[AEDennis]

If you know any other reservation holders in the OC that are interested, please let them know! The bigger the group the better break we'll be able to get!

Challenge is the drive from OC to IE may be a challenge for OC folks. (time in SoCal Traffic as you guys know)

 

[Paul Torres]

Challenge is the drive from OC to IE may be a challenge for OC folks. (time in SoCal Traffic as you guys know)

Hey now, that works both ways! It's kind of funny how true it is that OC to IE seems so much longer than IE to OC. It really depends on the time of day. I appreciate being able to go to Disneyland in the afternoon without traffic.

In all seriousness though, while I have been floating around Corona and Ontario primarily, I did recently talk with an installer that was in the city of Orange.

 

[Derik]

I'd be interested in a clear bra as well. Figuring something like that will keep the front of the car from chipping etc as fast. For some reason I wasn't tagged as watching this thread (so of course hopefully this post will fix that).

Going to OC from IE can take just as long if you have to be there in the morning. But from my experience people who live in OC they always think it takes ages to get to the IE but really it doesn't take that long as long as you avoid the traffic times, and that is true no matter where you go.

My wife drives from where we live (near temecula) to newport beach for work and does it in about an hour. The other place we looked at moving to was in San Clemente and the same drive to newport for the same shift would have taken her about an hour as well (20 miles vs 60). We just got a nicer place and we both commute like crazy people. Come on elon.. I need that hyperloop. But for the time being I'll settle for EAP.

 

[AEDennis]

Hey now, that works both ways! It's kind of funny how true it is that OC to IE seems so much longer than IE to OC. It really depends on the time of day. I appreciate being able to go to Disneyland in the afternoon without traffic.

In all seriousness though, while I have been floating around Corona and Ontario primarily, I did recently talk with an installer that was in the city of Orange.

Of course. I didn't mean to imply that it wouldn't. I grew up in the IE, spent some of my misspent youth clubbing around Rubidoux... Folks that live East tend to know what it really means to drive in SoCal traffic.

 

[kvelarde23]

I would be interested in clear bra as well.

 

[rsbell]

I’d be interested in tint/clear bra. Murrieta/Nov-Jan delivery estimate.

 

[Paul Torres]

Random thought as I'm going over things... I'm going to assume we're all doing a local pick up, which would be at either the Costa Mesa or Torrance Service Center. It would be benefit to @AEDennis and honestly everyone in SoCal, arguebly, to pick a shop close in the OC. I think being able to pick up and drop off your 3 at a near by shop would be very beneficial. Should probably consider splitting a window tint and clearbra group buy by pickup location instead of by region.

I've looked at a few shops over in the OC (Santa Ana and Orange) and those that only want windows tinted would have the same retail price as the window tinters I've spoken with in Corona and Ontario (rear window in one piece is questionable until these shops start seeing the 3 around more).

tl;dr...
1) instead of finding a local shop to work with, should we find a shop near the service centers that the 3's are being picked up from?
2) should we kill this regional thread and divide it up by pickup location?

 

[Derik]

My experience has been most of the shops in OC charge more. They’ve got higher rent etc so their cost is higher.

The last shop I used was about $150 cheaper than the quote I got in OC.

I dont think I could handle picking up the car and driving it to a shop to hand it over. I’ll need to drive and play with it after waiting this long. Tint can wait a couple of days.

As a side note there is no guarantee when we’ll get to pick up the car. Could get it at 4 pm and no shop will wait around for you all day. Normally it is best to have the car and an appointment.

 

[Paul Torres]

My experience has been most of the shops in OC charge more. They've got higher rent etc so their cost is higher.

The last shop I used was about $150 cheaper than the quote I got in OC.

Nearly across the board, every installer has been $600 retail for Crystalline from OC to Ontario. The only exception to that is one installer in Corona that wanted $725 and guaranteed the back window in one piece.

I dont think I could handle picking up the car and driving it to a shop to hand it over. I'll need to drive and play with it after waiting this long. Tint can wait a couple of days.

I'm thinking more for the clearbra, I want to minimize scratches from driving it down the freeway. Depending on what all you get covered this can only take a few hours to a few days if you cover the entire car. Tinting the windows typically only takes a few hours, who knows exactly with that rear window though. If you can get it in the morning, you can likely drive off with it that afternoon.

As a side note there is no guarantee when we'll get to pick up the car. Could get it at 4 pm and no shop will wait around for you all day. Normally it is best to have the car and an appointment.

From what I've watched on YouTube, you can select the time you want to pick up your car. Maybe that's just for the S and X, but if Tesla is going to go over the car with you then they would need to make sure each new owner can be there at a designated time. Once you know when you're picking up your car, you can schedule you appointment to get the tint/clearbra done.

 

[Paul Torres]

So OCDetailing released another video that talks about how they did the back window tint in one piece! Definitely good news moving forward!

 

[InElonWeTrust]

If you know any other reservation holders in the OC that are interested, please let them know! The bigger the group the better break we'll be able to get!

I'm OC and interested

 

[Paul Torres]

The facts:
If we want to find a single shop that stores PPF and 3M Crystalline the available shops narrows down considerably. These are the two closest shops that fit the bill:

XACT Window Tinting
5140 E Airport Dr, Ontario, CA 91761
-3M tint
-Xpel PPF

Ultimate Shield
817 W Collins Ave, Orange, CA 92867
-3M tint
-3M, Xpel, and Suntek PPF

Retail pricing:
Both shops do Crystalline starting at $600 (I'm betting cost will go up some with the rear window).

PPF starts at about $1,900 for full front protection. Only covering part of the hood can drop that cost a few hundred. Only one of the shops (working on the other one still) was willing to quote for full vehicle PPF which was $5,900 to start.

Commentary:
Xpel and Suntek appear to be the leaders in PPF. Since they both now come with 10yr warranties, they are literally neck and neck with protection. Talking with installers and doing online research, Suntek seems to be a little easier to install, give a little better shine, and believed to be a hair better at healing.

Both shops do offer the whole line of 3M window tint which would allow for various budgets. Going with Ultimate Shield would also allow for options in PPF (same price for any), be a bit closer to the delivery center, and would allow those in OC to more easily join to make a larger group as well.

Just in case this thread isn't being followed...
@Derik @kvelarde23 @Wilk's 3 @Varun @rsbell

 

[Hocplyr12]

I used Xact to tint all my windows on my current Hyundai back in 2011. The tint still looks good so I have no issues using them. However looking at Ultimate Shield it looks like they do great work too. I would love to get PPF but there is a reason I’m getting a 3 not an S!!!

 

[Paul Torres]

I used Xact to tint all my windows on my current Hyundai back in 2011. The tint still looks good so I have no issues using them. However looking at Ultimate Shield it looks like they do great work too. I would love to get PPF but there is a reason I'm getting a 3 not an S!!!

I'm there with you, I've actually chose to not get EAP on delivery so I can go ahead a protect my car. Wish I could get it all!

 

[Hocplyr12]

Yeah I may do the full front protection so I can have something. I am also debating which window tinting to get. The crystalline is the best but the darkest they offer is 20. I currently have the 3m color stable with 5 in the back and 20 in the front and I like how it looks. I have a work car so the model 3 will only be my night and weekend car and will be in the garage when not in use. I may stick with the color stable so I can spend the money on other stuff.

 

[Paul Torres]

It appears to be 40% tint, not sure what brand. The shade definitely makes it seem dark.


UPDATE: 3M Crystalline

 

[Paul Torres]

Inside shot, it looks pretty good only going up to the defrost line!

 

[Paul Torres]

So unless a question comes up, I think this will be the last reply in regards to information from the shops. I'll be waiting to hear from everyone hear, at least a majority, before moving any more forward.
Sorry if it feels like I'm giving a slant towards Ultimate Shield, their website gives significantly more information and my communication has been through Email primarily while Xact has been primarily via phone call since my email was ignored.

XACT Window Tinting
5140 E Airport Dr, Ontario, CA 91761
-3M tint
-Xpel PPF

Ultimate Shield
817 W Collins Ave, Orange, CA 92867
-3M tint
-3M, Xpel, and Suntek PPF

Retail pricing:
Both shops do Crystalline starting at $600 (I'm betting cost will go up some with the rear window).

PPF starts at about $1,900 for full front protection. Only covering part of the hood can drop that cost a few hundred. Only one of the shops (working on the other one still) was willing to quote for full vehicle PPF which was $5,900 to start.

In regards to the window tint...
Ultimate Shield said that they feel that the rear window can "most likely" be done in one piece and "don't really see too much of an issue" based off the dimensions (57" x 43") while Xact Window Tinting seemed to be a bit more hesitant, they're both noting $600 to start. I believe one of the bigger reason behind the hesitation is that they will have to do a special order on the film roll. The standard roll that is used appears to be 36" and then it shrinks during the installation process, so in order to do the rear window in one piece they have to order a 60" roll. With that in mind, which ever shop is picked, we really need to be mindful and respectful of the shop for doing a special order to tint our cars nicely.

This is where it's really starting to get hard. As you can imagine, there are various factors in getting PPF installed.
-So for those just looking at cost, here are the base prices for full car... Ultimate Shield starts at $5980 while Xact said $4000 (might have been $4500, I didn't quite hear him).

-Keep in mind that the prices above are "kit" installations (corners would not be covered and you'll be able to see the PPF edge at those points). Currently, neither shop seems to have gotten access to Model 3 kit since it's so new. To get a nicer wrap the price obviously goes up. Ultimate Shield gave me a full break down so here is what the retail pricing would be for a full wrap from them:
Base price: $5980
"Signature" wrap (20%): $1196
Tax (8% on half the total): $287
"Signature" Total: $7463
Non-"Signature" Total: $6219

-Just front protection (nose, bumper, front quarter panel, hood, headlights, and side mirrors) was within $100 so I'm going to ignore that one, you're looking at about $1900 like I previously noted.

-Beyond the pricing, Xact didn't mention everything they do to the car unfortunately (I checked the website as well), I'm sure it includes decontamination of some sort. Ultimate Shield notes a 3 step decontamination process before the PPF install as well as a paint sealant (read that as "wax") afterwards that'll last about 3 months.

-Ultimate Shield opened in 1995, Xact opened in 2002. I have visited both shops, both were quite clean and willing to chat and show off the cars they had there. They are both definitely proud of their work. Please do check out both shops in person and/or their websites

-Both are also willing to work out a group deal. I haven't got details since I felt a shop should be picked first, but I'll gladly inquire if people want to use that to help decide on a shop. I believe that the best route to go for everyone involved would be to require a deposit once things are negotiated. This would allow the shop to have confidence in the amount of work they're getting and hopefully allow us to lock in a discount rate despite our deliveries being scattered.

 

[Paul Torres]

Hey, just wanted to check in with everyone about what they were thinking on this since it's been a while.
I'd expect those who ordered on the first day to be starting to configure soon.

@Derik @kvelarde23 @Wilk's 3 @Varun @rsbell

 

[Wilk's 3]

Hi Paul, Appreciate the continued energy around this. I am a non-owner April 2016 reservation, so my current delivery window is Mar-May so I expect April/May. If others are taking delivery earlier I would not have a problem putting down a deposit for the tint or pre-paying in order to get the group rate. I would obviously like to see what it looks like on a Model 3 prior to putting anything down, but I am definitely willing to do whatever it takes given my later delivery window. Keep me posted!