Tinted Windows In Es350

[LexBob2]

Does anyone out there have tinted windows in their ES350? Any pictures or feedback would be appreciated.

I'm thinking of having mine done, and am trying to decide how dark to go. Here in IL, 35% is legal which is fine with me, as I don't want my windows too dark. I'm thinking of going 40% since I'd rather error on the side of going too light vs. too dark.

Thanks in advance for insights, opinions etc.

[rob_es350]

Does anyone out there have tinted windows in their ES350? Any pictures or feedback would be appreciated.

I'm thinking of having mine done, and am trying to decide how dark to go. Here in IL, 35% is legal which is fine with me, as I don't want my windows too dark. I'm thinking of going 40% since I'd rather error on the side of going too light vs. too dark.

Thanks in advance for insights, opinions etc.

didn't want it mine, but have seen plenty of them, and her is my opinion for what it is worth

generally it looks good, but way better on darker cars, especially black

for lighter cars I would not go darker than 40%, perhaps 50% would look even better

for darker cars, I think 35% is dark enough, but even darker is still pretty decent looking

let us know what you decide

[rob_es350]

Does anyone out there have tinted windows in their ES350? Any pictures or feedback would be appreciated.

I'm thinking of having mine done, and am trying to decide how dark to go. Here in IL, 35% is legal which is fine with me, as I don't want my windows too dark. I'm thinking of going 40% since I'd rather error on the side of going too light vs. too dark.

Thanks in advance for insights, opinions etc.

didn't want it mine, but have seen plenty of them, and her is my opinion for what it is worth

generally it looks good, but way better on darker cars, especially black

for lighter cars I would not go darker than 40%, perhaps 50% would look even better

for darker cars, I think 35% is dark enough, but even darker is still pretty decent looking

let us know what you decide

[LexBob2]

Does anyone out there have tinted windows in their ES350? Any pictures or feedback would be appreciated.

I'm thinking of having mine done, and am trying to decide how dark to go. Here in IL, 35% is legal which is fine with me, as I don't want my windows too dark. I'm thinking of going 40% since I'd rather error on the side of going too light vs. too dark.

Thanks in advance for insights, opinions etc.

didn't want it mine, but have seen plenty of them, and her is my opinion for what it is worth

generally it looks good, but way better on darker cars, especially black

for lighter cars I would not go darker than 40%, perhaps 50% would look even better

for darker cars, I think 35% is dark enough, but even darker is still pretty decent looking

let us know what you decide

I was thinkjng like you. My car is white (Starfire Pearl w/tan interior) and I'm thinking the lighter 40% would look good and kind of split the difference between the 35% and 40%.

[rob_es350]

Does anyone out there have tinted windows in their ES350? Any pictures or feedback would be appreciated.

I'm thinking of having mine done, and am trying to decide how dark to go. Here in IL, 35% is legal which is fine with me, as I don't want my windows too dark. I'm thinking of going 40% since I'd rather error on the side of going too light vs. too dark.

Thanks in advance for insights, opinions etc.

didn't want it mine, but have seen plenty of them, and her is my opinion for what it is worth

generally it looks good, but way better on darker cars, especially black

for lighter cars I would not go darker than 40%, perhaps 50% would look even better

for darker cars, I think 35% is dark enough, but even darker is still pretty decent looking

let us know what you decide

I was thinkjng like you. My car is white (Starfire Pearl w/tan interior) and I'm thinking the lighter 40% would look good and kind of split the difference between the 35% and 40%.

it's gonna look great..maybe get some pics up here when it is done, enjoy!

[LexBob2]

Does anyone out there have tinted windows in their ES350? Any pictures or feedback would be appreciated.

I'm thinking of having mine done, and am trying to decide how dark to go. Here in IL, 35% is legal which is fine with me, as I don't want my windows too dark. I'm thinking of going 40% since I'd rather error on the side of going too light vs. too dark.

Thanks in advance for insights, opinions etc.

didn't want it mine, but have seen plenty of them, and her is my opinion for what it is worth

generally it looks good, but way better on darker cars, especially black

for lighter cars I would not go darker than 40%, perhaps 50% would look even better

for darker cars, I think 35% is dark enough, but even darker is still pretty decent looking

let us know what you decide

I was thinkjng like you. My car is white (Starfire Pearl w/tan interior) and I'm thinking the lighter 40% would look good and kind of split the difference between the 35% and 40%.

it's gonna look great..maybe get some pics up here when it is done, enjoy!

I set an appointment for next week to get the 40% tint installed.

[1990LS400]

I set an appointment for next week to get the 40% tint installed.

The 35% Llumar metalized gray tint we have on our current cars and have had on our past cars doesn't seem dark at all when looking out from the inside of our cars. But I'm unusually sensitive to sunlight due to a cornea issue and spending way too much time at the beach -- some of my friends call me "Prince of Darkness".

Maybe other colors and brands of 35% tint might would seem darker than the 35% tint on our cars. I have chosen gray tint because I've been told that it is more optically neutral.

My suggestion is go with the 35% maximum allowed by your state. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that they wish they had lighter tint on their car. I would prefer something like 20% if 35% wasn't the maximum allowed in Kansas although I would probably still use 35% on the back windows so I could see well enough to back up safely.

If your ES350 has a retractable rear window shade, consider leaving it untinted. You can always tint it later if you don't like it. My first LS400 had one of the very rare optional retractable rear window shades that was available as a dealer installed option in the early 1990's. I left the rear window untinted on it and have since noticed a number of other cars with retractable rear window shades that had the rear window untinted.

Also consider that rear window tint may interfere with your automatically dimming interior and exterior mirrors and that it usually causes a little "light scatter" on the rear window defroster lines from the headlights of cars following you at night. I've gotten used to the defroster line light scatter but I still wish the auto dimming mirrors had not been effected. Also be careful of using metalized tint on a rear window that has a radio antenna. My tint installer recommends against this so our cars have lower quality non-metalized tine on the rear window.

Another tint option you might like is a front window brow. I had mine installed a few years ago when I scratched a cornea with a hard contact lens I used to have to wear and sunlight glare was making it difficult to drive. The window brow on my LS is 15%. The installer "cheated" a bit and extended the brow below the ASI line on the sides about an inch so that the line of the brow would be perfectly straight when viewed from the side.

Attached are two photos: My side view of my 00 LS with 35% tint on a sunny day and a garage photo (dirty car!) that shows the front window brow.

[rob_es350]

I set an appointment for next week to get the 40% tint installed.

The 35% Llumar metalized gray tint we have on our current cars and have had on our past cars doesn't seem dark at all when looking out from the inside of our cars. But I'm unusually sensitive to sunlight due to a cornea issue and spending way too much time at the beach -- some of my friends call me "Prince of Darkness".

Maybe other colors and brands of 35% tint might would seem darker than the 35% tint on our cars. I have chosen gray tint because I've been told that it is more optically neutral.

My suggestion is go with the 35% maximum allowed by your state. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that they wish they had lighter tint on their car. I would prefer something like 20% if 35% wasn't the maximum allowed in Kansas although I would probably still use 35% on the back windows so I could see well enough to back up safely.

If your ES350 has a retractable rear window shade, consider leaving it untinted. You can always tint it later if you don't like it. My first LS400 had one of the very rare optional retractable rear window shades that was available as a dealer installed option in the early 1990's. I left the rear window untinted on it and have since noticed a number of other cars with retractable rear window shades that had the rear window untinted.

Also consider that rear window tint may interfere with your automatically dimming interior and exterior mirrors and that it usually causes a little "light scatter" on the rear window defroster lines from the headlights of cars following you at night. I've gotten used to the defroster line light scatter but I still wish the auto dimming mirrors had not been effected. Also be careful of using metalized tint on a rear window that has a radio antenna. My tint installer recommends against this so our cars have lower quality non-metalized tine on the rear windows.

Another tint option you might like is a front window brow. I had mine installed a few years ago when I scratched a cornea with a hard contact lens I used to have to wear and sunlight glare was making it difficult to drive. The window brow on my LS is 15%. The installer "cheated" a bit and extended the brow below the ASI line on the sides about an inch so that the line of the brow would be perfectly straight when viewed from the side.

Attached are two photos: My side view of my 00 LS with 35% tint on a sunny day and a garage photo (dirty car!) that shows the front window brow.

looks good

I have no doubt that darker than 40% does not create a visibility issue when inside the car

my point was that cosmetically from the outside, the darker tints on lighter cars, do not look that good, imo

with darker cars, especially black, even up to 5% limo level looks pretty cool

I guess it is the stark contrast of the dark tint against a light car that doesn't look appropriate, kinda stands out like you are trying to make a point ..best I can describe it

some people think any dark tint is "obnoxious"..of course we all disagree with that ,lol

[pj8708]

I think Jim's point is like Billiy Crystal's old Saturday night live sketch, "It is better to look good than to feel good!" Obviously, Billy was being cynically facetious. Whether the car "Looks" good with tint should be tempered with common sense of how safe it is visibility wise to drive the damn thing.

Tinted windows look way cool in my opinion, but they make me nervous as well. When I am at a four way stop intersection, and the person to my right or left has dark tinted windows, I get nervous. I can't see the driver so I can' tell if they are looking at me, or know I'm about ready to enter the intersection, or if they appear to be ready to enter the intersection, etc. There is no visual communication taking place. Therefore, one of the most important methods of safe driving is lost. Tint the windows but consider more than how it looks going down the street. Like Jim said, consider leaving some parts untinted.

Paul

[LexBob2]

I set an appointment for next week to get the 40% tint installed.

The 35% Llumar metalized gray tint we have on our current cars and have had on our past cars doesn't seem dark at all when looking out from the inside of our cars. But I'm unusually sensitive to sunlight due to a cornea issue and spending way too much time at the beach -- some of my friends call me "Prince of Darkness".

Maybe other colors and brands of 35% tint might would seem darker than the 35% tint on our cars. I have chosen gray tint because I've been told that it is more optically neutral.

My suggestion is go with the 35% maximum allowed by your state. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that they wish they had lighter tint on their car. I would prefer something like 20% if 35% wasn't the maximum allowed in Kansas although I would probably still use 35% on the back windows so I could see well enough to back up safely.

If your ES350 has a retractable rear window shade, consider leaving it untinted. You can always tint it later if you don't like it. My first LS400 had one of the very rare optional retractable rear window shades that was available as a dealer installed option in the early 1990's. I left the rear window untinted on it and have since noticed a number of other cars with retractable rear window shades that had the rear window untinted.

Also consider that rear window tint may interfere with your automatically dimming interior and exterior mirrors and that it usually causes a little "light scatter" on the rear window defroster lines from the headlights of cars following you at night. I've gotten used to the defroster line light scatter but I still wish the auto dimming mirrors had not been effected. Also be careful of using metalized tint on a rear window that has a radio antenna. My tint installer recommends against this so our cars have lower quality non-metalized tine on the rear window.

Another tint option you might like is a front window brow. I had mine installed a few years ago when I scratched a cornea with a hard contact lens I used to have to wear and sunlight glare was making it difficult to drive. The window brow on my LS is 15%. The installer "cheated" a bit and extended the brow below the ASI line on the sides about an inch so that the line of the brow would be perfectly straight when viewed from the side.

Attached are two photos: My side view of my 00 LS with 35% tint on a sunny day and a garage photo (dirty car!) that shows the front window brow.

Jim, thanks for all of the information. In my (over) research I've considered several of the points that you brought up and it was good to hear them from someone else. The installer I'm using uses the Llumar brand, and I'm going with the non-metallic film too. Still wrestling with the 35%-40% question though. The installer said if I went 35% and thought it was too dark he'd redo the front side windows with 40% or 50% at no charge.

[rob_es350]

i don't think having mixed percentages of tint on the car is gonna look good at all....it's a lexus, requires a certain look, lol

my guess is you will be happy with either the 35% or the 40% all around

[LexBob2]

i don't think having mixed percentages of tint on the car is gonna look good at all....it's a lexus, requires a certain look, lol

my guess is you will be happy with either the 35% or the 40% all around

Yeah, my preference is to have the same % all around. I'm glad this forum is available, if I talk any more about tint around the house, my wife may leave me. Hmmmm....

[1990LS400]

i don't think having mixed percentages of tint on the car is gonna look good at all....it's a lexus, requires a certain look, lol

No one ever commented about the rear window of my 90 LS not being tinted while the side windows had 35% tint. It looked fine and I enjoyed the clear rear view on dark winter days when I lowered the retractable shade. Attached is a photo of the 90 LS taken a few days before I sold it in 2003.

The non-metalized tint on the rear window of my 00 LS is a different shade of gray than the metalized tint on the side windows. I don't think anybody can tell and no one has ever commented. Can you tell? Look at the photo of my 00 LS showing both the rear and side windows from a distance - it's the photo labeled "with winter tires".

It is quite common to tint the front side windows to a different degree than the rear side and/or back windshield. Many states do not allow the same degree of tint on all windows -- here is a table showing the various state requirements: http://www.tintlaws.com/ And what about SUV's and minivans? They almost always have darker factory tinted windows aft of the front side windows.

As for a Lexus requiring a certain "look", the photo of the license plate frame on my 00 LS says what I think about that! If I "followed the herd", I wouldn't have bought my first Lexus LS 21+ years ago at a time when many people, including some of my friends, said it was stupid to pay so much for a gussied up Toyota.

[pj8708]

i don't think having mixed percentages of tint on the car is gonna look good at all....it's a lexus, requires a certain look, lol

No one ever commented about the rear window of my 90 LS not being tinted while the side windows had 35% tint. It looked fine and I enjoyed the clear rear view on dark winter days when I lowered the retractable shade. Attached is a photo of the 90 LS taken a few days before I sold it in 2003.

The non-metalized tint on the rear window of my 00 LS is a different shade of gray than the metalized tint on the side windows. I don't think anybody can tell and no one has ever commented. Can you tell? Look at the photo of my 00 LS showing both the rear and side windows from a distance - it's the photo labeled "with winter tires".

It is quite common to tint the front side windows to a different degree than the rear side and/or back windshield. Many states do not allow the same degree of tint on all windows -- here is a table showing the various state requirements: http://www.tintlaws.com/ And what about SUV's and minivans? They almost always have darker factory tinted windows aft of the front side windows.

As for a Lexus requiring a certain "look", the photo of the license plate frame on my 00 LS says what I think about that! If I "followed the herd", I wouldn't have bought my first Lexus LS 21+ years ago at a time when many people, including some of my friends, said it was stupid to pay so much for a gussied up Toyota.

Jim,

I wanted to check out a potential problem with using the metallic tint. On September 2007, you post a thread about embedded antenna interference when metallic tint material is used on the back window. Is that still an issue or is the current metallic material improved?

Paul

[1990LS400]

Jim,

I wanted to check out a potential problem with using the metallic tint. On September 2007, you post a thread about embedded antenna interference when metallic tint material is used on the back window. Is that still an issue or is the current metallic material improved?

Paul

I have no idea. I am only going by what a tint shop owner told me in 2003 -- that customers had complained about reduced radio reception after metalized tint was installed on rear windows with imprinted antennas. He would have installed metalized tint on my rear window if I signed a release.

[rob_es350]

i don't think having mixed percentages of tint on the car is gonna look good at all....it's a lexus, requires a certain look, lol

No one ever commented about the rear window of my 90 LS not being tinted while the side windows had 35% tint. It looked fine and I enjoyed the clear rear view on dark winter days when I lowered the retractable shade. Attached is a photo of the 90 LS taken a few days before I sold it in 2003.

The non-metalized tint on the rear window of my 00 LS is a different shade of gray than the metalized tint on the side windows. I don't think anybody can tell and no one has ever commented. Can you tell? Look at the photo of my 00 LS showing both the rear and side windows from a distance - it's the photo labeled "with winter tires".

It is quite common to tint the front side windows to a different degree than the rear side and/or back windshield. Many states do not allow the same degree of tint on all windows -- here is a table showing the various state requirements: http://www.tintlaws.com/ And what about SUV's and minivans? They almost always have darker factory tinted windows aft of the front side windows.

As for a Lexus requiring a certain "look", the photo of the license plate frame on my 00 LS says what I think about that! If I "followed the herd", I wouldn't have bought my first Lexus LS 21+ years ago at a time when many people, including some of my friends, said it was stupid to pay so much for a gussied up Toyota.

not a fan of the mixed tints, we will have to agree to disagree on that one

but I do agree that I can't tell the diff on your 00 car, that one looks way better to me

maintaining a particular look for a lexus was tongue in cheek humor, hence the lol that followed..guess you didn't get it..trust me, I do not give a rat's what the herd is doing

[SW03ES]

I've always admired tinted windows too, and have always wanted to have mine tinted but for some reason have never gone through with it...

I also think the same tint all around looks better, although I can't tell in Jim's pics either...

[LexBob2]

I've always admired tinted windows too, and have always wanted to have mine tinted but for some reason have never gone through with it...

I also think the same tint all around looks better, although I can't tell in Jim's pics either...

This will be the first time for me, probably why it's taking me so long to decide about things.

[SW03ES]

Post pictures!

[LEXIRX330]

I always get my windows done! MD just won't allow the tint to be dark enough though. My back and front are different but it looks good. I would tint my front darker than legal here but some of the town cops don't have much to do and I have been stopped in this GX 4 or 5 times already...thank god just got warnings but twice was for tag covers. The other two or three times was for misunderstanding the speed limit sign! :)

[rob_es350]

I always get my windows done! MD just won't allow the tint to be dark enough though. My back and front are different but it looks good. I would tint my front darker than legal here but some of the town cops don't have much to do and I have been stopped in this GX 4 or 5 times already...thank god just got warnings but twice was for tag covers. The other two or three times was for misunderstanding the speed limit sign! :)

not so lucky here...

3 speeds in an 18 month period and mandatory suspended license where I live..had to live through that disaster a while back

no major ticket problems since then thanks mostly to having cop friends giving me their cards to display when stopped..gotta play the game, lol

[Barkley]

Lex Bob,

I have the same color ES350, but my interior is black. I was never into tinted windows until my daughter came into the picture. She would freak out whenever the sun would hit her face, even with those car window shades they sell at the baby stores. I figured the only solution was to tint the windows, and that did the trick. The sun no longer beamed into the car and my daughter no longer freaked out:) I have pictures on page 4 or 5 of this forum, i think the title of the post is "Yoko's vs Michelin".

[rob_es350]

Lex Bob,

I have the same color ES350, but my interior is black. I was never into tinted windows until my daughter came into the picture. She would freak out whenever the sun would hit her face, even with those car window shades they sell at the baby stores. I figured the only solution was to tint the windows, and that did the trick. The sun no longer beamed into the car and my daughter no longer freaked out:) I have pictures on page 4 or 5 of this forum, i think the title of the post is "Yoko's vs Michelin".

looks good barkley...

the front side looks lighter than the back..is that true or just the way the light is hitting it?...what % tint did you use there?

thanks

[LexBob2]

Barkley thanks for the pictures. Like rob, I'd like to know waht % your tint is. From the angle it looks like it might be darker than the 35% allowed here in Illinois.

[Barkley]

Thanks guys. The tint is is the the same shade all the way around, it's just the way the light is hitting the car in that pic that makes it look lighter. To be honest, i dont know what the percentage is, lol. I only know that it's the lightest option in the 'illegal' category here in MD. I didnt want the tints to be dark because i dont like the way that contrasts with white cars.