I went to Auto Xtreme on Roswell RD on the recommendation of a friend. I got a standard tint job for $234 on a 2005 STi. On the way home I noticed my AM stations weren't coming in. I know most people don't listen to AM, so this may not be a big deal to most people. But I listen to AM daily (I know...I'm old). For those that don't know, on MY04+ the antenna is intergrated into the back glass. At first I thought maybe they disconnected the antenna or accidentally cut the wiring. So I called the shop. TINT WARNING: Most tint is metallic (didn't know this) and will interfere with radio reception with antennas which are integrated into the back glass, it may also interfere with cell phone reception (also didn't know this). They would do absolutely nothing to help me! I called two different shops and both knew about the radio reception issues on Subarus and said they use non-metallic film on the back glass for roughly the same price that I paid. Auto Xtreme offered to replace the back glass with non-metallic for $100. I'm not going to give them another dollar of my money. Is it me, or should they have warned me of the possible radio reception issue? They knew of this issue. When I called and complained he immediately knew what the problem was and even said Mercedes have the same issue but "nobody usually complains because it only affects AM". DO NOT USE AUTO XTREME ON ROSWEEL RD!!!!!
Is the non metallic tint "ceramic"???? I'm looking into getting tinted, but I'll settle for nothing less than the best. I HATE crappy tint jobs so much so that I'd rather have no tint than crappy tint.
I mean they probably should have told you...but I dunno, it's not like they intentionally f'ed you over or anything. I do think that they should replace it with a discounted price though, especially since you paid that much in the first place. They also have the word "Xtreme" in their name...lol.
i thought that was common knowledge...the only tint that doesnt block signals is the bitchin ceramic stuff
thats alot of money for ANY tint job. most i've ever paid for a 4 door sedan was $150. and one was an accord with the antenna in the back glass with which the installers used ceramic....
Well I got my tint done last Saturday from the company that did Alex's and it's worked out well so far. One thing to note, the guy who did Alex's sold his business off to two guys who have been doing this for a while now. I have several of their business cards if anyone wants the info. They charged me $240 parts/labor for all 4 windows, back windshield, and my sunroof. They used decent film (but only time will tell of the quality) and they asked me what % tint I wanted. These guys will also come to you (if you have a covered parking area so there is less dust and stuff. They were professional but weren't stiffs and pretty laid back. I'd recommend these guys and their house, where I went to get my tint done in their garage, is in the Amli off of Barrett Prkwy. Oh yea, lifetime warrenty, or as long as they are in business.
I've checked with four places now and $234 is the cheapest I've found. All of the others places I've called warned me about this issue. It only affects AM reception. So most people probably will not notice. Like I said, I'm old so I listen to AM. There are two types of non-metallic. The more expensive of the two being ceramic.
Price is all going to depend on the quality of the film they are using. For $250ish is probably pretty good quality, maybe even ceramic. For $150 to $200, I can guarantee it is metallic tint. If I am wrong, let me know, because that is a fantastic deal.
non metallic does not mean ceramic and the cheap plastic ones will turn puple lotsa people say i paid too much for a tint $330 (wagon) I got full ceramic tint with lifetime warranty on any state
Even if they go out of business (as was explained to me by Solar Comfort) you can take your car (and its tint) to any Llumar dealer and they will fix it for you. I hate to say it but I think you're out of luck. While maybe they should have told you I cant expect that they'd issue a refund. What you could consider is asking them if you can have credit on a Ceramic tint job...
Try AudioTrix in Marietta. Their stuff is guaranteed, they've always done great work for me and my family. http://www.audiotrixonline.com
I wasn't looking for a refund. I was only looking for them to replace the back glass with non-metallic. They can eat their $100! The other three places I called would have used non-metallic to begin with for around the same price (within 5-10 dollars). So it seems only fair to me that they should give me a similar deal as their competitors. Not install the tint, wait until I have problems, then try to charge me more to fix it!
I went by that shop on Monday to get a quote for rear tint replacement on the old Legacy. They were going to charge me $150 for removal and installation of tint on only the rear window, and they said that there was a good possibility that they may pull off the defogger elements in the process. Maybe you can get them to do it for less if you happen to notice a bubble or imperfection on the rear glass that would cause them to re-hang or re-tint the window anyway.
That's how I felt. I coudn't get out of that store fast enough when he gave me the ridiculous price. I just got a bad vibe about that shop.
heatgun can damage your tint very quickly it will discolour it and ammonia will make it look like it was done improperly and should be warrantied hint
I'm the one that recommended AutoXtreme to Shewb, I thought they did a great job(I'm older than Shewb(you old bastard ), but don't listen to AM so I didn't notice the reception issue... A little pricey, but seemed in line with other shops in my area. I also had them do the custom install on my V1 and was impressed. Sounds like they've got some new folks there recently, or maybe I just got lucky twice...