Hi everyone, I'm sharing this to help others who may be thinking about tinting their car. I will include a few details about different tints, the percentages I chose, my experience and before and after pictures. I recommend researching and reviewing past customer experiences before choosing a specific tint shop. The shop I chose offered a variety of brands and tints: LLumar, 3M, Huber Optic, and ceramic tints. Normal dye tints block out UV rays, while ceramic tints manage to block out more heat transfer as well. As a result they're more expensive than normal dye tints. I was contemplating going with Huber Optic Ceramic tints, as they seemed to perform the best in reviews and heat transfer. I read other forums on tints, and came across one that made me laugh and influenced my decision. They stated that while ceramic does reduce the suns heat transfer, remember that the rest of the car is still essentially a metal box and not all windows...heat will get in!! I went with LLumar ATC, a standard non-ceramic tint which blocks UV rays, because it was within my budget. The tints in this model ranged from: 5% / 15% / 20% / 35% / 50% / 70% visibility; this is fairly the same in most models. - SPECS Llumar ATC Front Window Tints: 50% visibility Rear Window Tints: 20% visibility Windshield: not tinted - Experience Overall I'm happy with my purchase. It's been about two weeks now and I enjoy the added privacy the car takes on with these tints. The heat reduction is noticeable when the window is up to when it is down. The added protection from UV's is great as well! One thing I forgot is to share are pictures of what the tint looks like from within the car. The visibility from inside the car looking out is still great; it doesn't hinder my vision at all. This was my first time investing in tints. I hope this thread helps you answer some of your questions. Make sure to read how to properly care for your tints to get the most from them. My last thought is to invest in a proper tinting shop. You get what you pay for + past customer reviews helps to make a sound decision! Now, to some pictures!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - BEFORE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - AFTER - - - - - - - - - -
Hope you don't drive through Pelham, GA cause I did with my 2006 Prius with tinted windows and got a ticket! Cop had a little thing he put on the window to read the percentage tint that I had and said it was too dark. His little thingie said my tint was 17% and Georgia law is 32% so the lower the figure the darker it is. In my opinion it's just a way for them to gig travelers for some money for their city! The fine was $120.00. It was the only time I was ever stopped for windows that were too dark and I have driven the car in at least 20 different states and thousands of miles with no stops until this one.
maybe the rednecks in Georgia are particularly scummy, but I don't think they can legally hit you with an inspection ticket when you're registered in a state that allows dark tint. definitely seems like a scam.
So how dark is your tint and what is allowed in your home state? Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I did 35 front, 20 rear but I don't rightly care what the law in my state says. It gets upwards of 115 degrees in August, I don't like the idea of getting a sunburn on my left arm coming home from work...
