While some people may consider tinted car windows to be “shady looking,” there is no denying the popularity of opaque glass. But do tinted windows do anything other than thwart the gaze of pedestrians, other drivers, law enforcement officials, and Big Brother’s ever watchful electronic eye?
Viewed in its simplest form, window tint is little more than a specialized polyester film that, when applied to glass and then exposed to heat, transforms the clear glass into a transparent “smoked” surface area. Installing automotive window tint is like giving your car a nice pair of sunglasses. And like any decent pair of shades, this dark tint is supposed to not only make you look cool, but stay cool as well, all while keeping things like sunlight glare and UV rays at bay.
For the better part of the past five decades, window film specialists have praised the protective benefits of a properly installed, high quality tinted glass film. Yet there are still plenty of people who doubt these claims, and some of their reasons for refuting the facts are well-founded. For instance, most modern automotive glass packs UV protective properties straight from the factory, and with the advent of remote starters and smartphone connected climate controls, concerns over climbing into a scalding hot car are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
BENEFIT OF HIGH QUALITY WINDOW FILM
Looking shady may be an unavoidable side-effect of rolling around with blacked-out windows, but according to the experts, the benefits associated with tinted automotive glass far outweigh the cons.
By this point, pretty much everyone knows that UV rays can damage the interior of a vehicle, which is why many people have taken to ceramic coating automotive plastic trim pieces. Fighting UV rays has long been a core sales pitch for the window film industry, as each manufacturer attempts to outperform the last with greater levels of protection. But does a high grade window film offer anything other than a way to shield upholstery from harmful rays and prevent a cracked dashboard from forming under the sun’s increasingly harsh gaze? The answer might surprise you.
The Power of Privacy
One of the primary reasons why window tint has grown in popularity in recent decades, is its ability to provide substantial increases in privacy. Although being able to discreetly pick your nose in rush hour traffic or peruse your favorite porn site from the privacy of your automobile certainly has its perks, a decreased risk of theft is a bonus that few people think of as window tint. Every year, this extremely thin piece of polyester draws a dark, thin line between millions of pieces of personal property, and the thieves that prey upon parked cars.
Unless you are dealing with a car heist specialist, the average vehicular burglar is more of an opportunist than a tactician. This means they will likely prefer the old “smash and grab” approach. Here, the old saying “out of sight, out of mind” rings especially true, as darker window tint has the ability to hide belongings from the sweep of unpleasant prying eyes, especially at night, when thieves are most active
Rejecting UV Rays All Day, Every Day
UVA rays and UVB rays not only take a hefty toll on the human epidermis, but on automotive materials as well. We discussed the damages associated with UV rays to some extent a while back, but that feature focused more on the risks associated with paint damage than interior issues. UV rays don’t just wreck car interiors either, but pose a massive risk to the human body as well.
A high-grade window tint can prevent up to 99% of UV radiation from penetrating the glass, which not only keeps a car’s interior from fading, but occupants away from cancer-causing elements.
Shattered Glass Sucks
Since window film is polyester-based, and therefore clings to a surface once heated, it has the ability to keep glass from shattering upon impact.in the case of an attempted break-in or collision, a high-end automotive window film will likely still do a solid job of preventing shattered glass from going everywhere.
Effortless Upholstery Upkeep
Automotively speaking, extended amounts of sun exposure have the opposite effect, causing interior upholstery to lighten and fade with time, an affliction that once started, cannot be reversed. Full interior replacements are fucking expensive too, so reducing this risk via the use of window film is an inexpensive, readily available solution. By blocking heat and UV rays alike, your vehicle’s upholstery can go from pricey liability to fade-resistant rockstar overnight.
As our planet’s protective ozone layer continues to collapse, the risks associated with sun damage become more significant. Not just to our vehicles, but to our bodies as well.Skin cancer is no joke, The Archives of Dermatology have discovered that “…dangerous radiation from the sun is associated with about 90% of all skin cancers.”
It's better to have some window tint than none at all.Coupled with its ability to reduce glare from headlights and sun alike, as well as all of the other proven perks listed above, window film tint becomes an obvious choice when it comes to protection and privacy. There’s a reason why almost all automakers tint the rear windows of their vehicles, so keep cool and get you tint on. Your epidermis and car interior will appreciate it immensely.
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