rrrruBENZ///E55

Cheesy may have been the wrong word. Where white provides an exact complimentary contrast, and black a complete absorption, other colors need be blended precisely (or tastefully) to reach the correct balance. In the case of my color (brilliant silver), a lighter (which the factory blue achieves) as opposed to darker tint may be in order. I agree that other modifications (re: rbc55), if done correctly, complete, or bring together, the entire package.

rbc55

i didn't tint my car for a year after i purchased it,i felt it looked cleaner w/o tint; even with my dark charcoal centered hre's.but this florida heat is unbearable w/o tint and i'm a native floridian.i rarely drove the car before unless it was late in the afternoon or at night.now that i've tinted it it's much more enjoyable to drive and it actually blends well with the wheels,although i should have went with my initial decision to go lighter w/the tint but i second guessed myself and went darker.more comfortable but the tint is darker than the wheel centerpieces except at night ,oppposite to when there was no tint;looked better during the day.nevertheless,as usual i overanalyze eveything.

sdsilverm3

I disagree with white looking better tinted. You lose the "clean" look as rbc55 said. It's just something about the blue glass and a white car that compliments each other well. I had a white car in the past that was tinted. The razor blade was the window's best friend.

Florida heat sucks. I'm in Orlando for the next couple days and it feels like crap.

paulunm

What are you guys doing about the scratches (from lowering the windows) on the tint? MB is apparently the worst, I've had my tint for a month or so and I already have some scratches. My tinter said he can put felt on some of the parts inside the door to stop this from happening. Thoughts??

rbc55

no scratches as of yet,i believe they installed" moleskins" to eliminate this.

Minte

I'm glad this thread stayed alive.I hadn't considered the possibility of scratches.As long as a downside of tinting has been mentioned,how about cold weather? This is my daily driver and I live in Wisconsin.

vixapphire

do moleskins have the same prophylactic effect as "sheepskins"?

davidhung78

i heard some MBs have rubber window moldings whereas others have phelt (spelling?) or moleskin. the rubber moldings scratch the hell out of your tint. i guess the question is will the stealership swap out these rubber moldings for the phelt ones for free?

rbc55

i wouldn't count on it,the w211 may already have the felt;not sure though.

MiamiAMG

I've never not tinted any of my cars.

dragonAMG

What is the best tint currently available?

Bipasha493

huper optik?

dragonAMG

How do I go about finding a dealer?

MiamiAMG

Even though i like the look of tints, that's the main reason why i tint all my cars, it's too damn hot here.

Bipasha493

well thats the word on the boards....most people have them...i guess you can go to your local detail shop and ask them to order it for you. Im not to familiar about it so i couldnt give u more details, but im sure other members can tell you about them or do a search

blazinginder

Go the the huper Optik website and either you email them regarding authorized installers in your area or they have them listed once you enter a Zipcode. It will run you upwards of $400 to do a whole car (from what I've been quoted and have heard)

dragonAMG

Thank blazinginder! I have an appt next week. You were right on the dot.... $420 for the entire car.

blazinginder

Nice...what % are you getting?

dragonAMG

I want the 20% but they don't stock it. So I guess I'll be getting the 30%. I'm wondering if that is going to be too light?

newton22

30% is pretty light, at least for me. You can cup your hands and look inside in daylight easily.

blazinginder

...from what i know and have seen...30% isnt very light but I personally like 20% better...here are some links of cars i found with huper optik tints...

30% on red M3 http://www.bmwboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21376

30% on grey 545i http://forums.e60.net/lofiversion/index.php/t7951.html

35% tint on the bentley: http://www.theartoftint.com/BentleyFlyingSpur.html

My lexus with 20% 3M in back and 50% in front

dragonAMG

Thanks for gathering those pics! 30% doesn't look that light at all. Actually it looks darker than I thought it would be. What is considered limo tint? 5%?

Do you have Huber Optik on your lexus?

sean6543

I posted pics on the last page of my w210 w/ 20% rear and 35% front. If it will help anyone I can take other pics (high res) and email them to you.

blazinginder

Yeah limo tint is 4-5%...the lexus was tinted with 3M film, supposed to be a good brand like llumar, madico and others...but Huper Optik is by far the best...i just couldnt get my self to spend 400+ on tints...i actually got the 3M done for $240...but there were minor issues with tiny bubbles in places where it couldnt be seen unless you looked for it (which i did) and in the end i made the installer refund me $150...so basically got a "near-professional" tint job for $90...which is basically what the cost would have been if i tried tinting the windows myself...so im basically VERY happy with the job for the price i paid

davidhung78

This may help. http://www.formulaone.com/

formula one http://www.formulaone.com/ is one of the best films on the market, but again a bit expensive, still nothing compared to the optiks. i just had mine done in the classic 35 all around and it looks clean, classy, and very functional for $269.

I went to tint pros http://www.thetintpros.com in Huntington Beach if anyone is in the area i would highly recommend them. Now i just have to contemplate whether i need to replace the moldings to moleskins or not. ive heard the tint gets scratched really bad if you dont. I have an 03 and they are rubber(weak!) but the late models ive heard are moleskins.

and btw any of you who are weary of a tint making your car look cheesy, dont worry about it. as long as you get a good quality film and have a experienced shop do it and not go too dark, then you will not regret it. i was weary of tinting a silver car too, worried about the contrast, but my beast is brilliant silver and a 32-35% tint looks magnificent.

hope this helps..