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Get Window Tint Professionally Installed in San Diego and El Cajon
When it comes to additions, electronics, and services for your car, truck, or SUV, you understandably only want the best. At Stereo Depot in San Diego and El Cajon, we are dedicated to providing our customers with only the highest quality car products and installations at a fair and affordable price, no matter what kind of vehicle you drive.
One of our most popular services is tinting windows, and our team of experts use only top-of-the-line tint film that is durable and never fades over time. Let’s explore the different types of car window tint films, as well as the brands we use here in our car audio stores.
Types of Window Tint Film
Commonly-used types of window tints are:
Dyed window film
Metalized window film
Carbon window tint film
Ceramic window tint film
Dyed Window Tint Film
Dyed window tint film is a very affordable option for making your car look more sleek. It is created by adding a dark dye to the film. The dye then absorbs the heat from the sun while blocking some UV rays. However, dye is not as effective as other window films, as it can fade over time. Its main benefit is purely aesthetic.
Metalized Window Tint Film
While dyed film works to absorb sunlight, metalized film reflects the sunlight away, along with heat and UV rays. Metalized film can also make your windows stronger in case of an auto accident. Your windows are actually less likely to shatter into small, dangerous pieces.
Metalized film is more durable than dyed film and is also less likely to scratch. However, the metallic particles that reflect sunlight can also interfere with your cell phone, GPS, and radio, giving you poor reception inside your vehicle.
Carbon Window Tint Film
This window tint is more effective than dyed or metalized film, as it blocks about 40 percent of infrared light to keep your car cool and comfortable. Carbon film does not contain any metal particles, which means you don’t have the reception issues like with metalized film. It also isn’t prone to fading. Carbon window tint film provides a dark and elegant matte-finish.
Ceramic Window Tint Film
Most people consider ceramic film to the best window tint available. Ceramic window tint film uses a nonconductive and nonmetallic ceramic particle that reduces solar heat by up to 50 percent, keeping your car at a manageable temperature. The film also provides 99 percent protection from UV light, so neither your car interior nor your skin doesn’t sustain damage.
Ceramic film provides incredible visibility from inside the car, while giving you privacy from outside. It’s very durable, doesn’t block reception, and never fades. It also helps make your windows shatter-resistant. Although ceramic film is a bit more costly, the benefits make it well worth the price.
Car Window Tint Brands to Consider in San Diego
Not all brands of window tint film are the same. A window film installation expert can help you choose the best tint for your needs and budget. These are the top brands to look for, which we carry here at Stereo Depot.
SolarGard Window Tinting Film and Other Products
SolarGard offers a variety of window film products, including ceramic-based films, metalized films, and dyed films. Their ceramic line reduces UV penetration to near-zero levels, while its metal-based films offer amazing visibility, even at darker shades. Meanwhile, their dyed films are great for preventing electronic interference that can occur with metallic film. SolarGard backs all their window films with a limited lifetime warranty, so you never have to worry about discoloration, bubbling, or peeling.
SunTek Car Tinted Windows in San Diego and El Cajon
SunTek is an optimal brand for budget-conscious consumers, but that doesn’t mean their products are inferior to the more expensive brands. In particular, SunTek specializes in window films with a black finish and offers some of the darkest window tints available that still fall within legal limits in California. SunTek films prevent electronic interference, thanks to their use of non-metal carbon technology.
Huper Optik Ceramic Window Tint for Cars and Trucks
Huper Optik is a German company that offers one of the best ceramic window tints available. Their tints offer heat rejection levels that usually only darker, non-ceramic tints can match. Their ceramic tints use non-ceramic technology that allows for clear visibility even at darker levels. The company also makes dyed and metallic films. Huper Optik is a little on the pricey side of tint brands, but their products are designed for long-term, high-standard performance. Overall, the investment in Huper Optik window films is well worth it.
Llumar Car Window Film Products
Llumar offers a range of window film products, but their line of metallic films truly shines. Using a multi-layer approach with dyed and metal layers, Llumar’s metallic films offer darker shades without the fading concern of dyed films. The company also offers high-quality ceramic tints that are durable, scratch-resistant, and provide high levels of heat and glare rejection.
3M Car Window Films
A pioneer in the window film industry, 3M (perhaps best known for Scotch tape), offers standard tint options while continuing to push the boundaries of tinting technology. The company’s Crystalline Tint, for example, is a clear film that uses cutting-edge, multi-layer optical film composed of 200 layers, yet remains thinner than a Post-It note, another 3M product. The tint offers all the UV and heat-blocking benefits of darker tint. While your car won’t look sleek and mysterious as it might with a dark tint, you never have to worry about violating any California window tinting laws.
Find the Best Window Tint Brands and Service at Stereo Depot
While many window film brands offer lifetime warranties on their products, the only way to ensure 100 percent satisfaction with your window tint is to have it installed by experts. At Stereo Depot, we’re so confident in our window tinting installation services that we offer our own lifetime warranty on labor.
Our window tint specialists can help you choose the right tint for your needs, and we know you’ll be satisfied with the results. To make an appointment for window tinting installation or to request a quote, call our San Diego store at 619-286-1234, or our El Cajon store at 619-873-2210.