Tint scratching

[Bkitch89]

I am having a problem with the tint on my driver and passenger window scratching. just about a inch across the whole top of the window where it rolls up into the weather stripping. anyone else having this problem? You cant see the scratches where the window is rolled up, but when you roll it down it is very noticeable. I think the tint shop might replace this but i am wondering why it is doing this in the first place!

[dr bryan]

same thing here. Llumar Film.

[Lloyd_Christmas]

Experiencing the same thing with my Huper Optik. You can minimize the scratching by taking a cloth and giving the rubber seal a quick wipe every time you wash your car as the scratches are caused by dust/debris that accumulates on the rubber. Its annoying but thankfully its only noticeable when the windows are partially down.

[helix139]

Take a compressed air can and blow out the seals

[audisarecool]

Same here.

Edit: Huper Optik Ceramic installed by dealer.

[JGS412]

Same here.

+1

I just noticed the same thing on my '12 that's only a few months old. Seems like a strange quirk that I haven't experienced on previous cars.

[dr bryan]

Everyone that has scratched film post up what kind it is. I'm suspecting a we will see a trend.

Suntek Carbon = no scratches after 6 months.

Llumar = scratches after ~1 month.

[ENV²]

Suntek carbon here, thought it had a scratch but glass cleaner got rid of the line. So no scratches here and weekly handwashes. Film has been on the windows over a year

[JGS412]

Everyone that has scratched film post up what kind it is. I'm suspecting a we will see a trend.

Suntek Carbon = no scratches after 6 months.

Llumar = scratches after ~1 month.

Mine was installed by a shop used by the dealer. I don't have the paperwork in front of me but I just looked at their website and it shows that they use Llumar so I'm guessing that's what I have with the scratches.

[IanVr6]

Good somebody posted about this. I have the same issue with Llumar.

[tomh009]

Have not seen any scratching yet with my Pinnacle tint, but it has been less than a month.

[lmmike]

Suntek Carbon - No scratching after 2 yrs.

[rick b]

3M colorstable...no scratches after one year

rick b.

[HyperM3]

A year and half with Llumar and no scratches. I do have little pits here and there in the middle of the window though. Dont know what they are from.

[Brick Oven]

Huper Optik Ceramic (least I think it's H.O.). Lots of scratches after three or four months.

[showcarmike]

3 months, 3M film..no scratches

[Extreme-AutoWerks]

There are too many factors that can play into something like this ...

-all films mentioned meet the Scratch resistance standard

llumar is a Highly used film because of its high quality reputation , with this in mind its not a surprise that if there is an issue where something is scratching film that we will see more llumar than any other brand because of this ...

In many cases it can be like someone mentioned .. dirt build up in the window seals eventually damaging the film ... I have this issue with my GTI from driving with the windows down allot. When I wash the car I make it a point to open the windows and clean the seals and the top of the window to prevent scratching. The B8 platform is not a difficult vehicle to tint to begin with so its interesting to hear about this issue ... everything from the original Prep before tinting to after care can come into play ... not to mention a the design or material that the seal is made from ... some will attract more dirt than others where some will be felt lined or soft rubber/foam lined. with out concrete proof on whats causing it we must consider all options and eliminated those we have direct control of. I suggest what ever film you have .. go back to your dealer and see if the MFG warranty will take care of it. I will assume that if you take it back to the shop that did the work will also work with you on finding a solution. If anyone has pictures that can send me I would appreciate it .. please send them to [email protected] thanks!

[misc720]

Llumar about three months old and I have the scratches.

[Extreme-AutoWerks]

Llumar about three months old and I have the scratches.

A HA! perfect I shall examine these first hand on Sunday when I see you sir. !!

[B8MGS4]

H.O. film with no noticeable scratches at all.

[misc720]

A HA! perfect I shall examine these first hand on Sunday when I see you sir. !!

Alex at Extreme checked out my car today (they did not do the original tint, I was there to talk about wrapping my window trim). I don't want to put words in his mouth, so Alex correct me if I'm wrong, but he had never seen scratches as bad as mine on such new (a few months old) tint, and he had an interesting idea. Basically he said there are a couple different ways of trimming the tint when it's installed, you can use a razor to cut excess film off the top of the windows, or you can use a file to shave it. He could tell from the texture on the top of my windows that they had been shaved, and he suggested that maybe some very fine glass shavings had lodged in the rubber window seal and scratched the tint so quickly. He said this is something that probably only affects B8s because of the design of the rubber seal.

It's a pretty reasonable theory if you ask me. Luckily most reputable shops will fix this kind of thing for free.

[Extreme-AutoWerks]

Hey there Misc720

yes .. one of the methods to tinting is a shaving at the top of the window where it ends the film as to give it a OEM look ...this of coarse leaves super micro sized glass residue that is usually cleaned but you never know with something that small anything can happen ... the other and most common method is to take the film to where you have about 1/16th of an inch left evenly at the edge ... the rubber seal on the Audi b8 and some newer models seem to have gone with a stiffer rubber fro previous models ... this with the possibility of some micro sized debris with sharp edges will definitely scratch the film .... Like I mentioned earlier that there are many factors to what can cause this ... I would not rule out something like installation error either.

[Bkitch89]

i went in today to the tint shop. They told me they would fix the tint free of charge. the only thing is they want me to add a strip of felt to the window frame where the tint is scratching. They want me to pay 25$ per window.. Im thinking F that and just try and keep it clean. Do we all think that it is just dirt causing the scratching or the actual door seal?

[dr bryan]

I think it's the door seal. I keep my car very clean and noticed those scratches after the first month (Llumar). Didn't see it on a previous B8S4 with SunTek CXP film after 6 months. Felt would probably help but not sure about longevity of the felt. It doesn't bug me enough to want to replace it.

[migo1980]

Acuras are also notorious for scratching the window tint. In the Acuras theres a secondary rubber gasket under the one you see on the inside of the window. We cut the second gasket scratching is no longer an issue.