Regarding tinting, the information I've received (which is supported by observations I've made) is that dealership tinting is often quite different from what you will get with a professional tinter or a company like SolAce.
Apparently tinting elements have a thermal rating in addition to their visual light rating. So a tint may eliminate 65% of natural light, but only eliminate 30% of the radiant heat. Apparently dealership tints tend to be this type - looks good on the car, but doesn't do much to reduce heat.
Professional tinters tend to use the same elements manufactured for household window tinting, which often has a thermal rating equal or close to the visual light rating. This is also how these companies have access to darker-than-legal tint, because they use them for houses.
I had my sides and rear window tinted with 20% (80% light reduction) tints that also had 70% thermal reduction and it ended up costing me $270. They guy that did it will go down to 5% tints (95% reduction) but cautioned that at that level, there's a good chance of getting pulled over or having an insurance company deny your claim if they feel the tints were the cause of an accident (and speaking as a former insurance claim investigator, they'll find a way). I've never heard of anyone that has gotten fined or even pulled over for 20% tints, but it's always a gamble.
(Edit: Added in an image to show off new tints)
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Current Car: 2016 F15 X5 XDrive30d M Sport
Sold: 2012 F30 320d Luxury
Last edited by ozorion; 11-20-2012 at 02:46 PM..
Reason: Adding picture with the tints for example
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