[stjpark99]

Im looking to tint my windows on a 2011 335d.

Ok, to tell you the truth, I always thought tint was tint...I thought the only thing you picked out was what percent tint you wanted.

However, after I bought my car, the BMW dealer gave me a quote for $380 for 35% Ceremic tint and said I could think about it. What the hell is Ceremic tint..?
So of course, I came here to read up as much as I can about different types of tint.

So after reading about all the different types of tint, I think Ceremic is the way to go...

Now, the quesiton that I still have is about moleskin. I have read that the BMW's you need moleskin to prevent tint scratching. I called another High-end tint place and they recommended putting moleskin.

However, When I called the BMW dealer, they said they dont use moleskin, but the guy that they use does "something" to prevent the scratching.

So a little confused here...Does the BMW's need the moleskin or not...

Here is my delimma.

BMW cost $380 for 3M cermemic without moleskin
High-end Tint cost $360 with moleskin, but lesser quality tint. They said they used to carry Ceremic, but found that the Carbon tint that they use has basically the same characterisics.

any reccomendations?

[Wrngway]

I went through something similar when I got my tint. You can read through my thread to see where the problem may lie.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...tint+protector

If you have a coupe, you should already have felt on the entire portion of the inside window seal. The sedans don't have this.

If you have a sedan, you can do one of two things. Purchase tint protectors, which is a good quality moleskin to help protect the tint, or just cut the offending portion of the window seal off. The later won't really harm anything. The only purpose that I can see for the bottom part of the seal is to keep water out of the inside of the door when it's raining AND you have the window down. Not really a likely scenario for anything but a short period of time.

I ended up having to cut the bottom part of the seal for the rear doors. No problems there. The front still have tint protectors on them. I go through a security gate twice a day and have to roll my window down each time. After several months, I don't have any scratches whatsoever. The D.C. area also dealt with some horrendous heat over the summer. I didn't get any adhesive on the window either.

Anyway, check out the thread and the above will make more sense.

[Wrngway]

Forgot the recommendation part. After my experience, I would say, just cut the bottom part of the seal if you have a sedan. It's free, it's easy, it only takes maybe 6 minutes each door if you take your time and know what you're doing.

[egregor]

Moleskin is debatable, some say it's great, others go as far as to say it makes things worse. My understanding is that it's highly dependent on the specific car.

If it helps, I'm on 2+ years with 3M color stable tint, E90, and i roll down my window every day to get into my parking garage. No moleskin or any other modifications other than the film itself, and I've noticed no scratches or issues whatsoever. I have noticed a light vertical streak on occasion, but it always wipes off. Personally I wouldn't bother.

[Wrngway]

Several folks have said that they scratched their tint within a few days of having it installed without any kind of protection. IMO, it's not worth taking a chance after spending so much money. To each his own though.

[Thp4]

My 2009 had scratches in tint. But very minor.

I bought the tint protector to use on my 2011 but I ended up not using it. The guy who did the tint said he would re-do if they scratched. He said the tint protector would require removing door panels and might create other problems and was not worth the additional labor charges. I agreed.... So far no scratches, but it has only been a month.

[stjpark99]

Thanks for the info.

I think I'm going to take one of the door panels off and take a look at the seal. Since I know what I am looking for. Then I'll decide if moleskin would be an option or not.

I bet the BMW probably cuts the seal if the say they don't use moleskin. At least it makes more sense to me now.

Thanks guys!

[Wrngway]

Originally Posted by stjpark99

I think I'm going to take one of the door panels off and take a look at the seal. Since I know what I am looking for. Then I'll decide if moleskin would be an option or not.

That's a good idea. I've found that you don't have to remove the entire door panel. Just pop off the wood trim and the part of the door handle hiding the screws. Remove the screws and pop enough of the panel off to get to the seal. Carefully lift the interior seal out being careful not to drop any of the metal clips behind the door panel. I'd recommend a plastic interior tool to pop off the trim and door panel.

The reason I trimmed the rear seals is that I occasionally have dogs in the back seat. I have covers for the interior door panel to protect it and they have tabs that slip between the seal and the window. The plastic tabs dislodged the moleskin which smeared my window with glue when I lowered it later on. It cleaned up fine, but even with acryilic glue the tint protectors do have their limits.

Also, as mentioned above, some installers will garauntee install against scratching. I have no idea on the dealership's take on this, but I would get it in writing if they say they do.

[hasta la pasta 27]

i did 3m colorstable 2 weeks and i am more than happy....until i saw the huge scratch so i ordered the moleskin and the window is getting redone because i found a tiny little bubble ^_^

[cssnms]

Originally Posted by stjpark99

Now, the quesiton that I still have is about moleskin. I have read that the BMW's you need moleskin to prevent tint scratching. I called another High-end tint place and they recommended putting moleskin.

However, When I called the BMW dealer, they said they dont use moleskin, but the guy that they use does "something" to prevent the scratching.

So a little confused here...Does the BMW's need the moleskin or not...

Here is my delimma.

To answer your question regarding moleskin... I own '11 335d and my tint got scratched on every window - looked like shit. I replaced my tint because I had to remove the tint for a state inspection. Before I reinstalled the tint I installed moleskin from Tint Protector

http://www.tintprotector.com/bmw/index.htm

First door was a PIA, but after I got the hang of it the rest went pretty smoothly. Got my tint installed and no problems so far.