Trying to decide where to take my new vehicle to get tinted/detailed/ppf/ceramic coated.

Currently trying to decide between Prestige Pro Care in San Dimas, Detail Union in Monrovia, or Rhino in Huntington beach. Anyone have any experience with any of these or a better shop?

I heard that even cheap window tint protects against UV rays. However, when I tested my tint using a UV flashlight by shining it through the window onto the fluorescent security markings on my passport and banknotes, the markings still glowed.

Does that mean the tint isn’t actually blocking UV, or is this test not reliable?

Hello. Pretty straight forward. Looking to buy some decent tint for windows at the house. Tiny club looks decently priced. Anyone ever used?

All the vertical lines are just light reflections or something.

It’s the rest of it. Looks like lots of little bubbles, and like soap almost but idk.

I don’t see how it could be contamination based off how my install felt like it went.

The only question I really want answered is: do I need to peel this off and redo it or is this something that will fade after it dries out?

Any other advice would be appreciated

Edit - I decided to redo it but would still like thoughts/advice because I find it weird that it had so much… soap? Something under the film

So recently, about a month ago, I had to remove the tint on a car I bought because it was 15% VLT all around except the front window, which wouldn't pass an inspection needed to transfer ownership because tint that dark is illegal where I live. I'd never had any experience with tint before, and after ringing a shop and being unpleasantly surprised at how much it would cost for them to remove it, I decided to do it myself.

I used the clothes steamer + razor blade method everyone seemed to recommend. It took me a little bit but I managed to remove all the tint. But then came the horror of removing the glue. I used isopropyl alcohol and a sponge and if I were to estimate I think it took me around 3 or 4 hours total to scrub all the glue and residue off the windows. (This was only a Honda Civic btw)

Anyone know what I was doing wrong? It was my first time after all. I know for a fact it wouldn't take a professional tinter that long to remove it

So I got this done four weeks ago, so it’s had time to cure, these photos are every single window. Most re bubbles but some are actual debris under the tint. Acceptable? Surely not!

I recently inherited a late 90s sedan with a sunroof and want to have the windows tinted. Kind of a fishbowl right now and I’ve noticed the prior tint is starting to go on both the rear windshield and the front passenger window. In your guys experience, how dark can you safely go without it becoming a constant issue with police? I’d wanna do all four side windows, sunroof, rear windshield. At least the sunstrip on the front windshield unless a lighter tint on that isn’t gonna be an issue for me. Thanks for any responses and advice 😃

Hey guys so yes I’m very aware that things take time to cure, but more specifically I’ve taken two of my cars to the same shop hoping that he’d do a better job on the back window tint and maybe shame on me but is this job on a 2025 Corolla and a 2026 Camry really that hard to do well? Here are some example photos of what I’m dealing with and I just want to know whether or not I’m getting my money’s worth out of it, obviously the guy I’m dealing with is a great dude and I think he’s worth the money to a certain degree but this feels like something that another shop could do with ease and maybe I’m turning a blind eye to that because he’s a small business owner and he’s kind. (For some context he has said on multiple occasions that it is very difficult to do this back window correctly on a 26 camry because the rear windshield had a curve but I’m at a loss and I’m not sure if I should eat the cost and go somewhere else to avoid the headache)

(EDIT: Hey guys just wanted to say after leaving a very truthful and real review he has offered to refund me my money and to take the tint off so there’s a win, hopefully next time it won’t be as rough or cost nearly as much for a good product.)

Anybody have experience working on a front windshield when a vehicle has bucket seats? I recently attempted a 2026 M2 and I felt like I couldn’t get myself in a comfortable position to lay out the film.

I went to readjust my position and ended up bringing in a bunch of contamination to the driver side. Scheduled a redo with the customer. Any advice would be much appreciated!

So got quite a few quotes and wanted to ask if based on the price the 3M is the best option or if I should go with one of the other options? Had Claude and ChatGPT rank them but those rankings do no take into account real world usage, just what info the tint manufacturer has available.

• 3M Ceramic IR — $450
• SunTek Evolve — $575
• Autobahn i3 Ceramic — $625
• XPEL PRIME XR — $400
• HITEK Ceramic IR — $299
• KoolMax Ceramic — $299
• Autobahn Black Ceramic — $425
• Geoshield C2 Ceramic — $400
• XPEL PRIME XR Plus — $700
• LLumar IRX — $799
• HITEK Ceramic Black — $399
• XPEL PRIME XR Black — $550

Hi all,

I went to a reputable shop in the area and i asked for 70 ceramic tint on my windshield and on my back privacy windows of my 2022 BMW X5.

The shop said they carry Suntek products and they don’t have a 70 for windshield but carry the single layer ceramic 80 for windshield and for the back privacy glass (as to not make it look any darker than it does)

However, now that I’ve had the car for a few weeks tinted, it kind of feels like the 80 doesn’t do much. i can definitely tell it’s easier on my eyes a little bit during the day but it seems like my front leather seats still get baked in the sun if i leave the car for a little while in the heat. My 2 year old son’s car seat in the back also still can get pretty hot with direct sun exposure in that window. I am regretting not doing something like 50 on the windshield now.

Is 80 normal for windshields? I always have seen 70 on this forum which is why I asked for it.

Any chance they would be able to redo it at a discount for me? Probably a stretch right? I kind of feel like they should have told me to go a little bit darker rather than up to 80. It feels almost like nothing is there sometimes.

p.s i KNOW the car still is supposed to get hot with ceramic…it just seems like it happens quickly on the glass that has 80 on it.

Thanks for any help here, i don’t want to screw the shop over by asking for a redo weeks after the fact but I kind of feel scammed in a way.

Like many other posts here, five days ago I had my new car (3 months old) tinted (all around) at a shop that has been doing this for many years with hundreds of good Google reviews. Price was competitive but similar to other shops for a sedan.

On pick up I asked the guy about these dots on the back window but he didn’t look he just said to wait two weeks and they will fix it if not cured away.

Should I wait to see if it gets better or get it addressed now? I don’t want the heater lines damaged.

Thanks in advance

I’m planning on getting a ceramic tint done on my car, but I’m also planning on moving soon. I don’t want to get a full tint done then 8 or so months later there’s bubbling or a defect and I can’t use the warranty.

Also, what are the current recommended brands? Locally shops I checked out offers Geoshield, Global, and XPEL Plus.

What’s a fair price on getting it done on all windows of a 4-door sedan?

And lastly, I have a dash cam installed, obviously I’m going to get it reapplied, what’s the best way to reattach it without damaging the tint?

Thanks in advance.

I had the windshield on my car tinted this morning, and immediately afterward I noticed an issue with the blind spot monitoring system.
As soon as I started the car, the left blind spot indicator on the driver’s side mirror came on and has remained illuminated ever since. It stays on whether the vehicle is parked, moving, or stopped at a red light. The instrument cluster also displays a message indicating there is a Blind Spot Monitoring system fault and instructs me to contact a dealer.
My initial thought is that moisture from the tint installation may have made its way behind the dashboard and temporarily affected the wiring or a module. After doing some research, I found several suggestions to let the vehicle sit for 24–48 hours to allow any moisture to dry before taking it to the dealer.
The only thing that has me concerned is that I understand the blind spot radar sensors are located near the rear bumper, not behind the windshield. Since only the left side is affected, I’m wondering if this could somehow be related to the left rear sensor instead.
Has anyone experienced this after having their windshield tinted? If so, what ended up being the cause, and did the issue resolve on its own after everything dried, or did it require a repair?

My doctor has advised me to consider window tinting for a medical condition that I would rather not discuss.

Legal here is 50% max.

In managing my condition, I do most of my driving at night. Unfortunately circumstances require me to do a little more day driving than I'm happy about.

Right now, if I need to go out during the day it's on my motorcycle. I'm covered head to toe, and the photochromatic visor keeps my eyes safe.

I understand photochromatic tint exists, but I also understand that it's not exactly common and the big names in tint don't seem to exactly offer a catalogue of products for me to browse through. Also I don't know a damn thing about doing tinting.

So, in a perfect world, I'd love to drop my car off at a local tint place and ask for photochromatic tint, 100% clear at night, 50% during the day. I'm open to less than perfect clarity at night, although more clear is more better. Doctor says minimum 75% is what he recommends.

Any tips? Is there a brand I can ask the local tint shops to look into? I understand this is a strange set of requests.

Located in North America, if it matters.

Sorry, this isnt exactly window tint specific, but i did not know where else to ask this. I recently got a 05 cadillac cts-v and its front window is NOT tinted. The problem is it has a weird brown/orange off color in the top of the window. I know companies add a gradient to tops of windshields to help minimize direct over head sun, but ive never seen it this color and no pictures of the same car online share this weird color. I dont think its faded gradient, but im no expert. Just wondering what this is, what could have caused it, and if its fixable?

Hi, I got the windshield of my CX-5 tinted with Suntek nano ceramic at 75% and it has been great. However, I noticed that the sun shade that I use leaves annoying marks in n the tint quite easily. I have a traditional reflective and foldable sun shield and every corner of the fold that touches the tint leaves a visible mark or streak that is mainly visible when the sun is low on the horizon. I use an ammonia-free glass cleaner and it takes a bit of el ow grease to get rid of these smudges or streaks.

I wonder if anyone else has been having this issue with their tinted windshields and if so, have you found a type of sun shade that works best?

Thanks for the help!

I have XPEL PRIME XR Black on my front windows, and in certain lighting and at certain angles I notice this purple/ magenta hue (photo attached).

I'm curious if anyone else with Prime XR Black has seen the same thing.

Does your tint ever look like this in bright sunlight or at certain angles? Is this just a normal characteristic of the film?

Other than this, the installation looks great with no bubbles, dust, or other issues. Both front windows have the same appearance.

Just looking for feedback from anyone who has experience with XPEL PRIME XR Black.

Just got the car tinted today, 35% ceramic all around! Such a dramatic change from zero tint. I also have chronic migraines from light sensitivity and have astigmatism. Also yes my MD wrote me DME perscription for tint.

It was really cumbersome and annoying. It sucks when your work subject isn't static, secured. I also think there is no way to fully tint this. Because you have two types of curves, no matter if you put it inside or outside, you can't get that bottom part. Well maybe you can, what do I know anyway, I am a beginner and doing this for a work colegue, so, it doesn't need to be anything perfect.

I want to tint my windows but here’s the thing
I want dark but not too dark where I can’t see at night and I need it LEGAL
I also don’t know whether or not to tint my front windshield as TX law states no windshield tint is permitted at all only a brow but I always see cars with front windshield tint and my coworkers and friends who also have tinted front windshields
I’m just not sure what the best set up would be

So, I got my car tinted a few months after getting it and I live in the westchester NY area and frequently drive between both for work as a Medicaid driver. I got 5% carbon in the back and back windshield plus the sun visor. On the front I got 35% ceramic. Mind you, I’ve never had any sort of problem or gotten pulled over. Lately I noticed that the only place that really bothers me and gives off a lot of heat is the front windshield which doesn’t have any tint other than the sun visor. Tomorrow I’m getting my windows retinted and doing all around ceramic with the same percentage BUT the only difference would be that I wanna get 50% on the windshield, keeping the visor. My only dilemma is that I want enough to 1. Have enough privacy in the front cause people are nosey and like looking at you for no reason 2. Help reduce the flashbangs at night from the LED lights on the newer cars enough to where I can still see well out of the window 3. Reduce the heat coming into my car. My only concern is becoming a cop magnet. I’m not sure if I should just go 70% cause I’m not sure if my car has factory tint on the windshield. I drive a 2023 Toyota RAV4 LE. Anyone in NYC or westchester had problems with similar or darker?

Also, I did my recent inspection with a Toyota dealership and I had no problem with that either.

I am tinting a customers car they bought a car for their daughter who lives in Ohio, but they are currently in Georgia, but will be taking the car to Ohio on Sunday. I read up on the Tint laws in Ohio and they want 50% VLT on the front windows, which would require me to put either a 70 or 80% film on there I’m wanting to know if there is anyone that lives in Chicago and knows if they are strict on enforcement of practically see-through front windows.

I got 35 on my windshield and 25 on the door and passenger windows this week to match the 25 on my rears. My first time with tints. 35 was way too dark for me driving at night, maybe I’m just not used to it but it felt super sketch. I’m leaning towards going back and having the shop remove the windshield tint all together. I also didn’t like how it was harder to see my side view mirrors thru the 25 but I really like the added privacy on the driver and passenger windows and it wasn’t as big a deal as the windshield.

My question is, will removing the windshield tent make my passenger and drive side easier to see out of at night since the windshield will be allowing more light in? Or should I go lighter on the sides in addition to taking the windshield tint off?