Window tinting in Lakemba

The darkness of a film is its VLT number, Visible Light Transmission. It is a percentage of light let through, so a 5% film is very dark and a 70% film is barely there. Compare shades on that number rather than on names, because every brand names them differently.

Most cars do not end up with one shade all round. The front and the rear are usually specified separately, partly for the look and partly because the rear often has factory privacy glass in it already.

If the rear glass came tinted from the factory, the film and the glass stack. Put a mid-range film over it and the rear reads much darker than the number on the box. We look at the car, not the chart, so the front and rear finish as a deliberate match rather than a mismatch.

Say what you want the car to look like. We will show you the shades that get there, held up against your own windows in daylight, so what you sign off on is the real thing on the real car.

An older car is often the one that benefits most, because the interior has already had years of sun on it and the tint is there to stop the damage getting worse. The dash, the door tops and the rear parcel shelf are what UV takes first.

Older glass brings its own work. Rubber seals go hard and can trap the film edge, rear windscreens on some models have demister lines that need care, and there is often a previous layer of failed film that has to come off first.

None of that is a reason not to do it. It is a reason to tell us the year and model when you call, so the time and the price are right first time.

Plenty of people want the back of the car dark and the front left as it is, usually for kids in the back, a dog in the boot or gear that is better not on display. That is a common job, and we quote it as the rear rather than the full car. Tell us when you call.

On a car with no factory privacy glass, rear-only tinting changes the look of the car more than any other single job, because the contrast with the clear front glass is what people notice.

If the car already has factory privacy glass in the rear, film on top deepens it further and cuts more heat, because factory glass is tinted for looks rather than performance. We will tell you whether it is worth doing on your car.

Good film lasts for years if it is treated with a little sense. Clean the inside of the glass with an ammonia-free cleaner and a soft microfibre, because ammonia attacks the film and paper towel scratches it.

Do not stick anything to the inside of a tinted window. Suction-cup phone holders, parking permits and toll tags all leave a mark in the film when they come off, and a scraper on a tinted window is the end of that panel.

Watch the seat belt. The metal tongue flicking against the rear door glass as the belt retracts is the most common way we see a rear panel scratched, and it is easily avoided by holding the belt as it goes back.

Worth saying plainly: a very dark rear window makes reversing through the mirror at night harder. That is a trade-off, not a reason to go lighter, and most people are happy with it, but you should know it before you choose.

A reversing camera changes the picture entirely, because the camera does not look through the glass. On a car with one, the rear can go as dark as you like without giving anything up at night.

The front windows are different. You look through them constantly, at night and in rain, so a lighter front film keeps that view clear and lets the rear carry the look. That is the pairing most cars leave with.