I bought my Corolla S Premium a little over a week ago. The installed options of the one I bought included tint that was already installed. I couldn't find any documentation with my vehicle, but I assume the tint is covered under some sort of warranty. Does anyone happen to know what the warranty is? I've sent an email to my dealership, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask here too.
Factory Tint Warranty Question...
- Thread starter jedolley
- Start date
Donabed - I don't think so.
As far as I know, there is no such thing as factory installed tint.
Did the window sticker mention tint, or was there a small add-on sticker next to it that mentioned added tint?
Typically, this is something that the dealership adds onto the car as a service (and a moneymaker - for example, they might charge you $400 for a tint job that would cost you $200 if you took the car to the tint shop yourself (and that costs the dealer $100 or $150 per car).
If you took the car to the tint shop yourself, you should select a reputable (been in business over 10 years) shop with a lifetime warranty.
Unless you hear otherwise - I would expect your warranty (if there is ANY warranty at all) in this case would be through the selling dealership only.
I had a similar issue with an aftermarket rear seat DVD player in an Expedition we bought. The dealer installed it and they verbally said they (not Ford) would cover it under the extended warranty I bought, but it wasn't ever written into the paperwork, and when it failed, the company (Rosen) that made it had discontinued that model and none of the people I dealt with at the dealership was still there. They managed to find a local shop that had the part that had failed (and was glad to get rid of a 5-year old screen that had been sitting on the shelf), and after that they did take my word for it and pay for the replacement - but if the whole system needed to be replaced, it could have gotten ugly.
As far as I know, there is no such thing as factory installed tint.
Did the window sticker mention tint, or was there a small add-on sticker next to it that mentioned added tint?
Typically, this is something that the dealership adds onto the car as a service (and a moneymaker - for example, they might charge you $400 for a tint job that would cost you $200 if you took the car to the tint shop yourself (and that costs the dealer $100 or $150 per car).
If you took the car to the tint shop yourself, you should select a reputable (been in business over 10 years) shop with a lifetime warranty.
Unless you hear otherwise - I would expect your warranty (if there is ANY warranty at all) in this case would be through the selling dealership only.
I had a similar issue with an aftermarket rear seat DVD player in an Expedition we bought. The dealer installed it and they verbally said they (not Ford) would cover it under the extended warranty I bought, but it wasn't ever written into the paperwork, and when it failed, the company (Rosen) that made it had discontinued that model and none of the people I dealt with at the dealership was still there. They managed to find a local shop that had the part that had failed (and was glad to get rid of a 5-year old screen that had been sitting on the shelf), and after that they did take my word for it and pay for the replacement - but if the whole system needed to be replaced, it could have gotten ugly.
(OTOH - it isn't ALL bad news ... the dealer probably used a reputable shop.)
If you were going to get the car tinted anyway or if you negotiated well ("I really didn't want tinted windows, but you already put it on the car and I'm here anyway and I like everything else, so if you will knock off the upcharge for that ...")
Free tint is free tint.
The drawback is if you scratch the tint or it turns purple, most shops charge as much or more to remove tint as to install it (with good reason - it is as much or more work), so you might end up spending $400 to re-do the tint, but again - free tint is free tint.
If you were going to get the car tinted anyway or if you negotiated well ("I really didn't want tinted windows, but you already put it on the car and I'm here anyway and I like everything else, so if you will knock off the upcharge for that ...")
Free tint is free tint.
The drawback is if you scratch the tint or it turns purple, most shops charge as much or more to remove tint as to install it (with good reason - it is as much or more work), so you might end up spending $400 to re-do the tint, but again - free tint is free tint.
That's my point - about the lowest price around here is around $180.
There are two (maybe three) warranties on window tint (if you get it done, not if it comes on the car):
The shop will usually have some warranty against fading/air bubbles/discoloration - this is only as good as the shop.
The above warranty might or might not cover scratches to the film or cleaners (ammonia based windex is bad, dogs, cats and keys are bad).
If the film is name brand 3M, LLumar, Suntek, etc. - it might have a manufacturer's warranty against fading and peeling - typically this is through the film manufacturer and any shop that installs their product will replace it (if you have the original warranty documentation or can prove what you had installed on the window).
There are two (maybe three) warranties on window tint (if you get it done, not if it comes on the car):
The shop will usually have some warranty against fading/air bubbles/discoloration - this is only as good as the shop.
The above warranty might or might not cover scratches to the film or cleaners (ammonia based windex is bad, dogs, cats and keys are bad).
If the film is name brand 3M, LLumar, Suntek, etc. - it might have a manufacturer's warranty against fading and peeling - typically this is through the film manufacturer and any shop that installs their product will replace it (if you have the original warranty documentation or can prove what you had installed on the window).