GesusNY Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Lorenzo “The” Tint Specialist Review I visited Lorenzo's shop on June 4th at around 12:30 PM at 4752 Bronx Blvd, click here for directions. At first sight (from the outside), it didn't look to me like a place where A-List celebrities would get their work done, but then again, Lorenzo's is the only shop on the block, so he doesn't really have to have a neon sign posted anyway. I parked, and entered the garage and was greeted by Lorenzo himself, his first words to me were, hey how are you? What can I do for you? I told him I wanted a tint job on my '06 Accord Coupe. He said let me take you around your car and show you the type of work I do. He takes my keys, pulls my car up front and center and introduces me to moleskin. Thanks to Acura Kid I was one step ahead and was delighted to know that Lorenzo knew about it and recommended it. After Lorenzo showed me the moleskin-felt he turned my attention to the rear windshield. He pointed out the dot matrix at the top of the windshield. He explained that tint film is designed to be applied to a smooth surface. When tint is applied to a rough surface, it does not stick/dry well and this is what he calls elevation. I took this to mean bubbling but I didn't ask. He said he would meticulously sand the dots down so as to create a smoother surface for the window tint and it would be one complete application of tint film- Another Acura Kid kudo! The next and probably most important part is choosing the percentage of window tint. He showed me to his office where he keeps tint samples of Sun Guard HP on actual car windows and let me pick the tint. He emphasized that he only makes suggestions to his customers but they must make the final decision. In other words, he does not steer his product or his customers. Also, he advised me of the law enforcement issues that go with darker tints in New York State. I told him I was looking for a tint that would keep my interior private but still allow me to drive well at night and I didn't care much for NYS tint laws. He pointed at 20% Solar Gard HP and I looked at it for a bit under florescent light. The 20%, I felt was noticeably dark but I wanted something darker so I went with 15% SG HP all around (2 front, 2 sides, and rear windshield.) Best of all, since Lorenzo's shop was so popular and filled with his clients cars, he let me see several cars that were already tinted with 15% window film- nice! We setup a 7:30AM appointment for June 9th because my schedule was booked and Lorenzo said he would need the better half of a day to do the job. Another reason why Lorenzo is better than the other guys, he does not rush his jobs. He said his appointments are free the first time but if you think you will run a bit late, he urges you to put something down (down payment). With a down payment, if you are running late, you can call him up, and he will give you some leeway. If you are too late, you will have to reschedule. I put $40 dollars down to show him I was very interested in his services and left feeling like I made a great decision for my car. The day of my appointment, I showed up at 7:30 AM exactly, Lorenzo was just pulling up into his parking space and the garage was already opened and setup by his employees. Lorenzo remembered who I was and asked me if I had any changes of tint/service selection since I last saw him. I told him I wanted to also tint the front windshield. He said it was a good choice, he showed me another car that had the same job and the great care he takes on the stickers (registration/inspection). Lorenzo carefully removes them, laminates them, and applies them again so as not to ruin the newly installed tint film. Again he warned me of the law enforcement issues that come with it-- again I shrugged it off. I went with 50% SG HP for the windshield. He told me my car would be ready at around 6:00 PM and if I wanted to wait until I saw the finished product to deliver final payment it was ok. I thought that was a nice measure and made me absolutely sure I was making the best decision for my car. I paid in full, we shook hands and I left his garage at about 8:15 AM. At 6:00 PM I returned to Lorenzo's and saw my car in the garage, Lorenzo saw me and said "just putting some finishing touches." I waited just outside the garage opening and in 5 minutes my car came rolling out and my eyes widened. I saw the finished product and was blown away. Unbelievable, the tint looked factory installed, no bubbles, no signs of purple, no cut lines, no blemishes, no dots... just perfection. That was just the outside, when I opened the doors, that's when I knew this job was worth every penny. The view from the inside was gorgeous, you could see your surroundings crystal clear and from the outside the interior looked pitch black-- exactly what I wanted. The windshield? Beautiful, I was glad I paid extra for it. I closely examined the craftsmanship, there were no signs of shortcuts, and the tint went well below the window line. The moleskin installation looked excellent as well! I examined the windshield, the edges were deep into the little dots, and it was remarkable. The rear side windows were done exactly like the windshield. But the rear windshield took the cake. After I saw the rear windshield I can say with honesty, put your fears of removing tint from the defogger lines away because Lorenzo does it right the first time. The dots just seemed to gradually merge into the tint film as if it was made that way. I can't explain it but I was amazed at how it turned out. Hopefully the pictures can speak themselves. If it sounds like I am blowing this way out of proportion, I apologize but I have seen way too many beautiful cars look like $h!t because of bad tint jobs. I guess what I am trying to say is that in the NY area, Lorenzo is the place. Before leaving Lorenzo gave my car another quick rinse and also shined my tires-- all free. He gave me some do's and don’ts too. He said for 2 days I could not lower the windows and to remind me he put strips of tape on the buttons. Good thing too ;-) He also said next week, June 16 I have to stop by for a final inspection and look over. I shook his hand again and left with a great feeling... the same feeling I felt when I left the car dealership on day 1! In closing I want to say that Lorenzo is an A+ guy, he understands his customers' concerns and does not mind at all if you wish to call him by phone or email him about anything: price quotes, recommendations, customizations, appointments, etc. His list of clients comes from all lifestyles but he treats all of them the same. Sure all I got was a tint job but to me it was probably the most difficult process next to choosing the right car for me. I am glad I chose Lorenzo and I highly recommend him. Thank you for reading this review, I hope it makes your tint decisions easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH6TunerDaniel Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Umm, cool? I cant believe I actually read all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubs Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 I cant believe I actually read all that. Loser. Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GesusNY Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 Ha ha, thanks for reading, it's just many people are getting their windows tinted and not happy. I felt a thorough review would alleviate some of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sohcVTEC-E Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 How much did you pay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagalag Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 Ok, let's all of us drive our hondas to NY for our tint jobs now. Road trip!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GesusNY Posted June 17, 2006 Author Share Posted June 17, 2006 How much did you pay? The total was $400 with lifetime warranty for labor, tint film, and moleskin installation: 2 front windows with Solar Guard HP 15% 2 rear side windows with Solar Guard HP 15% Rear windshield with Solar Guard HP 15% Front windshield with Solar Guard HP 50% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sohcVTEC-E Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 Holy f*ck! Dude, you got ripped off. My tint job was $130 with a lifetime warrenty for 5% tint all around except windshield. And mine looks fine around the dots on the rear window. Lol, honestly I think you payed for the name of this guy. My tint guy tints the Bentlys at the dealership around me. AND it took my guy two hours... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GesusNY Posted June 18, 2006 Author Share Posted June 18, 2006 Holy f*ck! Dude, you got ripped off. My tint job was $130 with a lifetime warrenty for 5% tint all around except windshield. And mine looks fine around the dots on the rear window. Lol, honestly I think you payed for the name of this guy. My tint guy tints the Bentlys at the dealership around me. AND it took my guy two hours... Woah, that does sound like a great deal. If he tints the Bentlys then I bet he's not using purple stuff either. Get a review of him up and get him the clientel he is due Get some pics too! -Gesus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90IntegraC1 Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 you got ripped off. at this place called Berardi's down the street they said i could get 20% tint all around with a lifetime guarentee and labor for $225. $400? bogus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GesusNY Posted June 18, 2006 Author Share Posted June 18, 2006 you got ripped off. at this place called Berardi's down the street they said i could get 20% tint all around with a lifetime guarentee and labor for $225. $400? bogus. Down the street in your hometown of PA? I live in NYC. On another note, it's important to take into consideration the car being worked on, perhaps it is much easier and quicker to tint a 1990 Acura Integra without removing the door panels and installing moleskin. I don't know about the dimentions of a '90 Integra but perhaps an '06 Accord is much larger. The same goes true for a 1997 Civic. I don't mean to bash but I feel as if we are comparing apples to oranges here. In order to get the car tints to look stock, Lorenzo had to remove the door panels, and window channels. Then he installed moleskin to finish the job. I know that anyone can install window tint with the proper tools. It's getting the tints to look as close to stock as possible that raises costs. If you could be so kind as to post some pictures of your tinter's craftsmanship, please by all means do. Thanks for reading. -Gesus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xalexjx@yahoo.com Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 yea, nyc, all the prices are list +250% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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