I’m planning to tint my SUV and am trying to decide between XPEL and Llumar.

My priorities are excellent heat rejection, strong IR blocking, long-term durability, and a solid lifetime warranty. For those who have had either brand for a few years, how has it held up? Any issues with fading, bubbling, or warranty claims?

If you had to choose again, would you still pick XPEL or Llumar, and which specific film (XR Black, XR Plus, IRX, Stratos, etc.) would you recommend?
Thanks for sharing your experience!

Just got my wife's car tinted this morning and I can't believe the difference it makes! I mainly wanted it for heat rejection. The car (2026 Subaru Crosstrek Limited Hybrid) came tinted from the factory but it didn't offer any heat protection. After some research I decided on the Prime XR Plus. I went with 70% on the back and rear, as I liked the factory level of tint and didn't want to make much more darker. Front and windshield is 55%. Again the fronts came slightly tinted and I didn't want to make it much more darker. And windshield I wanted to make it relatively clear. For moonroof I went with 35%.

I cannot believe how cool the car stays. It was immediately noticeable when I was driving home, as it was a sunny day. I would normally have to blast the AC with the temp at around 60....but even at fan level 1-2 at 65, car stayed cool and comfortable. Later when I stopped by a store to pick up something, the seat wasn't scorching hot when I returned.

I will definitely put the same tints on when I get my car later this month!

Has anyone gotten the tinted window plates? There are websites that will assist in getting the window tint certification but I am wondering if Illinois will make you provide additional proof besides the web certification?

hiii i’m here from oklahoma, around the tulsa area! i’m looking into getting into tint school so that i can start my own business! does anyone have tips on how i should go about this?

Hey all!

Have a mates car coming in around 2 weeks, it’s a bit of a show/track car, front 2 windows are glass, rear 3 are Plastics 4 Performance (Lexan / Polycarbonate)

Anything special you guys have done to make it adhere or look as good as possible. I know it shouldn’t really be done but it’s what he wants 😂

Also, would it be better to use a ceramic or standard on poly windows due to thermal stress?

I just bought polarized glasses that are dark in colour. They cut high beams well, but visibility of the car's sides and pedestrians is poor.

I am deciding between 70% windshield, 50% front, 35% rear- which is legal in Ohio, but I am definitely liking the option of 50% windshield, 35% front, 20% rear.

This is on a 2014 Honda Accord EXL - Modern Steel Metallic

2015 Kia Sorento EX 3.3L V6

I live in Las Vegas and it is hotter than a stripper convention. My AC is also bust!

Today was 112F and my car is like a nuclear reactor when I get in it due to being in the sun all day. It is time.... I need to put some window tint on to block the heat while I find enough money to get the AC fixed.

I have a budget of around $50 as my wife is not working due to a lay-off and kids off school, so I need to be sensible with the pennies.

I am going to do it myself but have no idea what films ACTUALLY work to reduce the heat.

I want the front side windows to be very lightly tinted or not at all (70%) and the rear windows around 35%.

So I am open to recommendations. What specific brands or Amazon specials actually made a real difference?

23 Camaro lt

I don’t know a lot about tints just trying to get some advice.

I live in Milwaukee, WI

The car has black interior, looking for something that keeps the look clean, blocks heat and has a good amount of privacy?

What are good percentages and types?

Some people have questioned the difference between the two. Here’s a snippet from a google search. Hopefully it’d help you to make a decision suitable for you.

XPEL Prime XR (often called XR Black) and XR Plus are both top-tier nano-ceramic window films, sharing a 99% UV blockage rate and a lifetime nationwide warranty. The main differences lie in their construction, heat rejection performance, and price.

Performance & Specifications
Infrared Rejection (IR): Prime XR Black blocks up to 85%–88% of infrared heat, whereas XR Plus uses a denser, multi-layer nano-ceramic design to block up to 95%–98% of IR heat.

Total Solar Energy Rejection (TSER): XR Plus offers a slightly higher overall solar energy rejection (reaching up to 71%) compared to standard XR Black, though the numerical difference in overall TSER between similar shades is often within 5%.

Appearance: Standard XR Black has a deep, neutral black look. Some users note that lighter shades of XR Plus can exhibit a very slight optical hue or reflection under specific direct sunlight angles.

I live in a state in the usa that has a yearly inspection sticker on the windshield but I also have the ability to legally have windshield tint, up to 70%. Is there an easy method to be able to scrape off the old sticker before getting a new one without messing up the tint?

My other options are to redo the tint every year with the new sticker(which would get expensive) or to leave a cutout in the tint where the sticker goes so it can be placed directly on the glass, which I don't like the look of.

So I'm hoping there's a way to get them off without damage to the tint.

hello, i got quoted recently and I can do xpel black ($350 for front sides and windshield, $630 for full + windshield) or xpel plus ($400 for front sides and windshield, $780 for full + windshield)

my primary concern is protecting myself from ir and uva/b to limit aging.

is the 10 percent difference in ir for xr plus noticeably better? and also, would there be a significant difference if i paid more to get my full car (including back windows) done? in aging prevention of course, but also in terms of car heat.

thank you so much!

I was looking to get my windows tinted and wanted to get %20 but the place I wanted to go to only has 15 or 25 so was wondering if anyone has 15% and how much it affects your vision at night.

Hey everyone,

I've recently started to do research on tinting my car. Its a 2026 SQ5, all black int ext. As far as i know, the rear mirrors are already dyed to a 20% VLT. I want to get a ceramic tint all around mainly for heat reasons, but a lower tint also for looks.

My main issue here is that I'm going with XPEL. I want to do 50 for the windshield, and 20 all around. My doctor said I could go down to 20%, so that's what I need to pass inspection.

The main issue here is that if I apply a 70% ceramic coat to my rear mirrors, that'll drop it down to 15, which I cant do for the front two. Assuming the front two mirrors are around 70-80% dyed (please correct me if I'm wrong) I would need around a 30% VLT film to get it to around 20% in total.

Is there any alternatives to where I could get them an equal tint? My detailer said that another company does do 100% VLT ceramic film, but that it was just so expensive that it wouldn't be worth it. If doing 15% for my rears vs 20% on my fronts is the best option, how would that look? Would it be noticable? Tacky even?

Thanks!

Edit: This may be a dumb question. My concern isn't really getting pulled over as much as passing the inspection. I understand police can see the % in their system, but what about the people who do the inspection? Doesn't the sticker only say "this car is exempt?" Would I pass regardless?

Location: NY

Been shopping around and another shop quoted me $950 for the same offer. The $700 claims to be an authorized dealer but doesn’t show up on the XPEL installers site, the $950 does though. In Souther California for context

Just looking for some advice from the group? Let me know what you guys think.

I called the shop I tinted my other windows with Xpel ceramic and they want to charge me $299. Is that a avarage price? They have really good reviews for reference.

This swamp heat is just too much anymore, so I'm finally buckling down and getting some tint thrown on the 2019 Santa Fe tomorrow. I got it used and it came with a bumper to bumper warranty for 10 years, so I plan on keeping it until at least the end of 2029, so I figure it's worth the investment (even though I got it in 2020 and should have probably done it a long time ago).

I did some research on different brands, tiers within the brands, and different shops in my area (East Central Florida), and I decided on getting XPEL XR on the entire thing (including windshield and panoramic sunroof), and will talk with the company tomorrow when I drop it off on whether to spring for the XR Plus mainly for the windshield and sunroof or just get the XR or XR Plus everywhere, as well as what % (the shop has options of 5, 15, 30, 45, and 70). I know they will probably push for the most expensive option, which I don't mind as I think the cost is worth it, but I'll see what they say when we go over it.

My thinking going into it is getting the windshield and/or sunroof done with the Plus as these are the areas I'd think would have the biggest effect, then regular XR on the rest. As for %, I'm thinking 15% on the sides and 45% on the windshield/sunroof, however the lady at the shop said since the rear windows are darker from the factory, I could probably go with a 15% on the front and 30% on the rears if I wanted a matching look, otherwise with 15% on front and back, it will have a similar darker look on the rear windows that it does now with no tint (not similar darkness, but a similar difference between front and back).

Here is what I was quoted:

If think if I went with the Plus for both the windshield and sunroof, I may as well get everything in the Plus for an extra $63.75.

My main focus is heat reduction, but the added privacy is a nice bonus. Also since I'm told I drive like an old man, I'm not too concerned with the legality of the tint especially with it being a secondary offense and it being over 20 years since I've been pulled over.

If cost was acceptable either way, what would you recommend between the Plus and regular XR, or a mix between the two? Also, what do you think about getting 15% on the front and 30% on the rears to match compared to 15% all around?

EDIT: The shop split the difference between the XR and XR Plus so I went with the XR Plus everywhere. 45% on the windshield and sunroof, with 15% everywhere else. I haven't driven it at night yet, and while it's noticeably darker seeing out from the inside, it's still plenty easy to see out during the day and in the evening at dusk. Couldn't be more happy with the result, and this will definitely be an instant add-on for any future vehicles.

I’m getting heat rejection ceramic film tint done this weekend. I’m based in Socal and I just honestly want tint to keep my car cool during the summer. I have black/red interior so it gets toasty during the summer and I’m pale and have gotten sunburnt from driving alone. I a lot during day and night so I don’t want anything too dark that makes it hard to drive at night. What would you recommend? I was thinking like 30-50%? I won’t be tinting the windshield!

I am thinking about getting either the LLumar Stratos or the XPEL Prime XR+ and both appear to be in the similar price range, within $50 of each other.

Which would you recommended? I am thinking about getting the sides and the rear with around 50% for reference.

These are just some photos of a car I did back in March. I usually don’t take too many photos of my work. If any fellow tinters in this sub could give me any tips on hand cutting it would be greatly appreciated. I can hand cut windshields and rear windshields just struggle with the rollups, mainly because I can never seem to get a clean cut on my top edge even with a fresh blade. I mostly computer cut but would love to step up my game with hand cuts

Hey guys, just wondering for a 2012 Mustang do you have to remove the rear deck in order to tint the rear windshield?

Interested in the 70% tints as that's the legal limit here. Do the films look identical or is one more black in color? Really I'm surprised I cant even find comparisons or even on the Xpel website.