The tinting industry is interesting. I've have done a lot of research and have read all forum posts. I had decided on Photosync but there are currently no installers in Georgia. I called a tint company in Atlanta today to see if they would carry it. They told me "most all of the posts on the car forums have been placed there by Prestige". Of course their film is the only one they would use but they don't have any relation to the supplying company. Hmmmmmm.
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yea I'm not sold on Photosync (not that I would switch or anything, I'm very happy with my tint), but if I was in the market for tint, I would be very very skeptical about Photosync. It seems like one of those fly-by-the-night companies with no real data or tests to back it up besides their own promotions. Regarding 'most of the posts on the car forums have been placed there by Prestige', well that statement actually looks legit because on first search I found this Hot Out There? Prestige PhotoSync Nano Window Film is THE SOLUTION - Rennlist Discussion Forums and all the friggin posts are sign'd by Prestige themselves lol They are so new, I wouldn't be surprised if their tint turns purple in a few years. IMO I would stick to the proven manufacturers that have decades of solid history....I wouldn't trust their Photosync's marketing.
I just clicked on that link and it's not Prestige that posted it. It's by a tint company named Premier, which is the company that installed the photosync on my car. I've had it on my car for 9 or 10 mos now and I love it (over 13000 miles now and my car's parked outside @ work all day). When temps were hitting triple digits during the summer, I barely felt the heat. On my other cars with other tint brands they didn't feel as good. I've put Huber and 3m on my cars before so I know the difference and I'm willing to spend $$$ on tint because I drive a lot. It's a pretty penny for Photosync, but worth every single one of them imo. I found out about it also through this forum, but through forum members and owners of the MS. That's important for me especially because I trust advertising less and more for real feedback. Other owner's experience corresponds the same to what I've experienced with this tint. I'm a lifelong believer
+1
I'm not affiliated with Prestige in any way. Photosync made a huge difference in interior temps in my car after sitting in the desert for 9 hours (which happens pretty regularly with my car). In a car like the Tesla, where running A/C actually affects range, I'm willing to spend the money to keep the car cool. It's nice in a state like California too where the tint laws are pretty strict because you don't have to go down to limo tint to get good heat rejection. I also bought it based on users on this forum raving about it and haven't had any regrets.
I put Photosync on my wife's Volt as a test before I got my Model S. It's now on my Model S as well.
It makes a big difference in the temperature of the cars. The Volt was always extremely hot when left parked in the sun and cooling if off used a lot of AC, which reduces range. The interior temperature in the summer was really the main complaint my wife had with the Volt. Now that is a non issue.
When my Model S arrived, I noticed right away how much heat was coming in from the sun. Since putting on Photosync, it is not really noticeable. If anyone in San Diego area is skeptical, and wants to park their Model S next to mine in the sun for a while, I'd be happy to compare temps.
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Another point here is that it doesn't heat soak the car nearly as much, so not only does it take less time to initially cool, it takes less to keep it cool because the seats, dash, etc didn't get as hot while sitting there. The surfaces take awhile to cool down after they've been heated up and just keep radiating heat in the interior of the car. When it was really hot, the A/C would run nearly full blast for my entire 30 minute drive home before it was tinted. Now it takes about a 5 minute initial blast and then it runs at about half for the rest of the drive. This is when it's in the triple digits in the desert after sitting out in the heat all day.
I have no experience with Photosync, so I will not comment on its efficacy, but I will say that for the manufacturers that have "history" per say, I am certainly not impressed. When I had my assistant inquire with Huper about the flames, even they told her that it happens from time to time and there's nothing that can be done. So a company knows about these issues, but don't bother to disclose them? Gave me a pretty nasty impression of their snootiness. With airblue, we didn't even get a return call about the distorted colors we see through the windscreen from LLumar.
laalan
Member
10001 miles and happy. Compared surfaces hit by untinted windshield and tinted sides with a thermometer and a lot cooler with photosynch.
darthvdr
Member
Add me to a list of extremely satisfied photosynch customer. My only quip about it is the price. It comes with a high premium, but I understand and reason it to be in its unique technology. Although I am very happy with it, I just could not justify it for our aged Honda Accord and Lexus RX330. On the MS, it's a no brainer. For these cars I will have to go with something not as refined. My wife certainly wants it, but us being retired we do have to be careful in our spending. I will wait for Prestige's nano ceramic tint to come out next year. I was told by my window tinter that it will be about 20%-30% cheaper than photosynch. If they can make a stellar of a product like photosynch, I do not doubt the performance and the longevity of their nano ceramic tint.
It's worth noting that Premier is NOT Prestige.
Premier is an incredibly reputable installer noted for installing on high-end vehicles (eg. GT3 RS, SLS, Aventador, 458, GT-R, etc) . Prestige makes the film.
It's worth noting that Premier is NOT Prestige.
Premier is an incredibly reputable installer noted for installing on high-end vehicles (eg. GT3 RS, SLS, Aventador, 458, GT-R, etc) . Prestige makes the film.
Yea I got the two mixed up. Still don't know how that film will hold up long term but then again we all just put our faith in Tesla and spent $100k on a Model S so who am I kidding lol
TylerCA, you really should give Photosync a try. Believe me. I've tried them all (at least the well known ones that cost $$$). I'll be glad to let my wife drive the MS to work so you can check it out (she works in one of your offices). I found this posting a while ago:
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/991/317381-spectra-photosync-nano-tint-991-silver-2.html (scroll down to the bottom of the thread)
I may consider it, but not until I get the current stuff removed. My wife knows I'm irritated with it, but then again it is her car. She sees the same prizm colors on the windscreen so it's not just me. Still no response from Llumar.
I found some photosync 35 on a gray (google image search), but IMO the pictures are deceiving. Because of the lighting, they look much darker in the pictures than they probably are. You can kind of see that in the one pic with the guy in it.
Source: Speed Shield Tesla Model S, 2013 Gunmetal Grey, Photosync 35 all windows, INV#3840 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
There are some more pics of another gray Model S with Photosync 35 here: Prestige PhotoSync Window Tint Installed on Tesla Model S | Northwest Auto Salon
35% is not very dark. Depends on the purpose and the look you are going for.
There are some more pics of grey with other brands and % of tint in this thread, as well as a few in these links too:
Full Detail and Tint on Tesla Model S — Car/Auto Detailing and Tinting Services in Charlotte, NC Exclusive Detail and Tint
CQuartz Finest Applied Windows Tinted -- Grey Model S
Lloyds thanks for pointing us in the right direction. We just had the tint removed from the Model S yesterday and replaced with Photosync. David and John at Premiere were extremely helpful in choosing the right tint shade to our liking. They also had two other Teslas there getting tint and paint armor, so we were able to see live samples. We decided on 65 for all windows and 75 on the front screen. There is a noticeable differential in the feel of the sun especially on the windscreen. We also no longer see the prizm effect like what we saw on airblue. Another comparison point is we do not see the heat flames we saw with Huper on the new tint. I was really against getting tint just because of those drawbacks I mentioned. Others may not notice these things, but I'm quite particular about my cars so the Mrs. is just as happy as I am with the how things turned out. If anyone's questioning Photosync, I recommend giving it a serious consideration. I'm already scheduling to bring in the Range Rover and the 458 to get Photosync.
Wife snapped this picture while we were at Tejon.
Wife snapped this picture while we were at Tejon.
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I just got my windows tinted at Auto Mall Tint Specialists. They have done a number of Teslas. I decided to go with the 3M Crystalline tint and Suntech for the rear window. I chose to go with the other brand since the heat reduction is nearly the same and it's a lot cheaper and the rear window is much more prone to getting scratched given I often haul stuff in my trunk and have a dog (yes, he rides in the back of my Tesla, usually in a carrier). I went with 70% for the front, 50% for the back windows and 40% for the rear window. I decided to go the 3M route since they have a long track record and it remains to be seen how well the Photosync holds up. Plus I could find no direct comparison between the 3M Crystalline and the Photosync tints. Obviously it's not Photosync's demo since that is comparing a ceramic tint which the crystalline is not. From the specs the Photosync is fairly close to the 3M Crystalline from what I could tell.
When axra first talked about Photosync many moons ago I did a lot of research into tints. This is just one of the things I've found wrong with Crystalline not to mention its brownish look. Just some food for thought:
3M Crystalline vs Huper Optik Automotive Window Tint - YouTube
If you compare Photosync to Crystalline there is a significant difference in the energy blocking specs between the two if we are comparing the same percentage.
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