Tinting Windows (Must Read, Free Moleskin)

[flnsx]

Originally Posted by antlive

installed the moleskin and the glue got all over tint. I think when it's extremely hot the glue breaks down.

This is because Acura Kid sells the generic moleskin.

Tint Protector manufactures their own. It is meant for tint. It won't fall off and leave glue on your window like the free stuff this thread links too.

You get what you pay for. PERIOD!

[evoman]

Originally Posted by flnsx

This is because Acura Kid sells the generic moleskin.

Tint Protector manufactures their own. It is meant for tint. It won't fall off and leave glue on your window like the free stuff this thread links too.

You get what you pay for. PERIOD!

I dont think that the tint protector is really any better then what acura kid sells, in other forums there have also been some reports about the tintprotector felt glue streaking as well. But in their defence, tintprotector has offered to replace the defective tape. I'm sure they just order felt made to their specs, also the tintprotector felt is really thick! I find that it is too thick, acura kids felt is thinner and thus less noticeable.

But the fact is no felt tape will ever be as good as a proper felt seal made by the manufacturer, the felt tape is just a bandage solution to a problem that honda seems to refuse to correct.

So before you install your felt tape, make sure that you clean down the seal throughly...use some soapy water, wash it and dry it, then use isoproply alcohol + water mixture to clean it the second time, check for lint or any left over grease, dirt etc that may prevent a good bond, repeat steps again if there is.

Then make sure you do not touch the glue side of the felt tape when applying it and apply it to both blades of the window wipers. Press it on once because re-lifting the tape to readjust it's position will weaken the glue bond. Also be sure that the felt tape is applied to the window wiper in such a way that the glue edges on either side of the felt tape does not contact the window, this will help prevent the possibility of the felt tape rolling up during window operation and thus leading to streaking of the glue.

When re-installing the moleskin applied window wipers, be sure not to bend or kink it because this too will weaken the bond. Do not put excessive pressure on the felt tape either as this may shear it off. If you do all these steps you should increase the life of your felt tape and reduce the chances of glue streaking.

Since Heat is also the enemy, some preventative maintenance would be, try not to use your windows right away when it is really really hot...such as after the car has been sitting in the sun for a day at 100 degrees for a couple of hours....use the sun roof to air out the hot air....wait for the interior to cool down...then roll the windows down.

Try not to roll the windows down below the seal....this will reduce the wear and tear on the felt tape from the window edge catching the felt tape edge.

Keep your windows clean, when wiping the tint, don't spray solution directly onto the tint...this will leak into the door seal and puddle up there. Spray solution onto some nice paper towels or lint free micro-fibre and then wipe the window with that.

But if you did all this and it still streaks then i guess you should look into contacting a honda dealer and buy some OEM window wiper blades for the 2004-2007 honda accord which i think has the felt built into the wiper blades and these might just fit our 3G TL's ...but it will be expensive!

Good Luck.
evoman

[Acura_Kid]

Originally Posted by flnsx

This is because Acura Kid sells the generic moleskin.

Tint Protector manufactures their own. It is meant for tint. It won't fall off and leave glue on your window like the free stuff this thread links too.

You get what you pay for. PERIOD!

the felt we get is not sold as "generic", it is marketed by the vendor as a product widely used throughout the display cabinet industry for lining the tracks of sliding glass doors.

as far as i know you dont manufacturer any felt. if so please provide the address of your manufacturing facility, i'd like to take a tour to see the machinery that weaves the material into felt, how you die it black, get the glue and backer on, and then roll it up.

we literally only had 1 person contact us regarding a glue streak issue. if there are other folks out there who used our felt and had such problem we would like to hear about it either by posting here or using our Feedback form on www.empirepao.com

did i forget to mention that our moleskin is FREE. did i say FREE, i meant to say FREE.

[Acura_Kid]

Originally Posted by evoman

Hi Acura Kid!

Thanks for your link to the free moleskin, I ordered a couple rolls. Do you guys know where i can buy bulk rolls of tint?? I tried to contact 3M but they do not sell to end users only dealers. The dealers dont seem to want to sell me a bulk roll. I am an old school tinter and I have 3 cars that I would like to tint myself.

here's what you do. contact my pal Tom over at The Art of Tint (http://www.theartoftint.com/) and tell him i sent you, tell him you need some rolls of tint. he has Huper and SolarGard. he can probably have it shipped directly to you.

[evoman]

Originally Posted by Acura_Kid

here's what you do. contact my pal Tom over at The Art of Tint (http://www.theartoftint.com/) and tell him i sent you, tell him you need some rolls of tint. he has Huper and SolarGard. he can probably have it shipped directly to you.

Thanks Acura Kid! What a great site, i wish i knew about this earlier.

[Sondinh]

Hello there I have my windows tinted already, is it true that I still can install the moleskin? Does any body here know how to install it, if so can someone explain it to me with details.
Also wat kind of cleaning agent do I use, beside glass cleaner. How do I know if the glass cleaner have ammonia or not? Does anybody use any type of cleaning agent for their tinted window. Also, what type of cloth(please give me a brand) do I use to clean the tinted window?

[Acura_Kid]

Originally Posted by Sondinh

Hello there I have my windows tinted already, is it true that I still can install the moleskin? Does any body here know how to install it, if so can someone explain it to me with details.
Also wat kind of cleaning agent do I use, beside glass cleaner. How do I know if the glass cleaner have ammonia or not? Does anybody use any type of cleaning agent for their tinted window. Also, what type of cloth(please give me a brand) do I use to clean the tinted window?

what type of chop-shop did your tint job? they should have told you about moleskin and how to clean your tint (aka "plastic").

1. i suggest you read the firts few pages of this old thread, it will show you how to install moleskin. and yes, you can still install moleskin after tint is on.

2. do not use glass cleaner on tint. i suggest you get some cleaning product made for plastic films and/or plastic, like those made by Novus. glass cleaners over time will cause plastics to become brittle. Novus product conditions plastic surfaces, etc.

[whizzards23]

I'm looking into tinting my '05 w/o nav. I believe Texas law is 25% for the sides and rear. Is this too dark? I have no conception of what that will look like.

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a tint shop in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Thanks.

[The General]

Originally Posted by whizzards23

I'm looking into tinting my '05 w/o nav. I believe Texas law is 25% for the sides and rear. Is this too dark? I have no conception of what that will look like.

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a tint shop in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Thanks.

Actually, I think Texas is 30 or 35 percent. Click on the link in my sig and you can look at mine. I believe it is 30%.

[Acura_Kid]

Originally Posted by whizzards23

I'm looking into tinting my '05 w/o nav. I believe Texas law is 25% for the sides and rear. Is this too dark? I have no conception of what that will look like.

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a tint shop in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Thanks.

well, if you see a 2006+ Lexus GX 470 or a 2006+ Tacoma and you see their rear door/window glass, that is approx 22%.

your local PD dept can tell you exactly what the tint law is. 25% in TX is probably not too dark. however, "dark" and "performance" of tint are two totally different things. Huper Optik tint in 100% (a clear film) can well outperform the cheap stuff in 15%, etc. a good performance film (formula-1, huper, or solar gard) in 35% looks awesome on every color/style 3g TL.

going too dark, imho, looks like a cheap/ghetto limo.

[mastermeat]

I wanted to see the difference between Tintprotectors and what ther: felt looks like. My tinter got some product from his supplier. I ordered Tintprotector and went to a supply store and bought some. It is ALL THE SAME. $29.00 from Tintprotecter for one car...my tint guy paid $20 for two rolls of 15 feet...I bought 15 feet for 12 .50...! It is all the same. I am assuming that AK has the same product. It was a no brainer to install using AK pics. The directions are the same from Tintprotecters except they mention using super-fine sandpaper to rough up the weatherstripping first and if you want to heat up the rubber also. I just cleaned and applied the felt and it has been on for 2 weeks with no problems. Had my tint guru redo my tint because the original guy cut back the upper wiper to make sure it didn't scratch. IT SCRATCHED...He's Fired and closed by the way...He used Maddico so my windows were 25% total. Now I have 3M 15% and it looks great. I will get some pics up shortly.

Thanks AK

[frenchbiker]

I'd be really curious to know how many of you had their rear windows done with moleskin. And please tell the truth.

I didn't. The reason? 1) Additional cost 2) no instructions for removing the rear door panels 3) I seldom have passengers sitting in the back and if I have, the windows are locked so no real risk for the tint to be scratched.

[mastermeat]

I have not....Yet. I do see a few scratches and like you I don't get many in the back. Taking the panels off is very easy as it's the same for the fronts except no sail for the mirror. I will do it but it's not a priority now. I just got my KP Technologies Auto Sunroof and my Ultimate pedals so that's on the list for the moment.

[Acura_Kid]

Originally Posted by frenchbiker

I'd be really curious to know how many of you had their rear windows done with moleskin. And please tell the truth.

I didn't. The reason? 1) Additional cost 2) no instructions for removing the rear door panels 3) I seldom have passengers sitting in the back and if I have, the windows are locked so no real risk for the tint to be scratched.

i did mine, and recommend it. instructions are basically the same for taking the rear door panels off. once you do the fronts you'll be able to do the rear ones without any problems....

reply to mastermeat- i know nothing about the felts being sold by other vendors, other than their claims that theirs is the "best" and that you should buy theirs... i think TintProtector at one time stated in this thread that they manufacture their own felt, so i said i wanted a tour of their manufacturing facility........ but i never got a invite. funny how there's like 48k+ views of this thread and is approaching 300 posts, and i've sent out countless orders of moleskin and i think i heard about 1 or 2 cases of the felt not sticking right or something (and i welcome/encourage feedback on any issues with the felt, etc), i dont recall, those posts are in this thread somewhere......

to anyone buying felt, its your $$$, spend it anyway you like.....

[hai_c83]

I just want to say this thread has been extremely informative on the subject of tinting and protecting it. And I thought it was a simple straightforward affair before stumbling across this thread...

I was wondering whether anyone knew of a long standing, reputable tint shop with the appropriate experience in the Southern Kansas City area (Johnson County) to tint a 3rd Gen TL properly?

I've submitted a quote request using tintcenter.com but any input from you guys would be greatly appreciated. Thanks