Malaysian car owners continue to be scammed by fancy talking sales people who claim their car window tint film offers the best protection from our rising heat.
Over the last decade we have seen so many window tint shops opening up and offering great features for the window film and with a ‘shop only warranty’.
These shops then work with new and used car dealers offering big commissions to them to convince naïve new car and used car buyers to get their window film which is is fake.
This fake window tint will soon discolor, bubble up and worse, offer no UV protection which is important as climate change takes our afternoon temperatures higher year on year.
The government should regulate and control the sale of only factory warrantied car window tint film to prevent cheating and also to reduce the waste of plastic as many fake tints need to removed and thrown away after a short time.
The bubbling tinting you have seen on cars as you drive around is not professionally installed window film. These products are cheap plastic films that are not designed to be a permanent addition to the car. While window tint can fade over many years, it should last up to 12-15 years, which is probably longer than you will be owning your car.
The window tint film you buy MUST effectively blocks heat and UV rays, whilst letting through visible light for a clear view outward (JPJ Legal Requirement for Front Windscreen) and it will not interfere with electronic signals (RFID smart tag and parking tags) while allowing for a more comfortable and cooler cabin experience.
Window tint is designed to filter UV rays and prevent theft by limiting how much a potential thief sees inside your car.
Do not be fooled by a smart talking sales persons that tinting products have the power to stop windows from breaking. They do strengthen a little the integrity of the glass. All the many demonstrations with a ‘hammer’ on the car window using their ‘expensive window tint film’ not breaking is just an industrial ‘magic’ trick.
However, window tint can actually help to reduce potential glass fragments from scattering provided that the piece of window film stays intact.
Today, many car manufacturers are offering window tinting as part of their customer delivery package. Make sure you are getting the tint from the car distributor and not the car sales-person.
This is where sale people make a hefty commission and provide low quality RM199.00 or so tint film that does not last and when you go back to complain, you have no legal rights.
Understanding REAL Car Window Film terms.
Visible Light Transmission (VLT): The percent of overall noticeable light that is sent via the window film/glass system. The lower the number the much less visible light sent.
Infrared Rejection (IR): Infrared light type the sun is only a section of the solar range which gives warmth with a window.
Ultraviolet Rejection (UV): Indicates the quantity of ultraviolet (UV) energy that is blocked from travelling through the glass. Removing UV light can minimize the rate of deterioration.
Complete Solar Energy Rejected (TSER): The percent of complete solar energy (warmth) rejected by the window film/glass system. The greater the number, the much more complete solar energy (warmth) turned down.
Visible Light Reflectance (VLR): The percent of total visible light that is reflected by the window film/glass system. The lower the number the less visible light reflected.
Finally, get a window tint film that comes with a original factory warranty, not some shop warranty as the shop can close down a year later and make sure it is JPJ approved window tint film.
