I figured I would share my Tesla tint story, and urge you to not do the same.
I took deliver of my Model 3 on June 17th. I have been following Tesla for 10 years, and finally my life and finances were in order to make my dream car become my wife and I's daily car. I was, and still am, overjoyed.
However I live in California, and it's hot out here. The car heats up quickly due to the large amount of glass, so I decided to get it tinted at a local tint shop with very high ratings. (4.8 stars with more than 400 reviews and 10 years of business)
When I brought it in, the guy assured me that he knew what he was doing, had done over 700 Teslas, and he answered all of my concerns after doing research. (Water damage, back glass tint quality, etc.) He quoted me 998$ for Ceramic tint on all windows, the windshield, and the back glass with the sunroof untouched. I accepted and paid. Upon receiving the car back, same day, it looked great! He advised me of how to care for it while it cured and sent me on my way.
However the following morning I noticed this.
Water spots in the center brake light. These aren't under the tint. They're literally inside the tail light.
I called the tint company about it, ( since it was clearly an issue with the tint application process) and they assured me that it was no problem and they'd fix it in minutes if I brought it by. I believed them and brought it in.
They took the car in and about 10 minutes later I had it back. It looked good! All clean. He said they had a special tool for it that made it easy. Feeling better, I decided to run to a local supercharger before heading home to get a better look at it.
I soon realized that their "tool" was just to viciously tear apart the foam that encases the center brake light and stops light from entering the cabin. They had tore into it in two places to clean it, and they even left a strip of foam in the tail light for good measure. Whatever tool they used also appears to have scratched the plastic housing that extends past the bottom of the brake light to the glass.
Needless to say I'm pissed and frustrated that this happened to me. I went to a reputable shop, paid a decent price, and followed up with concerns, only to have my most prized possession damaged in my first two weeks of owning it. The shop has asked me to get a quote from Tesla to replace the tail light, but it sounds like Tesla is going to want to replace the entire glass panel as well, which opens it up to being damaged again when they retint it.
As of now, the tint shop has worked with me nicely, and has taken total fault. However I am upset and frustrated, and want other owners to check that shops know better.
Any advice you want to throw my way is also appreciated. Thanks for listening to me whining!
I took deliver of my Model 3 on June 17th. I have been following Tesla for 10 years, and finally my life and finances were in order to make my dream car become my wife and I's daily car. I was, and still am, overjoyed.
However I live in California, and it's hot out here. The car heats up quickly due to the large amount of glass, so I decided to get it tinted at a local tint shop with very high ratings. (4.8 stars with more than 400 reviews and 10 years of business)
When I brought it in, the guy assured me that he knew what he was doing, had done over 700 Teslas, and he answered all of my concerns after doing research. (Water damage, back glass tint quality, etc.) He quoted me 998$ for Ceramic tint on all windows, the windshield, and the back glass with the sunroof untouched. I accepted and paid. Upon receiving the car back, same day, it looked great! He advised me of how to care for it while it cured and sent me on my way.
However the following morning I noticed this.
Water spots in the center brake light. These aren't under the tint. They're literally inside the tail light.
I called the tint company about it, ( since it was clearly an issue with the tint application process) and they assured me that it was no problem and they'd fix it in minutes if I brought it by. I believed them and brought it in.
They took the car in and about 10 minutes later I had it back. It looked good! All clean. He said they had a special tool for it that made it easy. Feeling better, I decided to run to a local supercharger before heading home to get a better look at it.
I soon realized that their "tool" was just to viciously tear apart the foam that encases the center brake light and stops light from entering the cabin. They had tore into it in two places to clean it, and they even left a strip of foam in the tail light for good measure. Whatever tool they used also appears to have scratched the plastic housing that extends past the bottom of the brake light to the glass.
Needless to say I'm pissed and frustrated that this happened to me. I went to a reputable shop, paid a decent price, and followed up with concerns, only to have my most prized possession damaged in my first two weeks of owning it. The shop has asked me to get a quote from Tesla to replace the tail light, but it sounds like Tesla is going to want to replace the entire glass panel as well, which opens it up to being damaged again when they retint it.
As of now, the tint shop has worked with me nicely, and has taken total fault. However I am upset and frustrated, and want other owners to check that shops know better.
Any advice you want to throw my way is also appreciated. Thanks for listening to me whining!
