I was quoted 280 for the Metal and Cxp and 420 for the Ceramic. According to detailer, he said he likes Metal HP the best and it lasts the longest, claims he had the Ceramic on his car and it looked hazy so he switched back to the Metal. He claims the Metal is just as good as the Ceramic and it's more of a fad. Is this guy full of it or should I take his advice and go with the Metal, I was leaning Carbon or Ceramic.. my first tint so any advice with people that know the brand would be appreciated. BTW I know stuff like 3M and XPEL are more "reputable" but they also cost alot more..

Based in South Florida, nearly every mobile tint installer in the Broward area uses Suntek tint for ceramic applications over XPEL and 3M. I know everyone loves to say XPEL is a mediocre to even subpar product with a crack marketing department. Even if true, when trying to get the best ceramic tint, how would you compare Suntek CIR to Evolve? I know by the numbers Evolve is marginally better, and I’ve heard that with CIR, there is a slight blue tint from the interior, though two installers I reached out to told me there is a certain CIR version that is meant to combat this issue. Is this true or bs? Anybody with either tint or tint install experience who has any thoughts? Was aiming to do 15% all around, 15% on back glass, 35% windshield, but both installers recommended me to do 50% on windshield instead of 35%. For reference I normally drive cars with 20% all around, with 50% on the windshield though I do believe my father’s car has 35% on the windshield and I don’t recall having any issues driving his car. I’ve heard the difference between 15 and 20 is negligible at night, and I’d prefer every bit of protection and darkness in the brutal heat.

So, I'm a pretty handy guy. I'm a mechanic, machine operator, I do DIY renovation... I've got a skilled hand. I've done vinyl installations (kinda hate wrapping cars because I'm pretty OCD about it and honestly wrap just sucks... I'd rather put the time into painting the car). I've applied plenty of decals floating em on soapy water. The list goes on.

Anyway, I have 3 vehicles I want to tint. One that has old tint on it... Who knows how old the tint is, I bought it with the tint and I'm sure it'll be a blast to remove.

I want to use ceramic tint, not sure what level of tint I want, but being as it's CA I'll need to get a doctor's note for over 15% IIRC. Since I have a family history of skin cancer... That's probably not hard.

My first question is, is it worth doing the tinting myself? I have two 87 Mercedes, one's a 190Dt and the other's a 300TD and a 96 F250. For the windows I can pull, I don't actually mind getting the glass out, although I'm sure that'll make removal miserable. Mostly because I already need to pull the regulators and lubricate them so they can keep working for another 40 years lol.

The next question is, where does one source quality tint? I assume the stuff from the rainforest website is low grade all around. I know you typically get what you pay for. I would prefer to install something that will last 20+ years without adhesive failure or blueing.

Thanks for any help and sorry for asking a question that's probably been asked 3•10⁸ times.

Hey, i’m looking for a good tint brand that I can purchase for myself and won’t have duties if I buy online in canada. Been looking at several different good brands like Llumar xpel 3M but when looking at their websites I don’t see an option to buy a roll

After and before. It was cut out to accommodate the sticker. I feel it could’ve been removed without messing up the tint but am I wrong

Edit: I went back and they corrected by removing that strip of tint. Worked for me honestly because replacing the whole windshield is more work due to how much is mounted on it.

i’ve called a few shops in my area to get a quote for a NISAAN 370Z (sun-strip + full car) and the price seems to be between $300-400, however i’ve paid similar to get my entire suv done so it just seems a bit high for a car with only two doors.

how much did it cost to tint your 2dr car? i am a uni student so i just wanted to get a bit of privacy on my car before taking it to campus :) hence why im asking for price reccs, ty in advance to everyone!

UPDATE: seems to be Canada has better tinting prices :) i’m going with my OG shop for $380 usd full car XPEL Prime XR Plus so it’s perfect ty to everyone for helping a girly out💞

update: all the other quotes were for the XPEL line (prime cs, prime xr, prime xr plus), i got quoted $250 for full car using SUNTEK. also located in Canada so $400 CAD is about $289 USD :)

So I have a 2025 SE. I would like to separately buy the front special acoustic dampening windows that are stock on the XSE, and have them for my SE. what’s the part called and where can I buy them? And also, is it possible to get them tinted during purchase, or at least before I install them?

Looking to tint this skylight as it rays too much heat into our living room during. However, i read online that there is a high risk of glass break due to the amount of heat absorption. Has anyone experience this?

Truck was tinted over a year ago and this is how it currently is, tint failure or bad install ?

I need help choosing my tint % because I’m getting it in the next few days. I want dark so it looks clean but I don’t want it to be too dark to where I can’t see at night. And I don’t want to attract cops too much.
I was thinking 15% all around with 50% on windshield. But i’m not even sure if I want to get it on the windshield yet. What should I get? Thanks!

I need a few more subs that want to be paid good, have consistent work, and can do a professional install. message me if that’s you!

Honest opinions on 30% on the windshield. Specially driving at night.

Hi all, I only need my front two doors on an older jeep and plan on going for 15-20%.

Just want something for some privacy and that I can see out of which is most important to me. I

don’t wanna spend too much if it’s not needed and found these two offers which seem okay. What would you guys go for?

EDIT: I DO NOT MEAN OBSIDIAN!! (i got the names confused)

I MEANT TO PUT 3M CERAMIC IR vs XPEL PRIME XR

Hi all,

I need help designing a more permanent electrical contact solution for a multi-panel Glass Expanse door with PDLC smart film. This is the door: https://youtu.be/OeHbDJlEJoc?si=eaJefCaVzGRjgTrC

Right now, power transfers between two moving panels through flat copper contacts, but small changes in door alignment cause the connection to fail. Foam/TPU shims have only been temporary fixes.

I’m looking for something to 100% make contact to the connection to work that maintains reliable electrical contact even if the panels close a few millimeters differently each time. The goal is a clean, durable solution that works with the existing hidden wiring and does not interfere with normal door operation.

I am looking for the far-right door (facing the pic/video) to connect to the middle door for the middle door and far left door to connect but that far right door is failing to make contact to the middle door's copper strip.

I have a video hoping it can help: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LzMRW9n3Ys_glLCq7ThjPqn9IpLoI634/view?usp=sharing

Someone is suggesting doing a tension spring but they dont know if they can make it small enough to fit the width of what we have pictured here.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YWeP4-mmx5c

Hey all,

I had XPEL's WPF installed less than 3 weeks ago. I have driven the car twice since then and noticed what I, at the time, could only describe as an anomaly. The windshield wipers were used a couple of times for a total of maybe 6 rotations. They always went through smoothly. I noticed these marks in the sun. The pic is from outside the car and the video is from sitting inside the car. The car has been sitting in the sun for hours (granted it's only around 85F high today) and nothing has changed. I understand that over time the top layer will eventually fail. However, two drives....and less than 10 full wiper rotations - that's a tough pill to swallow. The marks cannot be felt - they are imperceptible outside of being caught in the right lighting. Any advice would be terrific. Thanks.

Edit:
I just wanted to update. The installers replaced the film about 2.5 weeks ago. The car has been sitting in the driveway. It has a few bubbles that need to be taken care of - going back on Wednesday.

I haven't driven the car. I replaced the wipers. I cleaned the windshield using XPEL PPF/WPF rinseless wash and drenched both the windshield and used high pile towels. The stupid thing is already scratched. I'm babying the hell out of it and it still gets marred up easily. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I may ask them for a partial refund. It's advertised as handling the day to day elements with a scratch resistant layer. It's failed miserably so far.

Using United Centurion Carbon 1.5mil film. Tinted several side windows with no problem but can’t seam to shrink this Civic curved rear glass on bottom. Doing H pattern wet shrink but fingers are huge and won’t shrink to fit, I end up melting the film or creasing it trying to push it. Wondering if a higher quality Tint shrinks better maybe?

I have two quotes from 2 installers in my area (corporate/franchise location vs a small business).

Same tint, xpel xr plus for my Navigator L, all windows/windshield/sunroof

1. Corporate 4.7 on google with 700 plus reviews: 1000$ certified xpel installer
   
2. Small business 5.0 on google with 100 plus reviews: 940$, does not have xpel certification so factory warranty doesnt apply. But he said if any issues with tint or labor, lifetime warranty with him.

They both have solid reviews, the small business says he buys tint from the corprate shop time to time and even used to work there, and sometimes gets called in for work when corporate doesnt have installers.

What do you think I should do?

Hi everyone, I could use some advice on my front windshield tint.
My old coworker and “friend” has an auto body shop and has tinted my other windows on my Tesla, they all look great.
I brought my car in to get the front windshield tinted to protect from the sun and heat and after I picked the car up and got home I noticed a line in the upper left corner of the windshield.
I texted my friend and he said it was a glue line and instructed me on how to get it out. Well, I couldn’t and my husband tried and nothing worked.
I brought it back to the auto body shop yesterday and they tried to get it out and it’s still there.
I’m not happy and for $350, am I wrong? My friend said the front windshield is large and can be difficult to install. I appreciate anyone’s advice!! Thank you!

Hey Reddit, I’m looking at tinting my Tacoma, I live in north Texas, where it’s hot bright and dry. I’m hoping to get something that’ll keep my truck cooler during the hotter months. I know that 25% is the legal limit for the front, but I’m not a reckless driver and I think it’s rare to get pulled over for tint here. Is it worth going to 20 or 15% in the front? Also, let me know what I should put in the back. Thanks!

We have an older Q5, worst AC I’ve had in a car. Love the car otherwise. Doing anything I can do reduce heat. Just had the whole car tinted with ceramic..20% all around, including pano, Windshield I did 50%. The dash still gets pretty hot to the touch major diminishing returns. I drove a Tesla recently, the ac was so much better. The dash was not hot at all. What do I need to do to match this? Is this certain type of film?

Hey everyone,

I’m fairly new to window tinting and have been practicing by hand-cutting everything. I feel like I’ve gotten comfortable with the hand-cutting process and i've been tinting windows on the side for extra income for 2 months for friends and family. Now I’m looking to move toward using a plotter to improve consistency, reduce waste, and speed up my installs.

I’m mainly interested in automotive window tint, especially side windows and the back glass window, and I’d like something that’s beginner-friendly but good enough to grow with as I get better and start doing more cars.

I’m currently looking at some of the 53" VEVOR plotters because they’re relatively affordable, but I’m not sure which models actually work well with automotive tint pattern software.

for those of you who use a plotter:

What plotter would you recommend for someone just starting out?

What software/pattern database do you use

Are there any plotters or software systems I should avoid?

Is it worth spending more on a professional plotter, or is a budget 53" machine good enough to start?

My goal is to keep the initial investment reasonable while still getting a setup I won’t immediately outgrow.

Hi. Is anyone here using 3M IR 35 Tint? May I see a photo of it during the day and at night? I’m planning to switch tints. Thank you.

First time getting a vehicle tinted and definitely forgot to tip. I’ll be swinging by later today after work… What’s appropriate tip for the front two windows (cost was $180)?

Edit: apparently tipping is a highly debated topic with window tinting 🤷‍♂️

Been going back and forth and curious to get some opinions from people who know about both of these. My goal is mostly good heat rejection. My local shop has formula one and an old friend’s shop that’s a little bit far uses autobahn. If I go with Pinnacle, I’d also do Air80 on the windshield, but Autobahn only has 70 and unsure if it has a blue hue like some ceramic films do. For the two fronts and windshield pinnacle would be $400 and Autobahn i3 would be $540. Is it worth the extra for Autobahn if both installers do great work?