[firetitanx]

Hi Good BMW Folk.

Just had my windows tinted 35%VLT , very happy but I notice at night the cars behind me, their headlights make horizontal glares in the shape of the rungs of a ladder, those are the demister lines.
It is very annoying and quite unsettllng and could be quite dangerous.

I did some quick google searches and it seems to be very common with tinting as the tint does not sit flat around the demister filaments so the light refracts differently.

Some pix below I found which look like what I have.

Anybody else have this problem ?

And what would the solution be besides removing the tint.

Thanks

[Burrcold]

How long has the tint been on? It needs a good few weeks to completely dry and you should see a reduction in those water pockets around the defroster lines.

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

How long has the tint been on? It needs a good few weeks to completely dry and you should see a reduction in those water pockets around the defroster lines.

Ah , 5 days now so still young , thanks do you recommend I switch the demister on to dry it more?

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by firetitanx

Ah , 5 days now so still young , thanks do you recommend I switch the demister on to dry it more?

No, you should avoid using the defroster as much as possible as it could melt/distort the tint film. Keep it out in the sun and it will dry faster.

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

No, you should avoid using the defroster as much as possible as it could melt/distort the tint film. Keep it out in the sun and it will dry faster.

Ah makes sense .thanks for that

I have hope now...

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by firetitanx

Hi Good BMW Folk.

Just had my windows tinted 35%VLT , very happy but I notice at night the cars behind me, their headlights make horizontal glares in the shape of the rungs of a ladder, those are the demister lines.
It is very annoying and quite unsettllng and could be quite dangerous.

I did some quick google searches and it seems to be very common with tinting as the tint does not sit flat around the demister filaments so the light refracts differently.

Some pix below I found which look like what I have.

Anybody else have this problem ?

And what would the solution be besides removing the tint.

Thanks

Sorry pix loaded now

[Burrcold]

Hmm that looks pretty bad. They didn't double up on the film did they? That happens sometimes when they do film over film. Honestly give it a week and if it's still like that ask them what's going on.

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

Hmm that looks pretty bad. They didn't double up on the film did they? That happens sometimes when they do film over film. Honestly give it a week and if it's still like that ask them what's going on.

Apologies, those pix are not from my car, but it looks exactly like that, not sure if they put double when I look it seems like a single sheet.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by firetitanx

Apologies, those pix are not from my car, but it looks exactly like that, not sure if they put double when I look it seems like a single sheet.

It's very hard to tell if they doubled up...you have to look really close at the edges to tell.

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

It's very hard to tell if they doubled up...you have to look really close at the edges to tell.

Ah ok interesting, thanks for that I sent an email to the dealer , so let's see what they come back with.

[SteveAus]

Originally Posted by firetitanx

Sorry pix loaded now

Yuk....that looks horrible.
If it hasn't corrected itself in a week (which I doubt it will), take the car back to the installer and ask them to re-do the job. This is a painful exercise for you and the installer, but I don't think I could live with that in my rear view mirror.

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by SteveAus

Yuk....that looks horrible.
If it hasn't corrected itself in a week (which I doubt it will), take the car back to the installer and ask them to re-do the job. This is a painful exercise for you and the installer, but I don't think I could live with that in my rear view mirror.

Thanks Steve first time I had tinting , side windows are good just back.
It really is quite distracting , the light is quite glary.

Oh well at least its something minor and not major.
So your rear windows are tinted and you have nothing like this?

[biglesias31]

I had the same problem but it went away in a couple of weeks. No more lines!

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by biglesias31

I had the same problem but it went away in a couple of weeks. No more lines!

Hi biglesias31

Thanks I am really hoping so , everything else in the car is 100%

[SteveAus]

Originally Posted by firetitanx

Thanks Steve first time I had tinting , side windows are good just back.
It really is quite distracting , the light is quite glary.

Oh well at least its something minor and not major.
So your rear windows are tinted and you have nothing like this?

Correct.
I see just one headlight image, rather than the light refractions that you see. That would drive me nuts.

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by SteveAus

Correct.
I see just one headlight image, rather than the light refractions that you see. That would drive me nuts.

Ah ok thats good, strange, let's see what the dealer says.

If they cant fix it I may ask them to remove it as its very irritating and dangerous and somewhat ruins my night driving experience

[firetitanx]

So the dealer emailed the tinting place.

And they said apparently 3 series specifically reflect more light due to the angle of the rear window!!
They said its not a film type or brand issue.

So I went to another tinting place and he checked there was no issue with the installation , but he said the tint was highly reflective and thats why Im getting the glare.
He showed me other cars with other brands of tints and the reflection was pretty much zero, even though they were different cars.

So Im just going to have it removed, I cant have it compromise safety.
If I get the rear tinted by somebody else the colours of tint may not match up and that will be terrible.
So unless I remove all tinting from all windows and then go somewhere else and redo it all and pay for it again, seems I have very little choice.

Anyway I hope it looks ok ..aaargh

So BUYER BEWARE !!!!, make sure you check your rear windscreen at night for the terrible "Ladder Rung Glare"

[NoSUV4Me]

Originally Posted by firetitanx

So the dealer emailed the tinting place.

And they said apparently 3 series specifically reflect more light due to the angle of the rear window!!
They said its not a film type or brand issue.

So I went to another tinting place and he checked there was no issue with the installation , but he said the tint was highly reflective and thats why Im getting the glare.
He showed me other cars with other brands of tints and the reflection was pretty much zero, even though they were different cars.

So Im just going to have it removed, I cant have it compromise safety.
If I get the rear tinted by somebody else the colours of tint may not match up and that will be terrible.
So unless I remove all tinting from all windows and then go somewhere else and redo it all and pay for it again, seems I have very little choice.

Anyway I hope it looks ok ..aaargh

So BUYER BEWARE !!!!, make sure you check your rear windscreen at night for the terrible "Ladder Rung Glare"

Interesting... what sort of tint was applied?

[firetitanx]

Originally Posted by NoSUV4Me

Interesting... what sort of tint was applied?

Black Armour, its ok on the side windows but apparently not good on the rear

[Bris-M340i]

Originally Posted by firetitanx

Black Armour, its ok on the side windows but apparently not good on the rear

That sux. Surely the installer should have enough experience to identify where it will or won’t work. They are the experts. The least they can do is try another film type for you or find a solution. That’s just not good enough and I would argue the point if I was you.

I’m getting 3M window tinting on Thursday. Any tips to avoid this issue?

[achk]

I've had the ceramic tint from tint-a-car and have had no problem (except for excessive instrument backlight dimming on cloudy days - a known issue with tints that cut out UV rays)

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by achk

I've had the ceramic tint from tint-a-car and have had no problem (except for excessive instrument backlight dimming on cloudy days - a known issue with tints that cut out UV rays)

The dimming demon grrr...honestly it's my biggest gripe with the G20.