Carbon Black - to tint or not to tint

[Baunton]

Hi.
Had my M Sport a few weeks now and after looking at what some of you have done to your car's am thinking about having my window's tinted.
Just wondered on peoples experience of this; pros/cons and % of shading one should opt for; I don't what to look like some character from The Wire
Thanks.

[opasha]

Tint is def worth it. My back is factory (not sure % is). My front two match close at 18% carbon (don't remember if it's SunTek or not). It does a good job with heat and lasts quite long. I haven't had any issues over the past 10 years with all my vehicles. I'm sure there are others who have good experiences with other tints. Standard I think is 3M, but I believe it's thicker? All I know is, the thicker the tint, the more friction will be created between the window seam and windows leading to slower raising depending on how strong the window power is. I had a thicker 3M tint before upgrading to carbon 18 % on my FX and had the slow rolling issue.

Also, I think had a basic 3M, so I have nothing against 3M. They seem to be a good/big company. They have many different kinds of options. You can go to their website to kind of simulate tint as well. Though, I don't know or think it would be that accurate since it's just a computer rendering: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...ive_Simulator/.

Llumar seems to be a good one in terms of performance and price.

Here's a good thread with pictures about different tints and colors: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=631366

[Baunton]

Originally Posted by opasha

Tint is def worth it. My back is factory (not sure % is). My front two match close at 18% carbon (don't remember if it's SunTek or not). It does a good job with heat and lasts quite long. I haven't had any issues over the past 10 years with all my vehicles. I'm sure there are others who have good experiences with other tints. Standard I think is 3M, but I believe it's thicker? All I know is, the thicker the tint, the more friction will be created between the window seam and windows leading to slower raising depending on how strong the window power is. I had a thicker 3M tint before upgrading to carbon 18 % on my FX and had the slow rolling issue.

Also, I think had a basic 3M, so I have nothing against 3M. They seem to be a good/big company. They have many different kinds of options. You can go to their website to kind of simulate tint as well. Though, I don't know or think it would be that accurate since it's just a computer rendering: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...ive_Simulator/.

Llumar seems to be a good one in terms of performance and price.

Here's a good thread with pictures about different tints and colors: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=631366

Thanks Opasha. Will check your suggestions out.
I read somewhere about potential issues with the dot matrix border surrounding the glass. As the dots are raised, the film cannot adhere to both glass and matrix. Wonder if anyone has experience of this on their BMWs?

[Armen383]

From personal experiences (with 3M and Llumar films) on completely different cars in completely different countries

Pros of full tint (front+rear):
1) Looks, especially on a black car
2) If you don't like people staring at you when you pick your nose - heavy tinting (15%) helps
3) If you live in a shady neighborhood - helps against windows getting smashed and then glass pieces being all over the car
4) Might help a tiny little bit in hot climates... but don't expect miracles, it'll still be cooking inside a black car left under 40C sun

Cons of same:
Just one, but it's a biggie. You. Literally. Cannot. See. Shit.
Situation one: night time, no lights whatsoever. Trust me, you just won't see a man dressed in dark clothes crossing that narrow street, you're turning into. And you won't want to experience again the feeling of: "Holy molly, where did he come from?!" - when he passes inches away from your car or worse.
Situation two: add rain to the above. Hell, just make it heavy rain and try backing up in a poorly lit environment. Good luck with that.

With all of the above said, and after 10 years of practice with various tints (% wise) I came to the final decision for myself - never again in the front; only in the rear + shades for the kid (those are a must).

[Baunton]

Originally Posted by Armen383

From personal experiences (with 3M and Llumar films) on completely different cars in completely different countries

Pros of full tint (front+rear):
1) Looks, especially on a black car
2) If you don't like people staring at you when you pick your nose - heavy tinting (15%) helps
3) If you live in a shady neighborhood - helps against windows getting smashed and then glass pieces being all over the car
4) Might help a tiny little bit in hot climates... but don't expect miracles, it'll still be cooking inside a black car left under 40C sun

Cons of same:
Just one, but it's a biggie. You. Literally. Cannot. See. Shit.
Situation one: night time, no lights whatsoever. Trust me, you just won't see a man dressed in dark clothes crossing that narrow street, you're turning into. And you won't want to experience again the feeling of: "Holy molly, where did he come from?!" - when he passes inches away from your car or worse.
Situation two: add rain to the above. Hell, just make it heavy rain and try backing up in a poorly lit environment. Good luck with that.

With all of the above said, and after 10 years of practice with various tints (% wise) I came to the final decision for myself - never again in the front; only in the rear + shades for the kid (those are a must).

Thanks Armen, for your thoughts and experience.
In UK I think its against the law to tint wind-shield and side glass parallel to driver which makes sense bearing in mind your comments
Looking at other forums the 35% tint looks good on a 'black' car.
I assume the percentage refers to the amount of light that passes through. Correct?

[Armen383]

Originally Posted by Baunton

Looking at other forums the 35% tint looks good on a 'black' car.
I assume the percentage refers to the amount of light that passes through. Correct?

Yes, and I'd suggest when you come to the guys who'll apply it, ask them to show you a few examples of various % (they usually have them lined up one next to another on some demo-glass).

P.S. Remembered another minor cons while writing this: when you drive behind a heavily tinted car, you can't really see through much which sort of lowers your awareness of what's going on at least one car ahead of you. Not a problem when you're in an SUV following a sedan obviously, but SUV vs. another SUV... well, just remember to keep your distance

[opasha]

Originally Posted by Baunton

Thanks Opasha. Will check your suggestions out.
I read somewhere about potential issues with the dot matrix border surrounding the glass. As the dots are raised, the film cannot adhere to both glass and matrix. Wonder if anyone has experience of this on their BMWs?

Originally Posted by Armen383

From personal experiences (with 3M and Llumar films) on completely different cars in completely different countries

Pros of full tint (front+rear):
1) Looks, especially on a black car
2) If you don't like people staring at you when you pick your nose - heavy tinting (15%) helps
3) If you live in a shady neighborhood - helps against windows getting smashed and then glass pieces being all over the car
4) Might help a tiny little bit in hot climates... but don't expect miracles, it'll still be cooking inside a black car left under 40C sun

Cons of same:
Just one, but it's a biggie. You. Literally. Cannot. See. Shit.
Situation one: night time, no lights whatsoever. Trust me, you just won't see a man dressed in dark clothes crossing that narrow street, you're turning into. And you won't want to experience again the feeling of: "Holy molly, where did he come from?!" - when he passes inches away from your car or worse.
Situation two: add rain to the above. Hell, just make it heavy rain and try backing up in a poorly lit environment. Good luck with that.

With all of the above said, and after 10 years of practice with various tints (% wise) I came to the final decision for myself - never again in the front; only in the rear + shades for the kid (those are a must).

@Baunton, you are most welcome, my friend. I'm not sure about the dot matrix issue. So far, the carbon 18 has held up quite well.

Armen383 makes very good points about the pros and cons. No tint will stop a dark car from getting hot, lol...this is very true since dark colors absorb heat more easily than light colors. I forgot to mention about the side view mirror aspect and being unable to see much when reversing at night if you have really dark tint. I guess my eyes have just gotten used to the tint over the years allowing me to know where my car is going. Being able to see a ninja at night is definitely going to be difficult for sure . 35% seems like a good place to start for a good, subtle look with enough visibility that won't hinder you. The rest is truly up to you. Good luck!

[Baunton]

Cheers Guys....MANY thanks for your comments and advice. Will let you know how I get on.

All the best.

[GeloCH]

I'm seriously considering having the windows tinted as well.. It sure looks great if all windows were done... What Armen said is exactly why its not legal to have tint on the front windows here in Switzerland.. but it is 10 minutes away in France.

[Flatironcopse]

Originally Posted by Baunton

Thanks Armen, for your thoughts and experience.
In UK I think its against the law to tint wind-shield and side glass parallel to driver which makes sense bearing in mind your comments
Looking at other forums the 35% tint looks good on a 'black' car.
I assume the percentage refers to the amount of light that passes through. Correct?

I think you are correct re: law on tinting the front of the car but here is the site to look at: https://www.gov.uk/tinted-vehicle-window-rules

Notice our government puts it the other way around. It has to let 70% or 75% through

I've always had a tinted back as I had young children. Mine (coming Monday) has tinted back too.

[Karthik]

I was told by one of the dealer that we can select the car to have it tinted at the factory itself. Is that true?

[Baunton]

Originally Posted by Karthik

I was told by one of the dealer that we can select the car to have it tinted at the factory itself. Is that true?

Sun Protection Glass? Its a £345 option in UK.

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by Baunton

Sun Protection Glass? Its a £345 option in UK.

We don't have that option in US here...

[Baunton]

Originally Posted by Karthik

We don't have that option in US here...

What is it with BMW and their 'options'?? Is it illegal to have a factory built car for the US market with tinted windows? Strange eh

[stewy604]

This is the only tint (ceramic base) I use on my vehicles. Very high quality...doesn't fade to 'purple.'

http://www.huperoptik.com/en/automotive/

[Baunton]

Originally Posted by stewy604

This is the only tint (ceramic base) I use on my vehicles. Very high quality...doesn't fade to 'purple.'

http://www.huperoptik.com/en/automotive/

Thanks for the recommendation 'stewy'.
Doesn't look like you can get hold of it in England..maybe for some reason they think the sun never shines here

[stewy604]

Originally Posted by Baunton

Thanks for the recommendation 'stewy'.
Doesn't look like you can get hold of it in England..maybe for some reason they think the sun never shines here

Haha...you're welcome. Anything can be shipped, I wouldn't let that stop you. Only issue might be finding a certified installer.

[CatFlap]

Originally Posted by Baunton

Sun Protection Glass? Its a £345 option in UK.

Hi Baunton, cracking motor! Do you do not have the factory 'Sun Protection Glass' option? If not are you planning to tint everything from the 'A' pillar back in the same %?

[Baunton]

Originally Posted by CatFlap

Hi Baunton, cracking motor! Do you do not have the factory 'Sun Protection Glass' option? If not are you planning to tint everything from the 'A' pillar back in the same %?

Thanks!

Nope, didn't go for that option...thinking of having everything behind the driver done; B/C/D pillar's.
Been quoted £220 by the same guy that did the nano ceramic finish so might have it done when I get my winter alloys done later this month.

[barcelona]

^^ S420A Sun protection glazing, is suppose to be applied to all F15 except initial/first production. I verified it on mine via Vin decoder. Of course beyond B pillar much darker.

For me, If I was in a continuous hot sun temp/ climate , yes tint. Otherwise no, as visibility is more important, for me.

[Baunton]

Originally Posted by barcelona

^^ S420A Sun protection glazing, is suppose to be applied to all F15 except initial/first production. I verified it on mine via Vin decoder. Of course beyond B pillar much darker.

For me, If I was in a continuous hot sun temp/ climate , yes tint. Otherwise no, as visibility is more important, for me.

Hi Barcelona,I take your point about the safety aspect.