anyone tint their windows?

I think the estimate Mr. Tint gave me last Fall was $220, and I'm still thinking about it.

Of course, I'll probably have to remove the WeatherTech rain guards, which may never go back in correctly again, so maybe I won't...

 

Living in Texas (Dallas), I always have my windows tinted and, in fact, I have an appointment tomorrow to get the windows tinted on my new Prius that I received on Friday. I am going with a midgrade Llumar film that has a lifetime warranty. I was quoted $185, less that $20 coupon in the phone book, for a net cost of $165. The "top of the line metallic film" would be $220, the bottom of the line film about $120. I am not going to go very dark as it does have an effect on nighttime visibility. It really makes a huge difference in this part of the country. If you find a good tinting shop, visit with them and see what they recommend. Some films have a color that has a slight tan/golden cast to it, others are bluish in certain light and others are charcoal. The wrong tint can look pretty bad on your car, depending on the color of your car. Oh, and nobody wants one of those "do it yourself, save a buck, purple bubbled tint jobs"

 

BE SURE to get metallic NON-Reflective material. (NR in the model number). I tested pieces from the shop, and all of them (except the NR's) reduced the GPS by 25%, and the cell phone by one bar or more.

Materials not made from metallics are prone to turning purple.

Nate

 

I was told that ALL metallic tint can hurt the GPS signal. You are saying that only the RELECTIVE metallic tint hurts the GPS and Cell reception? Can anyone else confirm this? Thanks!

 

Google brings back plenty of comments about metallic films hurting, but no sign I found that non-reflective metallic was any better.

Ceramic film from http://www.huperoptikusa.com/consumer_auto.cfm *sounds* nice, but I imagine it'll cost a lot more...

 

So you would disagree with Naterprius and say that any tint, reflective or non-reflective, would be fine for our cars since the antenna is so far forward even though he found a 25% drop in signal with the reflective tint? I really want the reflective tint but I am not sure I want to take the gamble of getting it and having it block some reception and then having to pay to have it removed and re-installed...

 

The best tint is a ceramic called huper optik. There have been a few long discussions here if you do a search. More pricy but well worth it here in Texas. Can't tell that it's tint. It just looks like really nice glass. I get better mileage in the summer due to the reduction in cooling demand.

 

I was wondering if those of you who have tinted your windows could post pics with the type of tint, as well as the darkness you chose? I'm also curious to see how the back looks.

 

To clarify, taking pieces of tint and laying them over the GPS antenna on the dashboard caused a 25% drop in signal strength on ALL satellites. Same thing for placing a piece between my cell phone and the tower.

GPS works best with more satellites, especially when combined with those that come in at obscure angles.

See here for how GPS works:
http://www.trimble.com/gps/triangulating1.html

Those odd angles come in from the side windows. Three satellites are required to narrow a location down to exactly two points (one of which is very far from the other, and can be rejected when on planet earth), and a fourth satellite is required for certainty due to timing errors.

Cell phones all suck; it's not worth the signal drop for me; especially since with Bluetooth, I'd be tempted to keep it on my hip during calls. 25% was just too much signal reduction.

If you don't tint the windshield, your GPS is less likely to be affected, but my Non-Reflective metallic material looks great, does the job reasonably well, and I have no worries about reception problems.

Do I think your Nav system will be 25% less effective, or otherwise exhibit poor operation with reflective tint? Not likely, but if you have no preference for reflective or non-reflective, then get the non-reflective film.

Nate

 

Gotcha. I get it now. Just to be safe, I think I will get the NR tint especially since my cell reception isn't very good anyway. The place I am going has Solarguard NR Grey for $130 or 3M w/ lifetime warranty for $195, both non-metallic....

 

I had my windows tinted as soon as possible. Every car I have ever had has had tinted windows. Maryland does not allow a very dark tint, but it sure is nice looking and it is great on your eyes in the sunlight! I went to a place in Baltimore called D&L tinting. It was about $220 but has a lifetime warranty. They also used 3M film, which was their top of the line. I hope this helps!

 

Hey Evan,

Did you have the lower rear window tinted or just the main rear window?

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the info! That was my next question ;-)

Getting it done on Monday - I can't wait! Then everything I wanted to do to the car (personalized plates, USC license plate frame, iPod2car, and tint) will be complete. I would, however, like to do something to the car to set it even farther apart from the other 4 silver Prii that park near me at work! I wonder what my gas mileage would be if I made it a convertable... 8)

 

Just got it back. I got the Solargard NR Charcoal 15% and it looks good! I love it. Maybe a tad too dark but that's okay... I'll post up some pictures after I get her washed! My friend also got his Prius tinted at the same place and time. His is black and it looks AWESOME with the tint. Now all he needs is to get his wheels chromed and he'll be pimped out for sure!

 

I just confirmed my order for a tideland pearl Prius arriving next week. The dealership (Ron Carter, in Alvin, TX - just south of Houston) quoted me $165 for all 5 windows.

I wonder if this includes the small triangular ones in the front. And what type of tints are available from the dealership?

If I drive off the lot with the tinted windows, then they should be covered in my Toyota warrantee, right?

Thanks for any help.