Got my windows tinted

So excited! The window tint looks so sharp with the shiny, light-silver color of the car and, as a Floridian, I am glad to have it taking out some of the heat. About three weeks ago, I bought some window visors, so I can crack the windows to let some of the heat out without worrying about the afternoon rain getting in. Between them and the tinted windows, my car not only looks cool, it feels cool, too. Couldn't be more pleased!

 

I got 30% tinting on all the windows (that's what's legal in Florida). I could have legally gone darker than that on the rear windows, but I wanted them all to match (don't like the two-tone look). I also got the strip across the top of the windshield (6 inches). They did a very good job on that - they cut the strip tint so that it was beveled around that dark area behind the rearview mirror.

I really like the visors. They came tinted, as well. They all fit perfectly and installing them was a breeze (they pretty much just snap in). I got them from Weathertech, but I later learned that PC Shop has them. I was very new on PC Chat, so I didn't know about the shop. I did get my sunshade from PC Chat, though. I highly recommend picking one of those up, if you haven't already - custom fit to the windshield...

I'll post some pics when I get home.

 

Here are some pictures of the tinted windows and the window visors:

 

Thanks. I got the best out of the three choices of metallic tint that they had ("Platinum Plus").

The window visors helped a great deal before I got the tint, and still do. I've been very pleased with them and do indeed recommend them. They allow you to leave your windows down a couple of inches, so that the car can vent out the heat. It makes a big difference. During the Florida summer, we often get rain in the afternoon, so without the visors, I would not be able to leave my windows cracked, due to the threat of water getting in the car.

I paid about $110 (including shipping) for the front/rear set of the visors. You can buy each pair separately, too, front or back. I got mine at weathertech.com. I was worried, at first, because I thought they might look el cheapo in real life, but they actually are very nice and look sharp. They are made of a very hard plastic.

They might be cheaper on Ebay now. At the time I bought mine, Ebay's price was a little higher, believe it or not! Weird...

 

Well, I got mine done in Orlando for next to nothing. I have a family friend who owns three tinting shops there. My tinting would have cost me $169, according to his website, but he did mine for only $50 because he is my friend (lucky me, huh?). His website is fantastic, though, because it has a feature that allows you to view the different types of tinting and percentages of darkness on the model of car you choose. You can actually use a Prius to see how the different tints look on it (you only get to see it on a blue Prius, though; they don't have other colors). If you want to check it out, this is the website:

X-L-Lint Tint.com

You can click on "Get a Visual" on the top menu bar of the screen to try the different tints on a Prius or "Get a Quote" to see the different pricing.

As you probably know, ceramic is the most expensive, supposedly because it will never interfere with any electronics (no metal), like your navigation system or cell phone, etc. They tinted a Mazda Protege for me a few years back with the platinum tint and I never experienced any interference, so I didn't want to pay for the ceramic tint (he couldn't give me the huge discount on it because it is expensive for him). The ceramic also doesn't provide as much UV protection (according to the website), although only slightly less.

If you are willing to make the trek to Orlando, they do excellent work and they guarantee it for life. As I noted earlier, I was impressed that they beveled the tint on the windshield to match the dark area behind the rearview mirror. I didn't ask them to do that - they just did it - perfectly.

I really like how the car looks with the tinted windows and it is definitely cooler. Wherever you decide to go, I highly recommend getting your windows tinted. You will never regret it, especially in Gainesville. I grew up in Lakeland, so I know how brutally hot central Florida gets. Worse than Jax! :mad2: Bloody HOT!

 

Not at all.

With regard to noise, as you can see in the pictures, they are designed to conform to the shape of the car windows/doors. They are firmly attached (don't budge) and are smooth and and follow the aerodynamic contours of the car. I chose them over the less expensive adhesive kind because I was worried about the adhesive not holding up to wind and other environmental factors, as well as because I didn't want noise to be a factor. A firm snap-in installation seemed more reliable and less likely to break down like adhesive potentially can.

My mpg has gone up since I got the visors. I doubt they are a factor in that. It has most likely been due to practice driving the Prius and learning new techniques for increasing mpg. The visors have definitely not hurt my mpg, though, as far as I can tell. I am averaging around 54 mpg with them on the car, if that helps any.

 

Eeeeexcellent... You will be glad you did it!

 

No and no. Mine is also a 2008 and I've no complaints, so far. If you scroll up in this thread, you will see my more detailed response to this question.

Installation took about 20 minutes and I would say it was moderately easy. In order to install the visors, you have to bend them a little, then they pop into place. It is a little tricky, but it makes for a very tight fit, which is what keeps noise and resistance out of the picture.

 

I got the strip across the top of my windshield. The law in Florida dictates that you may have a strip, but that it cannot be more than 6 inches from top to bottom. I was surprised at how much difference the strip makes. Our Prius dashboards are so...VAST, so the six inches doesn't cover much of it, but every little bit of cool helps.

I put armor all on my dash to protect it, but don't have any suggestions for something to keep it cooler while driving. It really heats of the car because the dash is so big...