Athermal tinting: reviews, advantages and disadvantages

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

To ensure good all-round visibility, a modern car has rather large windows around the entire perimeter of the cabin. Through them, of course, everything is very clearly visible. But just as easily, sunlight gets inside. Often it not only shines, but also warms.

What is glass tinting

Often, fleeing from bright and hot rays, car owners darken the windows of their cars. Almost always, this dimming reduces the percentage of light penetration. However, heat radiation continues to enter the cabin and heat it up.

Car window tinting is performed either by using a special coating on the glass itself (a type of paint that reduces transparency) or by gluing a special film on the surface. The first method is used in the manufacture of the product and is performed in the factory. The second method is within the power of a beginner, subject to the technology and sequence of actions.

Toning functions

Glass tinting reduces its transparency for different types of solarradiation. The simplest film traps only visible light, thus darkening the interior. But it does not save from heating on a hot day. Often after a long parking temperature in the cabin reaches 50 degrees. Do not touch the steering wheel or seats. So, classic tinting only darkens the interior. The advantages of this film is that in this way you can hide the contents of the cabin and passengers from prying eyes. The downside is that transparency (light transmission) is currently clearly specified by GOST

Features of athermal film

To reduce the amount of heat entering the cabin, athermal tinting is designed. Reviews about her are only positive. Such a film, depending on the type, is capable of retaining up to 50% of thermal radiation and almost completely the entire ultraviolet spectrum, which is harmful to the eyes.

At the same time, it slightly darkens the interior, being almost completely transparent. Athermal windshield tinting is especially popular. Reviews say that it, being the largest glass in a car, greatly affects the heating of the front panel and the air in the cabin. Thus, with this film, it is not necessary to install a mirror protective curtain under the windshield. A characteristic feature of athermal tinting is a slight greenish or bluish tint to the glass. It does not interfere with normal light perception in any way.

Pros and cons

Protection of the car interior from heating by the sun's rays - it is this quality that athermal tinting has. Reviews say thatthe reduction in heat leads to the fact that less and less frequent use of the air conditioner is required to cool the passenger compartment, which increases its service life and ultimately saves fuel. Such tinting delays only a certain type of solar radiation, while remaining absolutely permeable to all its other types: radio waves and other things. Another advantage of the athermal film is that in the event of an accident, the glass will not shatter into small fragments and will not injure passengers and the driver.

Today, tinting with athermal film is quite popular. Reviews say that such a high-quality coating will not burn out and will not lose its properties over a long period of time. Athermal tinting, according to reviews, is especially useful on cars with leather interiors, since this material is often prone to cracking under high temperatures. In the case of textile upholstery, the effect will also be visible to the naked eye - fading or fading of the seat upholstery will decrease.

As for the shortcomings, the main disadvantage is the price at which athermal tinting is sold. Reviews say that it is about twice as expensive as regular film. The price varies from 1.5 to 3 thousand rubles for one glass. The cost of tinting in a circle can be about 10 thousand rubles. Of course, this is not cheap, but the result is quite tangible and generally positive. There is one more nuance - the light transmission of such glasses. Different types of films may not comply with GOST and, therefore,prohibited for use. Therefore, when choosing, you need to be careful and pay attention to the technical specifications.

Is athermal tinting allowed

In our country (and abroad) there are quite stringent requirements for the light transmission of car windows. Modern standards state that the front side and windshields must transmit at least 70% of the light. Does athermal tinting meet these standards? Reviews from the traffic police say that this type of film meets the standards of light transmission, and even with a margin.

But it should be borne in mind that any glass is not 100% transparent, so this tinting should be as colorless as possible. Automotive glass, aging over time, is covered with small scratches that impair transparency. Therefore, athermal tinting is best applied to new cars.

Composition

What does athermal tinting look like? Reviews say that the glass with it is almost completely transparent, except that it glares strongly, and has a greenish or blue tint. Such tinting incorporates a special coating consisting of a thin layer of graphite. It blocks most of the infrared and ultraviolet radiation. What else is athermal tinting good for? Reviews say that thanks to this coating, the glass becomes highly reflective. Also, when the car is in the sun, the cabin will just be warm, not hot. In this case, the windows themselves will be hot to the touch. This is the work of athermal glazing.

Typesathermal film

In the case of tint film, several varieties are available:

• ATR is the most commonly used plain neutral film with no color cast.
• LA - has a bluish tint with a more pronounced toning effect (smoothed shades).
• "Chameleon" - a film that independently changes its light transmission depending on the level of illumination.

How to apply with your hands?

It is also possible to self-tint a car with an athermal film. Reviews of such work say that it is not too difficult. The effect primarily depends on the quality of the source material. For pasting, it is desirable to use high-quality film from 3M, CPFilms or LLumar. It is sold in various lengths and roll widths. First you need to estimate how much film you need, and take it with a small margin.

Special attention should be paid to the room in which the work will be carried out. It must be clean and not dusty. It is highly undesirable to carry out such work outdoors, as dust can get under the film.

The pasting process includes the following steps:

• After trying on, the necessary strip is cut off to fit the glass with allowances up to 10 cm.
• The film itself is applied to the outside of the glass and heated with a hair dryer so that it softens.
• The film is cut along the contour of the glass with a clerical knife.
• Pre-washed glass withthe inside is sprayed with soapy water to facilitate the movement of the film after application.



• The backing is removed from the material and treated with soapy water on both sides.
• The film is applied from the inside of the glass and smoothed with a rubber spatula from the center to the edges. This work is best done with an assistant, especially when pasting the windshield. Thus, excess solution and air bubbles are removed. Since there is a solution between the film and the glass, it can be easily shifted and positioned correctly before drying.
• After all air bubbles have been removed, the film can be heated again with a hair dryer until dry.

Reviews

Most car owners praise such an improvement in the car as window tinting with athermal film. Reviews say that the interior really heats up much less. Rarely have to turn on the air conditioner. In addition, when tinting athermal reviews, they say that it is easier to find a place for long-term parking - no need to look for shade in sunny and hot weather.

Of course, such pleasure is not cheap. But it is very effective and with constant and active driving can pay for itself. So, we found out what kind of athermal tinting reviews the owners have, and what are its features.