Window tint worries!

[gizmo3x]

Hey all--

I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on window tinting. I saw a NB driving around town last week looking all nice and tinty and my jelousy is making me as green as my bug! The only thing is, I just got my 2006 and its my first new car I've ever had. I'm very worried about getting a bad tint job or messing up my precious bug in any way!! Plus, I live up in Maine where the darkest legal tint is 50%? Seems pretty light... is it even worth it?

Can anyone put my mind at ease? How should I go about finding a reputable tinter when I don't live in a metro type area? I also hear NBs are very hard to tint and I'm worried about the price! Any advice or tinting info would much appreaciated!!

[KittenPoker]

They ARE expensive! I was told by two places they're the hardest cars to do. I paid $219 last week when other cars like Camry's were quoted online at $130.

http://www.iwfa.com/ I got this link from TNT Tinting in Virginia Beach. Perhaps it'll help you find a reputable business in Maine.

[gizmo3x]

I'm gonna aim to keep it under 200 if I can, and if I get the guts to do it... Here's another silly question.. How long does tinting take? Is it something I would have to drop my car off for a day to get done? I don't like to be away from the girl for too long! LOL

And alas, no matches in my area Kitten. I think I'll prolly have to go drive around, find some local shops, and interrogate the workers and compare. The closest thing we have up here to a nation chain is a VIP, but for some reason I dont think they dont tinting!

[hestersu]

Generally, it will take a day to do tinting on a beetle. As my tint guy says, it's like trying to tint a basketball. Don't go for the lowest price - go for the shop that does the best job and a quality product. Look at Llumar tint - their premium version. Even at 50% tint, you are turning away the sun's harmful rays. I think my tint job was $250. I've done 4 bugs and each one has cost about that.

Just remember that you should not use your windows for up to 3 days to allow the tint to fully dry properly. No drive-thrus.

Do a search on tint on the org. There are many threads discussing the subject. Be sure and find out what the laws are for your state and stay within the legal limits. It would be an expensive ticket (price of the ticket plus the removal).

Good luck.

[from Margaritaville...]

Also be sure to ask if that hatch window will be done as one piece. The ones done in two pieces may show that seam over time (and it won't be pretty)...

[squeebug]

I got mine tinted for about $160 and it only took them close to 3 hours with a one piece back window and Llumar tint.

[KittenPoker]

I got lucky. TNT does tinting only and they have 8 service bays. JOe took Hermione down, got in early, and they were done in one hour. I'm pleased with the results.

Since we tinted the Accord in 2000, all our cars have had it done. It's freaking hot in VA so it's totally worth it.

[gizmo3x]

You guys mentioned the Llumar tint, which seems to be the popular one elsewhere on the boards... Whats the benifits of it over other brands? I'm guessing that its specially designed to keep out UV rays or something?

And if something goes wrong during tinting, like getting an airbubble or whatnot, are you stuck with it, or can you get it redone?

[Bugmonkey]

Check withthe dealer and see who they use. A VW dealer will use someone with experiance doing Beetle so you havea better chance of getting it done right.

[Phxcoop]

Hello,

So I am going to let you know my issues with tint. 1st have the dealer do it. Why? Because if they break something in your car, they will fix it. 2nd they do 100's so they know what they are doing. I went to an aftermarket store to do my tint. Big mistake, they not only scratched the inside of my car, but sent me a letter letting me know I am a bad customer? Ok, I did not know there was such a thing but ok. So we are still fighting. Needless to say, when I went to my dealer to have them look at the really bad tint job, the guy told me about how the back window why it looks so bad is because it is filled with dust. They just generally did not take the time to do it right. Also, it is fading already and I just got it done a few months ago and this is suppose to be on a tint that does not fade. So be carefull. I am in the process of getting my money back and having the tint be removed cause it is just so bad. I have taken every route but the small claims court. That is next on my list.

Good luck

[JuneBug_1776]

I live in West Virginia and the darkest we can legally go is 20%. With 5% being the illegal and darkest. I got 35% on my yellow Bug yesterday. The guy I always take it to says Beetle's are the hardest to do, but he does them because no one else around the area will. He charged me $140.00 and had it for about 1 1/2 hours. He's quick and cheap, but he does an awesome job. Make sure to ask whoever what warranties they have as well. If they say a life-time warranty, then go for it. If all else, if you don't like the tint, have it peeled off. The tint will look fuzzy for about a week, but you can usually roll down the windows within a day. It's easiest to insert the back glass in two sections. If you don't mind seeing a slight line for a few days. It does go away (or maybe you just get use to seeing it and start to ignore it). Either way, I think tinting is awesome because it makes your car look good and helps the interior from horrible sun rays. Good luck!

[AirbusMech]

Tinting is always worth it.
you should be able to get yours done between 160 to 200 easy.
Just my 2 cents but go with 3m film or courtalds film. the reason i suggest these two is i work with these products in different forms and see how durable they are.
the main purpose of tinting in reality is to reduce uv rays the side benefit is looking cool so just because you cant get as dark as you like you still can better protect your ride above and beyond what the factory uv protection is in your glass.

[AirbusMech]

Originally Posted by Phxcoop

Hello,

So I am going to let you know my issues with tint. 1st have the dealer do it. Why? Because if they break something in your car, they will fix it. 2nd they do 100's so they know what they are doing. I went to an aftermarket store to do my tint. Big mistake, they not only scratched the inside of my car, but sent me a letter letting me know I am a bad customer? Ok, I did not know there was such a thing but ok. So we are still fighting. Needless to say, when I went to my dealer to have them look at the really bad tint job, the guy told me about how the back window why it looks so bad is because it is filled with dust. They just generally did not take the time to do it right. Also, it is fading already and I just got it done a few months ago and this is suppose to be on a tint that does not fade. So be carefull. I am in the process of getting my money back and having the tint be removed cause it is just so bad. I have taken every route but the small claims court. That is next on my list.

Good luck

Yeah i know your pain. I went to a shop here and the guy botched the job to death. also he was not egar to make things right even though he said he would. every time i showed up to get the job redone he was too busy and so on. i finally just told him to F8&^ off and filed with bbb small claims is an option but i just dont have that kind of time to deal with it.
Live and learn. but i did find another shop that did a great job and didnt charge much different so now i am pleased.
My main problem is j just moved here recently and didnt know many people i could ask for their opinions on shops so i had to wing it.

[k8thegr8]

How rural are you? Are you willing to travel to the Portland area?

My bf is going to refer me to a guy down here who he says does a really good job. The guy will also give you paperwork authenticating the legality of the tint.

Do you want me to find out who it is and contact info, etc?

[cyberbeetle]

Got my car recently tinted with the top of the line "3M FX-HP" tint 20% Florida legal limit for
$150 wash and wax included I'm very happy with it.

[mel72349]

Check this site for good basic tinting info:

http://www.tintcenter.com/

[gizmo3x]

k8thegr8: Not really looking for a trip down to Portland, I'm up in Bangor so its almost a 3 hour drive, not quite worth the gas money this summer!

I did find three places that specialize in tinting around the area, but I think I might check the price at the dealership first like Phxcoop mentioned. I had no idea dealership would do stuff like that! I'm sure dealership prices are outragous, but we'll see..

[k8thegr8]

Originally Posted by gizmo3x

k8thegr8: Not really looking for a trip down to Portland, I'm up in Bangor so its almost a 3 hour drive, not quite worth the gas money this summer!

I did find three places that specialize in tinting around the area, but I think I might check the price at the dealership first like Phxcoop mentioned. I had no idea dealership would do stuff like that! I'm sure dealership prices are outragous, but we'll see..

Bangor is quite a haul from here. Good luck!

[gizmo3x]

Mmmmm.. tasty lifetime warrenty!

[llars]

Here is my experience with tinting my Beetle. I had the rear three windows done with 20%. The place I went to insisted the back window could not be done in one piece and that I would not see the seam.

There were some issues with the grid like area at the top of the rear window where the tint looked brownish like it didnt apply properly. They said this was because of the grid. It is not noticable from the outside.

Three years later the tint is turning purple where they did the split and the seam is very notcable. It still looks fine if you are looking at it from the outside, but the inside is another story. I intend to get the rear windo re-done in 20% and i want to do the front three windows too while I am at it.