Many people today acknowledge the importance of having your window cars tinted, not only for the benefits it provides its passengers, but also for the classier, edgier look it gives a vehicle. However, some may shy away in pursuing the installation of car tints after knowing that this comes with a hefty price tag. In fact, majority regard car window tinting as a long term investment, which promises to take effect in the long run.

Determining how much it would cost to tint your car depends on many variables such as your car size, model, and of course, the quality of the tint films you will pick. The company you choose can also be a factor on the total cost of the service.

Explaining the pricing of various car window tint options is, strangely enough, more difficult than detailing how window film works. The main reason for this is that car tinting costs vary wildly – for example, if you’re not too worried about quality you could get a cheap £100 job done at one of the less established tint shops, and if you’re going for classy you can expect to pay upwards of £400 at a luxury tint shop.

Here are the factors that need to be considered:

Your car

Your vehicle’s specifications play a huge part in determining how much you will spend on tinting its windows. The car type, model, or even year of its manufacturing is a factor to consider. This is because some car makes and models are simply more difficult to tint than others. If they haven’t already seen your car, a good tint shop will always enquire about the specific type of vehicle you want to tint beforehand, as they will need to determine how big of a job it will be and how much you will be charged for it.

For instance, cars with curved or steep rear windows (e.g. Volkswagen Beetles, Corvettes) require the most work, and hence demand a heftier price. In general, though, the higher the total surface area of your windows, the more window film your car will need – which explains why tinting a saloon costs less than tinting a station wagon or SUV.

Type and Quality of Tinting Film

As with most products for cars, the quality and price differs vastly among the various tinting films out there. The cheapest tinting film goes for a fraction of what you’d pay for the more higher-end films, but at the end of the day you should always remember: you get what you pay for.

Budget film might not look bad in the beginning, but soon enough you may start seeing bubbles, colour shifting, and drastically reduced heat protection. Fully-metallized films using sputtering or deposition technology offer much higher quality and superb fidelity, as well as a lifetime warranty.

Warranties included

Because warranties vary between shops, you should always enquire about the Performance Warranty before handing over your money. Some warrantees last a lifetime, whereas others are only valid from as little as one year.

Important: The most standard warranty you’ll be offered only covers you for bubbling, peeling, cracking and glazing. There are also other special types of warrantees, however, such as the “Colour-Safe Warranty”, which ensures that your film will be replaced if it starts to lose or change its colour. “Transferable” warrantees are the most valuable, as they will stay valid even if you sell your car.

Even if a tint shop offers you a “Lifetime Warranty”, this can only be backed up if the business is still around when you need to get a replacement. Always keep this in mind when dealing with a relatively unknown or budget tint shop, as it will be a waste of money giving the job to a shop that isn’t going to stick around.

Company’s Name in the Industry

The best tint shops are respected in their industry, and have many satisfied customers. They take pride in their work, and take pains to offer the highest standard in expertise, film quality, and customer service.

As mentioned earlier, though – you get what you pay for, so these tint shops won’t come cheap. A reputable and respected dealer will be easy to spot, but to make sure you are at the right place for your needs, here are some good questions to ask when choosing a tint shop.

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