Good tinting places in the Philly area?

[ibcnunhell]

Anybody know of any good tinting places around Philly? What's a good price for a quality tint?

I did a search on the tinting laws here in PA and it is vague at best. It says it says it is illegal to have tint that prevents you from seeing the inside of the car. The law does not state a specific number when the tint is illegal. Anybody have tint in PA and have trouble with the cops? What percentage did you get?

Thanks in advance.

 

[MrElussive]

In PA you're not allowed to tint your windshield at all and all side windows can only be tinted to 70%. That is really conservative but one thing I've heard about PA which is really great, is that DMV of PA is not allowed to fail your car during inspection just for tinted windows. So it's really only cops that you have to worry about.

 

[ibcnunhell]

70% is like having no tint at all. Do you think it's worth it to go darker, say 35%, and have to worry about the cops or just don't bother at all?

 

[MrElussive]

Oh yeah, that was my point. I was just telling you the laws, you should definitely get your windows tinted, and much darker than 70%. I don't think any tint places HAVE 70% tint available.
I think you should definitely get whatever tint level you want, such as 35%. Unless you're a teenager, the cops shouldn't give you any trouble.

 

[ibcnunhell]

Oh yeah, that was my point. I was just telling you the laws, you should definitely get your windows tinted, and much darker than 70%. I don't think any tint places HAVE 70% tint available.
I think you should definitely get whatever tint level you want, such as 35%. Unless you're a teenager, the cops shouldn't give you any trouble.

Thanks MrE, I see you live in NJ, where did you get your tint from, any place near philly? How much should I be expecting to pay?

 

[theBMWenthusiast]

I think you should definitely get whatever tint level you want, such as 35%. Unless you're a teenager, the cops shouldn't give you any trouble.

im screwed then!!!! [joke]

 

[codex57]

I don't think any tint places HAVE 70% tint available.

V-Kool. It does exist. It's on my car. But yeah, it doesn't look like anything is there at all. I use it for heat rejection, not privacy.

 

[pierce8468]

I am a tinter, and I can answer all of your questions with certainty. Those of you who said the law is 70% are correct, that is all you are allowed to have by law. Your car actualy has a 74% percent tint on it from the factory, so even if you put a 70% on it, it would actualy still be illegal! Although no cop would ever even notice that is is on the car.

Now depending on where you live highly depends on your chances of bieng pulled over for illegal film. For example cops here in Philadelphia, have a lot more important things to worry about then tinted windows. Where as a cop in fort washington does not have much to do, so an illegal tint stop may be the highlight of his day.

As far as the price you should expect to pay, well that all depends on what year, make and model car you have. Now don't assume that we charge based on the higher price the car, the higher the tint price is. We base our prices on the difficulty of the car, and the amount of time it takes to do it.

If you have any further questions please feel free to ask!

 

[webejammin]

Do you have tint that you can't see but keeps the heat out?

 

[pierce8468]

Your thinking about ceramic film! You can get a 70% ceramic film that will barely be visible on the car, but keep out a lot of heat. That type of film by no means is inexpensive! I carry this type of film in stock, but to be honest I wouldnt use it. unless you truly don't want to have any type of film apperance on your vehicle at all, but want heat rejection.

The reason I say this is, is that heat comes from more then just your windows. The whole vehicle is just one huge heat conductor. So the film although it will help while your driving, it will still get very hot in your car while parked. Also as far as helping while your driving, it is not realy going to be a noticable difference, between the ceramic, and the metalized film, or even a dyed film. Ceramic film is best used on commercial, and residential applications!

Another problem most customers are not aware of, is the fading truths. 40% comes from uv, well any film blocks 99.8% uv, 25% comes from heat, 25% comes from glare, and 10% comes from misc, such as interior lighting and so on. Now with that bieng said, You need to block heat and glare to truly gain fading protection. Your not going to get any glare reduction with a nearly clrear film.


There are a lot of variables involved in choosing the right film for the right car. Such as nav or not, how much privacy is bieng sought, how long do you plan on keeping the car, and so on and so on. Give me some more info on you, and I can help you choose the best film type, and shade for your needs

 

[Big Daddy]

Try Huper Optic Window Tint, it is ceramic tint but very high quality.

http://www.huperoptikusa.com/products_ceramic.cfm

 

[pierce8468]

Try Huper Optic Window Tint, it is ceramic tint but very high quality.

http://www.huperoptikusa.com/products_ceramic.cfm

All of the ceramic lines are equal in quality! Huper optik held the patten on it for a while, making it the the better known brand, but in all reality it is no better then Madicos, Lumars, Johnsons. They all have the same heat reduction as Huper Optiks, the only difference is the cost! Huper optik is going to cost you more to have thier film installed then the other brands!

Here is the bottom line about window film. They are all basicly equal to one another. By that I mean all hp, lifetime warranty films are all about the same as far as quality goes, all dyed films are the same, and all ceramic films are the same. Almost every manufacturer buys the raw material from the same place. The raw material bieng the poly propelian plastic that is is constructed from. The technology to make the different types ofcoatings placed on that plastic, has been so well researched by the other companys that it is all the same. lets use a hp line for example, your not going to get a better film because you used madico, or lumar then if you used suntek! They all have the lifetime warranty, they all stop the same amount of heat, and they all stop the same amount of uv. Same with dyed, same with ceramic, same with full meatal, same with dyed lifetime warranty. You may have a lumar dealer tell you thier film is the best, or a johnsons dealer tell you thier film is the best, it is all bullshit they are all the same. Sure we have our off brands like Gila that you can buy in Pep Boys, but of the major players in the game, it is all the same. The only real difference is not in the film, it is in who is installing it, and how good they are!

 

[Big Daddy]

Not sure I agree but you are welcome to your opinion. I have never heard a complaint about Huper Optic, not one and I know dozens of people who have used them. I have heard complaints about others and seen what they are complaining about. Sure the installer makes a difference, so I guess all the Huper Optic installers are more profesional? Saying they are equal in quality is like saying everyone who makes water pumps makes equal quality pumps.

 

[pierce8468]

I am not giving my opinion, but am rather giving you the facts from a professional tinter, who has used huper optik and has used the other lines. With out knowing what these complaints are, I cant begin to explain what the problem could be, but I can say however that the film may not infact be a ceramic film! There was a guy over in jersey, who lost his huper acct because he was selling huper, but installing lumar film, and he was a very large company, with a lot of credibility so you never know.

As far as them bieng equal in quality, I will explain it to you as best I can how they are equal. Huper optik is a Geman based company who actualy made the tiles for the space shuttles. They took that technology and used it for window tint. Because they basicly invented the technology to make this type of film, they hel a patten on it for 7 years. Now the whole time they hold this patten, the scientist from the other major companys are studying this film and its composition. Allowing them planty of time to recreate what huper optik has mastered. It is just like a reciepe for pasta sauce. Joe scmoe can make the best sauce in the world, but if you get his receipe, now your sauce can be just as good as his. This is exactly what they have done, but they have even made it slightly better in a sence. Huper optik uses a cda adhesive system, wich is a dry adhesive used for flat glass work. The other brands use a ps adhesive, wich is a pressure sensitive adhesive that is used on automotive applications. Now the cda will not last as long as a ps adhesive system, meaning the adhesive will fail sooner. Now in all reality the type of customer who spends the money for ceramic film, is not going to own thier car long enough for that to happen, so it is really a mute point! Not untill you get into the Drei or Sech lines does huper prevail over the other ceramic lines, but to be honest it is over kill for an automotive. An average price for a huper ceramic install is around $550 Sech and Drei around $1100+. Not a justified expense, unless your entire vehicle is made of glass. I can buy a 90 ton ac unit for my house, but will it make my house cooler? Of course not once my thermostat hits 70 it is going to shut off.


Now you have every right to make the film choice you want, but I can tell you from my professional experience that huper is just over priced. It is yes a very good film, but over priced. If I am shopping tvs a sony will cost me x amount more then a JVC, but it will not be a better tv. The name recognition sells the product for more, because at one time sony was the best. Same thing with film! I actualy stopped using Huper when the new lines came out. Because the other brands where less money, and I can charge my customers less money for a product that is just as good!

 

[Big Daddy]

Sorry I disagree, your examples are flawed as well. Fact is one thing your opinion is another, I am sure you do not know exactly how Huber or others make their tint. I was a police officer and legal advisor for over 22 years, however when asked my opinion on things concerning the law you would get what I considered fact and if you asked another attorney you may get an entirely different answer, yet we were both "professionals" in our fields.

Your example of "pasta sauce" is flawed, too many variables to duplicate exactly and if it was that easy why do we have thousands of past sauces on the market, who's still buying the inferior products?

You than say that customers who buy ceramic is not going to own their car long enough... I have a 98 M roadster, going on ten years now, and had a 318is that I owned and was tinted with Huber Optic tint for over 9 years with no problems. What is long enough?

No the 90 ton ac won't make your house cooler than 70 if the thermostat is set at 70, lower it to 60 and it will and it will do it a lot faster than a 5 ton unit.

I have checked ratings sites for TV's and Sony is rated top for 1080 LCD quality and picture, Are you trying to say all TV's are the same? Maybe instead of an M3 a prospective buyer should go ahead and buy a G35, because the G35 is just as good and less money...It comes down to preference and opnion again. In a lot of things I believe you get what you pay for.

 

[pierce8468]

Well for one your reading to far into my examples, such as my tv example! let me be more specific If you compare a Sony trinitron ( not wega trinitron, just trinitron) and a JVC Iart you will see that they are equaly as good as the other, but you will pay more for the sony because of the name. I am truly surprised that you would argue the well know fact about paying a higher price for name recognition!

As far as my comment about the ceramic customer not owning thier car long enough for the adhesive failure to matter, that again is more then often true. actualy your average person gets out of thier car after 4-5 years! That is not my opinion that is a fact! Why some people may hold onto thier cars for a very long period of time, most dont!

As far as your 318 with the huper on it for 14 yrs, all I can say is impossible since huper has not even been on the market that long!!!!

As far as your example of chosing between a 3 series and a G35, well that is a very poor example, since there really are way to many variable involved in that decision, and price only bieng one of them.

As far as what brands I carry, and my warranty really has no bearing on this since I am not trying to sell any film her, just giving some professional advice, but since you asked here they go. Lumar, Madico, Madicos ceramic line, Johnsons, Suntek hp and suntek carbon, solar guard, Solar zone Omega plus line, Solyx. I carried Huper optik for three years, but stopped using when Madico came out with thier line at a Better price, with the same heat rejection capabiltys, and I could pass the savings onto my customers. As far as my warranty goes I offer a lifetime warranty on every thing I do, including commercial!

As far as your comment that your sure I dont know how they make thier products. It is my business to know how these products are made, and what is each products strong point and weakness. That is the reason I carry so many different lines of film. Some film for this application other film for that application!


Funny thing here is that your are debating with me over this. Me a professional tinter, who has been doing this all day every day for over fifteen yrs, and then there is you a customer who may have done a few days research online a couple of years ago, and your telling me that I am wrong.

 

[Big Daddy]

I wasn't reading anything into what you said, you said; "If I am shopping tvs a sony will cost me x amount more then a JVC, but it will not be a better tv..." That statement is false.

Notice I corrected the time the tint was on my 318 after I checked the invoice I still have. And I never argued that you did not pay for name recognition, but most names got the recoginition because they were a better design/product!

I never said you were wrong I said I disagree and I still do. And I said your examples were flawed and I still believe they are. As far as you knowing exactly how all tint is manufactured, come on really?

But look I do not want to argue with you, I will trust my friends and associates who have all endorsed Huber Optics and stick with that. You can be the tint Guru if you want and I will bow to your expertise.

 

[pierce8468]

Man you are one stubborn one!

No need to bow to my expertise, but you should listen to it, but if you want to pay $100 more for your ceramic then go ahead, but your just wasting money.

As far as knowing how all film is made, well when every manufacturer sends you literature on thier product, including thier manufacuturing process, it is very easy to see how it is constructed. Not to mention we have a monthly magazine called Film, that gives us all of the info we need on all the new products. You can stick by Huper all you like it is your choice, but next time you have a vehicle tinted. I would highly suggest you check the heat reduction #'s on the other ceramic films. You would be glad to see that you can have the same heat reduction, but save some money at the same time!

 

[Big Daddy]

Man you are one stubborn one!

Name calling is not necessary!