Window Tints
 

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum and I was wondering if anyone knows a reliable place to get window tints near Pasadena, Ca? I just want it for the looks more than anything and I don't want the tints to turn purple after awhile. So any recommended places?

How much are you willing to pay?...If you want cheapest, theres a place in the San Gabriel Valley that everyone and their moms go to, probably ~$100 for the whole car with lifetime warranty, but have fun waiting in line. That price is probably for dyed though so expect it to turn purple.

Came across 3 types of tints.
Ceramic: no fade and won't mess with reception.
Metallic: Won't fade but will mess with gps/phones etc.
Dye: cheapest, may fade, won't mess with reception.
All tints should offer some form of UV protection...how much would be up to each brand.


Top 3 brands I did in my research were(whole car, no front wind shield):
1) 3M Crystalline, quote $600+
2) Llumar CTX(ceramic) ~$300
3) Suntek carbon, didn't bother for quotes as I was happy with Llumar quotes.

I went Llumar CTX30 and Air80 in the front windshield. Absolutely love the front tint. No more thigh/arm burns anymore on a hot day.

Only go lifetime warranty, and there are a lot of places that will come to you at no charge to install. I live in OC and the shop I went with drove from Fullerton to my office in Irvine to install, no extra charge.

Please go to California Tint.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/california-tint-rosemead

It's like $120 for all. I've gone here to get my cars tinted for years.

I'm looking to spend between $150-200. I talked to G5 tints he was talking about nano carbon and stuff. I was so clueless. I just don't want them to turn purple to be honest.

G5 is definitely on the higher end of the spectrum as that's where I got the 3M Crystalline quote. But their reviews are spectacular. You get what you pay for...the cheap one in the SGV, people line up at like 8AM Saturday. Never heard them turn purple, but with a $100 price tag...I can only assume they eventually do. My mom has them on her 2011 Corolla but it's only been about a year and a half since she's had them on.

I got my tint done at G5 (in Alhambra). Their work and customer service is fantastic!

I'd recommend not getting metallic tints (or dyed tints, obviously). I would have perfect service but couldn't use data on my old phone in my car. It was well worth the extra $100 or so to get non-metallic tints on my new car.

My whole family has gone to Black Diamond in Valencia, they are really cool people and charge around $200 for tinting, usually a flat rate. Don't know if it's ceramic or what, though, I've reached out to them to find out. My first BRZ had the tint done there, I'll be taking my current BRZ there soon.

I needs to get mine done too. Let me know what you decide on. Heck if there's a deal you can work out for 2 frs let me know. Otherwise I think California tint is my best bet. I went to Promax for my first tint on my civic.

+1 for them!

i've called around and got dozens of quotes for various types of tint, but at some point i had to pull the trigger...

ended up getting suntek cxp, 35% all around for $240/otd @ soundz good customs in norwalk... i'm satisfied

If you get metallic tint... which I believe Solargard is Metallic... it doesn't fade. But I think a full car of that costs like 270? However, Metallic tint disrupts AM signals...and not so much on FM, GPS, or Smart Key.

30 dollars more and you step up to Nanocarbon like 3M Colorstable and Suntek CXP. They reject more heat than dye film, have a nicer color, however METALLIC tint rejects more heat than them.

Since you're in the 150-200...Maybe you wanna do Johnson Marathon tint, they have a 10 year color fade warranty and a life time on bubbling. It's a dye+metallic, it rejects heat, looks good, but it will turn purple after 10 years.

I don't know if this car will be in your future in 10 years.. but I've used Marathon and I liked it. I went with 3M Crystalline because I could afford it LOL.

i have gotten multiple cars done at Steve's Tinting in Upland.
$350otd for Formula One Pinnacle series (Ceramic based film)
Steve the owner usually does the installs and he is very professional, not sure about customer service/warranty claims since i have NEVER had to claim it, but according to him you can go to any Pinnacle dealer in the US and he will fix if there are any discolorations.

btw you apparently need to be authorized by formula one to be able to sell/install pinnacle film

Good Luck with whatever you choose. remember you get what you pay for :thumbup:

If the shop carries pinnacle, they aren't allowed to carry other brands like 3M, Suntek, Marathon..etc. It's a license thing...The pinnacle is as good as the CTX line.

Yea I've only seen llumar there, I believe formula one is their subsidiary, they carry just levels of it.
Classic/comfort/pinnacle

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does anyone have personal experience with 3m crystalline vs huper optik?

I went to Tint Man in Walnut CA


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Yes I do.

They're both ceramic tints. Huper Optik is a german company and their film is really reflective compared to the other companys. Huper Optik is a MULTI-LAYER ceramic. Do not apply on an aggressive windshield, it will distort lights and causing you to see it on multiple levels.

3M Crystalline is the most advanced film on the market. However, it's best for light tint (such as 50%+) because the film is incredibly expensive and the last thing you want is a fix it ticket and to rip it off. The thing about this brand is that the darker you go, there will be a brownish hue to it. Only certified installers can sell you 3M films...not everyone can.

Dark level (Limo) of cheaper films (such as Llumar CTX) will be pretty much the same heat rejection of 3M Crystalline.

People usually compare this film to Pinnacle, however inorder to sell Pinnacle, you cannot carry any other brands. So it's a monopoly and most tint shops do not want to only carry Llumar products. 3M allows you to carry other brands.

+1 for G5 Tint :)