Model S - Window Tinting

[lloyds]

I have the PhotoSync and I would recommend it. My Wh/mi have dropped since getting it, presumably due to lowered AC demand. I have it on all windows - 35% all around plus 70% (or 75%, I don't remember) 3M Crystalline on the windshield. Installer recommended AGAINST PhotoSync on windshield due to rainbow effects when using polarized sunglasses. The 3M Crystalline still rainbows, but not as much as the PhotoSync.

That's odd. I have photosynch 75 on the windshield and do not have any rainbow effects even when I wear my polarized sunglasses. Did you actually see it in person or was this just what the tint installer said?

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I don't believe the tint you mention does much IR blocking. That's where the heat comes from.

Yeh, I agree.

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I just installed Air Blue 80 on my front windshield. I wear polarized Oakleys, no rainbow effect for me and the clarity is outstanding. No orange peel at all.

You should contact Prestige to get photosynch. This is the real deal and I've spent $$ on tint with Huper and 3M in the past. I can't tell there's anything on my windshield at all with photosynch.

 

[dsm363]

Is the general consensus that the Photosync is better at blocking heat at a lighter tint that 3M Crystalline? It's a long thread and I've tried to read through most of it. A detailer I was talking to (who I assume only sold the 3M product) was pushing 3M as being superior in quality and warranty but I think they both have lifetime warranties.

From the Photosync data sheet, it looks like Max IR Rejection after SAC Activation is ~98.5% for all times except the 75 where it still is 88%. I guess the 88% would still be better than nothing if I wanted as close to no tint look as possible.

 

[Mr D]

I agree on the benefits of Photosync for the windshield. I have 75 installed and you can't tell that anything is there but it really reduces the heat as well as glare. I can drive in the middle of the day without sunglasses where I couldn't before. However, I have noticed the rainbow effect while wearing polarized sunglasses.

 

[yobigd20]

Now to Photosync, lots of buzz about this film. Most of it coming from the Tesla forums alone. Seems a few here really pushed it from the get go. Makes me wonder if they have friends or an interest in that company? I mean this company is making huge claims about this product. They claim some things that raise quite a few flags. First off their TSER is way higher than all these others that have been around so much longer. How did they magically up everyone out of no where? Their numbers don't make sense, TSER increases with shade but SC does not lower, that alone is a huge concern as it makes no sense and other manufactures have also agreed this raises some red flags. They are not independently tested, they don't attend SEMA, not members of the IWFA, and so on. Not surprised its a foreign company making these claims. Do I believe the numbers? Nope, I don't, not even little. Could I be wrong, yep, won't be the first and certainly won't be the last LOL. Life is just a lesson so always learning right? They have 2 guys listed on their site, no reps, huge territories which makes me wonder if they can't distribute much of it to support more having it. Maybe this is the master plan to keep the buzz going? The prices people are paying for it is outrageous too. I saw some posts at $1300+, thats just crazy. Sure ceramic film is a bit more difficult that a dyed film to install but to increase the price like some shops charge for it is just gouging as the install is the same. Even if it costs 3 times another manufacture it does not justify the cost. Film is but a fraction of the cost, its the installation and profit that account for the majority of an install cost. These shops are working it on the buzz and making the upsell is all. For the most part this film is unknown to most tinters still. That alone tells you something. Hell, maybe they cracked it and its for real and your all on the bleeding edge of it being the biggest thing sense sliced bread, who knows? I though will remain skeptical at best and I am very happy with my line of film (will remain unnamed as not here to see who has the biggest #$^% LOL) but I love to test everything out there so maybe one day I will test it against my line. I have a couple of different films on my car right now in fact as I like to tinker. I hear a lot of talk about it being blueish and I am not a fan of that too much. Don't like the 3m for that same reason. Thats just my preference though, nothing wrong if it does not bother you, I just prefer a more smoked film. I do like the Air Blue on windshields so maybe I would like it for that? Will this film hold up in the long run? Time will tell I guess, hoping some Vegas S owners that park outside can provide feedback down the road. Now with that said I am not saying anything negative about this film, I can't verify any of it so I would have no grounds to do so. I only point out what I can see and hope you all do more homework before jumping on the bandwagon. So many proven films already out there and all.

THIS. I have talked to a few tint installers in my area and they say the same exact thing. Lots of magically big claims with no concrete independently verified results to back it up, all while charging a very absurd price for tint film. The company seems to be very very fishy. You can't just slap numbers on a box and a website and tout that it's very good product without it actually being verified. They all say stay away from this product. I agree with them.

 

[Bill D]

One way to compare films would be to have two identical cars with different brands of film parked in the sun, identically oriented without the wind being blocked differently from either of them.

Then put both phones side-by-side displaying interior temperature and photograph them every 30 seconds.

I would volunteer to participate in such a test if anybody in South Florida has an identical Silver/Black MS to mine without Photosync.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

That's odd. I have photosynch 75 on the windshield and do not have any rainbow effects even when I wear my polarized sunglasses. Did you actually see it in person or was this just what the tint installer said?

Yes, I can see rainbows on all of my PhotoSync'd windows with polarized sunglasses.

 

[aaronw]

I heard the same thing when I talked to the guy who installed the 3M Crystaline tint on my car. I highly recommend Auto Mall Tint Specialists in Fremont. I actually went with a much less expensive metalic tint for the rear hatchback window since it is more prone to getting scratched, especially since I have a dog who loves to hop in the back every chance he gets.

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The rainbow effect is actually rather common with polarized sunglasses. I get it a bit with the 3M Crystalline tint as well. It's due to having thin layers within the tint. It could be worse. In my father's Fisker Karma the LCD screen goes black if you wear polarized sunglasses since they did not take those into account when choosing an LCD panel.

 

[liuping]

all while charging a very absurd price for tint film.

I agree they need independent testing, but why do people keep saying the price is absurdly high. When I did my Volt and Model S, was virtually the same price as 3M Crystalline installed.

 

[yobigd20]

I agree they need independent testing, but why do people keep saying the price is absurdly high. When I did my Volt and Model S, was virtually the same price as 3M Crystalline installed.

lol how much did you get charged for 3M crystalline? Should cost about $450-$550. I hear photosync is going upwards of $1100.

 

[Gear]

lol how much did you get charged for 3M crystalline? Should cost about $450-$550. I hear photosync is going upwards of $1100.

I paid $1000, and I think that's the normal price, at least in California. It seems people out east tend to pay less. Regardless, find somebody who regrets the purchase. I'd do it the exact same way if I had to do it over again.

 

[yobigd20]

I paid $1000, and I think that's the normal price, at least in California. It seems people out east tend to pay less.

oh right, you got the "west coast tax". sorry :/

Regardless, find somebody who regrets the purchase. I'd do it the exact same way if I had to do it over again.

well if you're talking about crystalline, I hated the blueish/purple look that 3m crystalline left. I had mine ripped off and replaced with something that actually looked good on the Model S.

 

[dsm363]

It would be nice to see a publication to a head to head analysis of the 3M Crystalline and Photosync films.

 

[liuping]

lol how much did you get charged for 3M crystalline? Should cost about $450-$550. I hear photosync is going upwards of $1100.

I assume $550 is not including the windshield. 3M was within $50 or so depending on who I talked to.

Photosync was $650 sides and back, + $250 windshield.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

I paid $600 for PhotoSync on my Model S, sides and back.

A friend paid $1000 for 3M Crystalline on his Model S, sides and back.

Both at reputable, top installers here in Seattle.

I'm happy with the heat rejection on mine. Him, not as much. Roughly same level of VLT on both tints.

Go figure.

 

[Gear]

I assume $550 is not including the windshield. 3M was within $50 or so depending on who I talked to.

Photosync was $650 sides and back, + $250 windshield.

Really good point, actually. I think everybody getting Photosync is mainly worried about heat rejection, therefor they're getting their windshield tinted as well. Not everybody else is doing that with the other tints, which makes Photosync look more expensive than it is. My Photosync was $700 for the sides and rear and $300 for the windshield

 

[TylerCA]

Really good point, actually. I think everybody getting Photosync is mainly worried about heat rejection, therefor they're getting their windshield tinted as well. Not everybody else is doing that with the other tints, which makes Photosync look more expensive than it is. My Photosync was $700 for the sides and rear and $300 for the windshield

My perspective is somewhat similar to others here who have Photosync(h?). I personally do not like "tint" as it gives off a look I do not care for and the attention it grabs from LE. After taking delivery of our P85+, I had to leave for business and even though I had told my wife no tint, she decided to get it done because of how hot it was getting. She was talked into getting Airblu on the windshield and Huber on the side windows. First thing I noticed was the prism on the windshield and I was looking at it from the outside. Next, I saw what looked like flame imrpints on the side windows, which the tint guy said is normal because of their installation process. Lumar never got back to my assistant and Huber just said that it was normal.

The tint costed about $800 if I recall right. We paid $200-$300 to get it all yanked off. Thought about it long and hard, but my wife really didn't like how hot the car gets, so we settled on getting Photosync. Now, we don't see the prism from outside the car and the flame imprints are non-existent. Considering our situation, we paid $1000-$1100 to get the wrong tint done. The cost is one thing, but the frustrating experience is another. We can go nuts over the data, but what I can say as a Tesla owner (and my wife concurs) is that we are extremely happy with our Final decision on tint. Too bad we didn't get it done in round 1. That $1100 saved could have gone to a nice bottle of 1999 Domaine.

With most of my other cars, I do not have tint, but I am starting to turn on this belief. The Tesla is much more comfortable to be in compared to my other cars. We recently took a trip up to Napa and it was close to 100 that day, yet I only felt a very slight warm feeling on my arm when I was driving while the AC fan was only at 1. Personal experience is important and my take is that Photosync is the better choice here. I recently had the 458 tinted with it and love it.

 

[dsm363]

I paid $600 for PhotoSync on my Model S, sides and back.

A friend paid $1000 for 3M Crystalline on his Model S, sides and back.

Both at reputable, top installers here in Seattle.

I'm happy with the heat rejection on mine. Him, not as much. Roughly same level of VLT on both tints.

Go figure.

What percentage film did you and your friend get? Trying to decide between these two as well. Keep going back and forth on which one to get.

 

[huntjo]

I got 3M crystalline on back and sides. I think the subtle maroon tint goes well with signature red, but can see how it might not look great with other color cars. Good heat rejection. I would like to try to get it on the windshield in like 75 or 80 so it's less likely to be noticed there

 

[TexasEV]

What percentage film did you and your friend get? Trying to decide between these two as well. Keep going back and forth on which one to get.

Too bad you left San Antonio, I got 3M Crystalline 70% at 360Tint there for $550 (did not do windshield or pano roof) and am very happy with it. I didn't want a tinted look, just heat rejection.

 

[S4Life]

THIS. I have talked to a few tint installers in my area and they say the same exact thing. Lots of magically big claims with no concrete independently verified results to back it up, all while charging a very absurd price for tint film. The company seems to be very very fishy. You can't just slap numbers on a box and a website and tout that it's very good product without it actually being verified. They all say stay away from this product. I agree with them.

Yes, and other film manufactures I have spoken to also agree with all the red flags. Myself and another reputable tinter on these forums have already pointed these things out. We are not here to flame another product, just offering advice and hoping others due more due diligence as reading a bunch of specs and claims and taking those at face value is not recommended for any product. Being in this industry for so long we have seen many of these types of claims pop up over the years and I can 100% tell you all films are not created equal! With no data to prove their claims and no installs going back much farther than last year I can find online, everyone installing it is taking a risk. Its already well known the photochromic properties can't last beyond 5 years. If it does go bad then top coat failure, delimitation, color fading, and color change should all be a concern. On the flip side I have a film I just saw that was installed 17 years ago and is still in pretty good shape after being in socal that entire time. Its starting to distort a bit but its certainly not bubbling or turning purple like all those you see driving around with a cheap film installed.

As for the pricing, I am higher priced in my area with our ceramic line and we are 50% of the cost I see people paying for this photosync. Again, the install takes the same amount of time so its pretty much gouging at those price points. A few individuals hyped this and thats all it took to spread like fire. I know some reputable companies carry photosync but thats also due to the hype as well. They are also taking a huge risk as who knows if they will have the support to replace all those installs if they turn out as warranty claims. Who is going to be there when they have no reps and 2 guys from what I could tell knew very little about the product?

As with any product having its claims verified with testing and a history behind it should always be part of researching and picking a product. Without it its just smoke and mirrors.

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Is the general consensus that the Photosync is better at blocking heat at a lighter tint that 3M Crystalline? It's a long thread and I've tried to read through most of it. A detailer I was talking to (who I assume only sold the 3M product) was pushing 3M as being superior in quality and warranty but I think they both have lifetime warranties.

From the Photosync data sheet, it looks like Max IR Rejection after SAC Activation is ~98.5% for all times except the 75 where it still is 88%. I guess the 88% would still be better than nothing if I wanted as close to no tint look as possible.

and looking at Photsync's data sheet SC is higher with more VLT and a higher TSER. Explain that one as no other manufacture can do that. This is a huge red flag in their claims. 3M though is independently tested and with years of history behind it.

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I don't believe the tint you mention does much IR blocking. That's where the heat comes from.

and you can verify that Photosync does? Because they claimed it on a data sheet? AirBlue 80 is independently tested and verified to block 43% of the heat like someone else here just posted. You can find that LLumar and other reputable manufactures are also certified in the nfrc database to do so. This is what adds to the credibility of these companies vs one that just makes claims.