Rear Window Tint Mottling

[vinzchlortho]

Hey PT Folks,

When I look in the rear view mirror, I can see what I call mottling or splotches. I assume this is the tint. They vaguely look like little ghost images and it spans the window. I think it may be related to the heat and I live in San Antonio. Here, we're not kidding around when we say heat. Anyway, I have that upper deck, which stops anyone from seeing in the back and I have one of those plastic-type floor mats for the back. Both are from AutoTruckToys and they're very nice. My first thought was that there is some form of vapor, coming off the top of the floor mat. That's a guess but there is a pattern on the mat and there is some form of pattern with the little ghosts on the window. Of course, the vapor would have to rise in that exact pattern, and I doubt that forever.
Anybody know what this is? The only reason I'm interested is because I'm going to get professional tinting in a few weeks and I wonder if it will still show afterwards. I assume the original tint isn't taken off.
I also wonder if it's the glass itself. I can go out in the garage late in the evening and the splotches aren't visible. If the heat rises enough, let's say over 90, or the sun is strong, the splotches appear. Weird, huh?
I don't lose sleep over this but I wish I knew what it was. The car is a 2007 and the color is Opal. Everything is stock.

Thanks a lot...Vinz

PS - I looked everywhere I could about tinting and rear windows and found nothing. Hey...let's not do one of these "you're the only one" scenarios...please.

[ucantcme]

Take a picture of the window and post it on the forums. When you get tinting done to your car, they place the tint on the inside of the factory window...I'm sure if you asked the tint place about what it is, they will tell you.

[CREWZIN]

Hi. Did you buy the cruiser new or used? Sounds to me like there was a previous owner who had tinting done or did it themselves and your seeing the results of a cheap job. I've seen what I think your talking about and it's always on a car that you can sort of tell they didn't have a lot of money to spend. Look real carefully or have the professional window tint guy look at it to see if there's already a thin sheet of tint already on it.

[ucantcme]

Is it the splotches that look like there is air between the tint film and the window??

[Hooligan]

I bet it is a DIY tint job!!! When I had the windows on the 2008 done, my tint guy only did the front windows and a 6" strip across the front windshield.

vinzchlortho, are any of the rest of the windows tinted? Is this a base PT? If so, the hatch tint was a "cheapie".

[bobs turbo pt]

is there air between the tint film and the window ?? i have seen that before just a thought

[CreepyPT]

If the tinting is polarized, you may be seeing this with the heat. Look at the window during cooler hours while wearing polarized sunglasses...any tint that is polarized will have kind of a diagonal checkerboard pattern across it. If it does, and it the same pattern you see when it gets hot out, the heat is having some effect on the tint that makes the polarization pattern more visible to the naked eye. And it doesn't matter if it DIY or factory, I've seen it happen on both.

[CYCLONE_06]

Originally Posted by CreepyPT

If the tinting is polarized, you may be seeing this with the heat. Look at the window during cooler hours while wearing polarized sunglasses...any tint that is polarized will have kind of a diagonal checkerboard pattern across it. If it does, and it the same pattern you see when it gets hot out, the heat is having some effect on the tint that makes the polarization pattern more visible to the naked eye. And it doesn't matter if it DIY or factory, I've seen it happen on both.

Thats exactly what I was going to say. I have a pair of shades in my cruiser, wore them on the way home today, and they are polarized. I saw what looks like mesh splots, or diamond shaped areas in the glass.

I have a different theory tho. I think its where u can actually see that the glass / plastic hybrid mold is within the window. These new windows actually have some plastic to them to keep them from shattering and cutting people.

A local PT was down the street at our local mechanics wrecked, and I saw the front windshield. It was shattered, but still being held together. The plastic mesh inside the glass does this.

~CYCLONE_06

[alvin201]

Just a thought, on your original post you say you noted the "mottling" when looking in the rear view mirror. Does the mottling also appear when looking at rear window direct.

If not, could it be that the "mottling" is really in the glass of the mirror and not the window?

[Hooligan]

Originally Posted by CYCLONE_06

Thats exactly what I was going to say. I have a pair of shades in my cruiser, wore them on the way home today, and they are polarized. I saw what looks like mesh splots, or diamond shaped areas in the glass.

I have a different theory tho. I think its where u can actually see that the glass / plastic hybrid mold is within the window. These new windows actually have some plastic to them to keep them from shattering and cutting people.

A local PT was down the street at our local mechanics wrecked, and I saw the front windshield. It was shattered, but still being held together. The plastic mesh inside the glass does this.

~CYCLONE_06

The front windshield has had some sort of filler to keep the glass from shattering during/after an accident, it was put there as a safety item years ago.
One of the first things a fireman/rescue worker learns in a emergency use a spring loaded punch on a side window to open a door those windows will break "granulated".
The rear windows now MAY be also sandwiched between the glass now, it had been a few years since I was involved with fire/rescue after almost 20 years as a volunteer.