[rkeysor]

I got an estimate for tinting the windows in my '92 coupe today. Because of the complex curve of the hatchback glass, the shop employee I talked to said that they have to charge an extra $100 for the job, i.e. $269 rather than $169 for a typical car. He said he based that charge on his experience with 944s, and he had a pretty good grasp of the difficulty in getting the tint film in place without having any overlaps. Has anyone else investigated tinting? It's quite common here in Florida.

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[MarkHA]

Hi Ronald,

I may have had the reverse experience. I got a fixed quote for tint on my 944 (the 968 will be staying original). When I went to pick it up the guy was crying about how long it had taken his installer. Apparently, it was really hard job and the rear glass is very unusual for tint guys. Hope this helps.

Mark

968 CS Melbourne, Australia

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[Rap]

Ron, just a quick question. While I realize the Florida sign can make tinting cars a good idea, have you seen a 968 coupe with tinted windows? I'm just wondering what it would look like!

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[blau]

Ron - I paid $150 in SoCal for 3M FX Premium on my whole car. Word of advice - 3M guarantees their films for life, and if it ever delams or bubbles or anything, you can take your original receipt to ANY 3M tint dealer and get it replaced for free. It's a big bonus.



Anyway - the shop called me after about two hours of fiddling with it and said they weren't sure how they could get the tint to apply properly to the hatch because of the curves of the glass. After multiple failed attempts at making it with one piece, I think they talked to someone who had a lot of experience and he quickly told them this advice - they used an old trick of splitting the tint into two separate pieces (top and bottom) and did it right at one of the defroster lines since they run all the way across - the result: you can't even see that it's split, and made for a much easier job for them.



Hope this helps!

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[rkeysor]

In response to Rap's question, no, I've never noted a 968 with tinted windows. In fact, I can't remember the last time I saw another one on the road. To my surprise, a couple of months back I learned that another member of the Jaguar Club of North Florida, of which I am a member (own 3.8 MK2) has one. Further to my conversation with the tint firm guy, he said that they estimated it takes three or four hours to do one of our cars, all because of the hatch. I think a typical job might run an hour. I'm still looking for a better deal, and I'll keep 3M in mind.

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[tamathumper]

I'm sure it depends on the darkness of the tint - I've seen a 944 or two with heavy tint and it looked really bad, but that's just my opinion. As with wallpaper, don't they just overlap the film and use a razor to slice down through both layers and then peel the overlaps away?

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[durtkillon]

I had my coupe tinted. The extra labor comes from having to take off some trim, the wiper motor and the spoiler, then heat shrinking around the corners. I think to trace the piece for the hatch, they lay the material over the back with the spoiler off.



If you go this route, I would take reccomend taking the trim off yourself. The little nuts strip easily and are expensive.



If you have rear hatch delamination, you may run in to problems getting it to look right. The black paint around the edge tends to come off and the film needs something solid to attach it to so they may scrape it to get it to adhere.



My car is Aventurine with dark tint. It comes in handy in New Mexico.

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[bombfactory]

Can't really explain it, but I'm still on the fence with regards to tinting the 968. Where-as I've immediately tinted every BMW I've owned. My rear hatch needs to be re-done, and it's a ways down the to-do list, so if I go for tint it'll be sometime after that.

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[EEZATOY]

Picture of tinted rear windows - and looking out though hatch

still (9 years later) thinking I should tint (lighter shade) door windows too....        

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[Cloud9...68]

Mine is tinted, and I like it, especially in the Texas heat. I have a related question - If I decide to go with a Lexan hatch window to save some more weight, can the lexan be tinted with conventional film, or, assuming it can be tinted at all, would it require some special film? Thanks.

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[kwikt]

Cmon Cloud, no window tint on the Lexan. Do you know how much weight that is <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Byte]

I was turned down by two places that didn't even want my money! Yes it's a chore. I got it done, but I bled a little.

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[Cloud9...68]

[quote name='kwikt' timestamp='1347064939' post='132323']

Cmon Cloud, no window tint on the Lexan. Do you know how much weight that is <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

[/quote]

lol - got me there. I guess my desire for a tinted lexan hatch pretty much sums up my plans for the car - I'm building it for the purpose of becoming a much more capable car for the track, but still clinging to just enough street-ability to keep it tolerable for driving to and from the track (no trailer, or vehicle to pull it), and the occasional trip to the grocery store, in the blistering central Texas climate.

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[Rap]

Why do you have to drive to the grocery store? Aren't you the master of your domaine?

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[kwikt]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1347076909' post='132335']

lol - got me there. I guess my desire for a tinted lexan hatch pretty much sums up my plans for the car - I'm building it for the purpose of becoming a much more capable car for the track, but still clinging to just enough street-ability to keep it tolerable for driving to and from the track (no trailer, or vehicle to pull it), and the occasional trip to the grocery store, in the blistering central Texas climate.

[/quote]



Break the ties!!!!!!!!!!!!

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[Trueblue]

When I purchased my car it had some old "purpled" tint on all the windows, and that had to go! I went to a local tint shop and the boss said "no problem", but the guy who actually does the work shy'd away from the job. So I made it as easy as possible for them by removing the hatch, wiper motor (wanted this off the car anyway), trim and took it to the shop in the back of my truck, on a good piece of foam rubber for the shop to lay it down flat. This helps because gravity is pulling the film in the right direction, and provides total access, therby minimizing the chances of goof ups for the tint tech. As a bonus this prevents the technicians from crawling around in the back, and leaving greasy footprints everywhere.



By the way, I went with a lighter tint shade, and, It looks good.



Hope this helps...........

<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



ROb



   

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[flash]

i would sure love to see that car at one of our events here in socal

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[Chris Vais]

My car coupe was sold new in Arizona and it had dark tinting added to the rear hatch, the quarter windows and a lighter tint applied to the door windows when I purchased it from the original owner. I found the tinted rear hatch to be so dark that it significant obscured rear vision in daylight and eliminated it altogether at night. I also found that the view out the back was distorted by the film as it didn't have particularly good optical clarity at the angle the rear hatch sits at. I had it all removed and I don't regret having done so.

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[Cloud9...68]

I used to live in Phoenix - people there tend to go to great lengths to diminish the effects of the heat, which is brutal to the point of being borderline uninhabitable certain times of the year.

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