i have the 3m scotchtint window tint film, supposedly one of the best tints on the market and guaranteed not to turn purple for the life of it. well, i was informed by the local window tinter that it is having problems near the tops of windows where the window goes up into its channel, it scrunches up the film and looks terrible. this is what happened to mine and it looks all wavy and stuff. the tint guy said back in the summer that there was no fix for it yet, so if i talked to 3m and asked to have it retinted that it would do it again...and this guy doesn't care about doing it, he didn't do my tint job so its no skin off his teeth. so i've waited.

any of you guys that have the 3m tint having this problem? i am completely unsatisfied w/ this film and this is the 2nd time its been put on because the first time it did the same thing but worse. 3m is ripping people off right now w/ this, and plus they make their installers sell ONLY 3m tint and no other brands or else they won't let them be an authorized 3m dealer. its like a monopoly if everyone complies. i don't even know anywhere i can go right now within 100 miles that tints w/ another brand. i have seen this happen on multiple vehicles. at work i know 2 girls w/ a new maxima and jetta that both have the 3m film that are having the same problems. i got my tint done at a different place from them too, just to rule out any thoughts on that.

 

I've always used/had LLumar, so I've never seen such issues.
When ever I put on tint... (& probably the other installers) I would make sure to cut some off the top edge off the window so it wouldn't fold or scrunch...

 

yeah, my installer left quite a gap at the top and it is actually too much and is ugly. but that didn't matter, this film still scrunched. i can't believe not that many other people out there have experienced this. i guess most are still using llumar. i like llumar, it always looked good, but on my older truck its been on for 8 yrs now and it looks like dog crap.....purple, it is wavy when you look through it, spotty, etc. basically it has lasted its life. the 3m is supposed to be better and to not do that stuff, but now i have to deal w/ the scrunching and i can't find a llumar dealer any more.

 

I heard the older Llumar was "Purpling" really bad... they supposedly fixed it... from what I gather... I usually tie the Purpling to the "cheap-quick" DiY tint materials and kits..

**my 99' Ranger had LLumar on it from the day it was bought till (that I know of) I sold it. I didn't have purpling...

...As far as finding a dealer, you might have to stroll onto the LLumar page. Last I knew they had a "dealer locator" link

 

trigger, thanks for the input. i think sometimes whether or not the tinted vehicle is exposed to a lot of sunlight and UV rays has a lot to do w/ the purpling of the tint. i know my '93 f150 has always sat outside and never been garaged, and now my new one is out there too but maybe the 3m won't purple. but you would think the stuff would be good enough to last anyway.

 

Not to point out something obvious, but windex will always cause them to turn purple.

 

yeah, i always use tint-safe cleaners or just a bucket of water w/ a drop of dish detergent in it