Did I get a bad tint?
#1
2004 Silver RX-8 Sport MT
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Did I get a bad tint?
Hi all, I paid almost $500 for top of the line ceramic tint all the way around (I was told that it wouldn't interfere with the radio antenna built into the rear defrost lines), and I'm a little concerned they didn't do a good job. I've also waited two months to see if this would "settle" and get better, but it hasn't.
First, they tinted right over the defog lines, which I guess is okay, but now light shines and is defracted off the lines pretty bad. When a car behind me has their lights on, I see many white lines in the back.
Second (and yeah, I know, this is bad, but it's only an 85% OR 15% tint - whichever is lighter), I had the windshield done, and there's some concerns. They tinted right over the dot matrix masking above the mirror and it's not staying totally down there. Also, it's kind of ripply right in front of the driver, but not in front of the passenger. It's subtle, but it looks like heat waves rising off of hot pavement and it's distracting whenever there's something with straight lines in front of me (like, say, the trunk of the car in front of me).
Are these problems normal with tint? I paid a lot of cash to get really good tint from a company called Accutint, and I have a lifetime warranty, so I'm thinking about asking them to improve it.
First, they tinted right over the defog lines, which I guess is okay, but now light shines and is defracted off the lines pretty bad. When a car behind me has their lights on, I see many white lines in the back.
Second (and yeah, I know, this is bad, but it's only an 85% OR 15% tint - whichever is lighter), I had the windshield done, and there's some concerns. They tinted right over the dot matrix masking above the mirror and it's not staying totally down there. Also, it's kind of ripply right in front of the driver, but not in front of the passenger. It's subtle, but it looks like heat waves rising off of hot pavement and it's distracting whenever there's something with straight lines in front of me (like, say, the trunk of the car in front of me).
Are these problems normal with tint? I paid a lot of cash to get really good tint from a company called Accutint, and I have a lifetime warranty, so I'm thinking about asking them to improve it.
#5
Surf Hard, Drive Hard
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They F'ed it up..................demand they redo it! I have ceramic 15% in the rear and rear sides......30% on front windows, and no issues.
I didn't do the windshield and I wouldn't do that.....IMHO.
I didn't do the windshield and I wouldn't do that.....IMHO.
#6
Here's a few things that I've learned about tint..
1) Tint does not stick to anything that isn't glass. This means those defrost lines on the rear windshield and the dots on the front windshield. However, there should be enough grip from the glass around the dots to keep the tint up without it peeling... take it back if it is not staying.
2) Higher quality non-dyed tint (the tint I got has a double layer of metal in it, ceramic may be the same), takes time to completely settle onto the glass. My tint had small bubbles in it when I first got it (from the solution they use to attach the tint, which is basically soap by-the-way), but goes away after time, as the solution is fully absorbed by the tint and then evaporates. Bubbles are usually caused by not being able to completely squeegee (spelling?) out the solution due to the curvature of the glass.
3) The time it takes for the tint to completely settle depends on the environment you live in. In warmer weather, where the car is exposed to more direct sunlight, the tint settles faster (two weeks or less, usually). Colder climates (like Seattle?) can take longer than a month, especially if it is humid. Note the location of the above posters (Florida, Dallas, AZ, armpit?).
Now, about your white lines in the rear windshield... I'm betting this is because of the way the tint sits over the defrost lines. I have it in mine, also, and I'm guessing this is normal.
Oh, and remove the front tint, please.
1) Tint does not stick to anything that isn't glass. This means those defrost lines on the rear windshield and the dots on the front windshield. However, there should be enough grip from the glass around the dots to keep the tint up without it peeling... take it back if it is not staying.
2) Higher quality non-dyed tint (the tint I got has a double layer of metal in it, ceramic may be the same), takes time to completely settle onto the glass. My tint had small bubbles in it when I first got it (from the solution they use to attach the tint, which is basically soap by-the-way), but goes away after time, as the solution is fully absorbed by the tint and then evaporates. Bubbles are usually caused by not being able to completely squeegee (spelling?) out the solution due to the curvature of the glass.
3) The time it takes for the tint to completely settle depends on the environment you live in. In warmer weather, where the car is exposed to more direct sunlight, the tint settles faster (two weeks or less, usually). Colder climates (like Seattle?) can take longer than a month, especially if it is humid. Note the location of the above posters (Florida, Dallas, AZ, armpit?).
Now, about your white lines in the rear windshield... I'm betting this is because of the way the tint sits over the defrost lines. I have it in mine, also, and I'm guessing this is normal.
Oh, and remove the front tint, please.
Last edited by VampireSix; 05-04-2008 at 10:29 AM.
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