Tint question

[ivey_usmc]

Hi everyone, I should be getting my model 3 soon and I live in Texas and tint is a must! I've called several tint shops and I'm getting mixed answers about tinting the rear glass 1 piece all the way.
1. we can do it no problem
2. the tint will crack the rear glass
3. tinting over the factory tint in the glass will make it radiate heat inside the car.

Last thing I want to do is screw up my new car. Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[DeltaOne]

My shop, here in Maryland, said they've never seen tinting crack the top/rear glass. They don't tint the top...saying it's dark enough...but they do tint the back part.

 

[The_Observer]

I have my rear glass on one entire piece on Suntek CIR for about 2 years now, haven't noticed any crack as of yet. I guess knock on wood?

 

[euro.r]

I've only heard of #1 and I went with that at 35%.

 

[Kevy Baby]

I'm in sunny Southern California and have ALL glass (including the roof) covered in Suntek CIR as well (since August 2019). If you get it done by a quality shop (some place that has experience with Teslas recommended), you will be okay.

 

[scrapps]

I tinted my roof of my 2018 Model 3 and it cracked. Not sure if it was defective glass. Had the replacement roof tinted and it's been fine.

 

[Pseudofinn]

Hi everyone, I should be getting my model 3 soon and I live in Texas and tint is a must! I've called several tint shops and I'm getting mixed answers about tinting the rear glass 1 piece all the way.
1. we can do it no problem
2. the tint will crack the rear glass
3. tinting over the factory tint in the glass will make it radiate heat inside the car.

Last thing I want to do is screw up my new car. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Don't ever talk to the last two shops again. Plenty of owners have rear glass tinted. To say that it *will* crack the rear glass is incorrect at best. I've read reports of owners suspecting tint caused the rear glass to crack- unless I'm mistaken, this hasn't been verified at all. What is known is that many, many, many Model 3 owners have had rear glass tinted for years. This is simply not a known issue of tinting the rear glass. A lot of shops don't like how much waste is involved in that big sheet because they don't tint a lot of Miatas to use those smaller leftover bits. Some just do it and charge the appropriate amount given how much film is used/wasted. I would shop at the later.

No idea what they are taking about when they say tinting over factory tint will make it "radiate heat inside the car". If you are using a good quality ceramic tint, this is what it is for. I cannot foresee how this would radiate heat, cause a greenhouse effect or anything like that. If you are rejecting the wavelength, it doesn't enter the vehicle. AFAIK, the factory roof tint (at least the new really dark stuff) blocks heat- so if you added another layer (this is kind of a misnomer as the factory tint shouldn't be a layer, the glass itself is darker) of ceramic heat blocking, it will block more. The tint doesn't create heat. :-/

 

[CaptainKrunch]

If a tint shop tells you anything but number one then cross them off your list.

 

[ivey_usmc]

Thanks everyone for the advise. Looks like ill be tinting he entire roof!

 

[Pseudofinn]

Thanks everyone for the advise. Looks like ill be tinting he entire roof!

Did you get your car yet? I'm curious how you feel about that roof? Again, the new ones are really dark- like 5% already.

 

[ivey_usmc]

Did you get your car yet? I'm curious how you feel about that roof? Again, the new ones are really dark- like 5% already.

Car is not in yet. Just trying to get ahead on some things

 

[sundaydrive]

Roof glass has UV and IR protection within it already, I don't see a reason to tint it unless the shop is throwing it in for free.

 

[Trebor Srevlis]

Roof glass has UV and IR protection within it already, I don't see a reason to tint it unless the shop is throwing it in for free.

Because adding tint will reduce it further. For example, say that the existing glass roof blocks 60% of all solar energy hitting it. There is still 40% left, and my head can feel it badly enough in the summer that I have to use a roof screen insert or more tint. Personally I am going with the screen because I already have it, but more heat blocking film is a reasonable idea because it will cut the remaining IR in half.

 

[sundaydrive]

Yeah, I get all that - I guess we all have our cost vs. value reasonings. This YouTube video shows the difference between the roof glass being tinted and stock.

 

[mangrove79]

The only trustworthy shop where I live told me there is a slight chance to cracking the top glass, plus it's $250 extra, plus the top is already factory-tinted darker than all other glass. So I opted not to do it. The shop is called EV Studio (previously Tesla Studio) and they do EV cars only, nothing else. I live in sunny southwest FL, and it's not a problem parking outside in the sun in summer, doing an hour shopping for example.

 

[Kevy Baby]

Roof glass has UV and IR protection within it already, I don't see a reason to tint it unless the shop is throwing it in for free.

I did it because I very quickly found out that the sun showing through the roof was a distraction while driving. Enough so that I would have found myself wearing a hat/visor to drive and that was not acceptable.