In my state, you just cannot live without having tinted windows on your car. Unless you actually want sunburn or cancer, that is. When I got my MX5 nine years ago, I was dying during the few days between when I bought the car and I had my appointment for window tinting. I had to keep a towel in the car to cover my forearm from the sun blasting through the glass.
Almost a decade later, I have a new car, a much bigger car, and this one also needs the tinting treatment for my own comfort and safety. Maybe a bit surprisingly to me, the same shop that did the windows on my other car is still there. Well, maybe it is. It has a new name, but the logo is mostly the same, and the original name is now used by another shop elsewhere in the city. Partnership gone sour, maybe? Diversification? Whatever. They did a great job the first time, so I’ll go back there and generally hope for the best.
With services like window tinting, isn’t hoping for the best all you can do? It’s not like it’s a service you utilize on a regular basis, so you build a level of trust in a company. It’s highly likely you’ll use the service once before they go out of business (or change their name). And it’s not even really about the business, it’s the quality and skill of their installers. I doubt the same installers are there that did my first car. So, it’s always going to be a crapshoot as to what you get.
Tint shops are sort of paradoxical. It’s kind of hard to find one that isn’t ghetto in some way. I mean, window tint shouldn’t be anything illicit, but you know, it can be. And those shops usually augment their business with stereo installs, which again, are not illicit, but stereotypically… And that’s terrible that such a perception exists and that they seem to actively exploit it in their marketing and image.
But the paradox is that this is just the place you want to go. Quality work comes from practice, so you want a shop that has done a lot of jobs, even if they are on ‘76 Malibus and Cadillacs. Sigh, more stereotypes. It’s kind of like certain dive restaurants that have incredible food for really cheap not only because they are more focused on the food than their image, but because they’re so busy with their cheap regulars that they are masters at cooking that food.
Back to my statement about not using window tint services often enough to build a relationship. That statement was a little short-sighted. Maybe you do utilize that service frequently if you’re in the cycle of buying $1000 cars and burning them out every 6 months. I mean, that sounds horrible, but it’s the same as having a $200/mo car payment, right? Seems almost legit. Except you would have to get your new car retinted twice a year. And those customers keep the installers well experienced.
So when I go in with my 2019 model car, the quality I receive could be built off the backs of people who don’t have the credit or ability to buy a car less than 10 years old and are in a constant cycle of upgrades. Maybe not, but maybe. What’s the alternative? Find a high-end shop where they, for whatever reason, would not service those repeat customers? Which is the greater evil? Why did this post get so heavy? I just want to not roast in my car.
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