Rear Tint and Dot Matrix Pattern

[Bee iLL]

Just got my 2007 STS-V back from having the windows tinted. The tint is having problems sticking to the Dot Matrix area of the rear window. Guy at the shop said to bring it back in a few days after the glue has cured a little and he will make it look better, but can't garuntee it will stick properly because of the dot matrix patern, causing an almost whiteish looking spot in some areas. Has anyone else had this problem tinting their STS's? I know a lot of people have them done and want to know if this is just shoddy work. Thanks for the info in advanced. Here are some pictures of the problem, hope you can see what I am talking about.

[Cajonkev]

Dot matrix issues are common as there is just no way you can get the film to completely adhere around every little rise (dot) since they are so close together.

Although it will always be visible when standing next to the window or even a couple of feet away. Generally the perception that anyone (other than you) would have is to not notice that section. In all my cars with matrix patterns and tint (including both my STS's) nobody could ever tell other than me unless they were literally looking for it and none were. I have never had a comment even at car shows.

That said here are a couple of points:

1. It should improve (slightly) over the next ten days as the moisture evaporates and the film finishes curing.

2. Your installer can go back over it with their hard card and work on getting it in a little tighter but the denser the pattern, the harder it is. Film is not designed to be pliable enough to wrap around every dot especially spaced so close together.

3. You can have the installer "sand" down the dots to a lower profile to reduce the surface area. You better have a good tech though because we're talking about surface roughing next to an expensive piece of glass... Also, it is labor intensive thus expensive/time consuming to do. Not your standard job...

4. You can have them crop the film just to the inside of the pattern thus only tinting the exposed flat glass. The pattern area is out of passenger view and along the edge with the dark border so in most applications would appear to be tinted anyway.

Good luck getting it the way you want and enjoy your ride!

[Swangin'Lac]

yep, he pretty much nailed it! ^^^^

I own a tint shop and am an installer myself. As far as the small band areound the perimeter of the sides and back..... let it dry out for a full week. Then you can go back and run your finger along the edge keeping good even pressure. This will help it lay down a bit better and look less noticable.

For the matrix at the top, there is not much you can do. When I do vehicles with this along the top(sometimes up to 6" long) I use a high quality outdoor rated black vinyl installed to the INTERIOR side of the glass. The vinyl adheres to, and inbetween the dots perfectly if done correctly. It gives the car an AWESOME look....looks factory and blends perfect with the rest of the black border around the glass.
Only downside, is that you obviosly loose vison to that section of glass, however its so small and so high up it wont even effect your view.

Hope this helps!!! Good luck, and for your car just bring it back to the tint shop after about a week and they can make it look a little better, but it wont be perfect.

[mocts]

yep my cts has them, and thats why my parents refused to tint their cars

[Caroutisine]

Yep, it's normal. Don't worry about it.

[Force-1]

Same problem on my STS. I didn't worry about it as I had the same problem when my '05 C6 Corvette was tinted, so I was prepared for it. Some other C6 owners apply black vinyl or paint over the dots before tinting.

[Swangin'Lac]

Originally Posted by mocts

yep my cts has them, and thats why my parents refused to tint their cars

Thats a shame really. Tint is a great aftermarket ad-on. Perhaps you just need to locate a quality shop that will do it right.

Like I said, I use vinyl installed on the inside. Makes for a perfect look. Here is a pic of a tinted Chevy Cobalt coupe.

[mocts]

ill tell my tint shop about that as my cts has to go back for a passenger side replacement as its developed lines. thanks

[rb92gt]

Run fingers along the tint covering the dot areas everyday and it will improve. I did this starting the day after my windows were tinted and it looks great now. If you wait too long and the moisture/glue dries out, you will not be able to improve it as it will never stick.

[rblimas]

Originally Posted by Swangin'Lac

Thats a shame really. Tint is a great aftermarket ad-on. Perhaps you just need to locate a quality shop that will do it right.

Like I said, I use vinyl installed on the inside. Makes for a perfect look. Here is a pic of a tinted Chevy Cobalt coupe.

is that what it looks like with the vinyl? if so that looks like crap

are there any better fixes?

[BirdJC]

All mine went away after a couple of days....

[nickydags]

another idea is to do a seperate piece over the dotted sections. This way if the section lifts or turns out poorly, then you only have to pull that section instead of the whole piece. Did it on my C5 Corvette FRC and it worked fine...like previous posters said give it a bit to dry and keep pressing it against the glass...mine came out almost perfect......

[BMBSALES]

Originally Posted by Cajonkev

4. You can have them crop the film just to the inside of the pattern thus only tinting the exposed flat glass. The pattern area is out of passenger view and along the edge with the dark border so in most applications would appear to be tinted anyway.

i went this route, and i hated it at first, but no one notices it unless i point it out. it's ok.