Windshield tint

What part of NC?

 

Lol I'd do every vehicle in the stable at that price! I'm still unsure though. I'm being way too indecisive about this I know, but I dont want that slight metallic reflective look that the crystalline or llumar stratos gives. I got another quote for air 80 windshield and formula one pinnacle 30 and it's in the mid $300 range. I think that the charcoal pinnacle film might look better with the factory rear privacy.

Can you get a new tacoma with completely clear rear windows?

 

brand? I have never heard of any film you CAN use ammonia based glass cleaners on. I have been tinting for 7 years now, and been having it done since 1990. never once have I heard of this.

 

Clemmons

 

we use SunTek in our shop and it doesn't have a reflective look to it. I didn't think Crystalline did either, but I could be wrong. I know Llumar does, but we don't use it for other reasons.

 

I’m not sure, my guy probably told me but I forgot by now. I’ll ask him the next time I run into him. He’s retired now & only does it on the side for beer money & if you’re in the know. I wouldn’t clean it with anything other than a watered rag because that’s what I’ve always done. I’m very happy with the quality & price.

 

I tint for a living and always use an ammonia free cleaner. really like the 3M spray foam cleaner. been using it for years with no problem.

 

Their F1 pinnacle doesn't have the metallic look, but the film llumar made to compete with 3M's top of the line stuff does, which is stratos. I'm not going to use that for that reason.

 

I don't blame you. I don't like the reflective films either.

its funny, Eastman Chemical Group owns, SunTek, Llumar, Formula 1, Huper Optik, and even Gila. and we only use SunTek in our shop. there is another tint shop about 8 miles from us that only uses F1. we all like what we like I guess.

we tried MaxPro films when they first came out and were not happy with them for their automotive films. but their commercial and residential films are pretty good.

 

not my Taco but these are our other cars with SunTek CIR70 on the windshield. the looks vary due to weather conditions...hope this helps somehow

 

That CIR70 looks good on there, but just a tad darker than I want to go. I'll have to look up to see if they offer 80%. What do you have on your taco?

Also, just curious what you dont like about llumar pr F1? The shops that offer them will only tell me all the great things about it lol.

 

my Taco has the same SunTek CIR70. They do make a CIR80. we haven't used it, but we have probably tinted 200 or so windshields with the CIR70 and people really like it. it isn't too dark as to affect night driving.

I don't have anything bad to say about Llumar/F1. they are the same company just a different "brand" of film under the same entity. we don't use them simply because of the other guy using them. they are a lil higher priced than SunTek too. we have been using SunTek for about 9 years and their customer service is second to none. they are also close enough to our shop that we can run up and grab rolls of film if we need them in an emergency. I actually had to drive up this morning and pick up some because we ran out late yesterday evening after their cut off for next day shipping.

 

Which film seems to fade least over time that you've seen? My buddy did some ceramic on my truck a little over a year ago, and I can already see a little bit of fading from just under the upper 1/4" of the window. The guy only speaks truth about 50% of the time, so who knows what he even really used on there.

 

The sun's energy will either pass through, be absorbed, or be reflected. The glass getting hot is proof that it is absorbing energy. Little is reflected as there are legal limits to reflectivity and people tend not to like reflective films (as they generally impart a non-neutral color... remember those weird Lexus windows?).

After a long soak in the sun, I'm sure you'll find the glass temperatures to be similar (or even hotter for 'better' glass/film). The better performing vehicle should have a somewhat lower interior temp, though. The problem with the glass/film absorbing so much energy is that as it gets hotter it then radiates energy (infrared... half inside, half outside). Now, if you're driving and the wind is cooling the glass you got no worries.

 

I thought it was illegal to tint your windshield at all?

 

Pssh. Law. Lol.

 

I am not a "glass" expert by no means. I do tint for a living so I believe every vehicle on the road should have it. after all, thats how I pay for my Taco and...everything else. I just know all my vehicles are cooler and look better with tint than without.

 

that, I can't answer. I have seen some films fade early, like less than a year. and some last over 10 years. we have some customers who had their cars tinted over 10 years ago, and it still looks new today. then we have some who don't take care of their cars, and their tint looks like crap because they smoke and or don't clean their windows like they should.

 

40% front, 20% sides