Window tinting in Riverwood

Tint darkness is measured as VLT, or Visible Light Transmission. A lower number means a darker film, so a 20% film is darker than a 35% one. It is the number worth comparing when you are weighing up shades.

Very few cars get a single shade all round. The front pair and the rear are usually chosen separately, partly because a lighter front and darker rear looks right, and partly because the rear glass may already be tinted from the factory.

Privacy glass is tinted in the glass itself, and any film goes on top of it. So a 35% film on a factory-tinted rear window ends up considerably darker than 35% on clear glass. We work that out on your car before recommending a pairing, so the front and rear look like they belong together.

Tell us the look you are after and we will talk you through the shades that get you there, with samples held against your own glass so you can see it on the car before anything is cut.

Dyed is the entry level. Privacy and glare reduction, limited heat rejection, and it is the film that turns purple and bubbles after a few years of sun. It is cheap for a reason.

Carbon gives good heat rejection, a stable matte black that does not fade, and no interference with phone, GPS or keyless entry. The sensible mid-tier choice for most cars.

Ceramic is the premium option. Very high infrared rejection without needing to be dark, and completely signal-transparent. If you park outside, sit in traffic, or carry kids or pets, it is the upgrade that justifies itself fastest.

Heat is what sells tint. Ultraviolet is what makes it worth the money.

Quality film blocks the overwhelming majority of UV, and UV is what fades dashboards, cracks trim and dries out leather. That damage is expensive and effectively permanent, because a faded dash cannot be brought back the way paint can.

If the car lives on the street rather than in a garage, this is the argument that matters most over a five year horizon.

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.

The back seat is where the tint earns its money in a family car. A child in a car seat cannot move out of the sun and the glass beside them is where the heat and UV come through. Darker film at the rear takes that out of the equation.

It also fixes the glare on a tablet or a phone held up in the back, which is a small thing until you have driven from Riverwood to the coast with a screen that nobody can see.

Phantom blocks 99% of UV whatever shade you choose, so the front does not have to be dark for the driver to get the same protection. Pick the front shade for the look and the rear shade for the kids.