Tinting the roof?

[f308gt4]

I got the windows tinted on my 2023 S the other day, but didn’t get the roof as the guy didnt have a big enough piece to do the entire roof and had to order it.

However, he just called me and told me that he heard that on the Model S, roof tinting will cause the glass to crack and will void any warranty that the Tesla has on the glass. So he is telling me that he would prefer not to do it.

I remember hearing these same type of stories about the Model 3, and hearing that it was mostly BS. I did have tint on the roof on my Model 3 with no issues (it was tinted by a different shop). Is this the same for the S? Or is it really an issue because the roof is a much bigger piece of glass.

Any ideas, references to the warranty (I couldn’t find anything, but could be my poor google skills)?

 

[jjrandorin]

I have zero Idea on the model S, but as you also mention, I have my roof tinted on my model 3. It has been tinted since 1 month after I bought it, and that was december of 2018. So, my roof has been tinted on my model 3 since Jan of 2018, with zero issues (1 piece tint, 3m crystalline).

I decided I didnt care about any warranty concerns on this instance, but I havent had any issues. My car has the orange tint glass roof, as well.

 

[f308gt4]

Yeah, I have no issues with my model 3.

Doing some more googling suggests that tint may not do much on the roof of the S, as it’s already does a good job blocking the heat from the factory, and I may be better off not adding additional tint and just getting a sunshade for the hotter months.

Here‘s a video I found:

 

[zoomer0056]

roof tinting will cause the glass to crack

Urban legend. Strange such FUD is being passed on by a professional. I have no direct knowledge of this, purely based on hundreds of posts and not one crack caused by tinting. The video above definitively shows you don't need tint.

 

[cbdream99]

He just doesn't want to do it and gives a lame excuse. I left mine not tinted but I don't feel the need to anyway and I live in Texas.

 

[DerbyDave]

Lots of YouTube videos on why not to tint the roof. Google "Tinting Tesla Roof". If the presenters don't make any sense to you, do it.

 

[zoomer0056]

Lots of YouTube videos on why not to tint the roof. Google "Tinting Tesla Roof". If the presenters don't make any sense to you, do it.

Did my homework, first hit linked below. But I still believe it's not necessary based on video in post #3.

7+ Things To Know About Tesla Model 3 Window Tint - EZ Auto Spa

Discover the benefits of Tesla Model 3 window tint with our expert guide. Find out why Tesla tinting is crucial for style & comfort at EZ Auto Spa.

ezautospa.com

 

[soulsea]

My MSP is going in for tint and ppf next week and I was also debating tinting the roof cause I don't like the sun coming through it.

Any reason gloss vinyl wrap isn't a good alternative?

It seems that it would be the best way to block the sun out completely other than the sun shade which I don't like how it looks.

 

[f308gt4]

My MSP is going in for tint and ppf next week and I was also debating tinting the roof cause I don't like the sun coming through it.

Any reason gloss vinyl wrap isn't a good alternative?

It seems that it would be the best way to block the sun out completely other than the sun shade which I don't like how it looks.

Hmm, I suppose that could be an option. I assume you would wrap on the outside? It would definitely block out the sun completely.

Ive decided Im not going to do the roof, but instead buy a sun shade for the summers. I see Tesla sells a one piece, and on Amazon there are mostly 2 piece shades. Any reason why one would be better than the other?

 

[sawood711]

I chose the Basenor two piece so it wouldn’t sag versus the larger one piece, but I haven’t got to test it out yet. My car went from the Service Center straight to my detailer for PPF and tint. I should get it back on Tuesday so that I can install my floor mats and roof shade.

 

[Kairide]

I never tinted the roof on my 2019 Model S, it doesn’t need it and does a good job of blocking the heat and sun.
The rear portion of my roof was tinted on my 2023 Model 3 though. That’s just because it’s one big piece of glass that encompasses the rear window and rear roof. No issues so far.

 

[sawood711]

I’ve never been in another year model Model S, but I’m told that the 23’s are five times brighter on the inside of the cabin compared to the prior years. They claim it’s the same UV rating as the years prior even though it’s 5x brighter, but doesn’t state what the IR ratings are. I test drove a Model Y and Model S back to back and due to the lower roof lines on the Model S I could feel the heat coming off of the Model S roof near my head vs not feeling it on the Model Y. I contemplated tinting it in a either 50% or 70% ceramic tint to block out more IR Heat, but chose not to seeing it was around $250-300 to do the roof vs getting a roof shade I can take out in the winters to let it warm my car.

 

[Dracaris]

For our 2021 Model 3 we bought the front half of the Tesla-branded sun screen set for the roof. It's well made, and is very helpful in hot weather. One can't buy just one of the shades these days for the Model 3 - for now they only sell the pair. Interesting side note, we recently turned in our Model 3 and bought a brand new 2023 Model Y. Guess what fits just fine into the Model Y and covers the front seats? Yep, the good old well-made Tesla-branded screen for the Model 3. If we didn't have that, pretty sure we'd just get the Tesla-branded sun screen for our new Model Y to use during the hottest months of the year, if not all year long.

Our tint guy would have been willing to do the roof if we had pressed him, but it would have been more expensive than a Tesla-branded sun shade, and given how well that roof already performs I'm thinking it would not have helped as much as the Tesla-branded sun shade.

 

[Transformer]

I contemplated tinting it in a either 50% or 70% ceramic tint to block out more IR Heat, but chose not to seeing it was around $250-300 to do the roof vs getting a roof shade I can take out in the winters to let it warm my car.

That makes sense except the IR "block out" part. The glass already blocks the IR radiation from escaping, hence the greenhouse effect heating up the interior.

 

[soulsea]

Eh, I'll get it vinyl wrapped gloss black and see how it looks.

I can always remove it if I don't like it.

 

[zoomer0056]

Eh, I'll get it vinyl wrapped gloss black and see how it looks.

I can always remove it if I don't like it.

Aha, that's an idea. Post back here if you do it.

 

[soulsea]

Aha, that's an idea. Post back here if you do it.

Unless I'm missing something I think that's the best way to do it.

My only worry is that they manage to tuck the film under the edges properly.

Even though I don't have wind noise I might just put the rubber band around the roof to hide said edges.

 

[Dracaris]

This guy vinyl wrapped his Tesla glass roof with a good color match for his white car. It's interesting! Not saying I'd do it, but it's interesting.

 

[soulsea]

This guy vinyl wrapped his Tesla glass roof with a good color match for his white car. It's interesting! Not saying I'd do it, but it's interesting.

I've seen that and it looks good on that car.

But I'm not looking to color match the paint, I just want to keep the black oem roof look but without any light bleeding through.

 

[zoomer0056]

This guy vinyl wrapped his Tesla glass roof with a good color match for his white car. It's interesting! Not saying I'd do it, but it's interesting.

Looks good. As I expected, the edge can only be cut. It'd be impossible to wrap the edge.