After a good bit of research on the best tint for the money, today I ended up having a Yorba Linda tint shop do an all-around (except windshield) tint using 3M's CS tint, 35%. I briefly considered a (darker) 20% rear window, but thought otherwise. Didn't even consider having a (lighter) 50% on the front windows...I hate that uneven look. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

I considered using the Forum-recommended F1 Pinnacle (would have only been $25 more), but I lurked in tint shop chat rooms and discovered that this high-end 3M CS is very well regarded.

The tint is actually lighter than it appears in these photos...

 

did you have to remove the 3M logo w/ alcohol or did they do it for u?

 

Look good. Nice tinting job and perfect for SoCal. I have the Pinnacle 50% on all but windshield and couldn't be happier. The "clarity" is stunning. We do have a lot of sun here - about 330 days per year but the 50% just fits me.

 

you should have done it 5% all around, made your car boss looking
you should also tint your front windshield with 50% it will give your car an aggressive look, I did it and I promise you wont regret it

 

Nice tint job!

 

Tints look great! My next mod for sure....

 

They left the 3M logos (spaced unevenly on the film, a foot or so apart from each other) on the film, recommending that I remove them with a swab dipped in alcohol after a couple of days. Apparently some guys keep the logos on the film (?!), but if I'm not getting paid to endorse 3M...

 

haha yeah i removed them after a week. i missed one in the corner that i always see when i roll down the window. keep forgetting to remove it.

 

Um, okay, instead of 5% + 50% windshield, how about if I just skip those steps and move straight ahead to wearing an eye mask, dropping it into "DS," and listening for the screams from the first thing I hit? (You do know they can ticket any front window tint here in Cali, right?)

 

+1