Just got back from the tint shop. It will be installed Thursday. They said doing the front glass is not legal here in Florida but many have it done anyway. He said only people wearing polarized glasses have noticed some issues looking thru the windshield. For now just the sides and rear are being done. Note: the four 1/4 glasses are extra.
Are you getting ceramic? I have never had tinting but people say that ceramic really does cut the heat and is worth the additional price. For the windshield I think people get 70 VLT ceramic if I remember correctly and they say you don't even know it's there but it cuts the heat quite a bit.
I am still deciding but leaning toward ceramic. They report 80% heat rejection. They called it Carbon but said it had coating of ceramic? They had three grade levels with the two upper levels having lifetime warranty. It did not say ceramic on the advertisement literature. CXP - Best Professional Series - Non-metal, nano-hybrid, carbon construction with a lifetime warranty. Made by Suntek
I have never had tinting either. I have always seen those vehicle that look terrible later in life because of it. I'm struggling with this install decision but the sun is so harsh here in Florida.
The best thing is get the brand name(s) they offer which it sounds like you already have and then do some online research. Of course sifting through a lot of different opinions is not always easy to make a determination, but there does seem to be some good information out there as tinting is so common, usually the good will float to the top. Might be worth postponing if necessary to allow enough time for research not only of tints but also installers.
I watch and listen to every thing automotive, l have a passion for cars and tech in general. I'm kinda feeling the word ceramic has become the latest marketing buzz word and may mainly just be that "marketing". I have driven by this Custom Audio/Tint shop for several years and never been inside. I am thinking they use good material and do good work. Research is good however.
I decided I like the look of the front grill without the chrome so I did the back and side chrome. Was not that hard but I am not going to quit my day job to become a car wrapper, looks good unless you get real close in a few places. For $25 and a few hours I think it is worth it and I can peel it off if I get tired of it or want to try again (have quite a bit left over, thinking of doing the mirrors)
I did the below items so far to my Clarity. - Installed Aukey DR02 Dashcam and hided all cables, currently plugged into the outlet. https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Dashboard-Supercapacitor-Nighttime-Recording/dp/B072FGL63X - Formula 1 Tint all around with Air 80 Front Tint - Purchased Honda Clarity OEM Floor Mats I'll post pictures of the Dashcam and Tint tonight.
That really looks awesome, good work. My Clarity is black, and I'm thinking I'll want to do the same thing as you because I'm not a big fan of chrome. Any specific advice or a link to where you purchased the vinyl from?
I haven't done this particular mod (I like the chrome) but I've wrapped things before and I will advise to use a hair dryer to loosen up the vinyl as that will make it much easier to work on complex angles/bends. Careful, it doesn't take much heat. Also, try to get authentic 3M vinyl. You'll pay more but its a much better product especially for outdoor use.
I got VViVid Vinyl based on reviews and price (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L9J4KKC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) I don't mind chrome on a dark car but on white or silver there is not enough contrast for my taste. It is all about contrast, at least that is what I told my wife when a spent 2x more for an OLED TV I used a heater for the inner front grill due to the multi-angled part. Will really need it if I decide to do the mirrors. Also important to heat it if you end up stretching it to relax/reset it so it does not shrink back.
Ye ask and ye shall receive, of course you will get a poor photo shot into the morning sun from the parking lot at work. Here is the back of the car mostly de-badged and de-chromed
@Teslawannabe: “I'm kinda feeling the word ceramic has become the latest marketing buzz word and may mainly just be that "marketing".” FWIW, I don’t think ceramic is marketing hype regarding tinting. It is now the preferred high end tint. It has effectively replaced metallic tinting films that worked well but caused problems with RF (radio wave) blocking. I was sold on ceramic tinting by a demo in a local tint shop that had a box with a heat lamp and a sliding piece of glass that had plain and ceramic tinted parts. When you slid the ceramic tinted side over the heat lamp there was a dramatic reduction in the heat your hand felt. I was sold, opened up my wallet, and have had no regrets. The car is much cooler in both temperature and appearance. However, I agree with @Teslawannabe that there is a lot of marketing hype going on with words like nano, carbon, hyper, uber, etc. Your best bet is to go with a reputable tint shop that has been in business a while and a high quality ceramic tint product from an established supplier. This will mean a premium line of tint and will be correspondingly more expensive. It’s a “buy once, cry once” kind of deal. You get what you pay for. As for me, I went with Wincos ceramic tint and used the same shop several dealers use. I got a quality install with a lifetime warranty on both parts and labor (good nation wide through Wincos so if local shop closes I’m still covered). It’s been perfect for a year and a half except for one tiny, almost unnoticeable sliver of an air bubble in a corner. The shop fixed it quickly, apologized, and said if it returns that they would redo the whole window for me. I think it’s worth it to spend a little more and get the IR (heat) blocking ceramic film, a high quality installation, and nationwide warranty. Ana if your state of local govt allows, it’s wirth the extra $100 to do the windshield. IMHO, peace of mind and no future hassle are priceless.
I did go with ceramic film at a different shop. Had it installed this morning. Lifetime warranty, they had three levels, I got the top tier. I did see several better performing films on YouTube. Got up early this morning and drove over to the shop for an estimate, they had great BBB reports and Google customer reports. Said it would be no problem to cut around my rear camera mount and did not want extra for the 4 small qtr glass's. The first shop wanted to cut/remove my newly installed camera and charge extra for the 4 qtr glass's. Then they said they could do it right away. I requested they cover the sued on the doors and the rest is history. I'm thinking about the windshield, they have a film to cut the heat for it but I am hesitant to touch that expensive glass for any reason.