Window tinting in Earlwood

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.

Think of it as two decisions rather than one. The two front windows are one choice and the rear glass is another. Most cars end up with a lighter front and a darker back, and it is the combination that makes the car look right.

Factory glass carries tint of its own and the film combines with it, so a 35% film on already-tinted rear glass finishes darker than the number alone suggests. We account for that when recommending a combination, which is the difference between a car that looks deliberate and one that looks mismatched.

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.

This is the single most common misunderstanding about tint. People go dark and still cook in summer, because they bought the wrong film rather than the wrong shade.

Cheap dyed film gets its darkness from pigment, so the only way to reject more heat is to go darker, and darker is not always the look you want at the front. That is the trap.

Ceramic film rejects infrared through its particle structure instead, so performance is not tied to how dark the glass looks. You can run a light film at the front and still get serious heat rejection.

We install Rayno Phantom. Almost every quality film is sold as carbon or as ceramic. Phantom is what Rayno call nano carbon ceramic, meaning both particle types are used together so each covers the other’s weakness.

Carbon alone brings haze and glare. Ceramic alone has a colour stability problem, and Rayno are direct that standard ceramic films oxidise relatively quickly. Using both is the point of the product.

The distinguishing move is shrinking the carbon particles to a nano scale. Larger particles scatter light, and scattered light is the haze and the halo around headlights that makes cheap carbon film unpleasant at night. Smaller particles scatter less, so you keep the heat rejection without the visual penalty.

Phantom blocks 99% of UV, which is the figure that matters most for the interior, because ultraviolet is what fades a dash and cracks trim, and that damage is permanent in a way heat is not. It is also non-metallic, so phone, GPS, digital radio and keyless entry are unaffected.

Rayno warrant it against the failures that make cheap tint obvious: cracking, discolouration, delaminating, bubbling, blistering, peeling and fading to purple. The warranty is registered after installation rather than being automatic, and we handle that for you.

A car parked in Sydney summer sun becomes an oven, and the cabin temperature is only half the story. The air conditioning then works against that heat every time you get in, which costs fuel and takes minutes you spend uncomfortable.

Quality film rejects a substantial share of the infrared radiation that causes it. The cabin cools faster, the air conditioning stops fighting as hard, and the difference is noticeable within about a week of having it done.

Glare reduction comes with it, and it is worth more than people expect driving into low winter sun down an east-west street.

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.