3 Questions: HK Sub, Huper, 3M Clear Bra

[karpman9]

Hello Friends,

Three questions:

I'm getting the Huper-Optik (Drei) Tint added to my car today on all five windows. I was/am concerned about privacy as my IS-300 had limo tint on all five (illegal but WAY cool looking). It was expensive ($649!!!) but I do live in Arizona where the avg temp these days is 108F or more (hotter inside the car). Any comments/experiences with the Huper Tint?

I'm also getting the 3M Clear Bra Film applied to my front end to protect it against flying debris. I drive about 80 highway miles daily (awesome for me & my Bimmer!) to work and home, and there is so much flying debris coming off the 18 wheelers with open trailers, and dump trucks going to construction sites that my front end on the IS-300 took way too many hits and suffered $$$$ in damages!
Any comments/experiences with the 3M Clear Bra?

One last question: I have the HK 12 speaker system. Is there a subwoofer with that system? I didn't see it. The spatial imaging of the system is top-notch, but I find the bass repsonse at higher volumes (with the bass pushed past 7/10) to be weak and strains the speakers. I never had this problem with my Lexus stereo. Am I missing the sub? Is it a special order? I do have an amplification button next to my DSC control button that does help, but not that much. I like bass (Chris Squire ROCKS!). What about aftermarket subs. Any comments would be most helpful and appreciated.

I'm still in love with my car and my love gets stronger each day! It's at the dealership today and I am sad. I miss it. I usually get to see it from my office window, but not today. Today I have the crappy rental from Hertz that my dealership uses for loaners.

Sorry for the long post. I appreciate the knowledge base that the group has and shares. I hope to be able to contribute answers instead of questions sometime very soon!

Cheers!

KarpMan9
2004 Jet Black 330i, Performance Package, HK 12, Xenon, Sirius, Leather, Moonroof, Auto Climate, Universal Transmitter, IPOD-link (soon)

 

[TLudwig]

Congratulations on the new car!

I've been doing a lot of research on clear bra and tinting, recently so I'll share the relevant parts of what I've learned.

As far as the Huper Optik tint is concerned, it is top notch in terms of quality. It is also the best you can buy as far as heat rejection, which is a must, living in Arizona (or in my case, Texas). The downside is that it is more expensive.

Clear bra is a very good idea, especially since you do a lot of highway driving. There are two main types of clear bra materials: 3M (X-pel, Stonegard, and others) and Llumar. When my car arrives in about a week, I'll be getting the Llumar done. It's a little more expensive, but it's a better product overall. 3M films were notorious for yellowing and not being as clear, but this problem has largely been resolved with the new film that 3M released in March or so. Even so, many professional tinters still feel that the Llumar is a bit more transparent.

The other consideration on clear bras is warranty. 3M products are guaranteed for anywhere from 3 years to the life of the car (depending on which company you go through), while Llumar is guaranteed for the life of the car. The 3M warranty, however, only covers the cost of the kit (not installation, in the event you have to have it removed and reinstalled), while Llumar covers everything.

I think the biggest thing to the clear bra is finding a good installer. Makes all the difference in the world. Whoever you go with, makes sure you see some of his work on other cars first.

Hope this helps.

 

[karpman9]

Thanks T! I'll let you know how it all came out!

 

[Tom]

One last question: I have the HK 12 speaker system. Is there a subwoofer with that system? I didn't see it. The spatial imaging of the system is top-notch, but I find the bass repsonse at higher volumes (with the bass pushed past 7/10) to be weak and strains the speakers. I never had this problem with my Lexus stereo. Am I missing the sub? Is it a special order? I do have an amplification button next to my DSC control button that does help, but not that much. I like bass (Chris Squire ROCKS!). What about aftermarket subs. Any comments would be most helpful and appreciated.

Yes there are two small 6" subs in the back. To be honest, if you are a true sound enthusiast, you will be unhappy with this system.

 

[karpman9]

Tom, You are DEAD-ON! I am unhappy with this system, 12 speakers, Sirius and all. I am in need of a good aftermarket subwoofer. I think that an good amplfied 10-12" subwoofer will fix the problem, at least I hope so. Any suggestions?

 

[codex57]

1) Huper Optik is great! I have Huper 30 and I love the stuff. That's an insanely high price though. I was quoted $375 for all 5 windows. Woulda been better to drive to SoCal to have it installed. I can't believe they charged you like double the normal price.

2) How far up does the clear bra go? I got a scratch on in the middle of my hood from a rock.

 

[Tom]

Tom, You are DEAD-ON! I am unhappy with this system, 12 speakers, Sirius and all. I am in need of a good aftermarket subwoofer. I think that an good amplfied 10-12" subwoofer will fix the problem, at least I hope so. Any suggestions?

I had two 12" RF subs in my old car and have been fairly happy. I was at an Audi meet not that long ago and a gentleman had 2 10" JL Audio subs in the back of his car. After hearing this, I'm definitely getting this for my next system since the bass is very clean compared to my old system.