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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > Regional Forums > Canada > e92 owners in Southern Ontario, let's figure out this tint thing.



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      12-21-2006, 11:14 AM   #1
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e92 owners in Southern Ontario, let's figure out this tint thing.

Alright guys - so the dot matrix issue with tints + e92 is probably familiar to everyone who has one here. Now being a detailer I get to see a lot of clear bras and tints so I thought I knew a guy/place that would do a good job. I don't know them personally but having seen their work I was confident they would figure the "dot matrix issue" out. Well I just saw a tint they did and it's miserable. The owner is going to give them a chance to fix it (rightfully), but I don't know.

So my question is, who has an e92 with tint and is happy with it? And if you are where did you get it done?

Let's hear it!

Edit: while we're at it, if you have a good clear bra place let us know too!

Last edited by picus; 12-21-2006 at 11:44 AM..
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      12-21-2006, 11:35 AM   #2
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Alright, first one. I just spoke with this guy on the phone and mentioned the dot matrix issue, apparently they have seen it and conquered it. I have no seen their work but my impression is they definitely know what they are talking about. I might try them if I don't get any better recommendations:

http://www.tintmaster.com/

$349 for Llumar and a lifetime warranty.
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      12-21-2006, 06:29 PM   #3
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Picus, leave your glass alone and wear shades Aren't you getting an alpine white E92 335i? Does that color really benefit from tinting? You're the expert in such things but you might want to hold off.
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      12-21-2006, 06:50 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tirana
Picus, leave your glass alone and wear shades Aren't you getting an alpine white E92 335i? Does that color really benefit from tinting? You're the expert in such things but you might want to hold off.
I'm getting Sparkling Graphite. I tint for two reasons, first because I usually (and in this case) have a black interior, and tint keeps it cool in the summer. Second, I think it looks good. Actually, I think it looks really good.

As for AW...man, AW with nice tints...

I think it's really just a matter of preference on tinting, sort of like clear bra'ing, etc.
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      12-21-2006, 06:55 PM   #5
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+1
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      12-22-2006, 09:28 AM   #6
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Sparkling graphite? Yum. I think I can bet you'll have the most sparkling car in the GTA regardless of colour.
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      12-29-2006, 10:24 PM   #7
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Picus, the guy who did my tint that I was telling you about is excellent, you've seen his work on my car.

let me know if you want his contact info
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      12-30-2006, 08:45 AM   #8
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Ya, post it up. The more options we all have the better!
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      12-30-2006, 10:24 AM   #9
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I've heard nothing but good things about the guys at FX Auto.
http://fxauto.com/
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      12-30-2006, 03:36 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s l i m
I've heard nothing but good things about the guys at FX Auto.
http://fxauto.com/
^+1... haven't used them myself, but I know of several others that have & wouldn't use anyone else.
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      01-01-2007, 11:42 PM   #11
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Kevin, I have a tint guy downtown that subcontracts for me and is very experienced with BMWs and does mostly Euro's.

If you're interested let me know and I'll get you setup. Like with the E46 coupes, tinting over the dot matrix can never be perfect, but he does a damn good job with them. And all my customers have been happy with the result and the service.

Let me know... better price for a fellow detailer.
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      01-02-2007, 08:34 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by christyles
Kevin, I have a tint guy downtown that subcontracts for me and is very experienced with BMWs and does mostly Euro's.

If you're interested let me know and I'll get you setup. Like with the E46 coupes, tinting over the dot matrix can never be perfect, but he does a damn good job with them. And all my customers have been happy with the result and the service.

Let me know... better price for a fellow detailer.
Hey Chris - shoot me a PM with his info. Does he do clear bras too? I want to get my clear-bra/tint done this week, but as you can imagine I'm completely anal (I'd hate to have me as a customer), so I'm worried about the clear-bra'r scratching the paint under the bra, etc.

Cheers.
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      01-02-2007, 07:31 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by picus
Hey Chris - shoot me a PM with his info. Does he do clear bras too? I want to get my clear-bra/tint done this week, but as you can imagine I'm completely anal (I'd hate to have me as a customer), so I'm worried about the clear-bra'r scratching the paint under the bra, etc.

Cheers.
Just for everybody else...

Clear bra is $200 for hood and fenders.
Clear bra for front bumper is between $450-500.
Lifetime warranty of the vehicle from yellowing, bubbling, peeling.

Fully booked this week except for Saturday.

I'd hate to have you and me as customer in the same day...
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      01-02-2007, 08:21 PM   #14
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Ok, now we just need to know who he is!
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      01-02-2007, 10:50 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by picus
Ok, now we just need to know who he is!
His name is Ton.
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      01-04-2007, 04:31 PM   #16
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OK so here's my report. I can't give a full report until I see the car in the sun so I will update tomorrow. Had a clear bra and tint done at Tint Master (Dixie & 401 area, tintmaster.com) by James Formosa. Overall I am pleased, pros and cons:

Pros:
Quality films used in both cases, lifetime warranty. Tint is Solarguard, not 3M, this makes me happy.
Tint install is nearly perfect. I *do* have some white at the top of my rear window, but I am to take the car back in a few weeks to have it heated and pushed down, and am assured it will be perfect. I believe him. It's the best e92 tint install I've seen yet.
James & helper are really careful with the car. I can't tell without seeing it in the sun but I am confident no marring was induced under the bra or around my windows.
I was allowed to watch, I like that.
They didn't dirty up my interior. I like that too.
Clear bra install is good, it's in the top 90% of ones I've seen done. More on this in "cons"
The hood/fender install goes high. I don't know how high, I would say 10" or more, no 5" mini bra, which is good.
They use computer cuts, good.
Can't see bra from 2 feet away (yes, I measured).

Cons:
Cost; tint is ok at $349, Clear bra is a bit high @ $699 for hood/fenders/mirrors/bumper (full package basically). Obviously being in the business I feel you get what you pay for, and I feel I did, so the cost is OK with me. Some guys might like cheaper thought.
Some small sags in clear bra, I will report back after 24 hours of dry time in our garage. By sags I mean areas where the bra was slightly stretched. This will diminish as it dries, but I think some will remain.
The bumper is not a wrap, it's pre-cut. This is good and bad. Good because it fits well, bad because there are exposed seams in some spots.
Increase in orange peel, all clear bras do this but it's a con so I listed it.
Can see bra when closer than 2 feet. This is normal, it's a con of all bras, but hey...

Overall I am happy with it. I will let you guys know how the re-press of the tint goes. Judging by the initial results I am confident it will be near perfect when done. Cheers.
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      01-05-2007, 05:07 PM   #17
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Hey guys - an update. I didn't get to see the car in the sun today since there was no sun, but I did wash it so I turned the lights on it to inspect. Here's the run down.

I am very happy with the tint, it looks even better having dried a bit. I have a bit of white up top on the rear window but it'll be gone soon.

I am happy with the *install* of the clear bra, and how it looks, however one thing; now remember I am super picky, in fact I'd bet most guys wouldn't notice what I did (and don't have 8 500w lights pointed at their car). There were some light scratches on the hood and bra, this is likely because John was using paper towels to wipe. He's been doing this a long time, and as little as 5 years ago paper towels actually wouldn't have scratches hard paint, but as BMWs now are pretty soft, there was some light marring. I was able to remove it easily, but it's something to note.

So overall I am very pleased, I would definitely recommend them for tint. I would recommend them for a clear bra provided they did not continue to use paper towels to wipe areas of the paint. Cheers.
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      01-06-2007, 12:02 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by picus
Hey guys - an update. I didn't get to see the car in the sun today since there was no sun, but I did wash it so I turned the lights on it to inspect. Here's the run down.

I am very happy with the tint, it looks even better having dried a bit. I have a bit of white up top on the rear window but it'll be gone soon.

I am happy with the *install* of the clear bra, and how it looks, however one thing; now remember I am super picky, in fact I'd bet most guys wouldn't notice what I did (and don't have 8 500w lights pointed at their car). There were some light scratches on the hood and bra, this is likely because John was using paper towels to wipe. He's been doing this a long time, and as little as 5 years ago paper towels actually wouldn't have scratches hard paint, but as BMWs now are pretty soft, there was some light marring. I was able to remove it easily, but it's something to note.

So overall I am very pleased, I would definitely recommend them for tint. I would recommend them for a clear bra provided they did not continue to use paper towels to wipe areas of the paint. Cheers.
New guy here. Been lurking for a while though. Thanks for the helpful post. I'm getting my e92 in the next few weeks and I am also planning on tints, mostly for the look on my AW. Picus, what % did you get? How does the colour/hue of the solarguard tint look? In the past I've been told to go with llumar or HO tints, not sure if that's good advice. Working around the dot matrix issue definately concerns me.
TIA
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      01-06-2007, 12:16 PM   #19
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Picus, you're killing me here



H
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      01-06-2007, 12:40 PM   #20
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Snecro - I am no tint expect but I think Llumar & Solargard are similar. I did a lot of research on it and it seems most high end places use solargard or llumar or both. Tint Master does both. For the SG he has four "levels", one dyed, one hybrid metal, and two full metal. I went for the full metal with lifetime warranty (which is why it was $349, I think the others are $249 and $299). The color/hue is very good imo, it doesn't have a color to it, it's just dark grey/black.

I got 32% (as close to 35% as I could get), I think it's perfect - legal, won't piss off cops, looks good. As an aside I will say this, tint is awesome on this car, it makes the car appear smaller.

I'll get pics asap! The weather has been miserable, I've been waiting for the sun since that will show the tint the best.
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      01-06-2007, 02:20 PM   #21
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Pics, I took a lot to show what it looks like at different angles, inside/outside, closeup, etc. You can see the white on the top of the rear window, but I'm assured that'll be gone shortly.

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/16.jpg[/img]

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/10.jpg[/img]

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/12.jpg[/img]

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/13.jpg[/img]

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/8.jpg[/img]

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/15.jpg[/img]

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://****************/fp/335i/kevin/tintcb/17.jpg[/img]
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      01-06-2007, 02:32 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by picus
Snecro - I am no tint expect but I think Llumar & Solargard are similar. I did a lot of research on it and it seems most high end places use solargard or llumar or both. Tint Master does both. For the SG he has four "levels", one dyed, one hybrid metal, and two full metal. I went for the full metal with lifetime warranty (which is why it was $349, I think the others are $249 and $299). The color/hue is very good imo, it doesn't have a color to it, it's just dark grey/black.

I got 32% (as close to 35% as I could get), I think it's perfect - legal, won't piss off cops, looks good. As an aside I will say this, tint is awesome on this car, it makes the car appear smaller.

I'll get pics asap! The weather has been miserable, I've been waiting for the sun since that will show the tint the best.
Thanks Picus. I'll be giving them a call once my car arives. Keep us posted once you get the tint re-pressed. With pics, of course
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