I have run a search on this forum, and need a definite answer. I have a 2003 3500 CTD, with 4 doors. I like the tint on the rear windows(rear window is kinda light though). I want to tint my front windows, and my girlfriend told me she may get my front windows tinted to match the rears next week for my birthday. I would like to know which is the correct % tint to match the front windows to the rear side windows. I read 20% on my search(only a couple of threads about tinting the windows though). I will probably put 20% on the rear window also, to darken it up. I will also try to get a strip across the front, cause I dont like how there isnt even a blue strip up there. I had somewhere around 35% on the fronts of my old 97 gasser, and liked it, but want it a little darker.

Does anyone have a pic of a 3rd gen truck with 20% on the front? How bout any black trucks with it?

Thanks to all that reply.
-Chad

 

When I picked up my 04.5 Quad Cab the rear doors had a decent tint on them but the rear window was completely clear. I had the rear window done in what they call the limousine tint (pretty dark) then I had the rear doors slightly darkened to match the rear window. Then I had the top 4" of the widshield done with the same level of tint. At this point I was as far as I could legally go in California. But I had the driver and passenger door windows tinted 10% to help in keeping cool while driving out in the valley. I had to sign a wavier at the shop that performed the tinting that I didn't ask for the driver and passender doors to be done.

The only problem I've run into is backing a trailer at night. But I think I'll be solving that problem soon by installing lights under the rear bumper.

Overall, I'm quite happy with the level of tint. I spent a couple of extra bucks and went for the 3M brand of film. It's a great quality film.

As with any film you add to your windows you need to follow one guideline when cleaning. Never use any window cleaner that has ammonia in it. Ammonia is a petrolium derivitive, as is plastic (what the film is made of). Over time the film will begin to get cloudy. I use white vinegar mixed with water to clean my windows.

Ken

 

Good post. Thanks MoparKen on the advice. I've been wondering this same thing lately.

 

This is 12% on the front doors and 35% on the rear doors over the factory tint. If your looking to just match the rear door factory tints then 20% will match them perfectly. As for the front windshield look in the upper corners of the glass there should be a AS1 code with a line etched into the glass this means that the windshield is DOT approved to have the blueish tint in them. Check with your state laws because in Hawaii if you don't have a AS1 code in the galss you can't tint the windshield. Oh yeah, the line with the AS1 code means you can't go past it, it needs to stay above it. Hope this helps...

itsallgood

 

My fronts are 20% and I had my whole winshield done in 35%. I am pretty happy with it so far but the fronts dont match the back PERFECTLY. I doubt there is enough differance for me to go back and retint but with the whole windshield done you would think that it would make the fronts look darker but not enough to quite match.

 

my 06 is dark on rear doors and back window both.....fronts look much lighter though. On cargo/utility vehicles here you can put LIMO tingt on rear doors and rear window but cant go darker than 20% on front doors. Check with tint shop and they have things they stick behind the tint and if you can read a line it tells you what the tint is.....easy way to find out.

 

when i went to the tint shop, he had his own grade/tint/brand of film that matched PERFECTLY, call around to some shops and ask.

it really was the same for about a year, faded a tad now, but i go to a car wash, no telling what they use to clean the windows.

no one except someone **** like us could tell it's not perfect match now, have to look across truck and out thru both windows to tell not perfect.

 

From what I've seen 15% on the front doors will match the factory tinted glass on the rear doors and back glass. That is using LLumar brand film.

 

The factory tint on the rear doors meters at 18%. Problem with matching it "perfectly is that your front doors are also tinted at 70% (this is the industry standard for any vehicle that has A/C).

A 20% with the correct color tone will match your rear factory tint very well.

I am a professional window tinter, this is what I do for a living. I use Sun-gard brand film, and thier Shadow 20% matches the rear very well. This is what I used on my truck.

BTW, window film is actually polyester to be more precise. The reason for not wanting to use ammonia based cleaners on film is because the ammonia strips the yellow out of the oil based dyes they use to color the films. This only applies to Dyed films. Metalized films don`t have this problem as ammonia doesn`t affect the color of metal, but most manufacturers still reccommend against using it because it could eventually attack the adhesive and cause some sort of adhesive failure.

Where ever you have your windows tinted, keep this in mind. Always ask about warranty, there are alot of crappy films out there ( and even more crappy installers). Most quaility films have a WRITTEN lifetime warranty. If you have your vehicle done illegally, the manufacturer will not honor the warranty, so keep that in mind as well.

 

I asked a guy at work last night who was the BEST person in town to get my tint done(colored fella, I figured he would know). He told me the name of the place to call, and I looked up their number, and called them, left a message, and the guy just called me back. He said it would be $125(total) to do the front 2 windows(normally $75, but he said for 2 months they are running a special for $65), $10 for the front strip(normally $20), and $50 for the rear window(normally $60). Its gonna be all 20% tint, he does great work, and said it should probably take an hour or so to do.

Now just gotta see what the girlfriend says, I'm gonna try to get her to pay half, she said last night she would pay it all, but I dont think she likes the total price.

Oh yeah, he said his 20% matches the front windows real good.

 

That sounds like a good deal to me, I cant remember exactly but I am pretty sure that I paid somewhere around 100 bucks for my 2 fronts and windshield, but the work and tint are both top quality.

 

I just paid a guy $50.00 (after some haggling) to do my front driver and pass. door windows. Don't know the tint percentage, but it matches the rear fairly close. Also, I don't know about the quality either....but it looks good to me....at least for now. I figured for $50.00 I couldn't lose.

 

Yeah, this guys stuff has a lifetime warranty. I was gonna go with the 3m(not sure what he uses) from a place back home, but for my 97 regular cab, they wanted $160 to do it the whole way around. I figure that if I one day want the rear side windows darker, he can just add the tint over the factory tint, and be done. I may go darker than 20% on the rear, dont know yet.

 

Those prices are fairly reasonable. Tint prices vary greatly with region, but sounds like a pretty good deal.

 

Something else I ment to mention is that is is gonna be hard to match the front and rear perfectly even with the same exact tint. The reason is cause the back glass is tinted the same as the back windows, however the windshiels isnt tinted at all. Therefor you got more light comin into the and closer to the front windows than you do the rear windows. So if it aint perfect that could be why.