[etherist3]

Hello Bimmerpost,

I am looking to get my 2020 330i xdrive tinted and have been worried about the autodimming triggering issue with certain tint % and brands. Was hoping to get some recommendations on tint brands/% that people have gotten and had no issues with so far?

From my research looks like the 3M FX premium has been pretty good without issues. Also I'm located in NJ and would love to hear any recommendations on good tint shops/prices in the NJ/NY/PA area?

Thanks team

[wtwo3]

Not sure about brands... but I have 35% tints all the way around and have not had any issues.

[Burrcold]

I don't think it's a certain brand or type. There have been some members here that have the exact same brand and percentage tint, and one will have the problem and one will not. I'm running Suntek CXP 25 percent (non ceramic hybrid dyed film), and I'm having the issue.

[2020g20]

All of the testimony you are looking for is already in this original thread, but it's mostly inconclusive. A couple of reasons for that IMO:

1. Some people live in much sunnier locations than others, and that is enough to tip the scales and make this a problem for some and not others, even with the same exact tint. So just because someone says 35% ceramic didn't cause them any problems, YMMV.
   
   
2. A report of "I'm having no issues" is highly subjective. First of all, testing with a light meter reveals there are around 10 discrete levels of daytime brightness on the G20 screens. Without sunglasses, the dimmest levels of 1-2 aren't a "problem" from the perspective of safety as you can still see them okay, they just look horrible aesthetically. After tinting, my car was only able to get up to around level 3 or 4, which looks better. However if you add dark polarized sunglasses to the mix, which some people like me wear religiously when driving, levels 1-5 are way too dim IMO (levels 1-2 almost being unsafe). So it first comes down to what a given individual deems as acceptable brightness, dark glasses vs. no glasses, etc. (Example: the guy that lives in Canada and has 5% tint all around and says "no issues". I guarantee he is not getting anything over level 3 brightness on his screens, but it's not a problem for him apparently.)
   
   Secondly, it can be hard to notice any issues when you can't compare side-by-side. If after tinting your car will only give you up to level 4 or 5 brightness, this difference could easily not be noticable by some people when you can't compare that side-by-side to the level 7 or 8 that you were previously getting. Our eyes and brains aren't very good at distinguishing 50 lumens from 70 lumens when we can't compare them right next to each other (why we invented metering devices). I had this same discussion with BMW service techs lately when I demonstrated for them on their loaner 330i (with no tint whatsoever) how the screens were maxxing out at half brightness in the Georgia winter sun. When I turned on the IR blaster that I built and adjusted the brightness on the screens all the way up, they went from saying "What problem?" to "Oh, wow. Look at that."

[EXE46]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

I don't think it's a certain brand or type. There have been some members here that have the exact same brand and percentage tint, and one will have the problem and one will not. I'm running Suntek CXP 25 percent (non ceramic hybrid dyed film), and I'm having the issue.

I have this exact same tint with zero issues, but I live in sunny South Florida.

[Burrcold]

So @2020g20 you have seen ones with no tint max out at half brightness on a sunny day? That's where I don't understand how dealers can deny that there is a problem. With that amount of sunlight, between the screen dimming and the resulting glare, it can definitely be dangerous.

Mine is very easy to replicate as I just roll the window down and the screen goes to max brightness. Close it and it dims more than 50% (totally sunny day).

[premier3is]

3M FX Premium 15%, no issues. Live in CA, and even when it's a cloudy/gloomy day I don't notice a dimming so I'm not too sure about the whole sunny day theory.

But like others said, some have issues and some don't even when the same tint is used. Hit or miss, I have no idea what it could be.

Good luck.

[PhrogFixer01]

Originally Posted by etherist3

Hello Bimmerpost,

I am looking to get my 2020 330i xdrive tinted and have been worried about the autodimming triggering issue with certain tint % and brands. Was hoping to get some recommendations on tint brands/% that people have gotten and had no issues with so far?

From my research looks like the 3M FX premium has been pretty good without issues. Also I'm located in NJ and would love to hear any recommendations on good tint shops/prices in the NJ/NY/PA area?

Thanks team

I have 3M Crystalline 40%. Never any issues with anything in the car. I've been running 3M tint for about 20 years and the Crystalline product for about 6 or 7 now. If your looking for max heat reduction more than privacy it's worth the added cost (sedan will run you around $500).

If you're willing to come to PA then DE isn't much further. I've had success with Professional Glass Tinting in Newark DE. They are a 3M installer to include Crystalline.

[2020g20]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

So @2020g20 you have seen ones with no tint max out at half brightness on a sunny day? That's where I don't understand how dealers can deny that there is a problem.

Sunny day, but not with direct sunlight on the dashboard. Before I tinted my 330, the screens would be really bright when direct sunlight was shining on the dash sensor, and maybe around half brightness if I was in the shade. At that time I was not paying as much attention and had not built a light meter for the dash yet, so I didn't record any details. The un-tinted 330 loaner I had recently seemed to behave the same. When I showed the service guys how much brighter the screens could get with my IR device attached, the dash was definitely not in direct sunlight, but we were outside and the sun was shining.

After tinting (Suntek CXP 35%) my screens max out at less than half brightness even when the dash is in direct sunlight, and in shade I'm at a level 1 or 2 out of 10. And it cycles back and forth constantly as the light moves around while driving, which is the most annoying part, and what drove me to make my IR device to stop it.

All of that said, I'm in downtown Atlanta, which means everywhere I drive I have either a tree canopy or tall buildings over the top of me. And of course it's Winter which means it's not very bright here in general. All of that definitely factors in.

[Kipplur]

I have 5% in the rear, and 25% driver and passenger and have yet to experience any problems.

[etherist3]

Originally Posted by Kipplur

I have 5% in the rear, and 25% driver and passenger and have yet to experience any problems.

Do you remember which brand/film you got?

[siegester]

I run 35% Xpel XR with 80% on the windshield in Atlanta and I can see my guages with my dark, non polarized glasses just fine. Are they as bright as they were before, I don't know, but they are bright enough to be safe for me.

[Kipplur]

Originally Posted by etherist3

Do you remember which brand/film you got?

I went through a local company, they use 3M

[retart13]

Does anyone have any problems with excessive reflections? Especially with the HUD?

[greenwit]

Originally Posted by 2020g20

All of the testimony you are looking for is already in this original thread, but it's mostly inconclusive. A couple of reasons for that IMO:

1. Some people live in much sunnier locations than others, and that is enough to tip the scales and make this a problem for some and not others, even with the same exact tint. So just because someone says 35% ceramic didn't cause them any problems, YMMV.
   
   
2. A report of "I'm having no issues" is highly subjective. First of all, testing with a light meter reveals there are around 10 discrete levels of daytime brightness on the G20 screens. Without sunglasses, the dimmest levels of 1-2 aren't a "problem" from the perspective of safety as you can still see them okay, they just look horrible aesthetically. After tinting, my car was only able to get up to around level 3 or 4, which looks better. However if you add dark polarized sunglasses to the mix, which some people like me wear religiously when driving, levels 1-5 are way too dim IMO (levels 1-2 almost being unsafe). So it first comes down to what a given individual deems as acceptable brightness, dark glasses vs. no glasses, etc. (Example: the guy that lives in Canada and has 5% tint all around and says "no issues". I guarantee he is not getting anything over level 3 brightness on his screens, but it's not a problem for him apparently.)
   
   Secondly, it can be hard to notice any issues when you can't compare side-by-side. If after tinting your car will only give you up to level 4 or 5 brightness, this difference could easily not be noticable by some people when you can't compare that side-by-side to the level 7 or 8 that you were previously getting. Our eyes and brains aren't very good at distinguishing 50 lumens from 70 lumens when we can't compare them right next to each other (why we invented metering devices). I had this same discussion with BMW service techs lately when I demonstrated for them on their loaner 330i (with no tint whatsoever) how the screens were maxxing out at half brightness in the Georgia winter sun. When I turned on the IR blaster that I built and adjusted the brightness on the screens all the way up, they went from saying "What problem?" to "Oh, wow. Look at that."

Why did you choose an IR blaster. I am considering Air Ceramic 80 but it has a high IR rejection rate (for heat) in addition to high UV rejection. If the dash sensor is IR sensitive I'll make things worse since standard tint (I have Llumar 30 at the moment) doesn't do as well with IR rejection. The Air Ceramic 80 is very light but also rejects a good bit of IR.

[2020g20]

Originally Posted by greenwit

Why did you choose an IR blaster. I am considering Air Ceramic 80 but it has a high IR rejection rate (for heat) in addition to high UV rejection. If the dash sensor is IR sensitive I'll make things worse since standard tint (I have Llumar 30 at the moment) doesn't do as well with IR rejection. The Air Ceramic 80 is very light but also rejects a good bit of IR.

I tested three different types of LED: IR, UV, and standard white LED. Given the same wattage, the sensor reacted far more strongly to the IR LED, suggesting it's an IR sensor. It will react to other types of light, but you'd have to up the wattage to compensate, so it would have been a waste of battery life to choose anything but IR. Knowing this, your best choice is tint with lower IR rejection if you want to decrease your chances of noticing any dimming effects on your screens.

[greenwit]

Thanks for that info. I was afraid of that. I called a Genius today but he had no clue regarding what the sensor measures and gave me the standard reply that tinting is aftermarket and too bad for you. Nevermind the car came with it from the dealer. I'm willing to trade off less tinting if it blocks IR/heat but if that means it doesn't solve the dimming issue I just may stick with the book reading light pressed against the dash sensor.