To Tint or not to Tint

You want to keep the interior of your car protected or maybe you want privacy, to keep the sun’s glare off of you – there are numerous reasons people opt to have their car windows tinted. The question is what is legal and what kind of tinting should you look for.

To start, many vehicles come with tint built in to the windows. Each state’s laws regarding tinting will be different and vehicles that are registered out of state are usually exempt from the laws of the state they are in while traveling. If you are thinking of getting tint added to your windows, your local body shop should know your state’s laws.

What is window tint? Tint is created when tinting film is bonded onto a piece of window glass. Tinting film is usually made out of clear polyester film with a very thin and even layer of tinting agents such as dyes and/or metals deposited onto the film.

Unlike sunglasses that do impair your ability to drive at night, tinting film is designed to reduce glare and not impede nighttime driving. Another misconception is that window tint is bonded onto the outer surface of auto glass. Window tint is applied on the inner surface, which also protects the film itself from flying debris outside the car.

Normal auto glass without tint reflects around 5% of visible light (known as VLR%), absorbs another 5% (known as VLA%), and transmits 90% of visible light (known as VLT%) into the car.

Depending on the type and quality of tinting film applied to a window, these percentages change dramatically. Some tint is more reflective, and others absorb more light. The number you will most commonly see is the VLT% (Visible Light Transmittance). Almost all the official names of films include the VLT% within it like Johnson Executive PBC30 or Madico Charcool CH-55. VLT% tells you how much visible light is allowed to shine into the car, and also indirectly how dark the tint looks.

Tinting film doesn't just block visible light. It also blocks harmful cancer-causing ultra-violet (UV-A and UV-B) rays as well as infra-red (IR) rays that cause heat to build up in your car; however, how effective a film is in blocking these rays depends on the type of film, the manufacturer, and the quality of installation.

Make sure the company you choose has numerous brands of tint to choose from and aren’t pushing one or two brands. You want choice that is based on your budget and needs along with the quality you are willing to pay for.

With a professional tint, the benefits are not only those mentioned above, but can also make your car appear sharper and classier.