Need Tint % advice

[Savant05]

Hey guys, First post here I just picked up at 2005 CPO'd Nogaro Blue S4 Avant 6MT with black interior. I"m having it tinted tomorrow by a high end place where they use 3m tint. I cant decide between 35% and 20% all around. Any advice? Thanks again. BTW this forum rocks!

[AvanTTix]

i'm at 35% all around...

[Savant05]

Thanks for the pictures. That makes me want to go with 20% though...

[lookaught]

Frankly I find 20% difficult to see through at night. 35% is the best IMO, thats what I had on my last two cars and when I do get around to tinting my avant its going to be either 35% or 40%.

Avanteix, is that metallic or black? Brand?

[AvanTTix]

i actually don't really know... strangely enough tint isn't something i spent a lot of time researching...

plus now i've got different shade of tint btw the front and the back... as i had to register the Avant when i moved to Cali, i had to take the front tint off... when i got the front windows done again down here they only had a brown shade while it was the original was blue... i need to ask Winston to ship me some film from that place i got it done when i was in Van City... (Winston are you reading this!?!?...)

[lookaught]

Huber Optik perhaps? I know that is the brand winston has on his car.

[240ZT]

I would go 35% all around. It will look dark with the black interior. I went 20% rear and 30% front. I wish I would have done 30% all around but ended up going with the 20% because of the Florida sun.

[Savant05]

I went with 35% and it looks great. Unfortionatly the idiots that tinted it broke one of the clips for the rear window shades. Does anyone know where I can pick one of these up? Its the little plastic hook. Thanks

[biggygo]

20% FTW!!
You get used to looking out of it at night. You will be taken aback at first, though - before you get used to it.
It's like cutting the lights off in a room - at first you can't see your hand in front of your face but after a little while your eyes adjust and you can see fine.
I'll say it again for the 3rd time (so you know that I know I'm repeating myself) - you get used to it.

But 35% might do it for you....who knows?
Try riding in someone's car with 35 and 20% and make an informed choice - otherwise, you're just going by your own aesthetic tastes.

[biggygo]

well, I just realized you already did it - glad you're happy with the 35%

[lookaught]

I drove a car with 20% on the fronts for a while, I could see through it, but had a lot of issues when backing up at night, for instance. Compounding the tint with looking in the mirror made it hard to see.

Its also not very sunny where I live, so I dont need the extra filtration. When I get my avant done Im seriously considering 40% or even 50%. I actually like the look on non tinted windows, but dont like getting cooked by the sun when it is sunny.

[fritzner]

i just had my avant (with ebony interior) done last wk.. i went with 30% in the rear and 40% in the front..




from certain angles it looks really dark, others not so much.. i like it.. i had 20% rear, 35% on my sedan and didnt have any trouble seeing out of it, but was worried about the PA fuzz when i move.. i still might have some trouble, if i do, i might redo the fronts 50%..

glad you like the 35%, great choice!!..

[ExpLlclT]

both good choices i run 5 % rear and 15% sides im very happy with it wouldn't go lower than 15% though if i had the choice it really comes down to if you want it darker or lighter if you don't decide both choices are excellent

[dubenvy]

if you have a black interior, 35% will look pretty dark. I have 50 in the front and 35 everywhere else and it looks dark. Especially if you keep the cargo screen up.

[NYCS4Avant]

Thought I'd chime in even though the tints are on. I went with a 35/20-f/r tint. I personally thinks it looks awesome and keeps the "i'm in a fish bowl" feelings away.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[Savant05]

IM taking pictures tomorrow my next mod is a roof rack but I have 0 money left :(

[Daness373]

how much was tinting?

[gods_kitchen]

35% all around here also

[lookaught]

how much was tinting?

I was quoted $250 here in PA. Very very quality work though, I have seen 10+ cars that were done by the guy and all are exceptional quality. Virtually zero bubbles and lifetime warranty.

I know if CA and FL it is considerably cheaper and the work is still excellent. In the not so sunny areas of the country its more expensive.

Is tint illegal in Oregon? Im may be moving to Portland next June and it would be a shame to have to rip off the tint once I get there.

[Savant05]

235 for regular tint and 335 for 3m tint which has a lifetime warrenty and blocks out 99% of UV. I went with the 3m.

[Daness373]

No, tint isn't illegal in Oregon. They will pull you over if it looks like more than 35% though. But when you get pulled over do what most do and roll down the windows. Also the tint looks darker prob cause it rains 9 months here and all we have is dark gray sky's. I don't have a wagon but i was just wondering what it would cost to tint my S4. Also is 3m a lot better than normal? Worth it?

[Savant05]

I'd say its worth the extra money if you plan on having your car for over 5 years. Regular tint turns blue after awhile. 3m doesn't fade

[Savant05]

Sorry for the crappy iphone pic but heres how it came out:

[SoCalS4Avant]

Sorry for the crappy iphone pic but heres how it came out:

That car is pure hotness! Did you just pick it up? Riverside?

[Savant05]

That car is pure hotness! Did you just pick it up? Riverside?

yeah riverside.... Cpo'd for 2 years so idk how much I can mod it??

[SoCalS4Avant]

Believe it or not, I had considered buying your car and bringing it back to CA - like I did with mine. I want a second Avant bad...and am just waiting for the right ride.

Congrats on your awesome car. As for mods...depends on what you want to do. Talk to them, and see what they're "cool" with...probably easy to do new wheels at least, and you've already done the tint. Some dealers are getting more mod friendly. Give them a call...Carson @ Riverside I understand is probably your man.

[Savant05]

haha small world. I've really been enjoying the car but idk how I'm going to go 2 years without chip/ intake/ exhaust!

[SoCalS4Avant]

haha small world. I've really been enjoying the car but idk how I'm going to go 2 years without chip/ intake/ exhaust!

Exhaust and dp's for sure...I think many would tell you to skip the intake and probably the chip. The cost is a lot for little return.

Go visit AWE, and have them fix one of their test S/C'ers to your ride!

[Savant05]

dp's? drop? sry I'm new to this forum. Haha and I think a super charger would void the warranty

[doobiesdaddy]

I know if CA and FL it is considerably cheaper and the work is still excellent. In the not so sunny areas of the country its more expensive.

Paid $235 plus an extra $100 here in California for 3M.
Sounds like you have a great deal for $250!

[SoCalS4Avant]

dp's? drop? sry I'm new to this forum. Haha and I think a super charger would void the warranty

down pipes to go with a new catback. It's questionable whether the dp's would void the warranty as well. And yeah, the S/C for sure would. That's probably why it's a good idea to have a chat with the good folks at Riverside.

[SoCalS4Avant]

Paid $235 plus an extra $100 here in California for 3M.
Sounds like you have a great deal for $250!

My Huper was a lot more than that...so you guys aren't doing too bad.

[lookaught]

Paid $235 plus an extra $100 here in California for 3M.
Sounds like you have a great deal for $250!

Perhaps it was more expensive in the bay area? I've seen people post that they had their entire car done for ~$150... then again, most of the time you only get what you pay for, so they may have had an inexperienced tinter or cheap tint.

That $100 markup for 3M sounds like such a ripoff as there is NO WAY it is that much more expensive for material, but what can you do when everyone charges the same...

I'm going to have my car done next week so I'll post the final price and some pics once it's finished.