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      09-15-2015, 01:13 AM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xeno View Post
Edited to report initial impressions should others search for like issues with Johnson 20 fronts, Air Blue 80 windshield, Johnson 5 sunroof:

There is a noticeable difference with managing the heat inside the cabin, both after entering the X5 even if it has been out for hours and driving in 100 temps with the sunroof open. I have the BMW sunshade but will need this less often.
I have no problems with HUD day or night.
I do not see halos from headlights or street lights at night and have no problems seeing out the windows or using rear view mirrors at night. I can see clearly through the sunroof during the day and all that I need to see at night.
The dot matrix looks okay to me and I have not yet noticed any trapped dust particles on the windshield. This is a shop that this week had a Maserati then a Lamborghini.
All my BMW stickers are gone, but my OK Turnpike "Pikepass" was rescued. However, I have been told to wait one week before sticking the Pikepass back on the windshield.
An assistant used a meter to check my rear factory windows and came up with a reading of 15%. From the outside, all the windows appear to match although I have the rear shades up now which makes the rear windows look darker (than the fronts) from the outside.
Any tint added to the front windows will impair visibility. 20% is really dark and can be very dangerous at night, especially on poorly lit intersection/streets. The blacked out windows look great but should be driven with caution.
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      09-15-2015, 06:05 AM   #46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trojanlaw
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Originally Posted by Blackhawks View Post
That's exactly what I have (maybe 18) and the color variance drives me nuts.
Your post said you got the carbon which is totally different. The ceramic has the same color, its just a little darker from the inside than the rears. Outside it looks perfect. There is no color variation as you described.

My shop wouldn't even let me consider the carbon because of the color difference.
You're right... I misread your post. Thanks.
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      09-15-2015, 07:58 AM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snow-Kidney View Post
Any tint added to the front windows will impair visibility. 20% is really dark and can be very dangerous at night, especially on poorly lit intersection/streets. The blacked out windows look great but should be driven with caution.
I rarely find myself in the situation you describe, but I go to work every morning in the dark, usually 5:30 to 6 am range. I have no problems backing out of my driveway, getting out of my subdivision. Once clear of that I have clear sailing on open streets and a turnpike. Maybe it helps that I had cataract surgery this summer!

On the other hand, I read a thread somewhere where someone wanted to do 30% on their front windshield. That would be dangerous for all of us.

To update one point of my post, I could not get the turnpike pass to work so now I have a black one attached to my front grille and I prefer that over one attached to my windshield.
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      09-18-2015, 10:35 AM   #48
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Sorry for the thread hijack, but because side window tint (driver/passenger) is illegal here...I'm just looking to add a smoked look, although I wish I could go with the Sunshade 35 as shown above...looks awesome. Anyone done this, I assume it'd be like a 50% smoke?
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      10-14-2016, 06:10 PM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stunnaz View Post
I think you need to make sure the tint doesn't have any metallic or other UV-blocking materials. You need to get the basic tint with nothing added.

Even if you go with 3M make sure you get the Color Stable instead of the higher end tint that they offer as those will show a different hue under reflection. On my X6 I have the Color Stable 35% which is a perfect match. However, in the other tint thread it seems like owners of X5 say their tints are darker than the X6/X5M/X6M.






3M Color Stable come in these %s. Have them use a tint meter to measure the rear window as well as the front window. For my X6 the rear was about 31% and the front clear window was about 79%. Multiply the tint light transmission % to your window's light transmission % to get the final result. So if you look at the 3M chart you'll notice that 3M Color Stable 35 is actually not 35% light transmission but rather 39%. For my car, .39 * .79 = .31, which matches the rears % perfectly.

If you're looking for 3M film, Z-Tech uses 3M and they have several locations. That's where I got mine done.

I have a 2016 X5 40e, with privacy glass in the back whatever that means. When we measured the back windows they were at 15% and the front was 76% so I got a 20% 3M color stabilizer in the front and it is a perfect match from the outside. From the inside, the rear windows are clearer with brown color and the fronts are a little less clear with grayish color, I guess that is expected and as a driver I will not be looking through the back and front windows at the same time. Thanks for the advice.
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      10-14-2016, 07:43 PM   #50
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Formula 1 Pinnacle on my F85 ... perfect match!
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      12-05-2016, 07:59 PM   #51
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Went with 3m 35% front windows meter read 20-25% rear perfect colour match. Wish I went a shade darker. I was more concern about the wife not being able to see out at night so played it safe.
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      12-05-2016, 10:29 PM   #52
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I think I'll go with 3M Color Stable for best color match with factory rears.
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      12-06-2016, 01:53 PM   #53
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Installsplus, that looks darn good! I still need to do mine at some point. Looks great on a MW M Sport.
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      12-06-2016, 02:13 PM   #54
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Installsplus, that tint match looks good.

Every time I see a nice match, I wish I didn't go the bare minimum.
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      12-06-2016, 02:52 PM   #55
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Thanks guys. At first I thought I could have gone a shade darker but after seeing it again today I made the right choice. Here are some more pics
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      07-14-2017, 09:03 PM   #56
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Reviving this thread because I just had my fronts (and sunroof) tinted with 3M color stable 20% as that sounded like the perfect match. It looks great both inside out and out - good color and darkness match. The problem is that the front windows look very hazy when the sun hits them directly. Like they have a layer of dust over them and it's pretty annoying. It's been 2 weeks since install so it should be totally dry.

For those that have 3M color stable tint do you find your windows to be crystal clear, or is there a haziness? If this is expected for this film I'll need to try something else, despite it being an excellent match otherwise.

Here's a picture where the sun was hitting just one corner of the window. You can see how it's perfectly clear in shade but totally hazy where the sun is hitting.
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      07-15-2017, 12:03 AM   #57
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Just had suntek ceramic to match on the fronts and windshield. 20% fronts seem to match pretty darn good. It's gonna look a bit lighter cuz of the windshield so it's hard to gauge. And I got the highest on the windshield at 60 which is a bit darker than I wanted but so far love it and can't tell.
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      07-15-2017, 08:44 AM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3X3=5 View Post
Reviving this thread because I just had my fronts (and sunroof) tinted with 3M color stable 20% as that sounded like the perfect match. It looks great both inside out and out - good color and darkness match. The problem is that the front windows look very hazy when the sun hits them directly. Like they have a layer of dust over them and it's pretty annoying. It's been 2 weeks since install so it should be totally dry.

For those that have 3M color stable tint do you find your windows to be crystal clear, or is there a haziness? If this is expected for this film I'll need to try something else, despite it being an excellent match otherwise.

Here's a picture where the sun was hitting just one corner of the window. You can see how it's perfectly clear in shade but totally hazy where the sun is hitting.

normally that passes after a few weeks
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      07-15-2017, 09:47 AM   #59
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When i first installed 20% it was hard to see at night but then I got used to it. Now i can't live without it
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      07-15-2017, 02:03 PM   #60
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Their ceramic up front and on windshield was an immdediate life saver. 99 here the last 3 days and the difference before and after is monumental!
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