Tinting the prius 2010..good idea or bad?

I have a Blue Ribbon like you and got it tinted today as much as is legal here in Vancouver, BC. Solargard 15% tint, except on the fronts (not allowed) and also snuck some tint on the little windows behind the windshield.

 

tinted mines on Saturday. 5% on the back windows and 20% on the back windshield. I love it especially on a black car.

 

+1 for Sunshield. This is my 5th car I've had them tint and they do a great job every time. I went with 35 on all side windows, 20 on the upper back hatch and 20 on the sunroof (I was getting too much glare into the cabin through the roof). Total cost was $195 (would have been $165 without the sunroof). They do a lot of tint jobs for dealers. They had a IV w/ Solar Roof from Hamer Toyota that they were finishing up when I pulled in (took a look at the sticker and they've got $2995 added markup on it). I'm sure dealer with put the tint down as a $600 addition.

 

vice versa

 

I got my Prius 2010 VI Blizzard Pearl with Johnson GreyStone. Well, this is not what I intend to do. However, the tint shop misinformed me that GreyStone is a ceramic tint. It is absolutely wrong. I just want to spread the words around in the forum that we have to be careful with what you are getting from the tint shop. You could be ripped off by them very easily. They charge you with a premium tint material but they just put up with a lower grade tint film on your car that you won't even be able to know the difference.

Here are a few window tint product categories that I have gathered from the web.
(This is not a complete list of products available in the market nowadays. But it would be good if everyone can contribute to the list somehow.)

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Non-metallic dyed film:
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1) Johnson Greystone tint: (google it for the company site)
This is the most commonly used film nowadays. It is not a ceramic film. It is a dyed non-metallic material film. It won't interfere with the radio/bluetooth/SAT radio. it is a bit darker than ceramic film for the same level of heat resistance. I think the price is somewhere from $180 to $250 in West Los Angeles (10 windows tint for 2010 Prius).

2) 3M CS (Color-stable) tint - polyester film (definite not ceramic tint).
no signal interference. Price: somewhere at $240 (W L.A.)
3) 3M Crystalline - metal free film (Not sure if we can call it ceramic tint though.)
no signal interference. Price: somewhere at $260 (W L.A.)
(google it for company's site)

4) LLumar High Performance Series $195 (W L.A.)
(google it for company's site)

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Ceramic film tint
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2) Johnson Insulatir
This is the only ceramic tint product available from Johnson as of 7/29/09. Both non-metallic dyed film and ceramic film tinting won't interfere with the radio/BT/SAT radio.
The tint would be lighter as comparing to the non-ceramic one for the same amount of
heat resistance. In other words, darker tint does not mean it will reject more heat. In my opinion, this is the best kind of tint we should get because the tint is lighter in color and it provides better heat resistance and the heat inside of the car won't get trapped that much as comparing to the old kind metallic tint film. I think the price would be ranged from $300 and up.

3) Madico Professional film (Onyx)
(google it for company's site)

4) Huper Optik: Price $500-$700

All in all, there are so many type of films available in the market. And the price could be ranged from $150 to all the way to $800 tint.

One needs to make sure the following things before u make a purchase.
a) the type of film they will put on your car. i.e. the codename of the film.
e.g. ceramic vs metal-free or non-metallic film (greystone vs Insulatir or 3M CS vs 3M Crystalline)
b) the price for installation, material and life-time warranty.
make sure all the information will be black and white on the receipt.
c) stand there watching them to tint your car. make sure that they put whatever they have promised to use on your car. check out the codename of the film on the side of the box to be sure. You don't want them to remove the tint from your car after the installation. It may ruin the defogger of your rare window when the film is being removed from the window improperly.

All in all, ceramic tint and non-metallic tint are good. Definitely don't want to go with metallic film kind. It is cheap - somewhere less than $100. Be sure the tint won't interfere with your radio/cellular ph/SAT radio/BT.

I wish the information here is good enough for the starter to learn a few things about auto-window tinting.

Best of luck.

-Kel

 

Great info there, Kel. Thanks!

I'm in LA (Westside) and I just had my windows done today. I went with the Greystone 15% rear windows and 30% front. At first I was thinking about getting the front windows tinted darker. But it looks fine with the Winter Grey paint. And I really don't want to attract too much attention (fix-it tickets are a drag).

 

Hi all,

Does anyone here have experience with the 3M Crystalline? I'm terrified of making a decision I'll regret later on. Also, I live on the Westside. What shop(s) would you recommend I visit, other than the one in the Valley?

Thanks in advance!
Cathy

 

I installed 3M crystalline last weekend on mine. I went 15 all around and looks GREAT!!! I have not noticed any interference or decreased signal.

 

But your profile indicates no package, meaning no NAV?

 

You are right, I was talking cell phone.

 

My dealer tinted my side windows and back top window but not the front window or back lower window. They say that this is the way they (Power Toyoya Tempe, AZ) are doing it now for safety reasons. Anyone else hear of this?

 

I'm looking into this now. Kind of a minefield out there. Any reccos for the Orange County area?

 

I am tinting mine on Thursday. I have the same car as you but I put the fog lights in recently. I like the blue a lot. I hate the wheels and the fact there is no tach and water temperature Gauge.
I will let you know if I have any tinting regrets.

 

In Colorado it's illegal to tint the front window. I had all other windows tinted but NOT the lower back window, because it is already tinted. It cost me $200 for a great job on the 3M film. Don't pay dealer prices for tinting!

 

Just had mine done at Sunshield Glass Tinting as per recommendations here on the board. I made an appointment and went in and talk to the owner (Hami) to try and decide which tint and what shade to put on. I told him I didn't want it too dark and one shade throughout. He recommended Madico 35% on the sides with 20% on the back hatch for $165. I was about to go with that then I asked about ceramic. They definitely don't up-sell there as they didn't mention it in the consultation. He said it was much more expensive but in his opinion higher quality and better performance. He recommended 3M Crystalline 50. The Crystalline 50 is just slightly lighter than the Madico 35. We decided to go with that on the sides and the back hatch (nothing on the lower back hatch) because of the superior thermal quality. BTW he also showed me the little display with a light that he slips two different tints in front of to show the difference in thermal protection. I am very please with his service and the quality. Definitely A+. Out the door $275 with the 3M. It looks great, not too dark not too light! My cars dirty right now but I'll snap a pic just to show the tint. Also, because we went to breakfast while it was being done (Marmalade Cafe, highly recommended, 10 min walk) he left the 3M logo's on the window until we got back to show us that it was the real deal.

 

If anyone's in the San Diego area I highly recommend Mr. Tint in Escondido. I got mine done with FormulaOne Pinnacle ceramic for $340 with a $60 off coupon from their web site. 50% in the front, 35% in the back and the upper hatch (nothing on the lower hatch). I didn't want to go darker but could have done 15% on the back/upper hatch (and 35% on the lower hatch to match) if I wanted. Excellent work...the windows all look factory.

 

Here are a few quick pics. (sorry for the quality):