Tinting Suggestions: Regular 3M or Ceramic

[dcmetro]

Folks: Just got my car and would really like to get it tinted this time. Wondering what kind of tint should I go for. 3M seems be about 200-$250 for the entire car but ceramic seems to be around $400. Is ceramic really that much better? I am not so much concerned about the heat since I've never had the tinting done before. But surely do not want to overlook other aspects that I'm not even aware of. Looks like in VA I can go upto 50% for front windows and 35% for rear. Does that sound right as well? Suggestions would be very helpful.

[Rizwan]

find tint under 300 dollars you can get 3m under 300 dollars don't get ceramic its too expensive and find the one which is 30% they are not too dark and not to light

[Rizwan]

there are some tints better than 3m which are under 300 dollars go for 30% all around i got one on my car 30% with lifetime warranty for 265.00

[Rizwan]

it blocks heat better than lower brand of 3m tint

[dcmetro]

Thanks,, will see some when I get to the guy's shop. But want to get opinions before deciding. Really want to get it done before this weekend when my friends see the car Think tints make White car show much better.

[PJRed2008]

One thing to consider is that Audi A6's present some challenges to tint application, and you will pay more for that labor. Point is you can't go just by the price of the tint.

I would suggest you use Google to find the major tint manufactures and see what is available so you'll know better when you talk to the shop. I agree that ceramic is not necessary, but I spent more to get the best quality non-ceramic tint because it also blocks heat and UV.

Saving a hundred bucks on a $60k car doesn't make much sense to me. You also need to pay attention to the warranty for whatever you get.

[Neurobit]

^ +1

[dcmetro]

Originally Posted by PJRed2008

One thing to consider is that Audi A6's present some challenges to tint application, and you will pay more for that labor. Point is you can't go just by the price of the tint.

I would suggest you use Google to find the major tint manufactures and see what is available so you'll know better when you talk to the shop. I agree that ceramic is not necessary, but I spent more to get the best quality non-ceramic tint because it also blocks heat and UV.

Saving a hundred bucks on a $60k car doesn't make much sense to me. You also need to pay attention to the warranty for whatever you get.

Totally agree and that's why posted here. Want to make sure I'm not missing something that I don't know. Point is not to save just $100 but to not spend if not needed and put it to good use elsewhere. Just like I don't buy Monster Cables at all since there are so many better (and yet cheaper) brands out there. We jut pay more for their marketing efforts.
Just bought the all-weather mats and maybe will buy some protection for trunk as well.
Back to the topic, price I was quoted included labor for all 7 (2 front, 2 rear, 2 small windows in rear and rear windshield). And lifetime warranty.

[Neurobit]

Originally Posted by dcmetro

Totally agree and that's why posted here. Want to make sure I'm not missing something that I don't know. Point is not to save just $100 but to not spend if not needed and put it to good use elsewhere. Just like I don't buy Monster Cables at all since there are so many better (and yet cheaper) brands out there. We jut pay more for their marketing efforts.
Just bought the all-weather mats and maybe will buy some protection for trunk as well.

dc,

Looks like we're both in the same boat.
I have been reading up on the different brands and types.

Looks like general consensus is that ceramic is best on heat blocking and no electronics interference , but at the same time it's a couple of hundred $$ more than the best non-ceramic.

Not a huge deal when you take into account the price we've paid for our cars, but I've also learned that since it's considerably thicker, lots of folks are having issues with the film not adhering fully to the dot-matrix and antenna/defrost filaments in the rear window. This is the reason I'd like to know what everyone else's experiences have been.

Neurobit

[dcmetro]

Good points Neuro, really want to know if there was a decrease in radio/sat/sirius/phone reception after the 3M/Ceramic tints.