Now with more (or any) tint.

"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97) 04/04/2020 at 15:25 • Filed to: None

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Under the guise of automotive services being “essential,” I was surprised to learn a couple of days ago that my window tinting guy is still open (and taking reasonable precautions of no customers in the shop and mask+gloves working inside vehicles after wiping interiors down).

There are a number of shops in Las Cruces that do window tinting, but I happen to know THE guy. He has a small shop, has no sign on the door, isn’t in the phone book, doesn’t have a website or even book’o face page for his business, yet he normally has more work than he and his assistant could ever hope to do. He does most of the tinting work for dealers in Southern NM, along with a few other folks that know.

He does flawless tinting work, and does it cheap (especially if you bring cash). Normally, he is booked up 2-3 weeks out. He’s hurting right now with having next day appointments available and having cut his assistant back to part-time hours. For $150, I no longer feel like I’m getting a sunburn driving the Pajero during bright days (which is basically all of them here). I’ve easily paid twice as much for lesser tinting work from shops in Albuquerque and El Paso.

Window tint is a way of life in the high desert. Seeing untinted cars is uncommon here. Not only is it perpetually bright, but high altitude sun is a different force of oppression than the sunlight found in lower elevation climes. This also gives the interior a chance at not disintegrating in short order.

This is a 20% film on the front two windows, and 15% everywhere else. The 15% is very slightly darker than the factory tint would be on a new car so equipped. I’ve also got some custom sunshades on order from Covercraft for both the Pajero and the Jag, but it may be some time until they’re up and running again. I may have to Amazon a cheap universal sunshade or two at some point.

VincentMalamute-Kim > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/04/2020 at 15:34

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Wish your guy was nearby.

Are those fender mirrors effective at all ?

avalonian > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/04/2020 at 15:45

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I have 10% all around on my sedan (Atlanta) and 50% ceramic windshield my car never gets hot. Its AWESOME!!

Chariotoflove > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/04/2020 at 15:47

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So, we should start a forum betting pool on how many days of quarantine it will take to get a wing, chrome rims, or suspension/camber mods on the Pajero. There are only so many things you can do to occupy yourself while remaining stock configuration.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > VincentMalamute-Kim 04/04/2020 at 15:57

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Eh, slightly.   If you sat in a different position than I do, I suspect they would be more useful.  

VincentMalamute-Kim > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/04/2020 at 16:04

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Disappointed. They look so cool.

Since we don’t have them.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Chariotoflove 04/04/2020 at 16:09

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It may get a new set of wheels with my stimulus check, but they won’t be chrome.  

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Chariotoflove 04/04/2020 at 16:11

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I think adapting some center caps would be higher up on the list.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 16:13

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The problem with that is two fold. One, I’ve not determined exactly what these aftermarket Japanese wheels are, and the finish is in crappy condition on them anyway. Whatever I replace them with will have center caps as part of the equation.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/04/2020 at 16:20

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Ah good. I imagine that getting some six lug caps that fit would be difficult so outright replacement is probably the way to go. Those rims seem  to be the limiting factor in its appearance right now so good luck and keep us posted. 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 16:23

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Aftermarket options this far down the road are limited for 15x7, but there are still a few options out there. I haven’t decided yet whether it will get one of those, or a refurbished set of OEM M ontero wheels from the era. So far, I’ve haven’t seen a used set in good enough condition to pull the trigger on .

Chariotoflove > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 17:36

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Glad to see I’m not the only one that was bothering.

CB > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/04/2020 at 18:30

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I need to do some tint on my car before it gets too warm and sunny . But I do like how clear it is.

pip bip - choose Corrour > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/05/2020 at 00:59

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how are you adjusting to RHD?

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > pip bip - choose Corrour 04/05/2020 at 01:34

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A month and a half in, and it feels almost as natural as LDH. I first couple couple of days were by far the hardest getting used to lane positioning and whatnot on the other side of the car. The hardest part has been getting used to the turn signal stalk being on the right side. I still very occasionally turn on the windshield wipers when I intend to use a turn signal. The only time it is still at all weird is if I go from driving an LHD car then get immediately get into the Pajero after (say within a few minutes or less), or visa versa.

I’ve been driving the Pajero far more than the Jag the last couple of weeks, Interesting, the last week or I’ve occasionally turned on the wipers in the LHD Jag when going for the turn signal, and I’ve also occasionally walked up to the wrong side of the car in both vehicles. This has mostly happened when I’m preoccupied thinking about something else. In training myself to the point of RHD being all but natural now, I seem to no longer instinctively know which side of the car to get in or which side the turn signal/wipers stalks are on.