Tint Around Third Brake Light

[jthamm330]

Hello Everybody!!
Got my Si last night.
Question for people with tinted windows. Did your tint installer tint around your third brake light. Are the panels easy enough to remove?
Thanks in advance.

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[MorrisGray]

Good question there. I am curious as well.

 

[dt10g]

I have no experience with how tint shops handle this, sorry but...

Regarding that rear deck, I suspect the 11th gen is very much like the 10th gen in that design. If you search YouTube for videos regarding Speaker installations / audio upgrades on the 10th gen sedan, you will find people showing how they come apart. TBH it looks like a pain in the a$$ but not impossible for one with some patience.

 

[aspitfyr]

I’ve worked for a tint shop in the past. Of course, every shop and installer is different, but what they did for my 10th gen (and I would assume for the 11th gen) is they shrunk the film to the glass, sprayed foaming glass cleaner around it, then put a flashlight behind it. After that, they get out of the car and (usually) have someone follow their blade with the flashlight while they cut as close as possible to the edge. Generally they can tuck it to an extent to provide full coverage but not to interfere with the brake light itself.

Some of them have software and a plotter to cut the film for them. Often, the template is sent in via the manufacturer, so they would not have to do the above method. Sometimes, though, the software method can cause issues as it’s not a completely flush cut, so it will show a gap. Nothing that can be done in that case except the above method.

Hope that makes sense; it’s easier to show than explain.

 

[dt10g]

Good to know!

Guess one should NOT tint behind the Rear Brake light for... rather obvious reasons, but I suspect some people might "want" to...

That however should be OK if you had another 3rd brake light, such as the OEM Honda LED Spoiler (which disconnects the factory one behind the glass.. so if you didn't want that fugly window brake light showing so much... one could tint the entire glass, but would probably want to remove the rear deck before taking to a shop and then hopefully not mangle the tint putting it back in. Overthinking perhaps.

 

[aspitfyr]

I’d think it would be very similar to the 10th gen. I guess the question becomes more of “should I?” rather than “can I?”. To me it doesn’t make much sense to disassemble all of that for full coverage over the light. I can understand wanting that though. To each their own.

 

[aspitfyr]

So, I actually got my Si tinted today! I looked into the back windshield/third brake light atea and there’s a gap more than large enough for them to slide the film through. No disassembly required. This is also valid for the Type R. So, it will cover the brake light, but it’s not so much that it’s useless. I tried to take a picture of this gap with my phone but alas that’s not going to happen.

 

[jthamm330]

Hey guys, sorry for the delayed reply. My tint installer did not have to remove any panels. There was just enough room between the 3rd break light housing and the rear window for him to clean the window and lay down the film. Thank you for your interest.

 

[Chilly613]

My question is, how is the tint on the defroster lines? Mine look messed up and does not look uniform so I'll need to take it back it to have them fix it or take it out and put new tint.

 

[aspitfyr]

My question is, how is the tint on the defroster lines? Mine look messed up and does not look uniform so I'll need to take it back it to have them fix it or take it out and put new tint.

This is completely normal. Give it up to 2 weeks to fully adhere to the glass. The heat will evaporate the excess water. After 2 weeks is the final, “cured” film. If your tint has been on longer than 2 weeks, then that is the final look. Taking it off and re-applying the film will not achieve a “better” look.

Keep in mind:
This is a thin film; it’s thinner than a sheet of loose leaf paper. Any imperfection (in this case, defrost lines or dot matrix) on a flat surface (glass) will show a little bit. Not sure what film you went with, but 3M/Xpel/Avery’s Warranty standard is to stand 6-10 feet back and look at the vehicle. If it’s very visible at that point, then that would be warrantied. Also, the darker the film you have installed, the more visible said imperfections will be. So, if you have 20% on there now, then removed and re-tinted it with 5%, the imperfections would be more noticeable, and vice versa.

 

[Chilly613]

This is completely normal. Give it up to 2 weeks to fully adhere to the glass. The heat will evaporate the excess water. After 2 weeks is the final, “cured” film. If your tint has been on longer than 2 weeks, then that is the final look. Taking it off and re-applying the film will not achieve a “better” look.

Keep in mind:
This is a thin film; it’s thinner than a sheet of loose leaf paper. Any imperfection (in this case, defrost lines or dot matrix) on a flat surface (glass) will show a little bit. Not sure what film you went with, but 3M/Xpel/Avery’s Warranty standard is to stand 6-10 feet back and look at the vehicle. If it’s very visible at that point, then that would be warrantied. Also, the darker the film you have installed, the more visible said imperfections will be. So, if you have 20% on there now, then removed and re-tinted it with 5%, the imperfections would be more noticeable, and vice versa.

Good to know. Its only been about 5 days since its been done. The shop I went to uses Solar Gard Tint. I've gotten cars tinted at this shop periodically over the years and its the tint they've used probably over the last 20 years. Yeah, its only noticeable when you're up close, from a distance you cant see it. Its been awhile since the last time I got tint done. Hopefully it does resolve itself after some more time, but at least it comes with a lifetime warranty if it doesn't.

 

[aspitfyr]

Good to know. Its only been about 5 days since its been done. The shop I went to uses Solar Gard Tint. I've gotten cars tinted at this shop periodically over the years and its the tint they've used probably over the last 20 years. Yeah, its only noticeable when you're up close, from a distance you cant see it. Its been awhile since the last time I got tint done. Hopefully it does resolve itself after some more time, but at least it comes with a lifetime warranty if it doesn't.

Hope it goes well. Here is a copy of the warranty if you don’t already have it!
https://www.solargard.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Auto-Limited-Warranty-0342XNTH_0521_FINAL.pdf

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