Tinting the prius 2010..good idea or bad?

the higher the number, the lighter the tints

 

I have a black prius. I got the back tinted at 5% and the front tinted at 15%. It looks really nice, but i have to admit driving at night is a little bit more difficult. Reversing is almost impossible without putting the windows down. But overall, it is worth it. Luckily, i haven't gotten any tickets. (knock on wood) My car is kept cooler when left in the sun, and I don't really need sunglasses unless the sun is pounding in my eyes. I got it done for $160

 

It amazes me that people don't tint their windows up here in the NW. I've always tinted my cars to protect the interior from UV exposure & when the weather is hot it helps to keep the car interior cooler & allows the a/c to not work as hard. When traveling to warmer areas it helps a lot too. It can also provide some privacy depending on the percentage of the tint. I have 35% on my Corolla all around as I like the even look but I would like a little darker like around 25-30%. It can get very hot here in the Portland area & during the summer heat comfort is the most important thing to me. I also love the ability to open the sunroof cover & let light in & make the tint appear less if a cop was looking.

And on top of the list a tinted car can look so much better than stock see through windows.

 

I tined 35% all around and its just perfect!enough to keep the sun out and still make this gas sipping car look sleek and sporty!

 

I tinted my 2010 Winter Grey with Madico Charcool 20% all the way around. It's not quite legal here in WA (35%), but I'm *hoping* to get an Rx from my optometrist this week b/c my eyes are very sensitive to bright light and the 20% tint helps tremendously. Not only that, but it also allows for much greater privacy/protection of my "stuff" inside the Prius and it looks sharp too! Seeing out at night IS taking some getting used to, but overall, I don't think it's nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Absolutely no problems seeing out during the day. I'll post some pics soon--I just ordered the lower rocker moldings yesterday, so after I put those on, she'll be ready for another photo shoot!

 

This may sound silly, but I have a 2011 with tinted windows. The back windows looked great until I took our dog for a ride. I now have stripes all over the back windows. It takes nothing to scratch them.... Just be carefull...

 

In my vehicle, it seems tinting the rear windows causes diffraction and split images, and perhaps slight distortion over what is already present. Especially the upper window whcih is already quite sloped. Distortion occurs near the edge of the rear window.

I didn't have my car long enough in non-tinted form to compare correctly.

Anyone notice the same phenomenon in tinted & non-tinted Priuses? (I don't like the word Prii)

 

I noticed the very occasional distortion w/the rear upper window pre-tint. since the tint job, I haven't noticed it, but it's been less than a week since I got the tint done...

 

Thanks. Perhaps you also notice some diffraction near the etched heating wires as well.

This may be caused by the tint not laying flat due to the slight thickness of the etched heating wires.

Especially at night, with headlights shining into the rear window.

 

If you go to a 3M supplier they can recomend a quality shop. I bought offbrand years ago and they bubbled and peeled. "Guaranteed for Life" means nothing if the people are no longer in business. I have a friend in Ft. Laud that had been doing tinting (for all aplications) for 30 years. He gave me the 3M warranty. The car looks great. I went as dark as was legal in back and on hatch and one step lighter on the driver doors. I also put a strip of the dark across the top of the windshield. I find the visors are too short for me and the tinting really helps. In South Florida I couldn't live without it. It looks good too.He showed me a chart he had which showed what is legal in each state. A quality shop should be able to show you their chart.

 

I'm dropping our Prius off tomorrow to have it tinted. I'm going with 25% Carbon tint since it's on special for the same price as the lesser quality tint.

 

Here are a few pics from my tint job today. I'm very happy with the 25%. I would have loved to had 18% but I was afraid it would be too dark for WA as the legal limit here is 35%.

 

3m dealer did not recommend that the moon roof be tinted and said it could overheat and shatter! So I guess I will skip the moonroof on the 2011 and do the 2009 first today with ceramic Florida legal limit.

 

I did my moonroof at the suggestion of my tinter. I couldn't be happier. Why would the moonroof be any different than the back window? Both the back and yhe moonroof are exposed to the same amount of sun.

 

Living in florida, you need to have tinted windows!!
Here is my contribution.. Had tint installed on all the windows.. Purchased red and smoked taillight tint from bluebatmobile online and had a tint shop install it.. I will be making a thread about the product in a few days when I can get a better camera!!
I think it turned out great!!

 

Got the 3M ceramic on the 2009 Touring and it is signifcantly better than the standard gray strip they put on the front windshield. He did not want to put the ceramic on the front windshield for some reason.

So next friday I will do the 2011 and see if he will do the moonroof and front winshield with ceramic.

20 on the back and 30 everywhere else.