Obligatory Tint/PPF Question...

[acaurora]

Hi everyone, I am taking delivery of a M3 RWD this Saturday and I could not be happier. That being said, I am planning to go get my vehicle taken in for PPF on the front/ceramic coat the entire vehicle, as well as to get the windows/top tinted. I wanted to ask the community here some small questions:

- Have any of you had PPF applied to your door handles? Since it is a high contact area, I would think that's important. What about *around* the handles? What does that look like?
- For tinting, up here in Oregon the tint limit is 35%!!! However, being from California and the possibility of moving back to California, I plan to do a lighter 70% tint instead - for those of you that have had tints done for the *entire* top and back glass (not including front windshield), do any of you regret it in terms of being *too dark* ? I know I could just go the super cheap route and just get some sunshades...

Thanks in advance!

 

[LUNE]

I have 25% on the door windows, and 35% on the back window…multiple shops stated Tesla recommends not going beyond 35% on the back glass so I listened to that and It’s definitely not too dark for me.

 

[GreenHokie]

I had PPF applied to my entire vehicle, including the door handles/levers. Most folks do not consider the sides of the vehicle (like around the door handles) to be high contact/impact areas. So, most do not have PPF applied to the sides or rear of their vehicles.
I had PPF applied everywhere simply because I’m OCD and don’t mind spending the money. For me, the biggest benefit of also having PPF on the actual door handles/levers is it makes finger print marks/smudges much less visible, especially since my particular vehicle has chrome handles & trim. For more recent models with all black trim/door handles like yours, finger prints/smudges are probably a non-issue.
Below is a photo showing the area around my driver’s side door handle. Both the body panel and the door handle have PPF. If you zoom in, you should be able to see the edges of the PPF around the perimeter of the opening for the door handle. Fortunately, the lines/edges of the PPF are not really visible, unless you get very close to look.

As for window tint, I had 35% done everywhere: all side windows, rear glass roof and top glass roof (the area directly above the driver). 35% is definitely not too dark for me. Helps with heat rejection during the day, and I can still see through into the sky/stars at night. Obviously, this is somewhat subjective. What I consider not too dark, may be too dark for others. I would not take the advice of anyone on this forum regarding what tint percentage is best for & acceptable to you. You’ll just have to find a way to see some tint jobs in person at your local detail/tint shop, so you can make your own determination. If they are a decent/reputable shop, they should have plenty of vehicles (including Tesla’s) for you to see. If they don’t, then definitely find yourself another shop!

Good luck!!

 

[acaurora]

Thanks for the replies @GreenHokie and @LUNE - I did watch some videos online showing differences in tint percentages and wow 70% is super light. I think I will ultimately end up with 35% actually. Now further down the rabbit hole I am wondering if I should bother with a clear tint on the windshield for complete UV/heat blockage/protection...

 

[Premiertint]

i'm new and unfamilar with ppf and wrap but had a question regarding the matte trim on the model y.

can you wrap the matte side skirts, fender trims, door handles and stock rear diffuser to match the glossy stock paint or do those need to be painted?

as much as i like the matte/satin look, i really prefer the shine.

thanks

PPF won't stick to the raw (unpainted) plastic trim pieces, unfortunately. It can stick to the satin black door handles and window trim though. It will definitely make those parts glossy black. For the raw plastic parts, they'd need to be removed, wet sanded to a 600 or so, and then you can paint them to whatever glossy color you want. The sanding will take a long time though.

Thanks for the replies @GreenHokie and @LUNE - I did watch some videos online showing differences in tint percentages and wow 70% is super light. I think I will ultimately end up with 35% actually. Now further down the rabbit hole I am wondering if I should bother with a clear tint on the windshield for complete UV/heat blockage/protection...

The primary reasons most of our clients get their windshields and other windows tinted with the 70% is the heat rejection and UV protection. The window film we use is the Prime XR Plus series from XPEL. It's a ceramic film that is incredible for heat rejection.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I applied these around my handles on my '21 Y.
Also did rear lower door with ppf from Tesla.