08medic4x4
New member
is there a brand, or type of tint that better matches the factory tint? I want it to look as close to the same as possible, sorry OCD > me! haha
What tint matches factory best on 4th gen?
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gr8fuldawg95
New member
20% is what I am running up front to match the rest of the glass.
HB 4X4
New member
If you are trying to match the front windows with the rear, 35% will be a bit lighter and 20% will be slightly darker. If your OCD is severe, you may want to do 35% or find a shop with 30% because in direct sunlight and from inside the vehicle the 20% is noticeably darker than the back windows. If I remember correctly, the factory glass (colored glass, not tint) is at around 27-28%.
Option #3, which you didn't mention, is my favorite, since the factory glass doesn't protect against UV rays. Put a light tint, such as 50% or 35% on the back windows, then put the front windows to 20%. You will be much happier with this look IMO and it will add to the functionality of protecting your interior.
Option #3, which you didn't mention, is my favorite, since the factory glass doesn't protect against UV rays. Put a light tint, such as 50% or 35% on the back windows, then put the front windows to 20%. You will be much happier with this look IMO and it will add to the functionality of protecting your interior.
RaptorRunner
New member
The tint darkness percentage might vary between tint film brands. I just got Llumar ATX Axcess 15% put on my front windows. I told the tinting guy that I wanted it to match the factory tint. It's about as close as you can get to factory in terms of darkness and color with the selection of tint films out on the market. In certain cases, the ATX 15% on the front windows actually looks lighter than the factory tint on the back windows, which I would have preferred instead of the other way around. There's a photo in this thread: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/new-members/63305-impulse-buy.html
The Axcess tint is Llumar's high performance ceramic film. It's a little more expensive, but it gives a better color match to the factory (true black/gray vs blue or bronze with other tints). It also does not degrade any radio frequency signals like other tints.
If anybody's in the Nashville, TN area, check out Nashville Window Tinting with Accu-Tint Inc. Automotive and commercial glass coating and tinting, automotive paint protection and more. Serving all of Middle TN! ... they're probably the best place to get your windows tinted in the southeast. I drove all the way from Knoxville to have them put it on my 4Runner. They specialize in applying Llumar and Huper Optik film (which is very impressive in heat rejection). Many people with luxury and super cars get Huper Optik film put on by the few tinting places in the U.S. certified by Huper Optik to apply their films. Accu-tint located north of Nashville, TN is one of them.
I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies. I am just passing along information that I've researched and had first-hand experience with. The only way to get a close match with the factory tint is to take it to your local tint shop and have the professionals be the judge. They do these things every single day.
The Axcess tint is Llumar's high performance ceramic film. It's a little more expensive, but it gives a better color match to the factory (true black/gray vs blue or bronze with other tints). It also does not degrade any radio frequency signals like other tints.
If anybody's in the Nashville, TN area, check out Nashville Window Tinting with Accu-Tint Inc. Automotive and commercial glass coating and tinting, automotive paint protection and more. Serving all of Middle TN! ... they're probably the best place to get your windows tinted in the southeast. I drove all the way from Knoxville to have them put it on my 4Runner. They specialize in applying Llumar and Huper Optik film (which is very impressive in heat rejection). Many people with luxury and super cars get Huper Optik film put on by the few tinting places in the U.S. certified by Huper Optik to apply their films. Accu-tint located north of Nashville, TN is one of them.
I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies. I am just passing along information that I've researched and had first-hand experience with. The only way to get a close match with the factory tint is to take it to your local tint shop and have the professionals be the judge. They do these things every single day.
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08medic4x4
New member
Thank you to everyone for your insight and knowledge, it's the small things that have the biggest impact on the overall look of the vehicle.
Ebbsnflows
New member
I just tinted mine w/ 20% last weekend. It doesn't even come close to matching the factory rear tint. It's noticeably darker from both inside and out. 
(I wish I would've read this thread before I spent the time/effort to tint them)
Unfortunately I am a bit OCD about these things, so it bothers me. I will be pulling it off this week and re-doing it in 30%. I found local glass shop that was willing to sell me the last few sheets that they had in that shade. I feel that will be a better match.
(I wish I would've read this thread before I spent the time/effort to tint them)Unfortunately I am a bit OCD about these things, so it bothers me. I will be pulling it off this week and re-doing it in 30%. I found local glass shop that was willing to sell me the last few sheets that they had in that shade. I feel that will be a better match.
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HB 4X4
New member
I just tinted mine w/ 20% last weekend. It doesn't even come close to matching the factory rear tint. It's noticeably darker from both inside and out.
Unfortunately I am a bit OCD about these things, so it bothers me. I will be pulling it off this week and re-doing it in 30%. I found local glass shop that was willing to sell me the last few sheets that they had in that shade. I feel that will be a better match.
Why not just throw some 50% or 35% on the rears so your entire interior will be protected and the fronts wont be darker than the rear?
Lexusbstrdchild
New member
It all depends on the brand. I have Aegis (SP) and it matches well. Its 20% and you can only really tell from the inside looking out. On the outside, its a slightly different color shade, but you have to be pretty OCD about it. I figure people are really only going to glance at it, and its not a big enough deal to re-do all of the windows to get them to match.
simple
Senior Member
I have an appointment for tint this sat. I'm planning on going 35% all around. My main concern is not loosing nighttime visability, so will 35 provide that? If I wanted to go darker can I put 35 or 50 over without turning green?
Also does 220 sound fair for all the windows? And is 50% the lightest you can go? I really want to tint my windshield, not for looks or to go darker, but for the UV pro. I'd put 99% on it if I could. People say 50% isn't noticeable, but cutting out 50% of light, at night in pouring rain seems like a bad idea.
Also does 220 sound fair for all the windows? And is 50% the lightest you can go? I really want to tint my windshield, not for looks or to go darker, but for the UV pro. I'd put 99% on it if I could. People say 50% isn't noticeable, but cutting out 50% of light, at night in pouring rain seems like a bad idea.
HB 4X4
New member
Yes, you will see fine with 35% at night. 20% is still easy to see out of, but it becomes more difficult. 5% is hard unless there is lighting on the road. In my neighborhoods I can't see anything unless I roll them down.
You don't have to worry about the fronts looking green unless you have 5% on them and the tint is low grade (most shops). The way they avoid the green with the lower quality tint is placing a "neutral" layer under it such as 35% or 20% so you can add whatever you want onto the 35% with no worries. I have a 5% that does not turn it green and does not need a neutral layer underneath. I had to do that before, and having 5% over 20% on your front windows offers ZERO visibility at night.
50% is the lightest you can go while noticing there is tint. 70% is clear and only provides UV protection. I opted for the 5% strip on the top of the windshield. Too risky to tint the whole thing, and after spending $250 on HID's I saw no reason to cancel them out by reducing my forward visibility.
Ebbsnflows
New member
A couple of reasons. NC has pretty strict tint laws. In order to pass the annual "safety" inspection, I have to peel off my tint every 12 months, get the inspection and then re-tint . If I leave the 20% on the front and do 35/50% on the rears to match, that's just more to remove and re-tint every year. That would become expensive.
Since I tint my own windows, I can do my fronts for less than $15 in less than 20minutes. So the long winded answer is: It's easier/cheaper/less time consuming to match 2 windows the rear, rather than match 5 windows to the front.
simple
Senior Member
Thanks Josh, I appreciate it! The shop I'm going to uses the 3M tint, I think its the color stable stuff.
HB 4X4
New member
CA is very anal about the fronts, but surprisingly they have no restrictions on the rear. I agree that it would be a hassle to have more windows to fix every 12 months.
3M is a lower end film, but as long as you aren't putting 5% on the fronts you will be fine.
The thing I hated most about the lower end films is that the light that shines through is discolored. There will be discoloration, usually red, green or purple. I initially changed only the front windows when I upgraded my tint, but then my fronts were a dark black/grey and my rears appeared green in comparison. It's one of those things you usually don't notice unless you have a comparison. Needless to say, I had the rears fixed within the week.
aaronfro17
New member
With so much talk of adding tint to the factory shadedwindows, I thought I'd link this thread...Another Window Tinting Option.
simple
Senior Member
Hey gents,
Got my tint, and a few questions. I was dumb and thought tint went outside not inside so I took off my stickers. Now my stickers have a shadow on my window when its wet. Like I cleaned off everything, no residue, but when it gets wet the shadow shows up, kind of like the bathroom mirror when it gets steamed, ya know? Any ides on how to fix that?
Also I've got some hard water spots on my windows and I just used these clorox wipes to clean hard water off of my dish rack and it worked great. I want to try it on my windows, but ammonia will destroy the tint. Can I wash the outside with these wipes, or will washing it even on the outside destroy the tint? I don't see how, but when I asked the guy at the tint shop he said no, don't do it...but it didn't really seem like he was too sure.
Got my tint, and a few questions. I was dumb and thought tint went outside not inside so I took off my stickers. Now my stickers have a shadow on my window when its wet. Like I cleaned off everything, no residue, but when it gets wet the shadow shows up, kind of like the bathroom mirror when it gets steamed, ya know? Any ides on how to fix that?
Also I've got some hard water spots on my windows and I just used these clorox wipes to clean hard water off of my dish rack and it worked great. I want to try it on my windows, but ammonia will destroy the tint. Can I wash the outside with these wipes, or will washing it even on the outside destroy the tint? I don't see how, but when I asked the guy at the tint shop he said no, don't do it...but it didn't really seem like he was too sure.
HB 4X4
New member
Clorox wipes wont melt you glass; your tint will be fine as long as you don't touch the inside. Never use windex on the inside either, mist some water when you want to clean them. You can do whatever you want to the outside, however I would use a product intended for that purpose. For the residue you can use something like goo-gone or a glass cleaner/polish which will also take care if your water spots.
Something like this will do the job:
Z-12 Clear-View Glass Polish: Zaino Store
HB 4X4
New member
If I remember correctly it's a fixed rate of $8.95 or something. It almost doubles your order cost if you are ordering a single item, but it ends up being a good deal if you order a bunch of stuff. I try to stock up when I order from them.
