Windows UV protection tint

[brianz]

well, maybe this could have gone in "Exterior" forum!

I'm looking at getting ceramic tint to my windows. Mainly for sun protection for skin to keep the temperature down in the summer - I have a fridge drawer and also for car camping when not using RTT.

Anyway, my question is about the factory protectiion and tint %. Does anybody know what the windshield and side windows offer for UV proection and what tint % they are? I will probably tint the back windows extra dark. They were recommending limo tint (5%), but that seems too dark.

I have read in the forum tinting the back 15% and 70% in the front. I think the lowest % they were offering here was 50%. So, any recommendations are appreciated. For the front it's mainly sun protection for the skin - I think I will get a windshield sun deflector for hot days when I'm out hiking.

Thanks

 

[LCNorth]

First thing I do to every new car I buy. Did the top shelf heat rejecting tint once and never looked back.

I forget what %’s I used this time around. Maybe 45 front? 30 rear? Windshield 70/80 which is basically clear. I don’t like a dark tint because of the visibility at night. To each their own as far as %.

Get the highest heat rejection you can afford and definitely do the windshield. In the summer when I leave work the cabin is cooling off nicely by the time I leave the parking lot.

 

[jack520]

I bought a UV meter from Amazon for another project ... I measured how much UV I was getting with the window rolled down and up .. I forget the exact numbers but my side and front windows were good, much better than my 2004 4Runner so I did not get more. If it is too low you can get a film with 0 tint and 95%+ UV block .. but then you have a plastic film on your windows that you will have to maintain.. Buy a meter and determine for yourself it is good enough .. remember that the uv is what causes skin cancer the infer red causes heat .. I also hate tint because it makes night vision worse.

 

[RUN-8]

Forgive the lousy photo. I just had mine tinted, Llumar ceramic on everything but the windshield because rocks are a thing here and I’m sure the windshield will end up eating one every few years and need replacing.

The rear privacy glass metered out to 28% at the tint shop before any additional tint was put on. Legal limit for the front in South Dakota is 30%.

I had 30% put on the front windows, and 80% (near enough clear) put on all the rear windows. They’re really really close to identical now front to back.

 

[brianz]

I mainly am after the UV protection for year round. I have snapshades for the rear passenger windows and will dark tint the rearmost windows.

That's cool @jack520 you have a UV meter - what approximately did you consider good numbers on the front factory windows? Maybe I will get a UV meter - they are not expensive. More research to do!!

thanks @RUN-8 - the 30% on the front looks good. if I didn't car camp and have a fridge - would go with that matching combination.

 

[RobLS]

Forgive the lousy photo. I just had mine tinted, Llumar ceramic on everything but the windshield because rocks are a thing here and I’m sure the windshield will end eating one every few years and need replacing.

The rear privacy glass metered out to 28% at the tint shop before any additional tint was put on. Legal limit for the front in South Dakota is 30%.

I had 30% put on the front windows, and 80% (near enough clear) put on all the rear windows. They’re really really close to identical now front to back.

View attachment 32318

Love the even look. I was wondering how much uv/ir the stock privacy tint covers.
I’m still waiting for a quote from the shop.

 

[RobLS]

thanks @RUN-8 - the 30% on the front looks good. if I didn't car camp and have a fridge - would go with that matching combination.

I’m curious.
What about the car camp and fridge determines going with %30 or not?
Or are you saying you have darker?

 

[AlexGates]

I don’t remember what the rear tested, but I did 20% all around (not the windshield) and I think my installer said the rears were closer to 15% with whatever % he laid on. Light transmission, UV rejection, and heat transmission are all different things. The specs should be on the product, a good install shop will have demo glass, a really good one will have a heat lamp to show you the difference. You can get 70% (I think they have even higher now) that will knock down the latter two, if you don’t like tinted windows or it is illegal in your area.

To add: Make sure the product you get is shatter resistant, most are now, but I'd double check.

 

[brianz]

What about the car camp and fridge determines going with %30 or not?
Or are you saying you have darker?

Yes, I will go darker than 30% in the back. It's because there will be valuables in the back, but also it's less work for the fridge with lower ambient temperatures - privacy while sleeping inside car some of the trip. I have a jackery battery - going to try to not leave the vehicle in camping mode - cooler temp inside should extend battery w/ fridge.

 

[RobLS]

Yes, I will go darker than 30% in the back. It's because there will be valuables in the back, but also it's less work for the fridge with lower ambient temperatures - privacy while sleeping inside car some of the trip. I have a jackery battery - going to try to not leave the vehicle in camping mode - cooler temp inside should extend battery w/ fridge.

Okay thought so.
I figured that’s what it would be while sending the message. I too plan on car camping, although not with a fridge. But I will have expensive camera gear.

 

[jack520]

I mainly am after the UV protection for year round. I have snapshades for the rear passenger windows and will dark tint the rearmost windows.

That's cool @jack520 you have a UV meter - what approximately did you consider good numbers on the front factory windows? Maybe I will get a UV meter - they are not expensive. More research to do!!

thanks @RUN-8 - the 30% on the front looks good. if I didn't car camp and have a fridge - would go with that matching combination.

I do not recall .. supposed to be rainy tomorrow I will recheck wednesday and post

 

[REDSTAR]

I did Llumar IRX 15% for the side and rear windows + sunroof, and 50% on the windshield. Looks great and the heat rejection is excellent. The interior of the car is significantly cooler. There were times sitting in traffic I'd notice how hot the sun felt against my face, and since getting the window tint I haven't noticed much warmth at all.

The guy at the tint shop said anything past 15% wouldn't really yield any additional heat rejection I believe.

 

[RUN-8]

Love the even look. I was wondering how much uv/ir the stock privacy tint covers.
I’m still waiting for a quote from the shop.

I don’t know that the stock privacy glass rejects much of any heat at all.

Most automotive factory glass blocks UV though.

The 30% Llumar IRX I have on the front rejects something like 56% of total solar energy and 60% of IR energy, and 99% of UV.

The 80% Llumar AIR on the rear rejects 43% of total solar energy, 60% of IR energy, and 99% of UV.

 

[CorpSkiBum]

The factory is about 30% VLT in the rear and 75% VLT in the front.

I installed Llumar FormulaOne Stratos with 35% on the front and 50% on the rear. I skipped the windshield because of rocks....

 

[brianz]

Thanks for all the tips. I live in a small town - we have a shop that sells XPEL ceramic tint. From looking online it appears to rival Llumar products. My one hold up is the windshield - If I can find out the UV protection on the windshield will be the deciding factor. Making good progress on prep for the trip!

 

[Dr. M]

How much does this treatment cost?

 

[REDSTAR]

Thanks for all the tips. I live in a small town - we have a shop that sells XPEL ceramic tint. From looking online it appears to rival Llumar products. My one hold up is the windshield - If I can find out the UV protection on the windshield will be the deciding factor. Making good progress on prep for the trip!

I’m pretty sure that the ceramic films that Xpel sells will provide similar protection to other brands (99%+ protection). Just tint all the glass and you’ll be set.

 

[brianz]

How much does this treatment cost?

Excluding the winshield - I've been quoted $700-800 CAD, which is around $500-570 USD for ceramic. I went to 2 shops and it was around the same. The windshield adds surprisingly around another 50% cost. The ceramic increases the cost a bunch compared to standard, but I think it's worth it and the warranties are really good.

 

[RUN-8]

We had Llumar ceramic on our last new vehicle, a 2015 Chevrolet SS. The window tint still looked brand new when it was totaled due to lack of collision repair parts. Almost 10 years of service and no delaminating, bubbles, or discoloration.

 

[AlexGates]

How much does this treatment cost?

For a LC, roughly $1k USD all around (including front windshield) for upper end quality tint. Look at their install bay, if it isn't clean and tidy, find another shop.