windows that you can't really tell and the cops can't put the meter on it, because you can't roll down the windshield ;)

That and I hate windshield strips. It's all or nothing for me.
 

rcracer

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2008
Location
chapel perilous
TDI
2015 MK7 GTI S 6MT, Previous: 2012 Golf DSG w/ Tech Pkg
For the windscreen tinters:

Are there any "ripple/orange peel" effects on the windshield?

That a valid question?

Thank you!
 

Shife

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2015
Location
Michigan
TDI
2015 GSW SE DSG White/Beige
For the windscreen tinters:

Are there any "ripple/orange peel" effects on the windshield?

That a valid question?

Thank you!
For the first couple of days you could tell a film was there if you looked really hard and my polarized glasses had the rainbow thing going on. After a week it was completely transparent and I no longer notice any rainbow with my polarized sunglasses.
 

TurnOne

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2014
Location
Cincinnati, OH
TDI
2015 Golf SEL TDI 6MT
I have 5 on rear and rear sides. 20 on sides and 50 on whole front. Looks great and ceramic keeps interior costs down.
 

frankstd

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Location
new jersey
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SEL
Warranty

Does adding any window tint void any warranty's? Just bought a new 2105 Passat TDI SEL this past thursday, wife loves the car but wish it had window tinting on the rear windows.
Thanks, Frank
 

V0X

Active member
Joined
Jun 19, 2015
Location
Chattanooga, TN
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI
hi Frank

tinting has no impact on the warranty. some dealers will use a local tinter to pre-tint the windows prior to sale with a markup.
 

SnowBeer

Member
Joined
May 24, 2015
Location
Milwaukee
TDI
MK7 Golf Sportwagen SE TDI 6MT
Anyone here of Llumar tint blocking AM reception my GSW is tinted and no issues meanwhile my buddy just tinted his golf an has no AM radio but he isn't sure if it was working before that or not is the antenna in the rear window defroster
I have lumar metallic tint, ATR 35%, no radio blocking issues. Was also true on every other car I've owned. Clearly some people have issues, I have not.
 

boy412

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Location
Washington, DC
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen
I plan on doing 3M 35% all the way around. Good idea on the windshield! I was getting baked in the car today and this would help a TON.
 
Last edited:

Justler153

New member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Location
Brunswick, MD
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SEL
Had 3M Crystalline 50 installed yesterday and it makes a really big difference... Cost more than the average $200-$250 tint job though. Got it for heat reduction and not so much getting that dark look... looks really nice though!
 

andyrooski17

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2014
Location
Newton, MA
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE DSG
On the verge of taking my Mk7 to Tint King in Billerica, Ma.

The boss man there was recommending FormulaOne Pinnacle, which is a LLumar product? I've seen plenty of good reviews on the Pinnacle product both here and on other forums.

Looking forward to it, and will post before and after pics when i get it done!
 

boy412

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Location
Washington, DC
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen
I'll probably be choosing 3M ColorStable. The closest dealer that has the F1 Pinnacle film wanted close to $500 to tint my car...and another $150 to do the windshield. That's a bit spendy.
 

andyrooski17

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2014
Location
Newton, MA
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE DSG
I know that the films come with warranties from good shops, but does any one have any comment on the typical longevity of the tint films, specifically the formula one pinnacle?

It's nice that I could get the film fixed if it starts to bubble or whatever after a few years, but I would like to know if I should expect it to, or if they typically last 5+ years with no problem
 

Borsig

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Location
va
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2015 GSW SEL (buyback), 2011 JSW (sold)
I had my tint on my 2011 for 4.5 years. No issues, no fading. only problem? Dog snot and dog claws.
 

vanbcguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Location
Vancouver, BC
TDI
'93 Passat - AHU mTDI with GTB1756VK
Bubbles are an install error, they shouldn't appear after the fact. Color change however is a reflection of quality.
 
Top