[rjabend]

I looked up the reasoning behind the Florida window tinting law. It states that a key reason is to allow officers approaching a vehicle visibility to potential hazards such as someone in the back seat with a gun.

"Florida enacts these regulations to allow visibility into vehicles during traffic stops. When window tint is too dark, this presents a safety issue for Florida law enforcement officials."

I had not considered that aspect, and we don't want to make officers nervous!!

[manutod]

Originally Posted by BimmerBud

Thanks!

Is there a particular brand that is preferred for quality or performance over others?

I would also like to know if there's a brand that folks here prefer/recommend.

My go-to high-end detail shop only offers SunTek tint. And elsewhere I have got quotes for Llumar IRX for $650 and XPEL Prime XR for $800 - this is for front & rear side windows and rear windshield.

Thanks !

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by manutod

I would also like to know if there's a brand that folks here prefer/recommend.

My go-to high-end detail shop only offers SunTek tint. And elsewhere I have got quotes for Llumar IRX for $650 and XPEL Prime XR for $800 - this is for front & rear side windows and rear windshield.

Thanks !

This is a long thread, but I believe you can sort through numerous recommendations and find what you are looking for. Just a suggestion.

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by manutod

I would also like to know if there's a brand that folks here prefer/recommend.

My go-to high-end detail shop only offers SunTek tint. And elsewhere I have got quotes for Llumar IRX for $650 and XPEL Prime XR for $800 - this is for front & rear side windows and rear windshield.

Thanks !

Xpel right now is the top of the heap in terms of performance, specifically prime XR. prime XR plus seems to be alot more expensive for not much gain in terms of performance.

if you browse the tintdude forums, the pro installers generally dont like llumar unless they are llumar dealers.

I have prime XR on all my windows including pano minus windshield- 70% on all the factory tinted glass and 35 on the fronts.

[srbabu790]

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

Xpel right now is the top of the heap in terms of performance, specifically prime XR. prime XR plus seems to be alot more expensive for not much gain in terms of performance.

if you browse the tintdude forums, the pro installers generally dont like llumar unless they are llumar dealers.

I have prime XR on all my windows including pano minus windshield- 70% on all the factory tinted glass and 35 on the fronts.

Yes, XPEL is the best in my opinion also. I find it very effective in heat protection and the black color blends very well with the car. TintWorld (in DFW area) did it for me. They gave me good pricing compared with similar shops in my area.

[manutod]

Thank you both !

TintWorld here in Northern Virginia didn't respond to my inquiry for days. And they didn't list the product they use on their website.

[srbabu790]

Originally Posted by manutod

Thank you both !

TintWorld here in Northern Virginia didn't respond to my inquiry for days. And they didn't list the product they use on their website.

Here in the shop that I go their garage is always full, due to their quality work, that I can say. I had to take appointment.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by LeKayz

If you get ceramic tint i would also get front windshield like maybe 70% in front. I made the mistake on my audi on ceramic tint, i got all windows ceramic tinted except windshield. Now when its really hot i can feel the heat from only the front windshield lol. Likely when I time to do front as well.

I second this. Do all the glass. I did the sunroof in my 2021 X7, also. The fabric cover isn’t heavy enough to block any heat.

I’m my M550 I did skip the sunroof, as it is smaller and the cover is more substantial.

But definitely do the windshield. It makes a difference. I have Air 80 on the X7 windshield and 70% on the M550.

Both cars have 25% tint on all other windows.

[ksungj]

Originally Posted by PinkNinja400Guy

The dealer will contract it out to a tint shop, no need to have them as a middleman. Unless they're giving you a discount for some reason.

In Denver, I got Xpel Prime XR (non-Plus) on every single piece of glass for $1000 at a high quality shop. Prime XR Plus is a waste of money.

Do you mind sharing which shop in Denver you got this done?

[PinkNinja400Guy]

Originally Posted by ksungj

Do you mind sharing which shop in Denver you got this done?

Man Cave Detail. Stupid name but they did a great job and followed through when there was an issue (my fault, not theirs).

[Taktix1]

Well known local shop here uses Suntek exclusively. Any one have that and approve of it? See a lot of you all like XPEL but haven't found a shop that uses that yet in Northern VA.

[Taktix1]

Originally Posted by manutod

Thank you both !

TintWorld here in Northern Virginia didn't respond to my inquiry for days. And they didn't list the product they use on their website.

If you look on their website under Brands, it shows Suntek (and no XPEL).

[rjabend]

Originally Posted by Taktix1

If you look on their website under Brands, it shows Suntek (and no XPEL).

There are a lot of differing somewhat subjective opinions on which ceramic tint to use. It might be a good idea to ask your local shop(s) if you can look at a vehicle they have completed to see the result. That might help with your decision process. Just a thought.

[srbabu790]

Originally Posted by Taktix1

If you look on their website under Brands, it shows Suntek (and no XPEL).

My understanding is, that depends on the Franchise. The shop I went to sold XPEL product to me. They have certifications and training from XPEL. I wasn't interested in any products, so didn't enquire about those.

[manutod]

Originally Posted by Taktix1

Well known local shop here uses Suntek exclusively. Any one have that and approve of it? See a lot of you all like XPEL but haven't found a shop that uses that yet in Northern VA.

Patriot Auto Detail in Springfield uses XPEL.

[rezi68]

Originally Posted by PinkNinja400Guy

Man Cave Detail. Stupid name but they did a great job and followed through when there was an issue (my fault, not theirs).

Taking my X7 there next week for tint (Xpel Prime XR Black) and ceramic coat (System X). Solid ratings and the communication with the owner Mike has been great so far.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Taktix1

Well known local shop here uses Suntek exclusively. Any one have that and approve of it? See a lot of you all like XPEL but haven't found a shop that uses that yet in Northern VA.

I have Llumar Pinnacle on all my windows but the shop didn’t have 70 for my windshield. So I went to another one that uses SolarGard. It looks good and this is a high end shop that’s been in business for decades. They work on everything from a Chevy truck to Bentley and Ferrari, NBA players’ cars, etc.

Sorry - had to edit original post. I think Suntek is proprietary to Tint World. I think they’re too expensive but I’m sure they do a good job.

[p0p]

^I put Pinnacle as well on all my cars. Also not a fan of the chrome look of the new one.

I do 35% on all my cars, but wished I went 15 or 20 on the x7. Think they said the x7 was at 17%

In VA cops are not allowed to pull you over just for Tint now; if you're speeding it's a different story. Also probably why you see a lot of cars now with windshield tint.

If you want Pinnacle - La Tint carriers them, but highly suggest going to the Sterling location. Their shop is like spotless and the staff is awesome. I had my F30 done in Manassas and yes it came out nice, I just think they could have done a better job on the dot matrix and felt like they rushed it.

[thenew3]

I also have Formulaone/Llumar Pinnacle on all my cars for the past 14 years.

In CA, police can and do stop for tint. We're not supposed to have tint on front doors or windshield. They don't care how dark the back windows get.
I typically get 50% on the front doors so it doesn't look too dark, and 80% air blue on the windshield.
Before the X7, I always got 5% on sunroof, but with the X7 the 5% would block out the led lights in the roof, so I tested several shades with my installer and settled on 35% on the sunroof.

over 14 years in CA, I got stopped once for having 35% tint on front windows. After I changed to 50% on front, I haven't gotten stopped since.

My shop also installs FormulaOne/Llumar Stratos which when I tested it in the shop, didn't offer significantly more heat rejection than the Pinnacle. But it cost nearly 2x as much. So I decided to skip it.

My X7 was one of the "Lower end" cars they worked on. They've been around for decades in the bay area and work mostly on really high end exotic vehicles. (tints and ppf).

[manutod]

Originally Posted by p0p

^I put Pinnacle as well on all my cars. Also not a fan of the chrome look of the new one.

I do 35% on all my cars, but wished I went 15 or 20 on the x7. Think they said the x7 was at 17%

In VA cops are not allowed to pull you over just for Tint now; if you're speeding it's a different story. Also probably why you see a lot of cars now with windshield tint.

If you want Pinnacle - La Tint carriers them, but highly suggest going to the Sterling location. Their shop is like spotless and the staff is awesome. I had my F30 done in Manassas and yes it came out nice, I just think they could have done a better job on the dot matrix and felt like they rushed it.

I got Pinnacle from LA Tint Manassas store on my '08 E92 335i and had the same feeling that they could have done much better and never been there since.

My go to detail shop does SunTek tint but haven't heard much about it on this forum. I got quoted $650 for all side & rear windows for top of the line SunTek Evolve.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by manutod

I got Pinnacle from LA Tint Manassas store on my '08 E92 335i and had the same feeling that they could have done much better and never been there since.

My go to detail shop does SunTek tint but haven't heard much about it on this forum. I got quoted $650 for all side & rear windows for top of the line SunTek Evolve.

Not a bad price, if my memory is correct.

[Taktix1]

Originally Posted by manutod

I got Pinnacle from LA Tint Manassas store on my '08 E92 335i and had the same feeling that they could have done much better and never been there since.

My go to detail shop does SunTek tint but haven't heard much about it on this forum. I got quoted $650 for all side & rear windows for top of the line SunTek Evolve.

What shop?