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      05-30-2008, 08:55 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by Kev View Post
Hmm..... he also told me that the HO tints are not stick to the windows very well. I might go Llumar this time just to be on safe side.
you will have the same issue with the back window no matter what tint. I'm going on Saturday to have some black vinyl installed on the inside to cover the dot matrix and have the rear window re-tinted. They are great guys and great to work with. It's really the window and not the tint shop. that dot matrix stuff really sux. Call any good tint shop and they will tell you the same thing.

edit the side windows are PERFECT.
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      05-30-2008, 10:43 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by JeffL View Post
you will have the same issue with the back window no matter what tint. I'm going on Saturday to have some black vinyl installed on the inside to cover the dot matrix and have the rear window re-tinted. They are great guys and great to work with. It's really the window and not the tint shop. that dot matrix stuff really sux. Call any good tint shop and they will tell you the same thing.

edit the side windows are PERFECT.
Not really true about the dot matrix. I had those on my E55 AMG. The guys down in Westport that did the HO tints did a great job with the dot matrix. It's almost not visible and no black vinyl needed.
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      05-30-2008, 10:47 AM   #25
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OK well maybe they are not as good as I had thought then.
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      05-30-2008, 10:54 AM   #26
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Originally Posted by JeffL View Post
OK well maybe they are not as good as I had thought then.
No no no.... there might be a difference betwen the dot matrix of the Bimmer vs Merc. I'm going to get my tints done next week most likely so we can compare notes afterwards
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      05-21-2009, 10:17 AM   #27
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any updates, guys? have you been able to find a shop that can handle the dot-matrix?
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      05-21-2009, 01:31 PM   #28
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any updates, guys? have you been able to find a shop that can handle the dot-matrix?
The tinter used by Luxury Details will sand down the dot matrix before applying the tint. That way, the tint will come out flawless. Makots (Charles) had his car down that way and it came out perfect. The other solution would be to tint all the way up to the dot and then cover the dot with black vinyl.

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      05-21-2009, 01:45 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by Kev View Post
The tinter used by Luxury Details will sand down the dot matrix before applying the tint. That way, the tint will come out flawless. Makots (Charles) had his car down that way and it came out perfect. The other solution would be to tint all the way up to the dot and then cover the dot with black vinyl.


After my post, I actually called Solar Solutions and scheduled an appt for next Saturday. They said they did an e92 M3 last week, and they also sanded down the dots and tinted over it. They said it turned out perfect, so I guess I'm gonna go try it out

Couldn't beat the price, either - $160 for the whole car + $30 for the felt/moleskin strips inside the door panel ($15 per door)
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      05-21-2009, 01:52 PM   #30
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After my post, I actually called Solar Solutions and scheduled an appt for next Saturday. They said they did an e92 M3 last week, and they also sanded down the dots and tinted over it. They said it turned out perfect, so I guess I'm gonna go try it out

Couldn't beat the price, either - $160 for the whole car + $30 for the felt/moleskin strips inside the door panel ($15 per door)
I like what Solar did to my E55 The HO tint came out perfect even though it took them 5+ hours to install it. I paid around 250 at the time (~3 years ago) with moleskin, which is extremely reasonable. Also, the drive down to and from Bedford on Rte 3 was a blast in pouring rain.
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      05-21-2009, 01:55 PM   #31
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I like what Solar did to my E55 The HO tint came out perfect even though it took them 5+ hours to install it. I paid around 250 at the time (~3 years ago) with moleskin, which is extremely reasonable. Also, the drive down to and from Bedford on Rte 3 was a blast in pouring rain.
good to hear you were satisfied w/ the work... makes me feel better about giving them my m3!

btw, is Charles still in Boston? I was supposed to buy his RD LED's, but I heard he may have gone home for the summer?
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      05-21-2009, 01:58 PM   #32
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he went back to Singapore. btw are you lizak on yuppieracing? same avatar pic you have as him
edit: wait, no you can't be. he got his e92 m3 much earlier than may 20th
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      05-21-2009, 02:12 PM   #33
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he went back to Singapore. btw are you lizak on yuppieracing? same avatar pic you have as him
edit: wait, no you can't be. he got his e92 m3 much earlier than may 20th
Nope, I'm not on yuppieracing. Although my detailer (Ryan a.k.a. Rydawg) mentioned that site to me... also heard they had a good showing at Cars & Coffee.

My sn is Rockd on most forums. I just got my E92 M3 yesterday, but expect to see me around a lot... definitely gonna hit up the meets very soon!
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      06-03-2009, 02:53 PM   #34
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Nope, I'm not on yuppieracing. Although my detailer (Ryan a.k.a. Rydawg) mentioned that site to me... also heard they had a good showing at Cars & Coffee.

My sn is Rockd on most forums. I just got my E92 M3 yesterday, but expect to see me around a lot... definitely gonna hit up the meets very soon!
Arcady?

It's Wil from G35driver...(Virtualbong).

I just picked up an 07 e92 328xi yesterday...traded in the G. Damn...so you have an S4 and an M3 now? You're fockin' crazy...but one lucky crazy mofo.
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      06-03-2009, 04:46 PM   #35
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Arcady?

It's Wil from G35driver...(Virtualbong).

I just picked up an 07 e92 328xi yesterday...traded in the G. Damn...so you have an S4 and an M3 now? You're fockin' crazy...but one lucky crazy mofo.
hey virtual its g35kyd from g35 driver

i just got a 335xi my self about 3 months ago

already almost done with the mods
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      06-04-2009, 06:43 AM   #36
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hey virtual its g35kyd from g35 driver

i just got a 335xi my self about 3 months ago

already almost done with the mods
Good to see you on here man! I wish I could of afforded a 335xi or an M3 like Rockd, but I had to be realistic AND I should not be sportin' an M3 just yet...wouldn't look right with where I am at in my career, hahaha.
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      06-04-2009, 08:48 AM   #37
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Good to see you on here man! I wish I could of afforded a 335xi or an M3 like Rockd, but I had to be realistic AND I should not be sportin' an M3 just yet...wouldn't look right with where I am at in my career, hahaha.
Wil! Good to hear from you, man! I passed by you a few weeks ago going by the resevoir in Brighton... I waved, but you didn't notice the m3 near you :-P

How you liking the car? Any plans for it? Let me know if you go to any meets soon, I'll come by

BTW, I'm sitting at solar solutions as I'm writing this. I'll let you know how it turns out.
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      06-04-2009, 12:44 PM   #38
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Update: Just left Solar Solutions about two hours ago. Bruno applied 26% SunTek Carbon to my e92 M3. Total price was $160 w/ a lifetime warranty. He did not need to put felt on the windows as the M3 is already lined with felt where the glass travels (I saw it firsthand).

The tint was really hazy in the beginning, but got a lot better as the water underneath dried. He left about 2mm from edge of the window to the tint film, but it's really not that noticeable at all (all computer-cut tints leave a few mm's of gap, from what I understand).

On to the dot-matrix: Bruno tried to sand it down, but it's still not sticking well at all. He told me to periodically go over it with my thumb and press it down, but I doubt it'll get much better. I'll post another update when the tint is done curing...
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      06-04-2009, 01:45 PM   #39
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^^ dot matrix just plain sux on E92's. There is no way around it. I'm trying to live with mine. I'm going to a place in Maine that specializes in Eagle 1 Pinnacle to see if they can do any better. Over the phone they were well aware of the problem and said they had some "tricks" sadly I don't have much faith. Tint King is one of the better places around and they warned me about it but I didn't think it would be this bad.
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      06-04-2009, 01:57 PM   #40
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there are so many types of tint out there that i simply don't know which to go with.. before i begin perusing the forums maybe you guys can answer my questions..

i've noticed that most aftermarket tints have a greenish hue to them.. are there any that have a more blueish hue?

i.e. my '08 FX has factory tint in the rear but i got aftermarket tint for the front windows.. when inside the car looking out you can tell the factory tint is crisp, clear, and has a blueish hue where as the front tints don't give as crisp a view and look greenish in comparison (the tint itself is applied perfectly, no blemishes/bubbles).. you can clearly tell the factory tint is far superior

of course i wouldn't notice the difference in a coupe because the same tint would be applied all around but i still prefer clarity of vision

lastly, which tint offers the best UV protection? to keep the interior nice and fresh..

thanks guys (and gals)
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      06-04-2009, 04:06 PM   #41
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Originally Posted by Diamond Skyline View Post
there are so many types of tint out there that i simply don't know which to go with.. before i begin perusing the forums maybe you guys can answer my questions..

i've noticed that most aftermarket tints have a greenish hue to them.. are there any that have a more blueish hue?

i.e. my '08 FX has factory tint in the rear but i got aftermarket tint for the front windows.. when inside the car looking out you can tell the factory tint is crisp, clear, and has a blueish hue where as the front tints don't give as crisp a view and look greenish in comparison (the tint itself is applied perfectly, no blemishes/bubbles).. you can clearly tell the factory tint is far superior

of course i wouldn't notice the difference in a coupe because the same tint would be applied all around but i still prefer clarity of vision

lastly, which tint offers the best UV protection? to keep the interior nice and fresh..

thanks guys (and gals)
You are applying a tint film to the glass and the factory tint is actually mixed into the window glass, so there's comparison in terms of clarity. The factory tint will always win. With that said, most high quality modern tint film will not cause much distortion.

The greenish hue that you speak actually comes from the glass, not the film, although the film is more likely to make the hue more prominent. If you look at the window glass closely, the BMW glass has this greenish hue. If you look at an Avantgarde (Sport in the USA) model of Mercedes Benz, e.g. a C300 Sport Sedan, you'll notice that it comes with a slight bluish hue instead. The difference is in the impurities / additives in the glass.

UV protection is almost 99% all across the board. That's really a non-issue. What you really care is how much IR the tint will block, i.e. how cool will your cabin stay with the tint film applied.
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      06-04-2009, 04:29 PM   #42
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any companies you guys know of that will go to the customer. Im right before the sagamore bridge and Ive actually never had tint done on any of my cars. This will be my first. Its for looks but mostly to keep the sun out of my 2 year olds eyes as much as possible. Can anyone give me any tips or recommendations. thanks in advance.
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      06-05-2009, 11:43 AM   #43
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You are applying a tint film to the glass and the factory tint is actually mixed into the window glass, so there's comparison in terms of clarity. The factory tint will always win. With that said, most high quality modern tint film will not cause much distortion.

The greenish hue that you speak actually comes from the glass, not the film, although the film is more likely to make the hue more prominent. If you look at the window glass closely, the BMW glass has this greenish hue. If you look at an Avantgarde (Sport in the USA) model of Mercedes Benz, e.g. a C300 Sport Sedan, you'll notice that it comes with a slight bluish hue instead. The difference is in the impurities / additives in the glass.

UV protection is almost 99% all across the board. That's really a non-issue. What you really care is how much IR the tint will block, i.e. how cool will your cabin stay with the tint film applied.
so tell me.. was the F1 pinnacle tint on your 335i worth the price and the drive to Portland?

IR? which tint blocks the most?
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      06-05-2009, 03:21 PM   #44
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so tell me.. was the F1 pinnacle tint on your 335i worth the price and the drive to Portland?

IR? which tint blocks the most?
IR = Infrared, aka HEAT

Of course the darker you go, the less IR transmittance there is, but for the same level of darkness, ceramic tints tend to reflect heat better and not interfere with radio frequency transmission.

I would say it wasn't worth my drive coz they busted a module on my car (probably by spraying too much in the rear window / parcel shelf area), even though warranty took care of it. Also, the back window came out looking like shit (coz of the stupid dot matrix), and had quite a few dust specks embedded between the glass and the film.

I recommend going to VEM Solar Solutions in New Bedford to get the Huper Optik tint.
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