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We’re finding ourselves answering this question a lot more lately, especially as the summer heat starts creeping back into East Texas. Most new vehicles are coming from the manufacturer with “tinted” windows on the rear half. Unfortunately, some customers mistake this factory privacy glass for “window tint”.
Note: Before we get into this article, it is important for customers to understand that you DO NOT need to make your windows DARKER for window film to be effective. Going darker only affects the visible light (the light allowed through that you see) not the UV or heat rejection.
We do our best to educate customers on the advantages of window tint. When we start noticing something out of the ordinary (like a lot of customers calling and only wanting two front windows done because the back is already tinted) then we feel the need to clear up a few details.
This is not just for our benefit, but for the customer’s benefit as well.
Two tinters and over 40 years of experience.
We install window tint on a daily basis for six dealerships in Tyler, Texas on their new or used vehicles before they get placed on the lot. Whether these vehicles have privacy glass or not, we install window tint film on the whole vehicle.
We’ve been in business for over 40 years, and both of our window tint installers have over 40 years of combined experience. They stay busy installing window tint on dealership and customer vehicles from open to close almost every day. We also do residential and commercial window tint installation.
It is safe to say that not only are we one of the best in East Texas at what we do, but are also the most knowledgeable in the window tint services that we provide.
However, with great power comes great responsibility. Which means looking out for our customers and sometimes educating them on the services we are experts on.
“My car already has window tint. I just need the two front windows tinted.”
Over the years we’ve noticed that the rear windows on newer vehicles have slowly been getting darker. This privacy glass from the factory is great for safety and security, but that’s it. The glass is dyed to lower the visibility into the vehicle (or visible light), not lower the amount of harmful UV rays or reject more heat.
Now it is true that most vehicles, especially high line brands like BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, and higher trim levels of brands like Nissan, Toyota, Chevy, etc.. come from the factory with what is called solar glass.
Solar glass rejects a smaller percentage of UV rays and heat, but nowhere near the same level of actual window tint film. This type of glass which is fairly common on vehicles blocks out on average about 40% of the harmful UV rays from the sun and rejects an even smaller percentage of heat.
So yes, you might be able to feel a difference between the window being up or down with the sun, but it’s a minimal difference at best.
Also, it does not matter if the window is clear or dyed solar glass from the factory. The amount of UV ray and heat rejection stays the same with the only difference being the visible light allowed to pass through the glass. Dark glass or clear, the percentage of UV rays and heat rejected stays the same with solar glass.
Which, as stated earlier, is only about 40%.
Film comes in a variety of VLT percentages, or “Visible Light Transmission”. The lower the percentage, the darker the window tint.
Window tint film is installed on the inside of windows as a high performance layer of protection against heat and harmful UV rays. It is important that the tint used is a major name brand and installed by a legitimate shop with experienced installers. For example, we use SunTek, which comes with a lifetime warranty against discoloration, fading, bubbling, etc..
If you’ve ever seen a vehicle with window tint that turned purple, started bubbling, wrinkling, or peeling, this is caused by low quality films and inexperienced installers. Which leads to a variety of discoloration and adhesive failures.
Applying quality window tint to your vehicle, whether it has solar glass from the factory or not, blocks 99.9% of harmful UV rays. This also introduces an extra thermal barrier for heat rejection and absorption, which keeps you cooler.
There are also different types of window tint. Here at Stereo and Video Center we carry SunTek Standard Pro, which is a dyed charcoal tint with low reflection, optimal clarity, and a lifetime warranty.
We also carry SunTek’s CIR Series of window film, also known as “ceramic infrared rejection” tint. This kind blocks up to 99.9% of harmful UV rays and rejects up to 60% of the infrared spectrum, which is what we feel as heat.
Simply put, CIR window tint keeps you and your car up tp 60% cooler than normal window tint. It looks just like normal, non-reflective tint and comes in a variety of clarity levels including an almost clear film (80% VLT) that we do on a lot of windshields.
Protect yourself, your investments, and save money.
We live in Texas, and it gets hot. So most people get window tint installed on their vehicle to keep themselves and their family cool during the summer heat. However there are multiple benefits to having window film installed on your entire vehicle, especially a CIR tint.
Save Gas
The faster, and easier your vehicle cools down along with rejecting heat, the less your A/C has to work to keep your car at a comfortable temperature. This means better gas mileage as well as less wear and tear on your vehicle’s air conditioning components.
Prevent UV Damage
Ultraviolet radiation, or UV rays, are the most damaging we get from the sun. It damages leather, vinyl, paint, plastics, and accelerates wear and tear on your interior. Combine UV rays with extreme heat and you have a recipe for premature tearing, fading, cracking, and more. Tint helps retain your vehicle’s value and keeps your interior looking great.
Shattered Glass Protection
In the event of an accident, window tint film is designed to keep the glass from shattering. This protects passengers from shards of glass during a collision. Would be thieves will also find it more difficult to break out the window.
Monday through Saturday, our window tint installers stay busy helping us serve our customers with the best tint in Tyler, Texas. You can call, email, or message us on Facebook anytime during business hours for a quote or if you have questions.
Samples of window tint darkness are also available in store, as well as an example of the difference in heat rejection between standard tint and ceramic. Come see us and find out why we’re the best!