How Car Window Tinting Is Done � A Great After-Market Upgrade
Getting a new car is always fun. I personally love that new car smell that comes with your purchase. And making your car more �yours� is always important. Many people will cover their cars with bumper stickers or other types of customization. Some are purely aesthetic while others not only look good but also provide an additional function like safety or the preservation of your car. Any many of these upgrades can be done days or even years after your purchase.
As part of my car buying series (see here and here), I�m focusing on how consumers can save money after buying a lower model car (e.g., the base model) and then buying after-market add-ons to bring it closer to more expensive trimlines but without paying the dealer�s dramatically inflated pricing. One great thing about after-market upgrades, like in this case window tinting, is that you can pick and choose exactly the ones that you want and not get �extras� in a package that you don�t really need.
So let�s take a look at the first thing that I had done on my new car, window tinting. This is an upgrade that I definitely recommend that you do for a variety of reasons:
- It protects the interior of your car from harmful UV rays
- It keeps the interior of the car cooler
- It provides added safety in the event of crash by containing all of the broken glass
- It gives added security from a break-ins since it is more difficult to break the glass
- It provides privacy to your passengers (great for kids)
- And it simply looks great (my opinion)
Many times, you can buy a new car with privacy windows or the window tinting already done. Some of these tints are done in the glass making process itself. Some cars even have double paned glass making them stronger, more energy efficient and, of course, more expensive. But, did you know that many car dealers will actually send out many of their vehicles to get the windows tinted by a 3rd party and then later mark up the price on the sticker.
Car window tinting is actually not as expensive as you might think (starting possibly around $200-300 depending on the installer, your vehicle and location). You can buy do-it-yourself kits (which I DON�T recommend) or you can get it done professionally (which I DO recommend). The problem is, not all window tinters (or the film that they use) are the same. Some tinters use cheap films that don�t stand the tests of time and tend to fade, crack, bubble, peel or turn purple. Also these inexperienced or less expensive tinters might simply do a poor application job with the film. So, it is extremely important to shop around and get recommendations (look at Yelp reviews for example). And DON�T always settle for the least expensive.
For my window tinting, I choose a local installer that had the best Yelp recommendations. I read through all of the reviews (the good AND the bad ones) and then spent some time looking at their website. My installer had been in business for 25 years and was run by a father and son team. They also do audio, GPS, video and alarm system installs, in addition to window tinting, so auto upgrades are their passion.
This post is designed to provide you with some insight into what is involved in the window tinting process. The tinting was done by a company called The Best Guys and I was present to photograph and film the entire process. Most of the time, you don�t normally watch the process but I found it really interesting. If you can, ask to watch the install, especially if you have a couple of hours to burn.
Below is a 20 minute video that first talks about the company and their philosophy and then how my particular installation was done. After this video in the content below are some photos that document the process as well. It�s pretty interesting so watch and read on!
The installation process can be broken down into the following components:
- Choosing the film tints
- Cleaning the windows outside
- Cutting the film (by machine and/or by hand)
- Shrinking the film to remove �the fingers�
- Cleaning the inside
- Laying the film, squeegee and de-bubbling
Choosing the film tints
This is a very personal preference. Also, the tint levels may be determined by state laws. For example, in California, you aren�t legally allowed to tint the front side windows, however, you can pretty much tint the back and rear window however you see fit. The darker the tint typically means that it will dramatically reduce the temperature of the sun coming through it. It also means that at night time, it will be a lot more difficult to see through. My recommendation is NOT to go �limo dark� and do more of a 15% or 20% tint, which is more like what you get from a factory-tinted auto.
The percentage associated with the tint is for the amount of visible light that comes through the film.
I do recommend that if you can tint the front, even with a clear tint, you do so, because you get many of the advantages that I listed initially. You can especially notice that the sun on your arm with the windows closed feels just a bit cooler than without the tint.
I don�t really know much about the different manufacturers of the film but the one that The Best Guys swore by was Llumar, which has a life-time warranty (always a good thing). The Llumar tints that were used for my job were:
- Charcoal ATR 15 (Back & Rear Windows) � 15% visible light transmission, 50% total solar energy rejection, 99% UV rejection, 83% glare reduction and 8% visible light rejection
- Neutral AU 85 (Front Windows) � 85% visible light transmission, 16% total solar energy rejection, 99.9% UV rejection, 13% glare reduction and 8% visible light rejection
Once the tints were chosen, the prep work started.
Cleaning the windows outside
One of the most important steps that is repeated throughout the process is that of scrubbing and cleaning the windows. Any tiny bit of dust or dirt can cause issues. First, the outside of the windows were washed. This was, at first, a bit confusing to me as I thought that tints go on the inside of the car. Why wash the outside? For starters, you have to have it clean so that you can see dirt or bubbles much easier once the tints are being installed on the inside.
Also, as it turns out, the tint is first applied on the outside so that the shrinking step can take place. I will explain the shrinking process later. However, since the film has to be cut/trimmed and shrunk on the outside, you have to be sure that the windows are clean.
Cutting the film (by machine and/or by hand)
There are a couple of main ways to cut the film. A lot of shops now use computers and automatic cutting machines to accurately cut the film. Other shops cut their film by hand. Frequently you have to hand-cut films for older cars or for complex or custom jobs.
The computers store the exact sizes of all of the windows for recent automobiles. You simply look up the year, make and model and the computer displays all of the window templates. With the particular program that The Best Guys used, you could drag and drop the stencils around for best placement on the film and then when you were happy with the arrangement, you sent the cutting instructions to the automatic cutter.
This cutter was so precise that it would cut through the film but not the backing paper underneath. It was pretty amazing to watch it cut out all of my rear windows (rear, 2 small and 2 rear passenger ones).
For the front window, since the tint was a slightly different thickness and the cutting machine was not configured for that type of cutting, my installer, Charlie, who has been putting on window tints for 9 years, cut the film by hand. I was pretty amazed that he was able to cut and size the two front passenger windows so quickly and accurately.
Other cut film is then placed on some glass boards near the car. There were two of these glass boards, one on each side of the car. The boards were used for trimming, sizing, shirking and simply keeping them handy.
https://www.hightechdad.com/2010/10/21/how-car-window-tinting-is-done-a-great-after-market-upgrade/
How do you really feel in relation to Perth Window Tinting?
There are 2 sorts of window tinting, additionally referred to as film-over and also in-situ. While in-situ is the old approach, film-over is obtaining appeal recently because it calls for much less job. So which is better? Which type of home window tinting is best for you?
If you have a vehicle or a truck that you utilize a great deal, then it's a much better choice for you. This suggests that, if you have a small company that requires a window tinting job done on your workplace home windows, you can utilize this sort of approach. A basic rule when looking at home window tinting is that, if you don't drive a great deal, it's probably not the most effective option for you.
So how do you learn if this is the right option for you? One advantage is that you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for the kind of tinting that you obtain. You don't need to purchase film as well as you do not need to use a cover to use it. In other words, you don't need to waste time, cash, and also initiative doing every one of that.
One more advantage is that the kind of tinting you obtain will certainly be based on your dimensions. When you obtain film-over tinting, the plastic film that covers your home windows is practically completely connected to the home window itself. Simply put, you have to stick the plastic film to the window so as to get any kind of tinting done. This is one downside of the film-over tinting. However, if you don't recognize just how huge your home windows are, this might be an excellent option for you.
The second kind is referred to as color. As the name implies, the plastic movie that covers your windows is cut to fit the home window and after that it is implemented. It resembles applying a pattern to the glass before you tint it.
However, there are benefits to utilizing this type of tinting. For instance, you don't have to reduce the plastic movie to fit the home window. The color can just be applied to the glass.
One more advantage of the film-over type is that it can make home windows show up larger. This is due to the fact that the movie covers the windows however doesn't totally cover them. If the glass is larger, this makes the look a lot more remarkable.
The 3rd advantage is that the film-over kind can make a window appear smaller sized. This is because the movie visit this web-site can be put on the window so very closely that you can not see the finish line. This is similar to using a hair dryer to get the wanted impact.
One drawback is that there is no chance to regulate how much the tint will appear. Considering that the movie is reduced to fit the window, you can't simply include more film up until you get the appearance you want. As a result, it's a short-lived remedy.
One more disadvantage is that it takes a lot of time. With film-over tinting, you need to stick the movie to the home window until it dries out, which could take weeks. Since the tint can be applied once, you can eliminate the movie as well as start the process over once again.
One benefit is that, if you have a narrow window, you won't need to stress over it popping out. On the various other hand, if you have a huge home window, you could have to choose the second kind of home window tinting to maintain it from splitting or damaging. Obviously, if the film that covering your home windows is as well thick, it could split too.
Since you recognize all of the advantages and downsides of each sort of home window tinting, you can choose which is ideal for you. Take a look at the products as well as the directions meticulously before you tint your windows.
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