Hi,

 

I bought my car from a Honda dealer just over 2 years ago and got an 3M filming for the windows. For the past 2 months I've had to keep my car parked out in the sun and now I noticed that the film is full of tiny spots/bubbles. It's not too disturbing yet as the spots are less than a millimetre wide. I just wonder what this is and can it really be caused by the heat. I mean I'm sure the film is supposed to handle direct sun light for much more than a few months otherwise everyone would have this problem.

 

Any ideas if this is at all normal? I will get my car back under covered parking soon but I guess the film won't go back to normal.  

It's not normal. The whole idea is for the tint is to tackle direct sunlight.
Those are air bubbles and looks like the tint was not applied properly
Take it back to the dealer and point it out, they may replace it rather than lose a potential customer.
The wholesale cost of film is dirt cheap.

Sounds like the glass was not cleaned properly, take it back..My ride is near 10 years old and sits in the sun with no problems..

More than 5 years, no bubbles, no visible scratches or the like.

 

Perhaps pop into a 3M dealer first and ask if the film genuine if so why it's gone like that good ammo if going back to the dealer

Thanks for the advice. The weird thing is that the film was normal with no problems until I had to let the car stand in the sun for a few months. It's not like they are noticeable if you don't look really closely at the window but I know it wasn't there before. Not even sure if they are air bubbles but some small dots all over the film (clearly in the film not the window). I can try to get a picture of it. Yes I should probably ask the dealer because the film should be in perfect condition after just over 2 years.   

Just a thought before someone else asks... 

What type of cleaning products have been used to wipe down the inside windows during cleaning?Guessing it's been cleaned weekly or so....

Some cleaners can actively attack the film adhesives....

10 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Just a thought before someone else asks... 

What type of cleaning products have been used to wipe down the inside windows during cleaning?Guessing it's been cleaned weekly or so....

Some cleaners can actively attack the film adhesives....

I have no idea what cleaning products they used last time I took it to a car wash service. If I clean the windows from the inside myself I just use a dry cloth. Somehow the problem just seems to be related to the car being in the heat and sun now for two months. I mean of course it should't be that but the dots came up now and never seen them before.

You would expect the film to have at least a 5-year warranty. Even if it was the basic cheap one that they supply as one of the freebies.  

 

When you take it back don't say anything except ...can you see those small bubbles, that isn't normal  is it?

Please tell us if they change it for free ?

 

 

A pin prick might sort the bigger ones for the time being.

 

37 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

A pin prick might sort the bigger ones for the time being.

That is a completely stupid idea ... warranty gone!!

Just take it back to the dealership, IF it was 3M will be fully warranted, if not it's the dealers problem , not acceptable quality.

Even Rubbish Lumina have a good no argue attitude.

If you end up having to do it yourself then this is a good  article

 

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-fix-a-bad-window-tinting-job-by-mark-vallet

i respectfully    guess you chose the cheapest deal  or maybe not  but you were supplied   with the inferior   material   and   you were not aware at the time their are quite a few different grades  of coatings

Edited April 1, 20179 yr by Lamkyong
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I got the "3M" filming when I bought the car from Honda (as part of the deal so I didn't pay extra for it). I've been trying to take a picture of it but you can't see anything in the picture. It seems to be just on the windscreen and more on the sides. It doesn't actually look like air bubbles but more like some kind of melting (tiny dots and curly lines).

 

I might go back to the same Honda dealer and ask them to replace it. It's just that I don't live close to that one anymore so I'll have to consider if it's worth it. How much should I expect to pay for new films. Can I even change the windscreen film only (the other windows seem to be ok)?