I've had window tint before...but..

[Silver Ecstasy]

I'm a little disappointed this time around with my MS3 tint job.

I'm noticing marks and dirt between the film and the window. I offered to clean all the windows prior to applying the film but they declined because they didn't want any adhesion issues.

Not only that, but this film was something I was hesitant from almost a year ago. When I decided to finally bite the bullet a couple of weeks ago, I was okay with it actually. But it didn't reject no where near the heat my Solarguard film did, and when the windows get dirty or dusty, it looks hazy and I have a difficult time seeing out of the window.

The shop owner is a friend of my dad's and I hate to hassle him like this, but I am not happy and I had expressed my hesitancy towards Johnson films as I had never heard of them. The reflective properties are hot, but the heat rejection is not, nor is the overall finish.

How do you guys think I should handle this? Am I being over-picky about this? Is tint just tint and no one ever gives a crap about this stuff? Because it's driving me absolutely nuts seeing these marks that are stuck between the film and the window (so no matter what side of the window I clean, it won't go away!).

[arkenzo]

Why keep looking at it if it's driving you nuts? Something tells me you won't be comfortable with accepting that type of mess, so in all honesty, (i mean this in a good way) man up and express your concern with the dude who did your tint job. It's your car man, if you don't like it on your car, why are you going to keep it?

[Silver Ecstasy]

Yeah I know, but I hate to be a jerk and ruin a business relationship over my pickiness. I called today and he said he's really not sure that his tinter is going to be willing to strip the whole car down and re-do it just because of a couple of marks. Especially since it's alot of work and since the tint already cured. I'm not sure I take that as a good answer or not. It's not my problem the guy rested his arm on the film and it cured that way. Plus i'm not too impressed with the film imo.

[AAMguy]

take it back and complain, you bought a product and you are not happy. I'm confused as to why there is even a question in your mind??...

[Kain]

take it back and complain, you bought a product and you are not happy. I'm confused as to why there is even a question in your mind??...

+eleventy

You paid for a product/service, the results of which you aren't happy with. Most tint shops warranty their work, so take it in.

[anarchistchiken]

you bought a product and you are not happy

Exactly right, you paid for a product that you knew nothing about. If the work was shoddy, then you definately need to take it back, but if your problem lies with the product itself, that's your own damn fault. You wouldn't buy a jack from harbor freight and then go bitch at them when you realized it wasn't the same quality as a craftsman, ya know? We all know that Lumar and Solarguard are the best, and if you chose to use something else, I can not feel sympathy for you.

[mazdaspeedster3]

Wow Mike, that bad? I have some bubbles in mine and have been pooping them myself as I know that is what they will do. You have the warranty on it dont you? Take it in so they can see it, that really is unexceptable if you are that unhappy or maybe you are overly anal, I dont know... Has Matt seen it? What does he think?

[Silver Ecstasy]

Well it's not BAD. Back a year ago when this shop installed my alarm on my TBSS, I had asked about tint. I asked what brand he used and he said Johnson. I did a little research and decided the Silhouette was the closest thing to the Solarguard 35% I had my 03 Grand Am (and I absolutely loved it). I decided that maybe I was being too anal, and decided to get the tint done.

I think Matt's job was done worse with some of the corners not sitting flat. I can't seem to do anything to clean the windows, there's just a haze over each window and when the sun hits it, it just drives me nuts. Imagine how your window looks when the sun hits your front windshield and your windshield is covered in dust from sitting outside all day. It's like that, only I can't do anything to clean the window at all!

[Silver Ecstasy]

Exactly right, you paid for a product that you knew nothing about. If the work was shoddy, then you definately need to take it back, but if your problem lies with the product itself, that's your own damn fault. You wouldn't buy a jack from harbor freight and then go bitch at them when you realized it wasn't the same quality as a craftsman, ya know? We all know that Lumar and Solarguard are the best, and if you chose to use something else, I can not feel sympathy for you.

Trust me, i'm regretting I didn't go with Solarguard. I tried calling my shop that did my Grand Am and they no longer used it. There were a couple shops locally that I had never heard of so I wasn't sure about going to them. The fucked up part is, as I was talking to the tinter, I seen solarguard boxes in his trunk. I was so pissed off when I seen that to begin with. I had specifically asked if they used Solarguard at all and he said no, only Johnson.

I'm going to have to postpone going to the shop until my vacation comes. I've been tied up with some family issues and have been taking alot of time off work. Because of it, they've been making me work like everyday until my vacation on August 30th. I asked him if it made any difference in time and he said "no, because the tint has already cured by now" so it wouldn't have made a difference.

[mazdaspeedster3]

That guy has done tint on 4 cars of mine now. Mine now has some bubbles like I said but that happened with my standard 04 mz3 and he got them out with a heat gun. My civic was perfect though, zero complaints. I didnt see any problems with Matts. I havent washed his car so I havent looked intently at it but at first glance looked ok. What kind of window cleaner are you using? I used to have similar problems and switched cleaners and use a micro fiber ONLY on the inside tint side, that seams to help. Your car is still really new and you probably run the AC alot which causes build up on the windows. Try Invisible Glass in the Aerosol can only and news paper, see if that helps.

[Silver Ecstasy]

I use Invisible Glass only. Haven't had too much luck with other cleaners out there.

I actually put my windows down alot (to avoid the po-po's). I have to wait till Aug 30th when my vaca starts, because I don't have time to run back and forth to this shop to sit and bitch with them, but between then, maybe i'll have you look at it too.

[mazdaspeedster3]

Well, I am going to check Matts out big time tonight hopefully on my way home. If his is bad both of you need to go back together. Maybe the guy had a bad day.

[CWPspeed3]

That guy has done tint on 4 cars of mine now. Mine now has some bubbles like I said but that happened with my standard 04 mz3 and he got them out with a heat gun. My civic was perfect though, zero complaints. I didnt see any problems with Matts. I havent washed his car so I havent looked intently at it but at first glance looked ok. What kind of window cleaner are you using? I used to have similar problems and switched cleaners and use a micro fiber ONLY on the inside tint side, that seams to help. Your car is still really new and you probably run the AC alot which causes build up on the windows. Try Invisible Glass in the Aerosol can only and news paper, see if that helps.


Well, I am going to check Matts out big time tonight hopefully on my way home. If his is bad both of you need to go back together. Maybe the guy had a bad day.

If you really want you can clean my car and see for yourself, I dont mind at all. (lol2)

I use invisible glass in the regular spray bottle with a microfiber and am about even running the AC or all the windows down.

He probably didnt like the fact that we were standing around there all afternoon and watching him at times, maybe that messed him up, who knows.

[mazdaspeedster3]

Are you using that cleaner Ray gave you? That stuff rocks!

[CWPspeed3]

Are you using that cleaner Ray gave you? That stuff rocks!

I havent cleaned my windows since then so no. I'll try that out today when my windows go under the microscope for inspection...

I just went outside to look at my car, I cant really see any huge imperfections and being my first car with tints I think it looks fine but dont have anything to compare to. Have to wait for the eye of Bill the master detailer.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Well i'm going to try and take it soon. I spoke with my dad and he put it in perspective that there isn't much he can promise over the phone anyhow. So, I won't jump to conclusions yet, i'll just take it in and see if we can resolve it from there.

The majority of the problems I've had with this guy are completely over conversations over the phone. Scheduling we did over the phone was wrong, a price he gave me a while ago was all of a sudden different in person (because he couldn't remember, but I sure as hell did, and got that price).

Anyhow, i'm gonna just relax on it and take it in a few days once I have my day off so we can resolve it. The tint job came out better than most, with the exceptions of the marks between the film and the fact I can't clean the windows no matter what I do.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Update:

I took the car by today. I explained the issues, and showed him how the tint had marks between the film and the window. He asked me "Well, what windows do you want re-tinted?". I told him I want the film stripped as I'm not happy with the brand. He wasn't happy about that, and basically told me he's going to have to call the guy and see what he wants to do.

At this point, I think it's truely up to the tinter. Either he's going to be willing to strip the film and re-tint it for free, and the shop owner will have to order a roll of Solarguard. Or he'll have to pay the tinter to remove the tint, and he'll have to eat the cost of the job by refunding my money.

The installer did a great job, other than the fact he put his arm on a couple of the windows. But I seriously don't like the film. It's like looking through dirty sunglasses, or someone's car who smokes on the inside. It's a haze that causes me grief. I've never had an issue with that, especially solarguard.

So how much of a mess does it really cause to remove tint? He said it leaves a nasty glue on the inside that has to be stripped clean as well. Said it's roughly a 4 hour job.

[graphicguru22]

You paid for a service and aren't happy with it ... go get it redone. Just got mine tinted and couldn't be happier. I let the guy know from the get-go that I was very extremely particular about my car and he assured me if I wasn't happy he would make it right.

Good luck.

[jdm justin]

this is why i'm afraid to get tint on my new ms3, i've had alot of bad experiences in the past (rant)

[tiagotiago]

I understand that you didn't want to put strain on that relationship but, like others said, one doesn't/shouldn't pay money to have something you're looking at saying "damn, I don't like it".

I think you did the right thing at going to his shop. Of course he wasn't going to be happy about it, but still, he's there to make the customer satisfied and he should stand by the product he offers. If he's offering a bad product, I dobut you'll be the only one complaining, and he'll probably want to talk to his supplier about these concerns/extra work being done.

Hope you end up with a good tint. I also have no tint in my car so far because of the exact same reasons as jdm_justin.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Update again:

I called on 8/22 and told him that the type of Solargard I wanted is no longer available. So I asked him to talk with his tinter and see which of the 4 Solargard's available has no green hue, it's reflective and metalized for heat-rejecting. He said sure thing.

I call today (8/26) and ask if he'd heard from his tinter. He goes "Naw, I told you he's supposed to call me when he gets the Solargard in". I was like "Um..I told you I wasn't sure which Solargard I wanted since they cancelled the tint I wanted." He goes "So...you don't even know which tint you want now?" Christ does this guy listen?!

Anyhow, i'm working late Friday night, so i'm going to go in there and ask for a refund Friday morning. Because it's obvious this guy does a terrible job handling anything over the phone. If I have to pay an extra $70 to have the next shop remove the old tint, I will. Atleast i'll know it's gonna be done right because they'll have to make sure the windows are absolutely 100% clean before they can apply new tint. SO it's almost a guarantee.

I took my gf out to dinner the other night and just as the sun hit the driver's side window, she was like "My god that's terrible!" You see nothing but a dirty ass window all over the place. And when the sun isn't hitting it, it looks hazy.

This is just like when it took me almost 2 months to get my Bose radio. Such bullshit. Anyhow, there's a shop around the corner from me (should have went there in the first place) and they are like the tint MECCA in this area. The guy is extremely reputable and does a grade A job. The only reason I didn't go to him is because when I called up there, his secretary told me they used Johnson film. Now I find out, they'll put whatever film I want, as they have it all there. DAMNIT.

[Hyun]

best of luck to ya

[Silver Ecstasy]

best of luck to ya

Thanks heh, i'll need be good once I get that money back.

[coololddude]

tinting windows is not rocket science. you should have ZERO issues after having tinting professionally done. just dont roll the windows down for a day.

[CWPspeed3]

We'll just today I started noticing a bunch of tiny bubbles forming on my drivers window. I'm going to clean it when I get home to make sure its not just dirt. Is there a normal time line when bubbles usually appear in tints after getting them done?

[Silver Ecstasy]

The bubbles are supposed to appear during the curing of the tint. And they're supposed to go away with time. Not come around with time.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Update Finale:

I went this morning and asked for a refund, and he also removed the tint. The car actually looks pretty decent without tint, although i'm still yearning for the tint back.

I stopped at the place that is supposed to be the best in the area, and spoke with the guy for a little bit. He said they use Johnson film too, which was disappointing for me. I told them I just got done removing that film because I was unhappy with the results. They said they have had a lot of luck with the film and said it honestly sounded more like the application rather than the film. I can see that being true because it wasn't done in a very clean atmosphere and he wasn't very courteous of where he was putting his hands on the film, because that ended up beneath the film and the window.

Solargard is no longer used around here because Solargard won't warranty their film + labor. They will only warranty the film, but the shop loses on the labor to re-tint the car. So most shops arn't carrying it anymore.

[mckraut]

Hope you enjoy the new tint, sounds like you've been through a lot with your MS3.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Meh...I try to keep things simple, but sometimes it never seems to work out that way.

My Bose replacement was a headache, this tint situation was a headache, my rain-sensing wipers are a headache LOL.

I think I have a lot of faith in this other shop though. Almost everyone I know has gotten tint there and they have never had an issue. This shop is a tint-only place and they're extremely reputable, whereas the place I originally went does a little of everything in one location. It wasn't done in a clean enviroment, and the bay doors were wide open so there was definitely a high chance of dirt and dust in the air. I just think it wasn't prepped or installed properly. It doesn't sound to be much fault of the film. For what it's worth, the Johnson film did reflect nicely and it has the highest amount of solar energy rejection out of any of them. Llumar is pretty similar with their 35% and I have a choice at this new shop to get either Johnson again, or try Llumar. I'm almost positive i'll just stick with Johnson and have it done right the first time.

But i'm going to make sure this time around what guarantees they have.

[CWPspeed3]

That is Auto One's motto though, "we do everything but arent great at anything". They warranty film and labor though right?

I'll be cleaning my car tonight before we head up to Doc's and checking the windows again.

Good to hear they didnt give you too much hassle for getting what you wanted.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Yeah I think it went as smoothly as it could have. I'm probably going to go to that other shop and have them re-do it Matt. I'd let Ron know about your bubbles too.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Update again:

So I went and got my car re-tinted today at Notorious Tintz. First off, I have to say: it looks phenominal. The film is extremely clean, it's easy to look through and doesn't have that nasty haze and dirt that I had before with the other job. Frank, is one of the most professional people i've had the pleasure of working with, regarding automotive related work.

It gets better: the tint I had before was NOT Johnson Silhouette film like I was told we would be getting (reading this Matt??). The film we got before was Rayguard which is a non-reflective, non-metalized, non heat-rejecting film. And it's only backed by a 5 year warranty to boot. The windows had not been prepped before installation, and installation was done very poorly. They bent our weatherstripping down whereas Frank has a tool to tint properly without having to fold the weatherstripping and possibly damage it.

Also, Silhouette tint requires warranty paperwork that the customer must have prior to leaving, in order to make use of their lifetime warranty. Without the tint film serial number for the roll of film that was used, Johnson will not warranty the film. Matt and I got zero paperwork other than a receipt.

Also! The film I had installed prior, was charcoal black. The ACTUAL Silhouette film I have now is practically clear with the reflective properties still, and it's metalized to reject heat. I'm EXTREMELY happy with the overall outcome and can't wait for the windows to finish drying for some finished results.

[CWPspeed3]

Oh man, I guess I will have to see yours then talk to Ron. I had a feeling that Curtis was doing something fishy, I didnt have a good feeling about him. I saw the boxes they used were Johnson film but I couldnt tell what kind. I can tell for sure it doesnt reflect heat my car is hotter on the inside than it is outside.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Oh man, I guess I will have to see yours then talk to Ron. I had a feeling that Curtis was doing something fishy, I didnt have a good feeling about him. I saw the boxes they used were Johnson film but I couldnt tell what kind. I can tell for sure it doesnt reflect heat my car is hotter on the inside than it is outside.

Well i'd talk to him sooner rather than later. Especially if you have any defects in yours too. Isn't that unbelievable?? You'd be totally shocked if you see my film compared to what we have now.

Plus, I purchased the tint insurance from Frank. If I get a ticket for front windows being tinted, Frank will strip the tint and let me show the police, waive the ticket, then re-tint the front windows for free under the insurance. The insurance was $45, and the cost of tint was $220. If I didn't get the insurance, stripping the front windows would cost $30, and re-tinting would cost $70. So in a way, I save just over 50% off what it would normally cost.

[PCspeed3]

Glad to hear you got them redone. By the way, when i got mine done they said give it 2-3 to clear up all hazyness. Park cit in the sun as much as possilbe.

[Silver Ecstasy]

Yeah they said it should take about 4 days before I should start rolling the windows down. But with the metalized film rejecting so much heat, it takes roughly 3-4 weeks to completely dry and completely be haze-free.