Tinted Car Window Film Specs

Benefits
• No damage to car in a cramped workshop.
• We can see to ensure the cleanest of installations.
• We are not working in a breezy, dusty infected workshop which is necessary to guarantee a clean, blemish free installation.

Benefits
• No light gaps around the perimeter of the window to the rubber seal.
  
• No need to trim the inside of the rubber seals to hide light gaps and avoid removing windows. This will weaken the security of your car, let alone the damage caused.

Both the above shortcuts may save time and money but they are not considered acceptable options by us.

Benefits
• Patterns can be installed with minimum obstacles in the way.
• No creasing of the window film, and making room to mask off all trims which may infect the installation, providing clean blemish free installations.
• Allow room to properly mask off all trims.

Benefits
• Cheaper window films are generally supplied with a 1 year warranty. Ours is a lifetime ownership warranty.
• Will fade and discolour. Ours will not.
• No guarantee of colour match if one window is smashed as with ours.
• Lower heat rejection than ours.
• Reduced visibility. Everything appears the colour of the dye, not true colour as with ours.

Benefits
• No raised or unsightly jagged edges to be caught which would cause the film to peel, drastically reducing life expectancy of installation.
• No light gaps on top of the window or badly trimmed edges.

Benefits
• No visible seams across rear screen.
• No edges to catch when cleaning.
• No risk of damaging demister lines.

Benefits
• Quality assurance on blemish free installations.
• No lifted areas exposed to dirt infection.
• Looks like factory glass.
• Longer lasting installation.

Benefit
• When even the smallest amounts of impurities found in water are trapped between the film and the glass it can stop the window film sitting around them. This combined with the fact that they appear magnified by the glass causes it to look like an all over infection and is very unsightly.

Benefits
• No waiting around or losing your car for days.
• Working from a premises ensures no dependency upon weather conditions.

Benefits
• No lost fittings.
• Correctly fitting door cards and trims.
• No hanging or squeaky door cards.

Benefits
• This may be time consuming but ensures the cleanest installations.

Your car will be stripped of all trims that are in the way and any windows within rubber seals would be removed. Patterns are then individually made to size and shape on your car windows. The windows are meticulously cleaned and prepared for application. The release liner is then removed and the film is carefully placed and applied via use of a soft rubber squeegee. When all visible water is out from underneath the film, it is then detailed and checked for any imperfections. Once finished, your car windows look like a factory tinted window.

There are four shades available using our primary metalized range of car window films. They are light, medium, dark and limousine providing 50, 40, 21 and 5% visible light transmittance. We also offer a selection of polyester dyed car window films to match factory solar glass on vehicles which have the rear windows factory tinted and clear glass on the front two doors.

Obviously installation times vary on different types of car, as do the prices. As an average, we would ask to have your vehicle for around 6 hours. We will however, ask for as long as it takes to complete the installation to our own high standards! Thus maintaining our good name, and hopefully receiving your approval and referrals.

All our high performance metalized car window films are supplied with a written lifetime warranty, backed by the manufacturers, covering material and labour which remains good to the original purchaser.

Our polyester dyed auto window films are offered with a 3 year warranty, also backed by the manufacturers.

No. The only time that you may see defects in professional tints is if it has taken a hard knock, which of course would also damage the glass on its own, or if the film has been cleaned incorrectly with something abrasive like ammonia.

The worst case of bubbling and peeling are seen on bad tint jobs, such as DIY's or unscrupulous tint companies.

The film will not interfere with your heated rear screen. It will merely assist in heating a larger area of your screen, and your heated rear elements will not interfere with the film, it will only help drying time initially by leaving it switched on.

All of our metalized car window films are supplied with a written lifetime warranty, good to the original purchaser. This type of film, in a mild British environment, should last forever. It is said that in extremely hot climates it should still last for 15-20 years.

Polyester dyed films are warranted for 3 years, and we should expect the quality types we use that have UV inhibitors within the adhesives, should last 7-10 years in a British climate. The only drawback to dyed films is that they will discolour in time in the sun and UV rays. This is delayed by the fact that our films have UV inhibitors within the adhesives.

Visibility is very good when looking through both types of film. However, our high performance metalized range is recognised as by far the better of the two. Metalized films are made up of neutral tones, therefore when you look through these films you get true colour perception (if you are looking at a white background it remains white). Colours are slightly distorted when looking through dyed films.

There are however benefits with regard to film and visibility, as it will reduce glare such as the sun getting in your eyes and dazzle from headlights at night, therefore reducing eye strain and making driving more comfortable and safe.

When choosing the shade of window film to be applied to your car, we will ask you what you are looking to achieve. You will need to look at what colour interior and exterior you have, and the size and angles of the glass around your car. For example, if your car has a black interior and a white exterior then a medium shade film would look quite dark, whereas if your car has a light grey or white interior and a black exterior, then with a medium film it would look subtle and classy. Whatever your requirements we will have the right option and advice for you.

All of our window films have a quality durable scratch resistant coating which is designed to cope with the day to day usage of your up and down windows and cleaning ensuring that you use a clean cloth (no grit embedded which would scratch even untreated glass). Your film would not withstand anything heavy or hard knocks for example, unsecured items in your car as with untreated glass.

When tinting your car windows, all trims, windows and rubbers are removed completely when required. For example, a rear door quarter light window with a rubber seal would need to be removed to ensure access and no light gaps. There are often short cuts taken on these windows, either by using an undersize piece of film leaving unsightly light gaps, or worse still, trimming back the inside edge of the rubber seal to ensure no light gaps, which compromises the security and condition of your car. (We prefer only to enhance it).

Cleaning window film is infact easier than cleaning glass, as the surface is much smoother. We recommend cleaning with a clean soft cloth, or clean paper towel for the best results. Any domestic window spray i.e. (Mr. Muscle, windowlene fast glass) is fine. No cream abrasive or commercial cleaners containing the likes of ammonia should be used.

Your up and down windows will require 3 days (manufactures suggestion) to cure before winding them up & down. We recommend not cleaning your treated windows for up to 7 days. Do not apply suckers for at least 7 days. It is advised that you do not apply window stickers at all as this may cause damage upon the need of removal.

The manufacturers advise a full 31 days of drying time before you should not expect to see any small amounts of water under the film, and for the film to be at its full strength, adding a varying amount of security to your car windows dependant on the spec of film you use. All film is porous so in time it will dry from the inside out.

We would always recommend high performance metalized film for your car as with the increased visibility due to true colour perception and the fact that it offers higher heat rejection figures (up to 66%), not forgetting that it is supplied with a lifetime warranty and the expectation that it will last at least 15-20 years. This also provides a benefit when coming to sell your car, as the next owner should expect to get a good number of years before any need to renew the film. We generally only recommend dyed films to match existing tinted windows on your car when required.

Film can be removed from your car without causing any damage, we would however recommend that you have this done professionally to avoid any associated costly damage. Any professional tint shop would have the correct tools and chemicals to remove such stubborn adhesives. Retinting your car is then obviously the same as starting afresh, the only thing to bear in mind is that metalized film will not fade and discolour in time like dyed film, so you will get a better match on smashed and retinted windows by using the superior metalized film in the beginning.

We will only remove door trims and windows when necessary. Any windows held in by rubber seals need to be removed to tint right to the edge of the glass, this method also adds security. Door cards are removed if they are too tight to tuck without creasing the film and increasing the risk of dirt infection.

From our own experience in learning to tint, we would advise you that it would cost thousands of pounds in film wastage and lot of hours spent with the need to be installing film on a daily basis before reaching an acceptable standard, let alone our standards.

There is also a high risk of causing damage to your car which would leave you punishing yourself for days when you realise you have taken the most expensive option with results that you would not be satisfied with. (We are experienced in tinting many makes and models of vehicles and we ensure you a first class finish).

When we make our customer aware we purchase our film in bulk, therefore buying at a more competitive price. The film that they have purchased is more likely to be the inferior single ply, and not the 2 ply polyester dyed type that we install. The 2 ply type has scratch resisting coatings and UV inhibitors within the adhesive thus reducing fading and prolonging life expectancy. Only professionally installed films will be covered under a warranty.

When tinting car windows you need the correct environment. We will only complete installations at our fully equipped, clinically clean workshop facility to ensure the best quality finish. When you make a reservation with 1st Defence Window Films, your installation will be completed on the date specified, with no complications such as unpredictable British weather conditions. We have seen, stripped and retinted lots of mobile window tint attempts, due to dirt infections and creases caused by a light breeze which has taken and damaged the film. You could also expect to have light gaps due to the fact there was not the facility to strip the necessary parts of the car, or worse they have modified your rubber seals and up and down window seals to take unprofessional shortcuts.