Pro's and Con's of the available materials on the market.
Any feedback ?
I am in Singapore and the Climate is brutal, thinking of tinting my windows..dont mind paying for good product..just dont want to get ripped off due to some sales gimmick.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

3M products. You can get them precut for your car.

http://www.thetinteffect.com/categories/precut-window-tint-kits-made-from-3m-film.html

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Satan creates nothing: he only ruins everything. He does not invent: he tampers. And his followers are no different ~ Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigaṇ

I most likely will ask for 3M. But will have the installation done professionally, as my car is a brand new Mini Clubman.
Also: trying to understand the differance between Carbon-Metallic-Ceramic film.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

Check your local laws on that. Different Country and State but here you cannot tint the front side windows and only 6 inches from the top of the windshield.

I was pulled over and ticketed driving someone elses Car that had the tint added.
I went to the Library and looked up the law and the ticket was legal.

Apparently if your car came with tinted windows from the Factory it is evidently state approved but not if you have a shop do it or do it yourself.

My Friend had paid to have the Windows tinted and could not believe that shops were allowed to do an illegal job but they did it.

The giveaway was that when the window was rolled down there was no tint on the top part of the side windows that were inside of the window channels when the window was rolled up and the did the tint. Since I had the window partially rolled down I am guessing that border line between the tinted and untinted area is what the officer saw.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Land Transport Authority (LTA) rules here stipulate pretty much the same, Cockpit-Front windsheild can only have minimal tint, (driver needs to be visable).
Singapore shops adhere to these rules/regulations, and are not permitted to overstep.
I can drive over to Malaysia, where they dont care about Singapore law, and have every window tinted out Darth Vadar style, but..if I get pulled over in Singapore..I get a fine, + have to remove the film..so its not worth it to me to go against the system.
All the rear windows are a differant story. These can be as dark as I want them to be.
My intentions for having film installed is 3-fold.
First, block out the sun rays that produce heat in the cabin.
Second, block out the sun rays that deteriorate the leather/ dashboard etc.
Third, as a security measure. Keep people from looking in when my car is parked.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

From what I understand the ceramic tint will provide better long term UV blockage where the protection of standard films deteriorates over time even if the color doesn't fade.

I always suggest going to a shop that offers a lifetime warranty on both parts and labor. I've never removed tint and I've heard both that it's easy and difficult. But the constant is that it's expensive to have done professionally if you're not up to doing it yourself, and most shops want to hold the car for the whole day.

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Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil

Got this done recently on my other car. $200 with a groupon. 3m

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1985 300d Turbo Diesel

From my understanding, there are three factors with window tinting: Light passage, UV protection & Heat rejection.
Carbon is just basic darkening....Light passage
Metallic adds UV protection and
Ceramic adds Heat rejection to the mix.

Believe it or not, they even have one now that is electronically darkened. From what I've seen, about $1,500-2,000. I'm not sure how the lawyers will handle that one!

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

I have heard that Ceramic film can block radio/phone signals.
Carbon is out..I dont need simple darkening of the windows.
So now, narrowing it down to Ceramic or Metallic film.

Just thought, this vehicle has 9 windows..Oh My..

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

I went to a good shop and asked his opinion on my old 240D.
I did not want it to look gangster but needed to keep the sun out.
He recommended ceramic with a 30% tint. I don't remember the brand but it was German made.
Gives a bit of tinting but really keeps the heat from getting in.
Works great, looks good and I am happy.

We have two former state cops at work, both say there are two things that scream " pull me over " dark tinted side windows and a license plate hider cover ( even the clear / blue tint bubble ones + extra points if they have a vanity plate. )

Both of these are a sign that the driver is a problem child ( hiding something ) and there is a high likelihood up to no good. Think of how many times a drug dealer is found out after a minor traffic stop.

Other way round. It's metallic that can block cell phone signal. The metal particles in the film effectively turn the cabin into a Faraday cage. Ceramic does not block RF signals.

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1998 E300 turbodiesel

America's Rights and Freedoms Are Not The Enemy!

My guess is these guys' heyday was in the '80s when tinted windows was rarer.

__________________
Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil

Nope, both retired about 5 years ago with 25 years service.

They are OK with tint behind the front seats, no so OK with tint on the windshield or front seat side windows.

I just installed Huper Optik ceramic on all windows including the front windshield.

Have used Huper Optik for many years but never considered tinting the windshield until I recently purchased a concours level 1983 300D that is so clean that I stopped for a tint job on the day that I bought the car, it just deserves to have total UV protection, and so do we.

Having tint on the windshield makes a huge difference in comfort. Must keep the air conditioning on low most of the time and I have to totally turn it off and on to keep the car from getting too cold. Car is still cool after running into a store for a few minuets.

The only problem is when wearing polarized sunglasses the sky sometimes has banding lines. I still use the polarized sunglasses the problem isn't that bad and the tint keeps the glare down so I don't need sunglasses at all. I heard a story of a man that was driving his car for the first time after having the windshield tinted and was complaining on the phone about seeing the rainbow effect caused by his sunglasses and just then a large bolt fell off of the truck in front of him bounced once and hit his window right between his eyes. He said that the bolt would have penetrated the car and possibly killed him if not for the tint.

The State of Texas has outlawed reflective tint, mirrored tint, but the Huper Optik has a slight reflective quality that looks elegant compared to the cheap blue stuff.

They charge $299 for the windshield alone or $199 if you tint the whole car at once. Price for the car was $399.