Window Tint Help Needed

[thundertorque]

Quick Question: Is it possible for the consumer to tell the difference between ceramic tint and metallic or other types of tint once applied to the car windows?

Background:
I had my car windows tinted with ceramic tint by a local shop. I live in Louisiana and the state laws for tint are very restrictive IMO but I had noticed that the ceramic tint appeared darker from the outside than the metallic option they offered so I decided to stick with the legal limits that the state requires since the ceramic does give a darker look. My salesman also told me that the ceramic tint will not have as much of that rainbow spectrum appearance when looking out the windows with polarized sunglasses, plus additional protection for heat, UV, etc when compared to metallic. Upon completion I was happy with the results and was told that the haziness would go away in a few weeks.

After 6 weeks or so the haziness hadn’t gone away and I returned to the shop and they agreed that the tint “didn’t take” for some reason and agreed to strip the tint and redo the job.

I noticed when I picked up the car that the tint seemed lighter and when I asked them about it they said it was due to the way the sun was coming in due to it getting close to sunset. I took them at their word and left. I never gave it much thought until the other day when I once again noticed how light the tint looks. It seems much lighter than the original tint I had and I think I'm noticing more rainbow spectrum in the tint when I wear my glasses when compared to how the original tint looked. I’m curious if maybe they redid my car with cheaper tint to minimize the loss of having to do my car twice. I want to say it was about 3 weeks ago that it was done if that makes any difference.


All of this may not matter as it looks to me that this tint job may not be "taking" as I still have haziness and bubbles anyway.


Any help on figuring out what I may have so I know how to approach the shop would be appreciated.

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[MikeD1]

There should be no rainbow effect on any quality tint (metallic or ceramic) !
Properly applied tint should be dry & haze free within a day or 2 (3 days max) unless it's very cold out. Bubbles can happen, but if properly applied, I would expect 1 or 2 max.

What brand & film line are they claiming to have installed ? There are many brands and each has many lines - for example Solar Gard has 10 lines (types) and 6+ tint levels within each line. LA requires 40% on the front, which is very light.

 

[thundertorque]

I don't remember the brand but I do remember them talking it up about how it is made in Baton Rouge, LA. I have the details at home so I can look it up after work. The rainbow affect is minor but not completely free. Both tint jobs had it but the second one is more noticeable. When I questioned him about the rainbow he said that it depended on what I was looking at when I saw it as the object may be causing the affect.

 

[MikeD1]

Well I used to own a commercial tinting business & have had tint on my car windows for 25+ years and I've never had that issue. My eyes are very light sensitive & I wear polarized, Rx sunglasses when I drive.

The fact that there is still haze after 3 weeks points to something being very wrong with the install or product ! Even on double & triple overlay installs on store front plate glass, haze is gone in 7 - 10 days tops !

 

[thundertorque]

Thanks for the info. I knew there had to be a tint expert here on the forums!! Sounds like I need to go visit my installer. I'm thinking I'm going to ask for my money back. I'll start asking around for a better shop to do the tinting...again.


edit: The haziness only really shows when the sunlight shows directly thorough the window (sun rise/sunset) not real noticeable all of the time. Does that mean anything?

 

[OracleHCR]

I had the same issue or something like it. You could see little particles in the tint on my windshield when looking really close. It caused a haze or little spectrum around any bright light. Driving at night was trippy with all the headlights. I took it back to the installer and they deemed the product defective and it was fixed under warranty.

 

[tcman54]

dye tint - very faint purple hue (cheap price, cheap tint)

metallic tint - very faint blue hue (medium price, good tint)

ceramic tint - very faint brown hue (high price, best tint)

from my own observation over the years

Terry

 

[MikeD1]

Thanks for the info. I knew there had to be a tint expert here on the forums!! Sounds like I need to go visit my installer. I'm thinking I'm going to ask for my money back. I'll start asking around for a better shop to do the tinting...again.


edit: The haziness only really shows when the sunlight shows directly thorough the window (sun rise/sunset) not real noticeable all of the time. Does that mean anything?

Before you have it pulled again, I would try to wipe them down with distilled water & a MF cloth, could be surface haze from the soapy install solution now baked on the surface. Also, is it all the windows you had done or just some ?

Low angle, direct sun will react strangely with some products but in general, it should be very clear.

NEVER, never clean tinted windows with any commercial window cleaners as many tend to strip the surface, especially ether or ammonia based cleaners. Distilled/Purified/DI water & MF towels are what's best for clean-up.

 

[thundertorque]

The side quarter windows are the only ones that have not been redone. They noticed the back glass when I went in to ask about the door windows. I am noticing it on the door windows more than the back glass, which is just like last time.

I haven't tried cleaning these since tint installation so I will try that. They suggested an aerosol spray cleaner called "Invisible Glass" which I already own but have not used on the windows this time. I will try your suggestion of distilled water and MF cloth.

As always, I appreciate your help.

 

[thundertorque]

There should be no rainbow effect on any quality tint (metallic or ceramic) !
Properly applied tint should be dry & haze free within a day or 2 (3 days max) unless it's very cold out. Bubbles can happen, but if properly applied, I would expect 1 or 2 max.

What brand & film line are they claiming to have installed ? There are many brands and each has many lines - for example Solar Gard has 10 lines (types) and 6+ tint levels within each line. LA requires 40% on the front, which is very light.

I looked at the brochure they gave me about the tint that was installed and it is Pronano brand. They only have two lines and they are Pro Classic and Pronano Ceramic. If I remember correctly I have the Pronano Ceramic.

I cleaned the windows with distilled water and a MF towel but I still have the haziness and I'm also noticing light and dark spots in the tint.

I'm thinking my best option now is to just get it redone at a (hopefully) better shop. I don't really know what recourse I have with the current shop since I doubt they will give me my money back, which to them will seem like I got a free tint job (a bad one at that). I sure don't want them in my car anymore to strip the tint especially if I am trying to get money back as I fear they will not take care to protect my car since even when I was getting it done the car came back dirty both times from the application.

I guess I have to chalk this up to a lesson learned. I wish we had a place in my area that really cared about the job they were doing and the cars they were working on as well.

 

[Chameleon]

Thanks for the info. I knew there had to be a tint expert here on the forums!! Sounds like I need to go visit my installer. I'm thinking I'm going to ask for my money back. I'll start asking around for a better shop to do the tinting...again.


edit: The haziness only really shows when the sunlight shows directly thorough the window (sun rise/sunset) not real noticeable all of the time. Does that mean anything?

Definitely get your money back or worst case ask them to remove it. And find another shop.

 

[MikeD1]

I looked at the brochure they gave me about the tint that was installed and it is Pronano brand. They only have two lines and they are Pro Classic and Pronano Ceramic. If I remember correctly I have the Pronano Ceramic.

Never heard of that brand, prob. something new to the market.
I'd shop around, ask people who did theirs and are they happy with the job/product.
Stick to shops installing the mainstream films - SolarGard, Llumar, FormulaOne Pinnacle, or Huper Optik (the best & most expensive ceramic).

These 4 usually have a way to look up local, authorized installers - I'd start there.

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