best window tint

[JBR_M3]

So I want to get my windows tinted and I dont want to use metallic tint. My question is who makes the best non-metallic ( maybe ceramic ) tint for heat reduction and appearance that will not interfere with radar detectors ( V1 ) or other electronic gadgets?

Thanks for the help

[satinghostrider]

Most of the guys here go for Pinnacle F1 tints as its proven to work with Comfort Access (CA). Yes its expensive but its proven. Hope this helps.

[spectrumphoto]

Pinnacle F1 ceramic is the only way to go.... In this case you really do get what you pay for.

[Blake]

blah blah...this thread will continue with, what's sure to be, ceramic tint fanboys. the differences between ceramic and metallic tints are highly negligible to anything a human could ever tell. in reality, you will never know the difference between metallic or ceramic, except all the cash you spent on ceramic. i run metallic and have no reception issues or CA blockage at all and it looks awesome. i've shelled out for ceramic tint before, but found it to be no more effective than any of my metallic tint jobs...this comes from years of experience in blistering hot texas summer's.

[MMMorish]

Originally Posted by blakepilot

blah blah...this thread will continue with, what's sure to be, ceramic tint fanboys. the differences between ceramic and metallic tints are highly negligible to anything a human could ever tell. in reality, you will never know the difference between metallic or ceramic, except all the cash you spent on ceramic. i run metallic and have no reception issues or CA blockage at all and it looks awesome. i've shelled out for ceramic tint before, but found it to be no more effective than any of my metallic tint jobs...this comes from years of experience in blistering hot texas summer's.

I have to agree with Blackepilot. My car has dye dipped tint (not sure if that is metallic or not) and my CA and Passport SRX work just fine.

I payed $250 CAD for it and an extra $100 for the front windshield and it looks flawless.

BTW, my rear windshield looks great too! I went back after a week and he re-pressed it and in some cases used a small pin to puncture air bubbles and it came out looking awesome. Not an eye sore at all!

[ase2dais]

F1 for sure!

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by blakepilot

blah blah...this thread will continue with, what's sure to be, ceramic tint fanboys. the differences between ceramic and metallic tints are highly negligible to anything a human could ever tell. in reality, you will never know the difference between metallic or ceramic, except all the cash you spent on ceramic. i run metallic and have no reception issues or CA blockage at all and it looks awesome. i've shelled out for ceramic tint before, but found it to be no more effective than any of my metallic tint jobs...this comes from years of experience in blistering hot texas summer's.

I had quite the opposite experience on a previous car. The metallic tint shortened the alarm remote range and affected radio reception. In particular, AM radio reception was pretty much non-existent. So this time I'm going to spend the money on ceramic to see if the results are better.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by HIS4

I had quite the opposite experience on a previous car. The metallic tint shortened the alarm remote range and affected radio reception. In particular, AM radio reception was pretty much non-existent. So this time I'm going to spend the money on ceramic to see if the results are better.

my AM reception is just fine. in fact, many channels near me broadcast in crystal clear HD radio and it comes in perfectly.

[!Xoible]

F1 Pinnacle

[bmstyle71]

It's just a hype. I went to an audio/tint store and said "I want some 20% tints." Paid $150 for mine and It's been amazing, No comfort access problems no radio interference nothing of that sort. Works fine and looks good. You want to go with ceramic and spend the extra $$ to say that you have the expensive stuff then go for it, personally I can't justify the extra $$ for a Difference I can neither see or feel. Here's a pic of my $150 tint.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by bmstyle71

It's just a hype. I went to an audio/tint store and said "I want some 20% tints." Paid $150 for mine and It's been amazing, No comfort access problems no radio interference nothing of that sort. Works fine and looks good. You want to go with ceramic and spend the extra $$ to say that you have the expensive stuff then go for it, personally I can't justify the extra $$ for a Difference I can neither see or feel. Here's a pic of my $150 tint.

+1

[TLud]

Originally Posted by blakepilot

blah blah...this thread will continue with, what's sure to be, ceramic tint fanboys. the differences between ceramic and metallic tints are highly negligible to anything a human could ever tell. in reality, you will never know the difference between metallic or ceramic, except all the cash you spent on ceramic. i run metallic and have no reception issues or CA blockage at all and it looks awesome. i've shelled out for ceramic tint before, but found it to be no more effective than any of my metallic tint jobs...this comes from years of experience in blistering hot texas summer's.

Blake, are you calling me a fanboi? I'll show you...

Here's the deal. Metallic tint will not interfere with the FM radio reception, navigation, or satellite in the M3. However, it almost certainly will interfere with your AM radio reception and may interfere with your CA and marginally shorten your radar detector range. If you install a ceramic tint like F1, you're guaranteed not to have any issues. If you install a metallic tint, you may or may not have any issues depending on the tint (the guys at tintdude.com can tell you which metallic tints are more problematic in this respect than others). I've always liked the peace of mind, appearance, and effectiveness of F1, so that's why I've always recommended it. That doesn't mean that there aren't other good tints out there.

Originally Posted by MMMorish

I have to agree with Blackepilot. My car has dye dipped tint (not sure if that is metallic or not) and my CA and Passport SRX work just fine.

I payed $250 CAD for it and an extra $100 for the front windshield and it looks flawless.

BTW, my rear windshield looks great too! I went back after a week and he re-pressed it and in some cases used a small pin to puncture air bubbles and it came out looking awesome. Not an eye sore at all!

Your dyed tint has no metallic in it, so it will not have any interference issues. Dyed tints aren't so good in places like Texas though. They don't offer the same heat rejection as ceramic or metallic and they tend to fade much easier down here.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by TLud

Blake, are you calling me a fanboi? I'll show you...

fanboi

[TLud]

Originally Posted by bmstyle71

It's just a hype. I went to an audio/tint store and said "I want some 20% tints." Paid $150 for mine and It's been amazing, No comfort access problems no radio interference nothing of that sort. Works fine and looks good. You want to go with ceramic and spend the extra $$ to say that you have the expensive stuff then go for it, personally I can't justify the extra $$ for a Difference I can neither see or feel. Here's a pic of my $150 tint.

That's definitely a lower end dyed tint, but even though I can tell the difference, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with it. The color matches your car well.

[JBR_M3]

Thanks everyone Ive gotten some great feed back....TLud, you said that you can tell the difference between high end tint and lower end dyed tint....how can you tell them apart

[TLud]

Originally Posted by JBR_M3

Thanks everyone Ive gotten some great feed back....TLud, you said that you can tell the difference between high end tint and lower end dyed tint....how can you tell them apart

Often times, the cheaper dyed tints have a more "saturated" look to them and have less optical clarity.

[achenator]

Originally Posted by TLud

Blake, are you calling me a fanboi? I'll show you...

Here's the deal. Metallic tint will not interfere with the FM radio reception, navigation, or satellite in the M3. However, it almost certainly will interfere with your AM radio reception and may interfere with your CA and marginally shorten your radar detector range. If you install a ceramic tint like F1, you're guaranteed not to have any issues. If you install a metallic tint, you may or may not have any issues depending on the tint (the guys at tintdude.com can tell you which metallic tints are more problematic in this respect than others). I've always liked the peace of mind, appearance, and effectiveness of F1, so that's why I've always recommended it. That doesn't mean that there aren't other good tints out there.



Your dyed tint has no metallic in it, so it will not have any interference issues. Dyed tints aren't so good in places like Texas though. They don't offer the same heat rejection as ceramic or metallic and they tend to fade much easier down here.

I wouldn't say no issues are guaranteed with ceramic. I put HO ceramic on my car and immediately noticed an issue with CA performance.

[TLud]

Originally Posted by achenator

I wouldn't say no issues are guaranteed with ceramic. I put HO ceramic on my car and immediately noticed an issue with CA performance.

Correct. You certainly are not the first to note interference issues with Huper Optik's ceramic film. Maybe I should have been more specific. I have had F1 Pinnacle installed on 5 different cars with no interference issues whatsoever.

To go into more detail, it has long been suspected that HO film is not truly 100% metal-free and that it is conductive enough to pose problems. Conductive attributes would explain interference with CA. Some materials are more conductive than others, which explains why certain metallic tints cause problems and others don't. Some metals and compounds may also act as RF shields, which complicates the issue.

[achenator]

Originally Posted by TLud

Correct. You certainly are not the first to note interference issues with Huper Optik's ceramic film. Maybe I should have been more specific. I have had F1 Pinnacle installed on 5 different cars with no interference issues whatsoever.

To go into more detail, it has long been suspected that HO film is not truly 100% metal-free and that it is conductive enough to pose problems. Conductive attributes would explain interference with CA. Some materials are more conductive than others, which explains why certain metallic tints cause problems and others don't. Some metals and compounds may also act as RF shields, which complicates the issue.

Thanks for the good info. I wish someone had told me this before I spent $400.

[M2MG17]

does anyone know a good installer in LA area??