s2s e60

I'm looking for a good place to get my windows tinted in the Los Angels / San Fernando Valley area, preferably Glendale or Burbank. Does anyone know of a good place in the area that uses either Huber Optik, 3M ScotchTint, or any other non metallic film? Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I want to get 5% tint on my 525i this weekend if possible.

JDN

Can't help in that locale, but 5% seems pretty light. 30% is the legal standard for most states, but CA may be different. Good luck in finding a good installer. There is a difference in skill levels.

s2s e60

JDN:
I was told 5% was limo tint.
Unfortunately I know all too well about the difference in skill level for installers. I recently had a horrible installation undone which is why I'm looking for a new place.

Jimbo

imho, limo tint is too dark. I saw 20% all around and on the front doors is too dark.

I saw 28% on the rear and 40% on the front. That looked very classy.

my .02.

JDN

Maybe I have this percentage backwards. I thought that 30% would be darker than 5%. Based on replies, I was wrong.

CRRobert

I think that the % are for Visible Light Transmission. I.E. a 30% tint will allow 30 % of the light to pass through, where as a 5 % tint will allow only 5 % of the light to pass through, therefore darker. Depends upon the State as to the limit of tint.

Check here, there is a link for the various US State laws regarding tint percentage.

s2s e60, fyi the CA law according to the web site allows the limo tint on the back sides, but your front windows can only be 70%.

JDN

Thanks. I checked mine again and actually allows 34% light transmission with 61% heat rejection. Since I have the Ceramic 30, I thought it was 30%, however the Huper Optic site table shows it to be 34% Texas allows 35% front. Huper Optik site table

alohalc

s2s e60, expect to pay a little more for tinting our e60s cuz it's quite complicated compare to other cars. i've read a post either from this forum or bmw-forums.com, one guy took his e60 to tint and it ended up a nightmare. inexperienced shops don't know there are so many wires around the windows and after the tinting is done, there were some electrical problems. when the guy took the car back to bmw, they found most of the wires are wet. and needless to say, repairs will not be covered by warranty. he got to go back to the tinting shop. so i think it's better to ask the shops if they've done any e60s before you go down there. good luck .

s2s e60

thanks all for your input. unfortunately, I haven't been able to find another place in Los Angeles that uses the tints I've been looking at.

Jimbo: I thought about doing a lighter tint (being that my e60 is black sapphire metallic), but I went ahead and had it done limo in the back and 25% in the front since my previous cars had been tinted in that conbination. I was pleased with the look but disappointed in the installation. there were small air/dust bubbles everywhere. I went back to the shop and the installer opted to remove the film and issue a refund rather than fix it. I'm still pleased with the way it looked, however, so I think I'm going with the same combination. I'll post pictures when it's done.

CRRobert: 70% for the front window's is the legal limit? that's almost like no tint at all! as I mentioned before, I've had darker tint than that on my previous vehicles and haven't gotten a ticket yet (knock on wood)... I hope to keep that streak alive!

alohalc: I've never heard of window tinting causing damage to the electrical systems! do you recall what was affected by those wet wires? luckily I didn't have any problems with my last tint, I'll keep your advice in mind when I pick a new shop. thanks!

CRRobert

s2s e60,

Maybe that was an old law, I don't know, but would agree that that would be too light. I have seen quite a few dark tints since I have been out here in CA for a few months, so I guess it may be different, or don't enforce it. Might just be that if they pull you over for other reason, something to add on, but not worth stopping just for the window tint. If you do get stopped, guess you could just roll down the front windows, and they won't know.

Looking forward to the photos.