Ok, here's my input because I can't count how many threads I read regarding tint percentages... First things.. You can't ever judge pics online because you never know the ambient lighting conditions or whether or not the sunroof shade is open/closed (makes a big difference), or what direction the sun is shining from in relation to the vehicle. Also, each brand of film will specify the percentage, but they may not all look the same from different manufacturers. A 30% 3M film might look different than a 30% from Llumar. That all being said...
I use Llumar FormulaOne Pinnacle for all of my tint. The stuff has a lifetime transferrable warranty and is an exceptionally good quality film. In addition, it is ceramic so it won't interfere with cell phones, GPS, TPMS, etc... For the X5, I chose to match the OEM rear privacy glass and my tint guy went with 30%. Was it 100% perfect? No... Good luck with that. Can you tell that it wasn't 100% perfect?? No... With his light meter, it was just a touch darker than the OEM privacy glass, but I couldn't tell. Nor could my wife, or anyone else that I've mentioned it to. So, I did the Llumar F1 Pinnacle at 30% on the front two. But, I wanted additional heat/UV resistance, so I had all the side/back windows tinted with Llumar AirBlue 80, an essentially clear film with great resistance. It too is ceramic, and it is so clear that you can't even tell its there. I then went a step further and had the windshield and sunroof done in the same film (again for the heat). So, every bit of glass is tinted on the X5.
The films I have to me are just right, the same shade as the OEM privacy glass, not too dark at all, even for night driving. You can definitely see in the vehicle, but you do have some sense of privacy. As a reference, my M3 was done (previous owner) in Llumar ARC 15 (an older film, no longer produced) which to me is a little too dark. Its manageable, but I would've done the 30%. I had the windshield and sunroof done in the AirBlue 80 on this car as well.
And lastly, someone above mentioned Accutint in Seattle. You've seen my M3, and that is where it was tinted. I don't know the shop, but my local guy here is an extraordinary tint guy, and he said the work done on my M3 (by Accutint) was really really good. I asked him about removing it to replace it with 30%, but he said he wouldn't do it, the work is THAT good he said. I'm good with that.
