So getting window tint... What about that pesky dot matrix?

blake44 · Nov 19, 2008

I'm going to leave it at the tops of the front and rear windows because I am getting a strip of black vinyl put across but what about everywhere else. I heard it looks terrible if you put tint over the dotted matrix. Am I supposed to just get a razor blade and scrap the matrix away? How well does that work?

And also as far as darkness goes. My gt is black w/ black leather interior. Will 25% be dark enough for the back and sides and 50% on the front? Is 15% too dark?

blubullett · Nov 19, 2008

I have 5 on the back three windows and 35 on the front two and 50 on the windshield. I am thinking of switching to 25 on the front two. A scotchbrite pad works great to take down the dots on the back side windows and sides of the back. You dont need to do it to the front cause the with the 50% you can barely tell. One thing though with my backs being as dark as they are if you have to back up at night in the rain all you can do is pray you dont hit something. I bet the 15 would be better for a car that is driven a lot.

red93gthb · Nov 19, 2008

blubullett said:
I have 5 on the back three windows and 35 on the front two and 50 on the windshield. I am thinking of switching to 25 on the front two. A scotchbrite pad works great to take down the dots on the back side windows and sides of the back. You dont need to do it to the front cause the with the 50% you can barely tell. One thing though with my backs being as dark as they are if you have to back up at night in the rain all you can do is pray you dont hit something. I bet the 15 would be better for a car that is driven a lot.

agreed i have 5% on the back and small sides and 20% on the sides. it's way too dark to see at night but it looks good

mazen189 · Nov 19, 2008

i have 15% all the way around except the front windshield, but as far as the dots on the rear windshield, it actually doesnt look that bad, especially if your going dark.

blake44 · Nov 19, 2008

What do ya'll think of me getting 25% on the back, and sides, and 50% on the front.

Or should I go for 15% on the back and sides and 50% on the front?

red93gthb · Nov 19, 2008

15 on back and 50 on front is good

blake44 · Nov 19, 2008

red93gthb said:
15 on back and 50 on front is good

Should I go 15 on the sides as well?

jprovence · Nov 19, 2008

some guys have laid vinyl down on the dots, then tinted up to the vinyle. Works on the really dark tint. Looks flawless when done right. I have though about just blacking out my side windows with it. I like a darker interior.

EPIK · Nov 20, 2008

jprovence said:
some guys have laid vinyl down on the dots, then tinted up to the vinyle. Works on the really dark tint. Looks flawless when done right. I have though about just blacking out my side windows with it. I like a darker interior.

Bingo!!!!

I have 15% tint all the way around with a black vinyl strip where the dot matrix is. U cant even tell its there, but it looks 100% better than just tinting over the dots because if u do, it will eventually bubble up & form a weird pattern....My tint looks alot darker in pics, but u can see through it enough to where its not too dark. During the day its perfect, @ night its DARK..I have got sweated a couple times for it though (CALI laws)....

With light shining through....

without light....

Pic I have of the rear....

blake44 · Nov 20, 2008

damn that looks good. Can the window tint shop put vinyl all the way around the dot matrix?

EPIK · Nov 20, 2008

blake44 said:
damn that looks good. Can the window tint shop put vinyl all the way around the dot matrix?

THANKS... Im sure they could, but there wouldnt be any point because the small dot matrix that wraps around the window doesnt really show myuch when u tint the windows...

clentonz · Nov 20, 2008

Epik, I always enjoy seeing pictures of your car.....its just soooo clean and tastefully done

I'm also interested in getting rid of the dot matrix (dunno why the hell ford did that in the first place ) and love the "limo" look.....you guys w/ 5%, does it completely black it out? Like in the direct sunshine and what not? I am going with 5% no matter what, I was just wondering how "blacked out" it looks on a mustang(inside and out)

Cheers,

bullitt_2620 · Nov 20, 2008

Ive got 20% all around and for the most part i like it. Maybe i shouldve gone like 15 or 10, but the 20 is good enough, gives a little privacy, but isnt too dark at night. Its hard to say about darkness because tint looks soo different in every light, sometimes you cant barely see in mine, and sometimes it looks quite light. You can see it in my sig pic and it looks black. I have yet to be asked about it by the cops, havent even been pulled over in like the year ive had the tint, and my car is driven EVERY day ha. Thats part of the reason I went 20 and not darker. Just have the black vinyl put on the top of your rear window and have them tint the rest of the windows like normal. Its not worth the time and energy to take out all the dot matrix or to put the vinyl around all of it, it really wont make that big a difference.

blake44 · Nov 20, 2008

So you're saying don't worry about the dot matrix all the way around and just have a vinyl strip put at the top of the front and back windows? Don't bother with the dot matrix around the small back windows or the dot matrix all the way around the front and back windows?

forum155pl · Nov 22, 2008

i scraped my dot matrix off with a razor blade.. took about an hour

EPIK · Nov 22, 2008

blake44 said:
So you're saying don't worry about the dot matrix all the way around and just have a vinyl strip put at the top of the front and back windows? Don't bother with the dot matrix around the small back windows or the dot matrix all the way around the front and back windows?

YUP.... That part never really looks bad with tint, its just the large section at the top of the rear window that gets effected bad & bubbles up the tint....

southfillyboy · Nov 25, 2008

When I got my windows tinted, they sprayed painted the dots. Being a black/black car it actually made it harder to see in.

red281gt · Nov 25, 2008

i have limo tint on the back and the lil side ones, and im going for limo in the front also i like my car to be dark inside and look good outside ... the popo dont sweat it that much in houston but once u go out of it they might ...

blubullett · Nov 25, 2008

clentonz said:
Epik, I always enjoy seeing pictures of your car.....its just soooo clean and tastefully done

I'm also interested in getting rid of the dot matrix (dunno why the hell ford did that in the first place ) and love the "limo" look.....you guys w/ 5%, does it completely black it out? Like in the direct sunshine and what not? I am going with 5% no matter what, I was just wondering how "blacked out" it looks on a mustang(inside and out)

Cheers,

You can lay as many layers of tint over each other you want. Try two layers of 5, thats black.

notchnut · Dec 5, 2008

Just got the stang back from getting tinted and it looks fantastic (35 on the sides, 20 on the rear) but I never took into acount the Dot Matrix until I went to pick it up! Ughh. The tint job is incredible but the rear window dot matrix looks horrible. I told him that I like to show the car in the summer and he told me to wait a month and it might even out but for right now it looks bad up there. It's fully waranty covered and he told me to come back if I was unhappy and we will figure something out. I am most definitly going back to fix this. I'm just not sure if I want to take them off with a blade or not. I may just have him trim the tint off at the dot matrix and we can maybe apply something else up there. But whoever reads this (i wish i did before i had it done) do something with the dot matrix first before you have it tinted, you will not be happy.

So getting window tint... What about that pesky dot matrix?

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