Car Tinting

[petrolhead]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to tint my car... What I'm looking for is a ceramic based film that is as light as possible and has good heat and UV rejection. I called V-Kool and they quoted me AED 3,950 for all windows (including front windscreen) but they told me they use a metallic based film (no good for me). I also asked Foil-A-Car's DuGuard brand, but they are quoting AED 3,600 for all windows but their product is ceramic based.

I looked on other forums, and people are paying max US $600 for the top of the line brand, Huper Optik, which I couldn't find a dealer for here... and here they are charging over $1,000 for what they claim to be a premium product :thumbsdown:

Any ideas of a good brand/tint shop out there?

[Ayham]

Why not check with 3M Ibn Battoota Mall?

[ghoonk]

What is wrong with a metallic based film? aside from the possibly of rust forming in 5 years (in these dry and hot conditions, I think it's unlikely), it's fine. I have V-Kool on my car and it has no effect on Salik or my Garmin GPS. Of course, the V-Kool came with the car when I bought it, and it does cost a pretty penny.

Alternatively, you can consider HuperOptik or 3M, both of which offer really good alternatives. I have a friend who is on 3M Crystalline series and it's not half bad and costs quite a bit less than the V-Kool

[petrolhead]

Metallic films don't give as good heat protection as ceramic films, you need to go with a darker (less light transmission) to be equivalent to a lighter ceramic film. I hate the look of the dark tints, I want to see as much as possible the road and the surroundings. Also, the metallic films change colour faster than ceramic films. I want to also do the front windscreen, but since I have the HUD, I can't just get any type of film either.

Ghoonk do you know where to get Huper Optik in the UAE?

[ghoonk]

No idea, mate, but I have heard stories of people who have bought the film overseas and got a local installed to install it.

Did find this off the web though:

Hüper Optik UAE
Tel +971 4 3391088
Fax +971 4 3391099

[petrolhead]

I tried that number before and nobody is picking up

I asked my friend in Canada to see if he can source some of the film for me, will see what he finds

Thanks for your help.

BTW V-Kool and 3M both have ceramic films, but apparently the tint shops here don't supply/use them because they are more expensive... But they are charging the metallic film for the same price as ceramic film

[ghoonk]

Why not just shoot for 3M crystalline and be done with it :)

[petrolhead]

I always like to get the best bang for my money, if I don't find something I like, I will end up getting something that is second best :)

BTW my parent's A8 has 3M on it (don't know which film type though) and the front windscreen has already changed colour to a green hue

[ghoonk]

How old is the film on your parents' A8, and is it the crystalline version?

Actually, after years of reading up on this topic, I've never met or heard of anyone who can objectively prove that one film is better over another. At the end of the day, it's whatever works, at a specific price bracket

[petrolhead]

I don't know how old the film is, they bought the car used in 2006, the car is a 2006 model, so I'm guessing the previous owner had it for a year, so that makes the film about 3 years old.

I know tinting is a preference thing, but based on specs certain films are better at heat rejection than others, while still be "light" in colour

[ghoonk]

Most people make the mistake of thinking that the darker the film, the better the heat rejection. You are correct, this is absolutely untrue.

How dark or light it is has to do with tint or VLT (visible light transmission)

Films have two other more important variables, i.e. UV rejection and IR rejection.

UV rejection protects the interior of your car (including occupants) from damaging UV
IR rejection is about reducing the amount of heat that penetrates the glass surfaces, and the result is an interior that requires less effort on the part of the AC to cool

3M crystalline, V-Kool and Huper all offer high levels of UV and IR rejection, and these films usually have high VLT (less tint), which I believe is what you want. All other variables held constant, perhaps the real differentiator is in the duration of the warranty, and the quality of service.

[petrolhead]

Most people make the mistake of thinking that the darker the film, the better the heat rejection. You are correct, this is absolutely untrue.

How dark or light it is has to do with tint or VLT (visible light transmission)

Films have two other more important variables, i.e. UV rejection and IR rejection.

UV rejection protects the interior of your car (including occupants) from damaging UV
IR rejection is about reducing the amount of heat that penetrates the glass surfaces, and the result is an interior that requires less effort on the part of the AC to cool

3M crystalline, V-Kool and Huper all offer high levels of UV and IR rejection, and these films usually have high VLT (less tint), which I believe is what you want. All other variables held constant, perhaps the real differentiator is in the duration of the warranty, and the quality of service.

Exactly... I'm just waiting for my friend to see what he can find for me for Huper Optik in Canada, otherwise it will be either 3M or V-Kool

[ghoonk]

Warranty isn't an issue then? If you fly your Huper in, who's going to warranty the job?

[petrolhead]

It's like you said earlier of people getting the film from abroad and getting installed here. If I find a good shop to the installation it shouldn't matter that much. I think I will look more into the 3M Crystalline product line, seems to offer similar specs as Huper Optik, from online reading.

[petrolhead]

Apparently Yellow Hat carries the 3M Crystalline film, I will go there tonight to see what films they have