Got the Prius Tinted...

[The Critic]

I posted this in the other thread but it was buried deep.

From the same day of the installation:

From today, 3 days after installation. The film is now much clearer:

I went with Huper Optik's ceramic film. This stuff blocks out an incredible amount of heat. It was originally designed for use on residential glass, so it is difficult to install on curved automotive windows due to the difficulty of shrinking. Since the windows on the Prius are fairly flat, installation was not too difficult.

The shades are 50% on the front windows and 30% on the rear windows and hatch. The tint was very hazy when these pictures were taken due to the water that remained inside, but has cleared up significantly since.

Nighttime visibility is still very managable with 30% on the upper piece of glass on the rear hatch. The small piece of glass on the hatch (under the spoiler) came with factory tint that had a VLT of 29%; I went ahead and had them install a piece of Huper Optik 30% on there as well. Now, the color matches, but the lower piece of glass is now slightly darker than the top piece.

The guys at Automall Tint Specialist were fantastic. They do great work and I would highly recommend them.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/auto-mall-tint-specialist-fremont

I paid $500 for the entire job, which may seem high, but is actually a good price for Huper Optik installations.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Great job!
My prius is dealer tinted (I didn't pay for that I must say) and they did a good job. The color is different on the lower hatch part. It initially bothered me but I got used to.

How do you clean tinted windows if I may ask?

 

[addyguy]

Car looks good. The tint and the colour go very well together.

I like the look of the newest Prius.

 

[synthetic_crazy]

The tint looks great; it complements an already beautiful car.
Critic, how comfortable is the car to drive on long distances? Is road noise pronounced?

 

[JHZR2]

Way too dark for me. In my experience, it DOES effect visibility.

Still, glad its done. This is a re-do of the last tint that ou were unhappy with?

 

[friendly_jacek]

BTW, is your front window legal in CA?
http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/CA/

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Way too dark for me. In my experience, it DOES effect visibility.

Still, glad its done. This is a re-do of the last tint that ou were unhappy with?


Huper Optik 30 doesn't have the same darkness as a normal 30% tint. And yes, it is a redo of the last tint-- but with different film obviously.

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
BTW, is your front window legal in CA?
http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/CA/

Are the fronts that obvious?

Hopefully this will work out or else I'll have to peel it and redo the front windows with 3M Crystalline 70. And that might cost me $250.

 

[FirstNissan]

Tint looks great! Im planning on putting 50% all around on my versa, just have to save up since Ive got a ton of car/house project expenses planned out.

 

[Jim 5]

Looks good mike!

 

[PandaBear]

Yeah it is illegal in CA, so hopefully the cops won't notice or give sympathy because he is driving a prius and doesn't look like a trouble maker, and follow all traffic laws.

I'm thinking about the clear shield series for my home.

 

[Mr Nice]

Those tints are not dark at all.

 

[Bad_Robot]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Yeah it is illegal in CA, so hopefully the cops won't notice or give sympathy because he is driving a prius and doesn't look like a trouble maker, and follow all traffic laws.


Disregarding state law should be ignored by police? How does driving a Prius make tinted window film on the front windows safe?

I believe it should be illegal for an installer to install a product not allowed in the state. Maybe a thorough, mandatory, annual safety inspection, as is common in many countries, should be mandatory.

Tinted window film on the front side windows should be categorically prohibited, in my opinion. As a young driver, I had tinted side rear and rear windows. I gave up on that, because parallel parking at night was not that easy, and because backing out of parking spaces I couldn't see pedestrians well. Changing lanes was also more risky.

I wouldn't care if tinted windows were only endangering the driver and willing occupants, but other traffic participants are also put at risk, and an unnecessary risk at that.

Just don't drive at night.