That statement has me a bit concerned. Where was that originally posted. I was looking at my dash and windshield today. They can easily cover the dash while working but the last amount of water squeegeed at the bottom has no alternative but to drain into the underside. They need room to push the tint to the bottom of the glass so no room for anything else. That is definitely food for thought.My installer didn't need to remove the mirror. I don't know if it's a judgement call on the installer's part or if that's standard practice.
In my youth I spent some time in Orlando and had 5% all around in my standard cab Toyota pickup and, while that was great during the Florida sun, it sucked in the dark. I would have to roll my window down to see the median when I was making a turn and that was back when I had 20/20 vision and my eyes were only 24 years old.
Privacy was not big on my list (with factory 20% on everything in the back of the cab that was enough privacy for me). My two biggest priorities were the sun beating on me (I drive north in the afternoon commuting home from work) and getting a ticket (I'm too old to roll the windows down every time I see law enforcement plus there's no way my wife is going to buy off on more tint when I knowingly installed "illegal" tint to start with). Not to mention I drive 20K+ miles a year so wanted a comfortable cab overall especially since my A/C is not the greatest to boot.
I only wanted to do this once so was leaning ceramic but ended up going with 3M Crystalline tint instead (don't be mislead, no matter what the shop tells you Crystalline is not ceramic). The specs are comparable to ceramic - some are a little better or worse depending on what you are looking for but everything is very close. What tipped me over the edge was the clarity. Everything I'd read talks about how clear it is (no distortion). I know tint isn't going to look like a funhouse mirror but I hate any kind of distortion through my windows (I'm just a little OCD).
I ended up getting 3M Crystalline on all my windows:
Rear window - 70% (all 3 pieces as I have the slider)
Rear doors - 70%
Front doors - 50%
Windshield - 70%
I initially went 50% on the front doors so that my windshield didn't look tinted but I'm glad I did. From the inside it almost doesn't look tinted.
I know that's a "little" outside the CVC (California Vehicle Code) but with what everybody else is doing you have to take a good look to tell I'm outside "code".
Pros:
- H-U-G-E difference in cabin temp. Not only can my A/C keep up but I don't feel the sun beating down on me. I still feel some warmth but I don't feel like I'm cooking in the sunlight any more. Every time I drive my wife's truck I realize just how great my tint really is.
- Clarity. While I wanted ceramic I wanted clear vision all around. Regardless of how good that might have been with ceramic I went with the best chance for undistorted vision and I wasn't disappointed. I had to really inspect the back windows to make sure they put tint on them. I see why many put Crystalline on the windshield regardless of what they put on the windows.
Cons:
- Lighter wallet
- The headlights come on a tad earlier and turn off a smidge later in AUTO mode.
- Very small concern that Johnny Law might cite me.
I paid $1300 out the door (tint+labor+tax). While that is on the higher end, it was worth it to me. I did get everything tinted (windshield is a big price bump) from one of the best shops around (did an excellent job) and have a lifetime 3M warranty. If I have any issues I can take it to any authorized 3M installer to have it fixed as long as I own the truck.
Before and after:
View attachment 110907
Some installers won't do the windshield due to the warning about the electronics under the dash but mine had no problem taking my money and tinting the whole windshield:
View attachment 110908
Here is a good YouTube video
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