'Street Legal' tint by BMW Australia

[SimonB]

ExpressoBoy, thanks for your comments. You are, of course, correct with your observations in #1, but with the temperature in Perth reaching the low 40's in summer, we need a good quality, effective tint. Being a little harder to see through at night is a side effect that's worth it in the long run.

DTNJNO, do you have Comfort Access?

[DTNJNQ]

Originally Posted by SimonB

ExpressoBoy, thanks for your comments. You are, of course, correct with your observations in #1, but with the temperature in Perth reaching the low 40's in summer, we need a good quality, effective tint. Being a little harder to see through at night is a side effect that's worth it in the long run.

DTNJNO, do you have Comfort Access?

No, I don't have comfort access. Rear window tint is non metallic

[amk2912]

I'm wondering if my CA issues are related to my tinting? Sometimes the door won't respond to touch. The most common problem I have is the car not starting as it doesn't detect the key fob. My tint is non-metallic though........

[Wraith]

Originally Posted by AussieRacer

You can apply a film to glass that makes it super strong. A lot of high risk bank branches will have the film applied. Meant to take min. of 8 sledge hammer blows to break through. Doesn't mean the glass won't break or is bulletproof, just makes it a lot harder to make a big hole quickly. But if the glass isn't held well in the frame it would do nothing.

mmm, that would be polyester based polymer film virtually identicle to that used in every cars windscreens 'middle sandwich layer' and also used in thicker proportions for bullet proof vehicle windows, shop fronts, security screens etc.

As far as I know no tint for normal domestic vehicles are of this grade/material unless it is specifically ordered and I doubt this is the tint BMW charge $895 for - IMHO it's just another way for them to rip and make as much money as possible from BMW vehicle buyers, as they assume prestige car buyers have alot more money than everybody else...

My advice would be to get the tinting done at your individual place of preference, most if not all offer a lifetime warranty against defects and directly associated problems arising from the tint or tinting job and a good high quality (eg: 3M film) tint job shouldn't cost more than $390 on your average to large sized car in any state !

Also to answer someones earlier remark, there is 'no need' to remove any interior trims these days - if you go to an experienced tinting workshop they skillfully work their way around the interior without having to remove any trims... :smile:

Also for those interested, a lighter tint or higher light transfer rate film will keep both you and car interior cooler because it will reflect both more light and heat !

Depending on the film type/metal content etc. same film of varying darkness or light transfer rate will reflect equal amounts of UV, but the lighter the film the more light/infra red heat it will reflect, the darker the film, the more light infra red heat it will absorb, making the cabin and you hotter !

I was explained and told this at my last tint install and TBH thought initially it was BS...

But to my surprise having taken that advice and had my vert tinted with a 50% light transfer rate film as opposed to legal limit of 30% which I have on one of my other cars, it is very noticeably cooler and less burn on my face when driving and comparing the 2 on the same day...

[stonecrusher]

SimonB, try to get it thrown in for free. I managed to convince AC to do it for me, mind you I got a bit carried away with the options.:biggrin:

BTW, got my production date in Oct, so hopefully here by end of the year. Been a long wait since the end of May!

[Alext]

That is correct...the darker the tint, the hotter your car.

[cozza]

35% is the darkest legal tint Australia wide. A good friend of mine manages The Tint Shop in Melbourne (sadly they don't do cars anymore), and he tells me that any reputable tinter will use film that's just as good, if not better, than the stuff BMW use. Any place you get tint done will offer a warranty, and most manufacturers of the film itself will offer a warranty - normally a lifetime warranty against cracking, splitting, etc. No way would I pay $600+ for something that should cost $300. BMW will always charge a premium.

[Zuzu]

My dealer told me that if i decided to tint after delivery that he would send me to there "tinters" for the vert..

TOTAL COST..$185...Thats there Price...

[Alext]

Funny they offer a lifetime warranty when 99% of people wont keep their car for a lifetime.

[amk2912]

Originally Posted by Alext

Funny they offer a lifetime warranty when 99% of people wont keep their car for a lifetime.

It's probably the lifetime of the tint (5 years)!!

[Alext]

Originally Posted by amk2912

It's probably the lifetime of the tint (5 years)!!

Haha you are probably right!

[SimonB]

Thanks Wraith, excellent post. I will check out my alternatives and probably find a reputable 3rd party OR try and get AC to throw it in. With my change of SA recently, I'm not having a good deal with all of the verbal promises I was made, so I don't have too many hopes on that front.

[Wraith]

Originally Posted by SimonB

Thanks Wraith, excellent post. I will check out my alternatives and probably find a reputable 3rd party OR try and get AC to throw it in. With my change of SA recently, I'm not having a good deal with all of the verbal promises I was made, so I don't have too many hopes on that front.

Your welcome :smile:

BTW legal limit may very well be 35% light transfer rate as stated by cozza, but you need to clarify this with individual tint installers and most will claim it's either 30% or 25%...25% is IMHO way too dark and looks crappy...

Also with regards to the lifetime waranty issue, it usually relates to the term of ownership of the car by the original owner who had the tint done...ie: if I get the tint and keep the car for the next 10 years, I'm warranted, but if I'd sold it 3 years down the track, the next owner is not warranted - that's what I've discovered in the 'small print' from some of my previous tint jobs.

Also modern tint film has a much longer lifespan than 5 years LOL - one of my cars has had the tint for nearly 10 years, it's daily driven and the tint is still perfect :wink:

2 or 3 decades ago when you could buy tint rolls from Kmart and do a DIY tint job yourself, then you'd be lucky to get 3 or 5 years out of that stuff, before it bubbled, faded, cracked or pealed LOL, but those days and that nasty tint material are long gone :smile:

[cozza]

Mine's 35%, in case you're interested:

[Wraith]

Looks perfect ^^^^ cozza :smile:

One of my cars which has 'a claimed by the tint installer' 30% looks pretty much the same as that on your car :smile:

The 50% I mentioned in previous posts also looks very nice, it makes the car look very classy being more subtle and you see more of the interior which works well if there's a beautiful leather one there to look at :smile:

I know it's only a small pic, but that's the 50% tint job on the car in my avatar.

[imported_Dodgy]

Got the "authorised" tint from BMW Melb. Was around $650.

Job looks good, but it's 6-8 years down the track when the tinting looks crap, so the "lifetime warranty" doesn't apply to most of us. Change cars every 3-5 years, most of us would. (Thanks Yoda!)

Main reason I went BMW was "warranty" against something else going wrong. Mainly with CA. Whilst I don't really believe tinting affects CA's function, enough has been posted claiming CA problems after tinting, that I treated the extra $200-300 i paid compared to non-BMW installation as a type of insurance.

Everyone knows that you are not getting a "good deal" from the BM dealer, but hopefully the extra paid carries with it some ammo to use should things go poorly. The tint shop loses a customer. They blow a few hundred dollars over the lifetime of an individual. BMW dealerships risk blowing tens of thousands of dollars over a life time. Hopefully that counts for something.

You can always find a bargain. BUT.

You ALWAYS get what you pay for. AND.

Only skimp on that you ultimately feel is unimportant. You wouldn't save a buck on your kids health, for example. What you are prepared to pay should be proportional to how important the thing is to you, not someone else.

[Alext]

Having spoken to several externally sourced people that do work for car dealers (prestige and non-prestige) they stated they always make sure they maintain their standards to the highest degree when doing dealer work...basically for the reason
Dodgy mentoned above. Indeed, from my experience I have found a car that comes tinted from the dealership will have a better quality finish than one done outside. Same goes with chip repair, rim scuffs etc.

[2bob]

Agree-its also easier if problems arise you have dealer backing

[DTNJNQ]

Originally Posted by Alext

Having spoken to several externally sourced people that do work for car dealers (prestige and non-prestige) they stated they always make sure they maintain their standards to the highest degree when doing dealer work...basically for the reason
Dodgy mentoned above. Indeed, from my experience I have found a car that comes tinted from the dealership will have a better quality finish than one done outside. Same goes with chip repair, rim scuffs etc.

Why would the quality be better when they do the work for the dealer? I got mine tinted at tint a car and the job is as good as any job they would do for the dealer. They also had cars their that they were doing for dealers. The tint is exactly what the dealer would do as they outsource it. the only difference is that you don't pay the additional 100%+ over inflated price the dealer charges. Tinting at the dealer is just a rip off like the paint protection they sell.

Also since I have the relationship with the tinter it is going to be easier to get any defects fixed instead of going through a middle man.

[2bob]

You would be mad to use a dealer if you relationships with tinters

[BMWDave]

Originally Posted by DTNJNQ

The tint is exactly what the dealer would do as they outsource it. the only difference is that you don't pay the additional 100%+ over inflated price the dealer charges.

That's not quite true. I know from experience that the tint SimonB is talking about "Street Legal", which is exclusive to dealers, is an entirely different tint to "Midnight Express" or any of the other darkest legal tints which are available publicly.

[DTNJNQ]

Originally Posted by BMWDave

That's not quite true. I know from experience that the tint SimonB is talking about "Street Legal", which is exclusive to dealers, is an entirely different tint to "Midnight Express" or any of the other darkest legal tints which are available publicly.

BMWDave - I had the choice of tints, some more expensive however, the manager at Tint a Car suggested the midnight express as in his opinion some of the dearer ones he sold were not good value for money and alot of marketing hype. One of those was the Bolle tint.