Educating Yourself About Vehicle Window Tinting

Thousands of individuals every day make what they believe to be a simple decision of having their vehicles windows tinted. However, once they begin to do research, they soon realize that the installation price can vary as much as $100 from shop to shop for tinting the same vehicle. In addition, to the varying prices, the consumer also has to deal with the many different kinds of tinting that are available from several different manufacturers. These various types include non-reflective, hybrid, full metal, titanium, and stainless steel. With many of these available in colors including blue, gray, red, green, amber, opaque white, opaque black, translucent gray frost, translucent clear frost, charcoal, and coffee brown, which is found in bronze and stainless steel tints.

In addition to the various types of film, there are also various installation methods. Several installation shops leave a micro-edge, located at the top of the roll down windows, while other installation shops take the tinting all the way to the edge of the rolled down window. This method has a much better appearance, but can cost extra because of the added time and skill involved in the installation.

Tinting rear windows can also pose a challenge especially if the window requires more than one piece of tinting material. Having one-piece window film installed on the rear window is preferable over having several pieces of window tinting. One-piece rear windows application can cost more as well.

When comparing prices for window tinting, the price can vary depending on the manufacturer brand, type of window tinting, and the quality of the installation of the tint itself. It is important to understand that many tinting manufacturers generally have three levels of quality of tinting materials.

Generally, the lower quality material is a non-reflective/dyed material, which is usually the cheapest and often has the shortest guarantee. This quality of window tinting has a tendency to turn purple over time as well as to form bubbles and possible cracking.

The mid-quality material is often referred to as a hybrid or high performance tinting. This quality is the nationwide best selling product. These films are referred to as reflective products and they possess a slightly different appearance and color from the non-reflective. Hybrid window tinting rejects more solar heat than the lesser quality product and has a much better warranty. Many major tinting manufacturers offer extended or lifetime warranties on hybrid and/or high performance products.

The highest quality material is relatively new full metal tinting material. These products provide the same or slightly greater solar heat rejection as the hybrid tinting materials. In addition, the warranties of these products are usually lifetime warranties with several including a clause, which warrants against fading of the material.

When choosing tinting material, care should be taken to ensure you choose the best tinting material to suit your needs and to ensure you choose the right window tinting shop, be sure to ask the following questions:

How many cars have you tinted? How long will the process take? Do you have examples of your work? Do you have references? What are the local laws? What guarantees do each product have? What brand and type of tinting and pricing do you offer, what does this include? How is the top edge of the roll down windows finished? Does the tinting cove the entire window or is there a gap? Will the rear window be installed in one piece or in multiply sections? Do you guarantee your work and for how long?

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