window tint installer in North Carolina

[bkochuk]

realize it's a long shot, but can anyone recommend a top-notch window tint installer in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina?

wanna cut down the heat in my 1-series before summer gets here.

thanks in advance,

[Mutilator]

Tinted Atmospheres in Cary. I just had David tint my car a couple weeks ago. 35% Llumar (ATX?) on the sides/back and AIR-80 on the front. The front tint is clear ceramic and cuts down on the heat coming through the windshield more than the metallic tint on the sides/back is capable of. Very noticeable difference in heat - I'd say easily 50F+ cooler when the car is sitting in the sun in a parking lot. I've been driving around today with the AC on but on 1 bar instead of the normal auto (4-5 bars) because it doesn't have to work as hard when the car is already relatively cool when you get in it. Not bad for a humid 85 degree day. They have a heat lamp in the shop so you can feel the difference in heat reduction from the various tint types.

FYI his brother Jordan owns Import Motor Werks across the street but I didn't get a chance to go by and visit them yet. I know some other people on the board have though.

[bkochuk]

thanks. blackforestindustries in Cary (I used to own an S4) also recommended them, so I'll give them a call. how was pricing/install?

when you say front tint, the front windshield? how much is covered?

[Mutilator]

I don't have the receipt in front of me but I want to say including the windshield was $340ish. Being ceramic the windshield is a more expensive film - it covers the whole windshield and is legal, that's why I went with the 80% front/35% sides & rear. They also have 50% front and darker for the sides & rear if you want to go that route. Without the front I want to say it would have been about $220. Obviously type of tint and darkness probably makes the price vary somewhat.

I'm sure they'll give you a more accurate price over the phone though - I actually just showed up 1 day after I had a service call down the street from them and talked with Jeremy for about 30 minutes while David was out on another job. A couple hours later they called me back and had me back at the shop that afternoon. Can't beat same day service when you've got a busy schedule like mine.

Install took probably 2 hours or so and I was actually out in the shop watching and talking with them the whole time. (I asked first, they didn't mind - just don't try to be like some people and "help" ) They say to come back after a week so they can touch things up but I didn't get a chance to due to work... and honestly there wasn't anything to touch-up anyway. No bubbles, no ripples, nothing. Some of the other guys at work commented that it looked better right after it was tinted then their cars did several days later after their film started to cure.

It took me 2.5 years to get my car tinted, and I've never had a car with tinted windows but I can assure you the rest of my cars will be getting tint put on much sooner. The car not only looks better but it also is much more comfortable to get into on those hot sunny days that it looks like we're going to have quite a few of this year. It's nice not grabbing hold of an insanely hot steering wheel at the end of the day.

[bkochuk]

thanks for all your help. I'll give them a call.

[bkochuk]

oh, one more question: how did they handle the black matrix dots on the window? did they cut around them or tint over them??

[Mutilator]

That's one of the things I did ask about... they tint over them. They could cut the film to be just inside if you wanted them to but IMO it looks fine because it's an even border where it doesn't quite stick. If you look at any tint threads on here you'll see what I mean - it's most noticeable on the small rear side windows where there is a 1/2" border or so around the edge of the window that is lighter than the rest. The front doors don't matter because the dots line up with the black weatherstripping behind them. And I haven't looked at the rear window enough to notice.

Here is a recent thread about tint that shows what I'm explaining perfectly - look at f1rst 1's pic. Obviously my tint isn't quite that dark but you can see the border in question.

[bkochuk]

yeah, I talked to them and they said it was less of a "problem" with BMWs because the dots are not as pronounced.

I'll send a pic when I get it done!

[thez99]

Originally Posted by Mutilator

I don't have the receipt in front of me but I want to say including the windshield was $340ish. Being ceramic the windshield is a more expensive film - it covers the whole windshield and is legal, that's why I went with the 80% front/35% sides & rear. They also have 50% front and darker for the sides & rear if you want to go that route. Without the front I want to say it would have been about $220. Obviously type of tint and darkness probably makes the price vary somewhat.

I'm sure they'll give you a more accurate price over the phone though - I actually just showed up 1 day after I had a service call down the street from them and talked with Jeremy for about 30 minutes while David was out on another job. A couple hours later they called me back and had me back at the shop that afternoon. Can't beat same day service when you've got a busy schedule like mine.

Install took probably 2 hours or so and I was actually out in the shop watching and talking with them the whole time. (I asked first, they didn't mind - just don't try to be like some people and "help" ) They say to come back after a week so they can touch things up but I didn't get a chance to due to work... and honestly there wasn't anything to touch-up anyway. No bubbles, no ripples, nothing. Some of the other guys at work commented that it looked better right after it was tinted then their cars did several days later after their film started to cure.

It took me 2.5 years to get my car tinted, and I've never had a car with tinted windows but I can assure you the rest of my cars will be getting tint put on much sooner. The car not only looks better but it also is much more comfortable to get into on those hot sunny days that it looks like we're going to have quite a few of this year. It's nice not grabbing hold of an insanely hot steering wheel at the end of the day.

Pics?

[Mutilator]

Actually I do have a couple crappy cell phone pics... here's one of em to give you an idea. Glad these forums let you upload pics directly.

[thez99]

What area are u in..

Mut, does the 80% ceramic windshield tint really make that much of a difference over nothing? Also, how much darker is it then with no tint on the windshield, or is it just a completely clear heat blocking tint?

[thez99]

Also can you snap a more close up pic of ur side windows, almost looks like theres a small strip near the weather stripping that isnt tinted..

[bkochuk]

ok, just had my 135 done at Tinted Atmospheres this evening. 50% ceramic (I'm a subtle guy) and the AIR-80 on the front. first impressions are quite good. I'll post some pics in a day or so. it was almost dark by the time I left.

they were easy to work with and accommodating on schedule.

Mut--your car looks awesome. love a white bmw!

[thez99]

Haha, I was talking thru email with one of their people, they said they had an 09 135 in tonight for tint, guess that was you

Wish I had the funds for this right now, just not a necessity so i gotta wait a lil bit.

[bkochuk]

and I couldn't get a good side angle in our parking lot, but here's how the 50% looks with Air 80 front.

[thez99]

How much darker than stock would you say the windshield is with that film? Also ur opinions on stock/tint darkness for the rest of the car as well

P.S. How difficult was it for them to do the back window from the inside? And did they mess with ur rearview mirrors n shit when doing ur windshield? What can i say, im ocd =D

[bkochuk]

the film I chose is 50% light transmission. it feels--basically--twice as dark. don't really care for the totally blacked out look as it everyone does it. the 35% was tempting, but I've had it before and wanted to try something new. they had the 20%, too, and it was BLACK. also, not legal in NC. don't need one more reason to pique the cops' interest...

really, I just wanted to knock down the summer heat. this car gets HOT in the summer.

your car has the black wheels, so it might look good to go darker.

I also have a fairly light gray interior, which probably makes my tint look even lighter.

yes, they took off the rearview and stuff. I try not to watch--just makes me nervous. but overall they did a great job!

I'll try and post a side shot after the rain...

[thez99]

Originally Posted by bkochuk

the film I chose is 50% light transmission. it feels--basically--twice as dark. don't really care for the totally blacked out look as it everyone does it. the 35% was tempting, but I've had it before and wanted to try something new. they had the 20%, too, and it was BLACK. also, not legal in NC. don't need one more reason to pique the cops' interest...

really, I just wanted to knock down the summer heat. this car gets HOT in the summer.

your car has the black wheels, so it might look good to go darker.

I also have a fairly light gray interior, which probably makes my tint look even lighter.

yes, they took off the rearview and stuff. I try not to watch--just makes me nervous. but overall they did a great job!

I'll try and post a side shot after the rain...

Eek..did they mess with ur wheel position and everything else too? Im super OCD about basically all the "positioned" stuff from the drivers seat, luckily the seat has the memory, but the wheel doesnt, and its just a pain in the ass to re-do the mirrors.

I dont have black wheels, never will, but may do silver or satin bronze when I do get my summer wheels (soon). I will likely go with either 35%-45%, do they have a wide selection or is it just 20-35-50-75, etc. ?

[bkochuk]

what kind of wheels did I see in your garage?

and yes, they'll mess with everything. seat, mirrors, wheel, etc. and all sorts of goop will drip on the outside of your car, too, but it didn't seem to bother it. I rinsed it off the next day, and then it rained this morning...

[thez99]

Originally Posted by bkochuk

what kind of wheels did I see in your garage?

and yes, they'll mess with everything. seat, mirrors, wheel, etc. and all sorts of goop will drip on the outside of your car, too, but it didn't seem to bother it. I rinsed it off the next day, and then it rained this morning...

goop??

Did they atleast put everything back the way it was??

Why was there shit on the OUTSIDE of the car..if the tint is done on the INSIDE

And the wheels in my garage were my old 18" satin bronze vmr's, not black, theyre a darker metallic bronze powdercoat from PYSpeed, very nice color for a wheel with my deep sea blue, may have whatever rim i get for summer now powdercoated in that color, not sure.

[Mutilator]

In my case they removed the rear view mirror and the rear headrests and obviously moved the seats fwd/back but didn't mess with the steering wheel or anything else.

They actually put the tint on the outside of the windows while wet to trim it to size, then move it over to the inside 1 by 1.

The goop he's probably referring to is water in spray bottles that may have some sort of soap in em for lubrication (picture what you use when you're claying a car). In my case it was a rainy day so I didn't care cause it was all gonna be washed off as soon as we pulled the car out anyway. Inside was cleaned up/wiped down when they finished up.

[thez99]

Originally Posted by Mutilator

In my case they removed the rear view mirror and the rear headrests and obviously moved the seats fwd/back but didn't mess with the steering wheel or anything else.

They actually put the tint on the outside of the windows while wet to trim it to size, then move it over to the inside 1 by 1.

The goop he's probably referring to is water in spray bottles that may have some sort of soap in em for lubrication (picture what you use when you're claying a car). In my case it was a rainy day so I didn't care cause it was all gonna be washed off as soon as we pulled the car out anyway. Inside was cleaned up/wiped down when they finished up.

Interesting..wouldnt the size measured from the edges of the windows on the outside be a little different from the inside edges? I dunno.

As far as them messing with stuff, all I really care bout is the steering wheel, the seats have memory and the mirror is no biggy but moving the wheel would mess me up. I.e. im the kinda guy that over the period of the first 3 weeks of having a new car spends loads of time messing with seat position and wheel position, etc. till its perfect. And even then i still occasionally change it.