About tinting

[drvai]

Hi to everyone.
I am very confused about all the tinting types out there.
Metallic? Ceramic? non-metallic?

Which is the difference between them?

%?

I was thinking in installing tinting, but I just want heat reflection, don't want my windows to be dark. Is this possible?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Rick]

Ceramic is supposedly the choice tint for preventing interference with CA (Comfort Access). Huper Optik and FormulaOne seem to be the most popular brands of tint for high-end cars. You can read more about Ceramic tint on their websites:

http://www.huperoptikusa.com/

http://www.formulaone.com/

The shade of tint film is expressed in percentages. The lower the percentage, the darker the tint.

I had my windows tinted recently and had the pleasure of meeting ///Mantis, and LittleRocket. We all have FormulaOne Pinnacle Ceramic tint on our AW e92 m3's. Below are some photos for you to compare the various levels of tint.



///Mantis' AW e92 m3 (FormulaOne Pinnacle Tint @ 35%)





RickC's AW e92 m3 (FormulaOne Pinnacle Tint @ 15%)





LittleRocket's AW e92 m3 (FormulaOne Pinnacle Tint @ 5%)





50% is also offered on the Pinnacle line if you're looking for something lighter than the 35%.

You can see a few more photos here from different angles..

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141787

[SnowsM3]

I just had 20% 3M ceramic tint installed all around on my car(everything except windshield of course). I've used the 3M on my last M3(owned it for 4 years) and on my '07 Escalade and I've always been very pleased with it. I'll take some pics this weekend and post them.

[WKBRDR]

I just did 20% 3M on mine today.. i'll get some pics up as soon as i clean it. it rained today! I only had 3 choices where I got my tint done.. AZ legal (33%), 20% or 5%.. I was thinking of going 30%, but that wasn't a choice. I'm really glad i went wtih 20%. I'll post some pics soon.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by drvai

Hi to everyone.
I am very confused about all the tinting types out there.
Metallic? Ceramic? non-metallic?

Which is the difference between them?

%?

I was thinking in installing tinting, but I just want heat reflection, don't want my windows to be dark. Is this possible?

Thanks in advance for the help.

get 35% ceramic, most heat rejection doesnt interfere with radio or comfort access.

[Davinhci]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

get 35% ceramic, most heat rejection doesnt interfere with radio or comfort access.

+1 I got exactly what Mantis got.

[LittleRocket]

I haven't had any problems with my CA or Radio and I have the 5%. As long as you use F1 Pinnacle you should be fine with any of the options available.

[KKSigs]

To Mantis, Rickc, and Little Rocket - Did your interior color play a factor in the choice % tint you got? Other pics on the forum of tint look darker with a black interiors as opposed to beige.

I always thought, I was going to go with 35% tint with my Jerez Black and black interior, but now after seeing Rickc's tint of 15% that looks awesome.

I wish I could see your cars in real life to make a decision. Any suggestions with my color combo?

Thanks

[Rick]

Originally Posted by KKSigua

To Mantis, Rickc, and Little Rocket - Did your interior color play a factor in the choice % tint you got? Other pics on the forum of tint look darker with a black interiors as opposed to beige.

I always thought, I was going to go with 35% tint with my Jerez Black and black interior, but now after seeing Rickc's tint of 15% that looks awesome.

I wish I could see your cars in real life to make a decision. Any suggestions with my color combo?

Thanks

Thanks, I'm pretty happy with the 15% tint. I've got the extended black interior and it looks great with the tint.

One thing I've noticed about ceramic tint is that it appears lighter when viewing the windows from an angle (like if you are standing next to the rear driver's side tire looking at the driver's side front window as opposed to the head-on shots shown above).

[drvai]

Thank you for the great response and congratulations for your car. Looks great.

I was looking in the BMW site and they don't specify with what type of glass does the car comes. Does it have UV protection?

Would the Formula one UV protection be of any use?

[tjbuz]

Anyone else have this issue? My buddy and I both have it. His is 3M and mine is Huper Optik, both in the same spot on the M3 (top of rear window). It looks like crap. Have not gone back to the dealer yet, but curious if this is common? The 100-degree AZ heat hasn't cured it, even after a couple of months. Sorry about blurry pics - Needed to use night mode or the flash masked the problem...

[kyoshozx]

Originally Posted by tjbuz

Anyone else have this issue? My buddy and I both have it. His is 3M and mine is Huper Optik, both in the same spot on the M3 (top of rear window). It looks like crap. Have not gone back to the dealer yet, but curious if this is common? The 100-degree AZ heat hasn't cured it, even after a couple of months. Sorry about blurry pics - Needed to use night mode or the flash masked the problem...

Attachment 158135

Attachment 158136

I have huber optiks and I have the same issue, but definately not as bad as yours.

[lizak187]

SAme thing happened to my 325ci ive had the tint for about 2 yrs now i was to lazy to go back and have it fixed but myne came out the exact same way as yours

[Patricius]

It happens to almost all windows with the dot matrix around the edge. There are a few places that do better than others with the dot matrix. One technique is to cover the matrix with a strip of black vinyl, another technique is to use a special black "glue" product that fills the space between the dots. It will never be perfect.

[HeadOn]

So I just got my M3 back today (see http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150151) for background.

I only had it for about 24 hours the first time. So here is a question: Do you all have dead spots (for me when standing next to the door with key in pocket) with the Comfort Access system?

Mine seems to randomly work for locking and unlocking. Sometimes standing in the exact same position - unlock will work, then wait about 5 secs are try to lock (I haven't moved) and it won't lock.

The reason I posted here is that during my car's absence I had them install ceramic window tint (which both the dealer and tint place claimed had no issues).

Any ideas or recommendations?

Cheers.

[!Xoible]

do not get metallic or u'll lose CA, and ur radio will be jacked up. get ceramic for max heat rejection even tho it costs 2x. im thinking of redoing mine to 5% soon

[HeadOn]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

do not get metallic or u'll lose CA, and ur radio will be jacked up. get ceramic for max heat rejection even tho it costs 2x. im thinking of redoing mine to 5% soon

Yeah, that is why I made sure I got ceramic tint. I will double-check with the installers tomorrow that they didn't put the wrong tint in, but it looks right based on what I speck'ed with them.

[Keto]

I'll be doing Huper Optik.

[WKBRDR]

Originally Posted by tjbuz

Anyone else have this issue? My buddy and I both have it. His is 3M and mine is Huper Optik, both in the same spot on the M3 (top of rear window). It looks like crap. Have not gone back to the dealer yet, but curious if this is common? The 100-degree AZ heat hasn't cured it, even after a couple of months. Sorry about blurry pics - Needed to use night mode or the flash masked the problem...

Attachment 158135

Attachment 158136

Mine turned out better.. I did 3M but didn't use the dealer... I've been meaning to post a pic but never got around to it.. i'll try to do it today. I got mine done by idetail on Raintree.. they did a really good job.

-

[HeadOn]

So it turns out that Johnson Film's Insulatir ceramic line of tint is NOT compatible with comfort access. I confirmed this with the manufacturer. They were cool about it and will be refunding the cost of the tint back.

I am confirming now that Formula One will work without problems.

Thanks

[tjbuz]

Originally Posted by WKBRDR

Mine turned out better.. I did 3M but didn't use the dealer... I've been meaning to post a pic but never got around to it.. i'll try to do it today. I got mine done by idetail on Raintree.. they did a really good job.

-

I think that's where my buddy got his 3M done. It looks much better than mine, but still has the issue. I think I'll see if I can get the dealer to try to fix it. If not, I may switch the back to 3M and try idetail. Thx for the info.

[marcos]

What is an acceptable amount to pay for tinting?