Protect: Tinting My Ride

The enthusiasm of getting a new car is amazingly exciting. Okay, I shouldn’t narrowed it down on cars alone but it could be anything under the sun like a new phone, DSLR, or anything that you ever dreamed of and it became reality. I have a list of things to do with my Hojhiro if budget permits me to proceed.

The first thing that popped into my mind when I received Hojhiro was to Protect. There are 3 things that falls under protection.

1) Protection against heat

2) Protection against theft

3) Protection against scratch

I’d start with protection against the heat i.e tinting your ride. Tinting your ride is always exciting as it could also boost the cosmetic look of your car. Its amazing how a plain ride could turn into a beastly looking ride by a simple tinting.

For my beast, I'm looking for a tint that could reduce the heat effect on the cabin. I don’t want it to be too dark simply because I don’t want to have problems with the authorities and of course I want people to notice who’s driving the blue beast around town..lol riak tu astaga..

While researching on the net for the best brand, I came across these terms and what it meant;

-TSER (Total Solar Energy Rejected) 
TSER is the percentage of the total solar energy that is rejected. The higher the cooler.

- Infra Red Rejection (IRR) 
Most tinting shops use Infra Red Rejection (IRR) as a guide to the level of heat rejection. However, IRR only covers a fraction of TSER. Typically the IRR now could go as high as 99%. Higher means cooler.

-Ultraviolet (UV)
UV is the percentage of ultraviolet energy deflected away from the window film. Ultraviolet rays can cause upholstery and furnishings to fade. It can also cause skin damage and skin cancer.

-Visible Light Transmission (VLT)
VLT is the amount of visible light that passes directly through filmed glass. The darker the tint, the lower the visible light transmitted. According to JPJ, the regulations require at least 70% of Visible Light Transmission (VLT) for the front windscreen and a minimum of 50% for the sides and rear windscreen.

I dont bother to get any layer of security film. Reason being is that (touchwood) the glass will still need to be replaced if there were any attempt to break the glass so no point of the layer la kan? Another point to note is during emergency when i need to break the glass in any situation. 

Initially I wanted to get V-Kool but I went against the idea when i found their customers' complained on workmanship and bad customer service. Well I don’t want my tint to have bubbles and dust in between the films. Then I found another brand, 3M with good workmanship and good heat rejection but most existing customer complained on its practicality because 3M will disturb your Smart tag and remote control for your gate. I guess this is due to its high IRR rejection. 

Finally, I decided to try out Ecotint with their HQ in USJ Taipan. According to the testimonies, Ecotint provides good heat rejection, good workmanship and most importantly cheaper than V-Kool and 3M. For Hojhiro, I’ve decided to be generous on the budget. For Ecotint on Hojhiro, I was quoted RM 1,950 for the following specs (3M quoted RM 2,200 on the same spec);

  

e-Par Excellence
- Ray Barrier Signature Class (RB-SC)
Colour : Dark Blue & Grey
Visible Light Transmitted: 58%
Ultraviolet (UV) Rejected:99%
Infrared (IR) Rejected :97%
Total Solar Energy/Heat Rejected:64%
Warranty Period:10 years
* SPF 50 + PA+++ (Skin care tint)
Price-RM2600-25%=RM1950

The quotation was provided by an agent by the name of christint and he could be contacted via chris.hybridtint@gmail.com. I found that his quotation is slightly cheaper from the shop. The 10 years warranty by Ecotint covers workmanship, JPJ and discolouration. However JPJ coverage only limited to their legal package only.

These are my before pics;

Below are the pictures of the installation process;

Notice that they removed the spoiler for measuring and tint fitting? painful

The worker literally climbed on the boot to work on the rear tint. pain #2

And the result;

Hojhiro under the hot sun of Putrajaya

 

Not so dark eh? Menyesal ambil legal package sebab tak gelap sangat but rugi plak kalau I spent thousands and bila kantoi JPJ koyak because warranty tak cover. Frankly, I'm considering for a second layer on the rear glass bagi gelap sket. Definitely second layer will void the warranty. Macam rugi pulak. *sigh

I also found out from the salesgirl that Inspira came with the above spec of Ecotint. However I cant verify Ecotint’s claimed on this.

Personal Review;

Workmanship – good. No bubbles whatsoever. However, IMHO they were a bit rough during the installation. Maybe I was overly sensitive on this since its a new car.

Heat rejection – This is my first expensive tint. I think the heat rejection are good but that doesn’t mean it is heat-proof. A thin film wont make your car heat-free like nights during the day. I could still feel the heat after I get inside my car if I parked Hojhiro under the sun without any shading. But after 2 minutes of minimal aircond, it cool down instantaneously without the need to turn my aircond into a full blast.

No problem with Smart tag and my gate remote controller. So that is good lah kan?

Overall, I'm one satisfied customer.