Window Tints (?)

[hollis]

Well it was the side windows, but after looking at them I agree they dont need to have the door panels removed.

I am wondering about the rear back windshield wiper being in the way to shrink the film from the outside.
Did your installer work around it without removing it? my installer said he needs to look at it, but if the wiper isnt able to go into vertical standup position, he might need to remove it. I am thinking of trying to get him to put a block of wood under it or maybe turn the wiper on/off so it stops in upper window position so he would be able to shrink the film areas.... we'll see.... hes been doing it for 17yrs and authorized installer for Madico films, so I'll trust his judgement

 

[nizzy1115]

Well it was the side windows, but after looking at them I agree they dont need to have the door panels removed.

I am wondering about the rear back windshield wiper being in the way to shrink the film from the outside.
Did your installer work around it without removing it? my installer said he needs to look at it, but if the wiper isnt able to go into vertical standup position, he might need to remove it. I am thinking of trying to get him to put a block of wood under it or maybe turn the wiper on/off so it stops in upper window position so he would be able to shrink the film areas.... we'll see.... hes been doing it for 17yrs and authorized installer for Madico films, so I'll trust his judgement

I dunno, I just dropped it off at my dealer and they took it to the shop for the tints and then installed the homelink mirror afterwards. Just let the guy do his thing.

 

[hollis]

My CX-5 with 55% tints in front windows and 20% in rear.... over factory glass (no existing tint in rear)

The installer did measure the glass before and after tinting

Meter read 77% on factory glass before tinting
Meter read 35% on front window glass after applying 55% film, whooo just barely legal.
Never bothered to check the rear as anything goes in SUVs in NH behind the driver seat. Guessing around 10-11% combined, very much able to see thru at night still

Madico Charcool films... installed by authorized Madico installer with lifetime Madico warranty for $190

 

[CX-SV]

^ Looks good, very OEM-like on rears.

I have 35% on fronts, and the factory rear tint is near 20%

 

[nizzy1115]

My CX-5 with 55% tints in front windows and 20% in rear.... over factory glass (no existing tint in rear)

The installer did measure the glass before and after tinting

Meter read 77% on factory glass before tinting
Meter read 35% on front window glass after applying 55% film, whooo just barely legal.
Never bothered to check the rear as anything goes in SUVs in NH behind the driver seat. Guessing around 10-11% combined, very much able to see thru at night still

Madico Charcool films... installed by authorized Madico installer with lifetime Madico warranty for $190

Do you have a small gap of no tint around the rear window and rear tiny triangle window in the hatch?

 

[Gio26NJ]

Akira - So you did fronts only in 20% to match factory tint on rear windows.

So 20% is what the factory tints are? will be going in sometime this week to get my front windows done. Not sure if I should go a little lighter.

 

[Akira.]

Go for 20%.
You will not be disapointed.

 

[milkyxj]

I had the dealer do the fronts as part of the deal, have the factory 20% in the back and 35% on the fronts.

 

[CX-SV]

I had the dealer do the fronts as part of the deal, have the factory 20% in the back and 35% on the fronts.

Not sure what tint laws in Atlanta regarding front tint are, but that's best choice in many states like CA (don't want to go darker on fronts here).

 

[tsx2004]

For the back window, does factory tinted glass block the heat well? I live in TX and it's hot!
Getting the CX-5 and thinking about if i should pay for cermaic tint. It's pretty expensive .

I only had my 2 fronts tinted, and I was there during most of the process. I did not see them remove inside door panels. End result was excellent.

 

[speedtrader]

Get the ceramic tint. It's worth it. My sport didn't come factory tinted which works for me since I like all my windows to look the same. I have 35% ceramic tint all around. Paid extra for it but it's noticeably better than my wife's car which has 35% standard factory tint.

 

[hollis]

Do you have a small gap of no tint around the rear window and rear tiny triangle window in the hatch?

nope... no clear glass is exposed anywhere. the installer used madico computer cut pieces, it actually already had CX-5 listed in there.

 

[nizzy1115]

Its not a matter or cutting it with a computer but preference. Some installers just wont warrent work when they cover the dot matrix around the windows because it will likely bubble over time. Is yours bubbling yet?

 

[Thunderchildd]

I just had 20% put on the front windows yesterday. Installer did pop the door panels off when installing. I am happy with the results.

 

[Jwlj]

Ceramic vs Carbon
Which does a better job vs the heat?

 

[Andy409]

Ceramic is the best film you can get when it comes to blocking heat, but you have to pay 3x the carbon price for it... To generalize, tints come in three tiers: basic carbon, high performance, and ceramic. I had the basic carbon (25% on front & 5% rest) put on my first car for around $190. When I took our family car to get tinted I had them install high performance (35% front & 20 rest) for around $270 and I immediately noticed the difference in quality and better performance in glare and heat reduction. They offered ceramic also but was quoted $500+ hahahaha right...

Link to specs for all there types of film for Solarguard. http://www.solargard.com/US/Auto/Performance They also have metallized films which provide heat reduction as much as ceramics but due to their metallic properties they interfere with gps, cell, and other electronic signals.

 

[CX-5um]

Ceramic is the best film you can get when it comes to blocking heat, but you have to pay 3x the carbon price for it... To generalize, tints come in three tiers: basic carbon, high performance, and ceramic. I had the basic carbon (25% on front & 5% rest) put on my first car for around $190. When I took our family car to get tinted I had them install high performance (35% front & 20 rest) for around $270 and I immediately noticed the difference in quality and better performance in glare and heat reduction. They offered ceramic also but was quoted $500+ hahahaha right...

Link to specs for all there types of film for Solarguard. http://www.solargard.com/US/Auto/Performance They also have metallized films which provide heat reduction as much as ceramics but due to their metallic properties they interfere with gps, cell, and other electronic signals.

I thought ceramic film also interfered with the navigation system?

 

[Andy409]

I understood it as they didn't and its one of the reasons why they are so expensive. On Solarguards website, under Ultra Performance which is their ceramic, they list them as GPS friendly.

 

[CX-5um]

I understood it as they didn't and its one of the reasons why they are so expensive. On Solarguards website, under Ultra Performance which is their ceramic, they list them as GPS friendly.

Oh I see thanks. I've had Solarguard tint before and I like them. My cousin is having SolarGuards installed tomorrow on his car. I'll refer him to the website for product details.

 

[hollis]

I thought ceramic film also interfered with the navigation system?

only metallic tint can cause interference with radio, cell, nav, etc

ceramic film are nice, but most dont come in very dark black or grey color, more like dark amberish so make sure you consider that too....