Tinting the prius 2010..good idea or bad?

Thanks Husker. Looking forward to your pic's Ssekian. I was thinking of doing something similar to you. Everywhere I drive I am looking at people's tint to figure out what kind of tinting schedule I should go with.

 

Even up here in Washington I think tinting helps keep things cool inside. And I personally believe it is a minor theft deterrent.

We're planning on having the wife's '10 done as soon as we can find a reliable shop to do the work. I'm not a big fan of having the tint strip at the top of the windshield though.

 

Ray, I found this online some time ago. But I don't recall which website.

 

Hi Dean, I'm new to the board so please excuse me if this isn't the best way to reach you. I'm also from Central Florida (Clermont) and wanted to know where you went for your Gen III or if you have any recommendations on where to go. Thanks.

 

I'll answer this directly on Chat rather than PM, as others in the area here may like the info. As you know, I'm the next city north of you. I had a ref deposit at Phillips Toyota in Leesburg and on the list at David Maus in Sanford. I later determined that both would add dealer fees (at least $500) and more incl forced Port options.

I was informed by another member here of Earl Stewart Toyota (family-owned and in business since 1937) in North Palm Beach. They charge NO dealer fees (even have an essay about that on their site). MSRP for the Prius and they do their absolute best to have no Port Options tacked on unless ordered. I had none. They found my car and were an absolute pleasure to deal with.

Best contact, Jason Stewart (co-owner, son of Earl) 561-845-6681 or 800-378-5111. My neighbor saw my car and bought one like it the same day from Stewart. Tell Jason that Dean sent you - Prius Chat.

Private message me with any other questions - be happy to help!

Earl Stewart Toyota: Palm Beach New Toyota Dealer; Cars, Trucks, Used Toyotas; North Palm Beach, FL; Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Stuart, Ft Lauderdale

 

I wonder if the Barcelona Red comes from some of Miro's colors that he used since he painted in Barcelona. It kind of reminds me of his vibrant colors. Here is a link to check out as an example: Red Sun by Miro

 

I hope none of you guys who are so hot for tinted windows ever have to approach a car in which you have reason to believe an angry person may be waiting. It's bad enough when you can see them; when you can't, it can be a truly terrifying experience.

 

That's why there are laws regarding tint darkness in the first place. A lot of my friends are officers and I've done plenty of ride-alongs both for PD and for Game Warden. It is unfortunate for officers but I'm not going to sacrifice my comfort for their good feelings. I'll simply roll the windows down and keep my hands in plain site, it that is not good enough then they should find a new line of work that isn't so stressful.

Keep in mind my best friend is CHP and my ex-roomate and 2nd best friend is local PD. I also trained for wildlife law enforcement but decided to travel a different path.

 

Ok so here's some pics of the Prius. It was a really really bright and hot day, so yeah.

Just to recap: Llumar ceramic, 20 all around, strip on windshield.

 

Looks great ssekian! I think I will probably do the same tinting schedule as you. I;m going to be getting a Blizzard, but it's looks really nice in Winter Gray with tint.

 

Here in Florida is not even a question. I ordered mine already with tinted windows which are installed by SET at the Jacksonville port facility...

 

Dean or Ssekein, i see you are both in my area and have Llumar tint installed. i am a big Llumar fan but i haven't found a legit Llumar installer in Orlando. can you guys Pm me with the tint installer you used? asap, please, thanks.

 

I got 35% tint, and the first thing I do when pulled over is roll down the window. People should do that anyway... but I do see how a law enforcement officer would be concerned.

 

I have Madico Charcool, 55% in the front, 17% in the back.

 

Got my windows tinted at Sunshield. Got 35% on all four and 20% on the back. Looks very nice, and hopefully the 35% is subtle enough not to get a ticket (having the lighter misty grey interior will help, I was told). According to Sunshield, you can't have ANY tinting on driver or passenger windows in CA.

I was very happy I read about ceramic tinting here on PriusChat. They did not try and up-sell me at Sunshield...I'm the one that brought it up. They then showed me a heat demo -- a little sunlight box where they slid a plate of glass with half ceramic and non-ceramic back and forth. The amount of heat the ceramic cuts is DRAMATIC! Certainly worth the extra $60. I noticed today I was able to drive much longer before I had to turn on the AC.

 

35% on the fronts netted me 2 tickets on Norcal freeways. Hopefully you have more luck. Took over a year for them to notice, but they eventually did.

 

Where did you end up going for your tint in LA? I'm considering Nick's Tinting on Lincoln in Venice due to very high reviews on Yelp and he offered all 9 windows for $180 cash(from a quote of $220)! He had just tinted a Silver 2010 when I pulled up, so he knows the challenges of the little windows.

 

Is tinting a good or bad idea? Well, that depends on whether or not you want your windows tinted.
If you do, then it's a good idea.
If you don't, then it's a bad idea.

Window tint is great.

 

Can some of yopu tell me the type and brand of tint you're using/like?
Metalized/ceramic/other?

thanks

 

Dyed series from LLumar