SW20S

Never said it was a film, its an inherent property of the glass.Its still tinted though, and it still impacts the overall VLT once the windows are tinted. The rear windows on the GLE are tinted inherently in the glass and not in a film...its the same thing they are just darker.

What does the stamp on your window say? Does it say what mine says about the 70% VLT? Its possible the windows on the GLE are not the same factory tint as the S Class.

You also need to know what your tint's actual VLT is, its not always exactly the same as what is advertised. For instance I just installed SunTek 40% but the actual VLT of that film is 44%, so 44% X 70% = 30.8 VLT, which is what mine should read from a tint meter.

Your point doesn't make any sense. Whether the tint is a film or if its within the glass itself, its still a tint that has a VLT and that VLT goes into the overall VLT of that glass once its tinted.

None of this matters as long as you aren't concerned about meeting a legal threshold.

Benzman33

It NOT tint. OP is concerned about matching the front windows to the back. He asked if they came tinted like the photo OP provided from the factory. They DON'T...

SW20S

If the front tint is like the windows in my S Class, they are tinted from the factory yes, just not tinted as dark as the rear windows.

A window does not have to be tinted with a film to be tinted. Any window that isn't clear with 100% VLT is tinted.

Benzman33

The back is considered Privacy glass. You're confusing OP...

Hammer212

Grateful for the exchange. “Illuminating,” pardon the pun. My take aways:

1. Any first-row tint approaching factory second-row tint has been applied aftermarket. Can’t come from the factory that way.

2. Factory acoustic glass is a laminated sandwich. No risk applying or removing tinting film to/from it.

3. Lighter interiors, pano roofs, and windshields have understandable effects on tinting perceived from the exterior, differences from front to back, etc.

4. Essential is working with a high-quality service provider to do the work who, if they’re work worth their salt, will be able to figure how to properly stack factory and aftermarket tint densities to achieve the desired result.

5. That includes selecting a film product with the correct color/tone.

6. Choosing to comply, or not, with state tinting laws is a personal decision/risk.

When I get closer to having the work done, I'll work on getting smarter as to product options, e.g. ceramic vs something else.

Meantime, thank you!

graffixnyc

I went with ceramic. This page goes over the differences between ceramic and carbon.

https://thetintguy.com/carbon-vs-ceramic-tints/

Benzman33

I went with Ceramic as well. Ceramic is the "newest and greatest". It's also super super clear.

SW20S

And privacy glass is tinted, that’s what makes it private lol

This exchange is ridiculous. He’s not confused. The original front glass is lightly tinted, and that tint has to be taken into account when you have a specific percentage of overall tint you want to achieve. That’s all.

SW20S

Just to clarify (ha!) this is true of ALL factory glass, whether it’s acoustic laminated or not. No car is tinted with film at the factory. Any factory tint whether it’s the darker rear glass or the lighter front glass does not have film from the factory, it’s tinted within the glass so you can apply or remove tint film as you see fit.

in fact the dark rear windows have no more heat rejection than the light front windows. You can tint the darker windows with a clear or very high VLT film (like 70 or 80%) and get the heat rejection of ceramic tint without darkening them.

I would get ceramic tint for sure.

Benzman33

OMG it's not lightly tinted. This is mind boggling...

wildta

The most important thing is that you ask your tint shop to meter the glass before, and then cut small samples of the tint and place them on the glass and meter it again... but also as a way to make sure you are happy with it visually from the inside and outside (preferably outdoors in daylight).

Also reading thru this Tesla reddit post can be very informative for someone who isn't aware of all the brands and quality levels within each brand.

SW20S

Yes…it is. Just do some research. Read the link I sent you.