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Tint door windows, but not rear window?

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It will look fine but you will hardly get any heat rejection, if that is a concern. I have mine whole rear window tinted and it is not too dark, even at night.

The rear window is so small I wonder if heat transmission is significant, unless you are bringing the tint up to overlap the factory tint.

Front windshield is probably a significantly greater contributor to heat.

I'm also thinking of just doing the sides...
 
I did all windows (including windshield) except the rear window. The rear window is such that I don’t think it needs it as much as the others, if you are looking from a privacy and sun protection stand point. Really happy with it, wouldn’t change what I did.
 
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I did all windows (including windshield) except the rear window. The rear window is such that I don’t think it needs it as much as the others, if you are looking from a privacy and sun protection stand point. Really happy with it, wouldn’t change what I did.

I only had the 6 side windows tinted with Spectra Photosync 45% as I hadn’t figured out where to put the Blackvue rear dashcam yet. Additionally the 45% is not to dark so not to much of a side to rear variation. After getting the car back I decided just to leave the rear window stock. I like the factory color from the inside and more than 1/2 the rear window is already tinted. Sides only tinted:

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Stock:

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I only had the 6 side windows tinted with Spectra Photosync 45% as I hadn’t figured out where to put the Blackvue rear dashcam yet. Additionally the 45% is not to dark so not to much of a side to rear variation. After getting the car back I decided just to leave the rear window stock. I like the factory color from the inside and more than 1/2 the rear window is already tinted. Sides only tinted:

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Stock:

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Wanted to ask you something. I know you are in Canada, so not sure if you can answer this as I'm not sure how hot it was when you got it installed. How has the rear seat comfort been? I currently have tint on my rear windshield but I'm getting light reflection along the defroster lines which is bothering me, so I'm thinking about getting it removed instead of swapping to something else. My only concern would be heat rejection but based on what I've read I think I will be ok, even in places like Texas (if I was in Arizona maybe things would be different).

I kind of wished I followed your route in the first place and only tinted the sides. Could have saved $$$ too.
 
Wanted to ask you something. I know you are in Canada, so not sure if you can answer this as I'm not sure how hot it was when you got it installed. How has the rear seat comfort been? I currently have tint on my rear windshield but I'm getting light reflection along the defroster lines which is bothering me, so I'm thinking about getting it removed instead of swapping to something else. My only concern would be heat rejection but based on what I've read I think I will be ok, even in places like Texas (if I was in Arizona maybe things would be different).

I kind of wished I followed your route in the first place and only tinted the sides. Could have saved $$$ too.

Only had a few in the back seat this past summer. No negative comments. My guess is since it’s not hot in the front with the factory front overhead roof tint than it shouldn’t be hot in the back with the factory rear overhead roof tint unless maybe when the sun is low and coming straight in through the back window through the untinted part? Then again if the suns low it’s not as hot. Bottom line for me is I’m glad I didn’t get it done.
Caution on the removal damaging the radio antenna or defroster lines.
 
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Just curious, what's your main reason in getting tint done? Depending on your priority (privacy? heat rejection? something else entirely?) we may be able to suggest something fitting for you.

Heat rejection, not so much privacy as I kind of want to show off the structure of the car; to me darker tint on the back really hides the transition between the tinted and untinted part of the glass roof and kinds of robs the uniqueness of how the car looks. That's just my opinion though.

I already have tint on the sides right now, so I do have some protection.

Only had a few in the back seat this past summer. No negative comments. My guess is since it’s not hot in the front with the factory front overhead roof tint than it shouldn’t be hot in the back with the factory rear overhead roof tint unless maybe when the sun is low and coming straight in through the back window through the untinted part? Then again if the suns low it’s not as hot. Bottom line for me is I’m glad I didn’t get it done.
Caution on the removal damaging the radio antenna or defroster lines.

Thanks for your reply / first hand experience. Good point about the angle of the sun vs heat. I actually had to get the back redone once (went to a different tint which seems to be thicker vs my previous one which is why the issue came up as it wasn't like that before) so I know that my guy is experienced with this. Luckily the tint is fresh which is why I feel ok with doing it now (this is not something I want to sit on very long though). Worst case I have to buy a new back glass? Such is life but given that I plan to drive the car for a good while I want to be able to look out the back and not be annoyed. Yea seems a little silly but everyone is different.

I think for me the sides are good enough and I felt improvements once I got that on from the driver's seat. I certainly feel stuff through the front windshield but am willing to live with that. Maybe I'll revisit the front windshield in the future.
 
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Heat rejection, not so much privacy as I kind of want to show off the structure of the car; to me darker tint on the back really hides the transition between the tinted and untinted part of the glass roof and kinds of robs the uniqueness of how the car looks. That's just my opinion though.

I already have tint on the sides right now, so I do have some protection.

Based off of that, my best recommendation is to get a really clear film like 70% or 75% with extremely high heat rejection (look at TSER% numbers to start). The higher the better, and being the back glass is so big, every little bit counts. This way, you can show off the structure of the car like you want, but aren't letting in as much heat as you are now.
 
Ha, thought I was the only one who thought about/did this. I had just the rear door windows tinted and left the rear windshield alone. Basically wanted to cut down on the sun beaming my kid in the face through the side window but didn't want the roof to be any darker and didn't want to see a line from a partially-tinted rear window. I'm satisfied.
 
It will look fine but you will hardly get any heat rejection, if that is a concern. I have mine whole rear window tinted and it is not too dark, even at night.
Uh hold on a second. Let's not link visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet. Depending on the type of film, you can get films that reject a very high amount of infrared (heat) and ultraviolet (damage to the interior) yet still let in a lot of visible light, if that is the reason. I have a ceramic film on the windows that blocks out only 7% of visible light yet gives me the high 90% range of UV and IR blocking that I wanted.
 
Tinted my front and side windows. Not the rear. I recommend this setup. The front window has more untreated surface area than the rear window, and more importantly this is direct exposure to you as the driver. I also have a better view through the sunroof as its not double tinted as many end up when they tint the back window.

I would also consider the removable tesla roof screen for the summer if I were staying here in Vegas, but I think the sun wont be as strong in LA where I'm moving soon. It not being 115 degrees F daily will make a huge different too.

If both of the above are not enough, then get the rear done. I think this is the best bag for your buck.

Note: I have white interior with 35 tint sides (Llumar? ceramic), and 80 front (Air 80). The white interior reflect a lot of sunlight throughout the cabin. As such, this does not look dark at all. Many people dont noticed its tinted as it just looks like premium glass. If you have a white interior and you want the dark look then I recommend at least darker side windows. 20 should be useful but not too much to see out of.
 
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Tinted my front and side windows. Not the rear. I recommend this setup. The front window has more untreated surface area than the rear window, and more importantly this is direct exposure to you as the driver. I also have a better view through the sunroof as its not double tinted as many end up when they tint the back window.

I would also consider the removable tesla roof screen for the summer if I were staying here in Vegas, but I think the sun wont be as strong in LA where I'm moving soon. It not being 115 degrees F daily will make a huge different too.

If both of the above are not enough, then get the rear done. I think this is the best bag for your buck.

Note: I have white interior with 35 tint sides (Llumar? ceramic), and 80 front (Air 80). The white interior reflect a lot of sunlight throughout the cabin. As such, this does not look dark at all. Many people dont noticed its tinted as it just looks like premium glass. If you have a white interior and you want the dark look then I recommend at least darker side windows. 20 should be useful but not too much to see out of.

Thanks for your posting. You are what I exactly needed to hear with regards to heat, especially with you being from the LV area. I know that everyone's experience is different but so far the comments I've read on the forums have been so far much more about the front windshield than anything else, even when taking into account people sitting in the back. Yes I've seen some people talk about the glass roof (back and front) having some issues, but there's far less of that.

I've gone ahead and reached out to my tinter to have it removed. Lesson learn and advice I'll give to all people: if you're unsure (heck, even if you think you are sure just like how I was), tint just the sides first. You can always do the front and/or back later if you want. Can save a bit of $$$ if you decide on no additional tint.
 
I think the money you save on the rear window is better spent on tinting the front window, getting a removable reflective windshield screen for when you park, buying the removable mesh sunroof shade from tesla, and pre-cooling your car before you get in.

Cooling your cabin makes a Huge difference as cool seats are much better than hot seats, regardless of what window tint you have. When you sit on a hot seat the most noticeable way they will cool is your body soaking the heat out of them. (You can feel this a lot when its 115+ here in vegas and the car is over 125 before you get in).

Window tint wont improve seat temperature comfort more than running the AC for 5 minutes before you get in and having a nice set of cool seats to sit on.

Window tint WILL reduce glare, radiation, and will slow heating of the cabin/seats over short periods of time. So if you run in the store, the car should be cooler when you get out, or your window-side arm wont get red from too much sun on a day long Vegas desert road trip.

Think of window tint for what it is, mostly a radiation insulator. As with all insulators, they slow heat transfer, not stop it. For example, you have two items, a steel metal pan and a ceramic casserole dish of similar size and mass (uninsulated coffee mugs may be easier to imagine). You put them both in the oven on 400 for 2 minutes. The metal conductor will be noticeably hotter than the ceramic insulator. Next you put them both in the oven for 20 minutes. They will both be 400 degrees.

Now how long do you park your car in sun?... Key question thats undefined is how quickly will radiation through the windows (say 25-50% of the cars surface area) increase the cabin temp of the vehicle and how substantial is that? Without getting into the thermodynaic of it, this is a process you are trying to slow with window tint, not stop. And how much does slowing that matter if the rest of the car is still a metal body, soaking up heat, and transferring that to the cabin at X rate/time.

Tint wont prevent your car from hitting 125 degrees inside if its 110 outside. Mine still exceeds that in the summer sun, even when I'm running cabin fan only active cooling on with my tint. (I wish I measured before tint but I think long term exposure was maybe 10 degree hotter, cracking the windows and using a window screen makes about the same difference. Tint does decrease short term exposure temperatures like running into the store).

Tint Will prevent the sun from heating your skin directly though. To me its a comfort thing, but I don't think of it too much as making the car cooler it if its been sitting in the parking lot for 5 hours straight. In the short term it helps, but more so does turning down the oven, aka pre-cooling the car to below 115 degrees before you jump in via the app.

Also, in my BMW I used to use a window screen and crack my windows an inch. That made noticeable difference long term vs with the windows up as it allowed the heat to escape instead of just slowing the build up. But I had to clean the interior more often due to dust and had to watch the weather for rain.

Hope I didn't restate the same thing too much.