First of all, congrats on the forum, and w00t for me making the first thread (other than yours) in here.

Onto the thread: The thread is mainly for me but I'm going to be general so that when others read it, it provides useful information. Would you go into a little detail regarding the lineup from Solar Gard and LLumar? Which do you usually recommend and why? Also, when the tint is computer cut, how close does the typically get to the top of the window? (for those of us picky like me )

Example (mine): I drive a black 2000 Maxima that has never been tinted since the car was new, and I need all 4 side windows and the back window tinted. The leather pwns you when you get in on a hot day, so I want the tint to be black to match the car, as well as good heat reduction and all that other stuff. I really don't know a lot about tint besides what I can read on the internet and hearing other people say LLumar makes really good stuff. What should I get?



I realize you might want to sticky some of these answers, so if you want to leave general information for another post for your own thread, thats cool with me.

Thanks again. Hopefully I can bring my car in to get done soon, and also learn a thing or two from your replies.

-Kevin

 

Thanks for stopping by. First of all, we still carry LLumar but since March we began switching to SolarGard. Both make comparable films but SolarGard works with their dealers more on a cost level. We began serviceing major new car dealerships in Wesley Chapel and New Port Richey so our tint volume went through the roof. However, LLumar would not give me better pricing based on this volume jump and they are a pain to warranty work through. So I met with SolarGard reps at a road show and struck a deal-I've had NO warranty claims since March with them either (we average 40 vehicles per week with some major commercial and residential tint jobs thrown in the mix-that's alot of window film!).

As far as tint education, first thing to understand is the tint percentage. The higher the number, the LIGHTER the tint! Reasoning, the number refers to "percentage of light transmission". In other words, the light 30% tint that is legal in Florida on your front windows only allows 30% of the available light to get through the tint. On the opposite extreme, the ever-popular 5% (or limo) tint only allows 5% of the available light to get through the tint.

With that cleared up, you get 47% heat reduction with the 30% (lightest) tint, and 53% heat reduction with the 5% (darkest) tint. Not much difference...

As far as computer cut, the gap is usually a consistent 1/8" or less from the edge of the glass. The tinter can even adjust it up a little for those who are wanting it "micro edged". We never want it up right at the edge of the glass because that leaves the tint prone to failure caused by the seal "jamming" its dirt and jagged edges into the tint. Leaving that small gap at the edge is kind of like using tires that are slightly wider than the lip of the rim to protect from curbs.

The cool thing about my shop has always been that the customer lounge is a few feet from the tint bay (wide open). You get to sit back and watch your vehicle being tinted and as long as the tinter isn't "slammed" busy (like on Saturday's), he will take the time to explain the process to you. And hell yes, we love to show off our computer plotter. We even plan to show it on our next commercial shoot for Bay News 9 next month.

Hopefully I answered a few questions and cleared some misconceptions for you. Feel free to drop by or call if you ever want to know more than I have answered here!

 

simple question tint colors

i've heard gray, charcoal, smoke, etc. all of these sound fairly similar to me, what is the difference can you post pictures that show the difference?

 

I have tried to post pics in the past but the real difference is, there basically is NONE. LLumar calls their main film charcoal, Solar Gard calls it smoke, etc etc etc. These are all dirivitives of the same color of film. I believe that charcoal is the best way to describe it though. That is the "color" that 98% of the vehicles on the road have on the windows.

Also, no manufacturer really tries to show tint shades/colors online because it is too difficult and the examples have failed miserabley in the past...