What is Factory Tint?
All tint is not created equal – here are the details you need to know.
“Factory” window tinting refers to vehicles that have had their windows tinted by the original manufacturer. This is a different type of window tinting compared to window films, and it has a completely different set of characteristics. Let’s look at what factory tint is and examine why many people have their factory tinted windows covered with aftermarket window films.
Factory Tinting
Factory tint, commonly referred to as “Privacy Glass” is an electrical process called “deep dipping” that involves dying the inside of automotive glass with a dark pigment. Factory tint is standard on the rear half of most new trucks and SUV’s. With a common visual light transmission (VLT) of 15%-26%, factory window tint is installed to provide passengers and personal items privacy from outsiders, hence the name privacy glass. Since most provinces have a VLT legal limit for the front driver windows and windshield, factory tint is only applied to the rear half of vehicles windows to avoid breaking the law.
The Cons of Factory Tint
With a low VLT, the primary benefit of factory tint is to provide privacy for passengers and personal items. Unlike aftermarket window films, factory tint doesn’t provide the same Ultraviolet (UV) protection or heat reduction qualities. Window film offers 99% UV protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Factory tint only provides protection against UVB rays because UVB rays cannot penetrate any kind of glass including non tinted glass. In other words, if you are interested in reducing the heat in your vehicle, reducing cancer causing UV rays, and reducing injury from shattered glass in an accident, you need to install aftermarket window films.
The Pros of Aftermarket Tint
Heat Rejection: Heat rejection properties vary by tint type, shade, and quality, but each do a superior job compared to factory tint. Each of our window films offer more than 99% UV protection as well as heat rejection. Choosing premium ceramic tint will provide superior heat rejection, and, if the look of traditional dark window film is not your style, our Autobahn Ceramic i3 film offers similar levels of UV protection and heat rejection with a more stock appearance.
UV Protection: Damage from UVA rays is cumulative as they penetrate deep into the skin and can silently accelerate the aging process, cause wrinkles and even skin cancer. In fact, research shows that drivers in the North America have a higher rate of skin cancer on their left side due to exposure while driving. Why put up with this risk when you don’t have to any longer? All of the tint offered by Diversity block more than 99% of harmful UV rays. It’s why The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends window tint as part of a comprehensive skin care program. This is something that factory tint just cannot do.
Reduce Theft: Thieves want to steal all of the valuables they can see. In addition to cooling your car and making it more appealing, a window tint can obscure the view of your car’s interior and thereby protect your car from thieves. If a thief can’t see inside your car to determine if there is anything of value, they will move onto the another vehicle instead. Factory tint is just too subtle to deter a determined thief.
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