Which Tint?

[Glamisduner]

I ended up having the photosync done. There's a couple small bubbles in the rear glass but they said I they should go away after the tint finished drying, and if I have any problems to bring it back. Looks great other than that though.

I think I would have been fine with even their cheapest tint, and probably should have gone for the Pinnacle or Stratos (BTW My Pricing is flipped on those two in the original post).

It's 50% more money for 15-20% better thermal rejection, which is certainly hitting diminishing returns. But curiosity got the best of me so I went with the photosync.

Shop did not pressure me into the photosync, in fact the guy there used Statos on his own car. He said they stopped carrying Crystalline because they had better results with the Llumar brands but I took that with a grain of salt.

They said I was tesla 360 something they have done over the past few months. In fact the two times I checked them out all they had inside the shop was model 3's! Small place too. I liked the fact they did not pressure me or tell me some crazy up-sell on photosync over the others. He basically said, everything they sell is a good quality tint, even their cheapest winco tint is a a good tint. He explained some people just want the best, so if you can afford the difference, and plan on keeping the car without it being a major financial deal, that I should consider it. He even agreed I would need some equipment to really tell the difference between some of the tints, but assured me the numbers are real. Would I really be able to tell a 20% difference in heat on my arms etc? Well I dunno, my thoughts are not really, but I ended up getting photosync anyways.

 

[Roentgen]

I ended up having the photosync done. There's a couple small bubbles in the rear glass but they said I they should go away after the tint finished drying, and if I have any problems to bring it back. Looks great other than that though.

I think I would have been fine with even their cheapest tint, and probably should have gone for the Pinnacle or Stratos (BTW My Pricing is flipped on those two in the original post).

It's 50% more money for 15-20% better thermal rejection, which is certainly hitting diminishing returns. But curiosity got the best of me so I went with the photosync.

Shop did not pressure me into the photosync, in fact the guy there used Statos on his own car. He said they stopped carrying Crystalline because they had better results with the Llumar brands but I took that with a grain of salt.

They said I was tesla 360 something they have done over the past few months. In fact the two times I checked them out all they had inside the shop was model 3's! Small place too. I liked the fact they did not pressure me or tell me some crazy up-sell on photosync over the others. He basically said, everything they sell is a good quality tint, even their cheapest winco tint is a a good tint. He explained some people just want the best, so if you can afford the difference, and plan on keeping the car without it being a major financial deal, that I should consider it. He even agreed I would need some equipment to really tell the difference between some of the tints, but assured me the numbers are real. Would I really be able to tell a 20% difference in heat on my arms etc? Well I dunno, my thoughts are not really, but I ended up getting photosync anyways.

You got a GREAT price on your Photosync. And if they did a good job of it and are local? Can't ask for better than that!

 

[ranova]

Got llumar Pinnacle 50 front side windows and 30 for the rear sides and 1 piece back for $550. Great tint job however at night, the mirrors are now pitch black due to the autodimming feature of the model 3 - I can only really see headlights and this could be dangerous without seeing other details.

What have you guys done about this? I disliked the dimming before tinting but now its way too dark. I can't wait for Tesla to add dimming configuration in the model 3 so I bought a replacement rear mirror and some blind spot mirrors for the side mirrors.

 

[CaliM3]

I ended up having the photosync done. There's a couple small bubbles in the rear glass but they said I they should go away after the tint finished drying, and if I have any problems to bring it back. Looks great other than that though.

I think I would have been fine with even their cheapest tint, and probably should have gone for the Pinnacle or Stratos (BTW My Pricing is flipped on those two in the original post).

It's 50% more money for 15-20% better thermal rejection, which is certainly hitting diminishing returns. But curiosity got the best of me so I went with the photosync.

Shop did not pressure me into the photosync, in fact the guy there used Statos on his own car. He said they stopped carrying Crystalline because they had better results with the Llumar brands but I took that with a grain of salt.

They said I was tesla 360 something they have done over the past few months. In fact the two times I checked them out all they had inside the shop was model 3's! Small place too. I liked the fact they did not pressure me or tell me some crazy up-sell on photosync over the others. He basically said, everything they sell is a good quality tint, even their cheapest winco tint is a a good tint. He explained some people just want the best, so if you can afford the difference, and plan on keeping the car without it being a major financial deal, that I should consider it. He even agreed I would need some equipment to really tell the difference between some of the tints, but assured me the numbers are real. Would I really be able to tell a 20% difference in heat on my arms etc? Well I dunno, my thoughts are not really, but I ended up getting photosync anyways.

Hi Glamisduner, Thanks for the post. I am in the same boat as you were. Now that you have the photosync for 6 months or so, how do you like it? Can you tell it is blocking more heat / sun than other brands? Interested in real users feedback than numbers on paper. Thanks

 

[skylander]

I think the shop I took my 3 to was charging about $950 for 3M crystalline on all windows (incl front windshield and roof) as their reg price. Still a really good price for 3M. They're in Costa Mesa if you're willing to sacrifice a day and come up here from Escondido. But if you have a local place and you know they do a good job, I'd suggest sicking with them - most of these places have a warranty, and if you ever have a problem and need to use it, then they're much handier to get to. And again, knowing that they do a good job on 3s is worth paying a bit more for.

I'm not going to pretend to be an authority on whether one tint is that much better than another. All we can do is rely on the numbers that they give. Photosync works. is it worth twice the price that some places are charging? Not in my opinion. And their numbers are sooo much better than the others that I wonder if they haven't been "tweaked" somehow. (All research I tried to do on Photosync just leads to people hyping the brand on forums - no real 3rd party reviews/comparisons.) 3M is a big corporation, and I figure they can't take the risk of false advertising so I figure their numbers may be more legit. Suntek and Llumar are both subsidiaries of Eastman films, so they're probably equal, just variations on the same formula (Llumar subbrands incl both Pinnacle and Stratos).

If you get a chance to see these in person, you should compare the color and clarity for yourself. Each brand is a little different, with some colors warmer or cooler than others (Photosync slightly blue, Crystalline slightly brown, some others more gray/neutral, etc). Then settle on what degree of VLT/darkness you want, and what degree of heat transfer you're willing to tolerate. I got 70% front windshield, 40% front sides, roof, and rear windshield, and 20% rear sides. I'm very happy with this combination. 40% is lighter than I expected/not as dark as I feared. 40 on the roof makes it pretty dark in combo with the factory tint, but I wanted it to match the tinted upper part of the rear windshield.

Want to stress again that the people doing it are also just as important, and if you can see their work, you can feel much more confident about your purchase. If you can see evidence of small residual bubbles or dust trapped underneath (beyond your acceptable limit) you should maybe look somewhere else.

I got my Stratos 35% (similar VLT as 3M Crystaline 40%) on both windows (front and rear), sun roof and back large windows. And I use 70% on windshield. I initially somehow regret that I made the already tinted sunroof too dark. (Actually I can see outside. Not dark completely blocked all light). I live in Southern California. As the weather getting hot, I think the additional tinted roof does help to reduce more heat sensation.

 

[Glamisduner]

Hi Glamisduner, Thanks for the post. I am in the same boat as you were. Now that you have the photosync for 6 months or so, how do you like it? Can you tell it is blocking more heat / sun than other brands? Interested in real users feedback than numbers on paper. Thanks

I don't have another brand to compare it with but you can feel it blocking heat compared to the front glass with no tint.

Summer is coming!

 

[Jazz_MIII]

I was thinking to do like a 75% on the roof if I do tint it, just to block heat in the summer. I think the installer is fine, it's not his talent that is holding him back, just that he is a very small shop and does not want to buy a roll of that tint (if available) just to do my one rear window. But it looks like I'll be going the other route anyways. I wanted photo-sync but now I'm thinking about going a little cheaper.

You can find a tint expert who will apply a clear tint and also block the heat. I am in Northern CA and there's a shop that can put a clear tint and block the heat which would then retain the current look of the roof.

 

[03DSG]

I don't have another brand to compare it with but you can feel it blocking heat compared to the front glass with no tint.

Summer is coming!

Last summer I found the 45% Photosync I have blocked extremely well. No more hot arms, legs or face. Ended up doing Photosync on the front windows of my wifes Escape as she liked it so much in the 3. I personally like the color shade of Photosync as well.

 

[Glamisduner]

Last summer I found the 45% Photosync I have blocked extremely well. No more hot arms, legs or face. Ended up doing Photosync on the front windows of my wifes Escape as she liked it so much in the 3. I personally like the color shade of Photosync as well.

Yea front window would be nice, but expensive and my windshield is covered in tiny marks already
I just plan to use a sun shield while parked. Not sure I would like the rainbow effect when wearing polarized sunglasses either.

 

[03DSG]

Yea front window would be nice, but expensive and my windshield is covered in tiny marks already
I just plan to use a sun shield while parked. Not sure I would like the rainbow effect when wearing polarized sunglasses either.

To clarify my windshield is stock. Illegal up here to do any level to it. I was just referring to the effectiveness of the Photosync.

 

[Glamisduner]

To clarify my windshield is stock. Illegal up here to do any level to it. I was just referring to the effectiveness of the Photosync.

All my tint is illegal, but you would be hard pressed to get a ticket for 70% since it is basically clear.

 

[lloyds]

I have nothing, but positive feelings with photosync. I have huper on my bmws and I can feel the difference between the two.