robd88

I just had 3M Crystalline 60 installed on my 2015 GS. They did all four doors and the back window with the same tint but now the front door windows look slightly lighter than the rear door windows. The front windshield has no tint. I questioned the installer about the difference and he confirmed they used 60 on all windows. He said the rear door windows may appear darker because the rear back window is tinted and does not allow as much light in the as the untinted front windshield. That seems logical but after looking through all the windows at multiple angles I still believe the fronts are lighter.

Is it possible that the factory tint on the front door windows is lighter than the rear door windows and adding the Crystalline tint made it more visible? I know there is no dark factory tint on these windows, but there is some inherent tint to the windows. Does the dual pane front window glass make them appear lighter?

Has anyone experienced this or have any insight?

ItzFilyO

I remember the GS windows can change color when the sun hits it, kind of like the transition lens on a glasses. It does get darker under the sun but I don't remember if it's all windows or just the rears. I almost didn't want to tint my windows because of this feature but I like more privacy and tinted them all around except the front windshield and yes my front doors look lighter too.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

Dual pane doesnt make a difference. I have 20% tints all around and no difference between front and rear, unless its sunny outside, front is lighter because of the light comming through the front windshield.

Buy a cheap tint tester on Amazon and test it yourself.

AJLex19

It could be a few different factors but I can only think of two reasons this could happen:

• The installer made a mistake and actually put 70 on the front, and 60 on the rears/rear windshield.
• Your rear windows were already tinted slightly but you may not have been aware

I have the same tint level all around but sometimes the rears appear darker depending on the angle and time of day - thinking this is because the rear windshield is tinted. Also, the front always looks a bit lighter when the sunshade for the sunroof is open and its under direct sunlight.

bclexus

I think you'll find that the installer is right.

IcyBishop

+1 on installer being correct. Completely normal for fronts to "appear" lighter. This is actually a good thing around me since it's illegal to have less than 50% on the front windows, 35 is the lowest not to get attention for the fuzz.

Having a light interior and sunroof shade open will amplify this effect.

np20412

I had my front windshield tinted recently. Now my front and rear tints looks completely even when viewed in any lighting. Previously, my rears looked slightly darker on account of less light in the cabin from the rear glass also being tinted.

TL;DR: Your installer is correct and the rears appear darker because the rear glass is tinted as well. If you tinted your windshield it would then appear even.

azipod

Your installer's explanation is completely reasonable. I also have Crystalline but that's a moot point. The likely reason why your fronts look lighter than the rear is because of the light is coming in through the windshield. Also, your moon-roof visor may also be open which will let in more light.

As others have mentioned, you can probably buy a tint meter to check if you really need to find out. A cheaper way is to put up a thick windshield visor to block out the light and do another visual test. Try it in different lights and environments to see your results.

Crystalline is very expensive but is literally the best tint you can buy. You should also consider putting the CR70 on the windshield. A bulk of the heat comes in from there. Congrats .

baconRx

I also recommend CR70 on windshield as well. It may not be legal but you can't tell it makes a visual difference and can only tell if you look at the dot matrix. Of course all tints won't prevent your car from getting hot, it'll decrease the rate it does and protect you and your dash from UV rays. If you're concerned its not crystalline they put on i think its the only one that produces a rainbow haze when you wear polarized sunglasses at certain angles.

robd88

So I stopped at a different tint shop and asked if they would measure the light transmission on the windows and here are the results:
Front: 51
Rear: 46

So the front is slightly lighter than the rears by the numbers. My car has the dual pane front windows and I'm wondering if that is making a difference.

Any ideas?

And has anyone with dual pane front windows have their windows measured prior to tinting? Or anyone with dual pane front windows willing to go to their local tint shop and ask if they would measure the stock windows?

chinee

Ok robd88... time for pics....

bclexus

Your dual pane windows explains the slight difference in the readings. And, naturally the tinted window rear window (versus the untinted or lightly tinted front windshield) explains why you see the front windows to be visually lighter compared to the back windows.

robd88

Even with the sunroof shade closed and those reflective window shades placed under the windshield to block the light coming through the windshield, the front windows still look lighter. I'm not sure how photos will move along this conversation, but I guess I'll take some tomorrow.

In the meantime, does anyone have an explanation why the front windows are lighter (51) vs the rear windows (46) if CR60 was used on all windows?

bclexus

azipod

Is the 51/46 represent percentages given by the tint meter? If so, that doesn't seem like a lot. The difference could be attributed to a different roll of tint. I don't know. But 5 seems pretty small.
Can we get some photos so we get a better idea what we are talking about?