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Tinting is definitely a subjective thing, and I would never criticize anyone for doing what they feel is best.
For me, I tend to agree with @jamesinger and @Skwerl in that I just think the car looks so nice without it, so I have kept things stock.
Do I want tint to cool things off? Hell, yeah, as I do very poorly in the heat. But for some reason I'm much better with a dark'ish tint on my other cars than my 997. There's just something about the design/looks where I'm happy as it is being clear.
Having said that, I often see the cars of other posters here with tints that look pretty bad ***, which always gets me thinking...
The cost varies a lot based on the reputation of the company installing the tint as well as the quality of the film itself. The really nice tints can reject heat without needing to be very dark. Good installs will be seamless; taking the tint all the way to the edge of the glass. On my car, they had to also remove the rear wiper covers from the upper deck area to get to the whole glass. Good installs are usually warranted for the life of the install as well. I've seen anywhere from $350 to $800 for the work.
I don't have tint on mine because I like people to see my smile when I am driving my car. Also, I had a pretty miserable experience with window tinting on my last car. The soapy water stained the leather on the side paneling and I had to invoke legal recourse to get that mess sorted out with the tint shop. My C4S now has the leather side panel too, and I didn't want to risk it.
I'm in south florida and it is a must. I had a 13 percent 3m metallic on an older jaguar and my current truck. Sitting in a green house in the middle of traffic is one thing I dread. No matter how good the AC is, it will never cool a cabin in 100 degree weather without clouds. Even if it's cool in the car the the direct sunlight will heat up whatever arm and leg is exposed. I think it's a must. The level of light transmission is up to you. Plus the leather and other materials will last longer without all the UV exposure. Just my 2 cents.
Keep in mind that tint goes two ways. At night, it is harder to see details through the darker glass.
Also, you will have to disable your rear window defroster when you go with the high metallic tint films--or it will short out. So, no more de-fogging.
And, as I remember, CA has a vehicle code that limits the amount tint on the drivers and front passenger windows. However, it is a bit like no front plate, they are unlikely to tag you for it
if you are pulled over. My 2009 came stock with a darker tint on the small "backseat" windows. If I am traveling and keep something back there during lunch stops I bring a large black towel
and when you cover it up with a black interior it as almost invisible.
My car came with really dark Huper Optik. It is nice stuff but I am not a fan of dark tint even in SoCal.
We've talked about this before on a different thread but when I bought my 06 C2S, it also had Huper Optik. I found out because it had a sticker on the back window and has similar tint % as yours. I actually like it even though it streaks the windows when I rolled up/down. My Tacoma, my wife's TLX and the 997.1 all have tinted windows.
My MKIV Supra which is black w/tan interior could really use some tint as it get's very hot inside. However, I didn't want to tint the windows to keep that ol skool original look and to show off the interior more. I don't think they have factory UV coating like today's cars.
I just had the front clip Clear bra done and while it was in the shop had him tint my windows hope to get it back Thursday will post a couple pictures.
I am a big fan of the windshield strip too. It does make you feel a lot lower to the ground, and blocks a lot of head on sunlight. Looks real good too. Typically they do that in "limo tint" down here. I did make a mistake when I had my truck tinted. It was older and had a cheap tint that was turning purple. I took it to the shop and did the 13% how I like it but... they put the 13% over an existing 20% for rear windshield privacy glass. My rear windshield is like a 7 lol. It does get hard to see out of the back at night. But during the day I'm cool as a cucumber, I rarely need to run the AC at half speed.
I'm not sure of what the carrera has, but it does streak in the front corners when the window goes up and down... I always thought it was scratched until I investigated it. Does any manufacturer make tint that doesn't streak in a carrera?
I imagine when it gets redone I'll let super shield do it and I think they carry lumar. But so far 3m metallic is the best I've ever seen. It has a nice little gray/gunmetal hint in the color. Never faded, never dropped calls as the competitors claim it does.
08-01-2020, 08:39 AM
