VEHICLE WINDOW TINTS EXPLAINED
- PG: Privacy Glass, around 80% Grey Tint or 20% Visible Light Transmission (VLT), most of our windows are in this tint. We liken it to wearing sunglasses, you can see out ok but it's difficult to see in.
- DG: Dark Green, around 60% Green Tint or 40% VLT, as used on the back half of most production vehicles, aftermarket windows are not available in this tint.
- GN: Green, around the legal limit for front windows at approximately 30% tint or 70% VLT, almost every vehicle manufactured since the 1980's has this tint, even really basic vehicles, this is offered as an option on most of our windows.
- LG: Light Green, rarely used except on some early Japanese vehicles
- CL: Clear, no tint and almost 100% VLT, as explained above this rarely used on vehicles since the 1980's
" TIP: The easiest way to check for a tint is open the window and hold a piece of white paper behind it in good daylight so that only half of it is visible through the glass, this will force your eyes to look AT the tint instead of looking THROUGH it"
FITTING & WARRANTY FAQ'S
Will there be any mess?
No, one of our pet 'hates' - a quick trawl around the internet will show you many, many pictures, videos etc of all sorts of 'professionals' taking a jigsaw, angle grinder, reciprocating saw etc to your precious van, we use a very expensive, specially modified tool that will cut just like a pair of scissors, no sparks, no iron filings to rust on your bodywork or hidden nooks and crannies.
Can I watch the procedure?
Absolutely, with many years of experience we have nothing to hide and actively encourage it, be very wary of anyone who wants to hide or send you away. We are very aware that most of our customers do not know how a window is fitted and there are a few who take advantage of this, some of the common errors by inexperienced fitters include: Bodywork not degreased, Primers not used or applied to the wrong area, No rust inhibitor on the cut metal, Glass not prepared correctly, Inner/Outer skins not joined together, No edge trim to cover up the sharp edges (essential when little fingers are nearby), it is very easy to get this wrong and the misdemeanours are quickly hidden by a shiney new window, nothing will look amiss. If a window is fitted without the proper procedures you will have a good 'mechanical' bond but no 'chemical' bond, this means that the window will stick for a while, but the adhesion will quickly break down causing a leak at best, or the worst case is the window will fall out, hopefully not at 70 on the motorway.
How long is the Guarantee?
Our warranty on the fitting is for 'Life' which means as long as you own the vehicle, opening windows and their mechanisms are guaranteed for a period of 12 months. Again, be wary of anyone who is not a qualified Automotive Glazier, if there is a problem and the window needs to be removed, it's doubtful that they will have the skills or tools to do this without damage, we have always been trained to fit windows in such a way that it would be easy to remove them if necessary.
How long before I can drive it after fitting?
This really depends on quite a few factors; the type of window, temperature and humidity to name but a few, with the most modern adhesives available, the drive-away time for a front windscreen in ideal conditions can be as low as 30 minutes, HOWEVER air pressure is forcing a windscreen into the aperture as opposed to trying to suck it away on a side or rear window and conditions in the UK are rarely optimal, as a rule of thumb we say allow 2 hours from when the glass goes onto the glue, maybe a little longer in winter. Be wary of adverts that say 'drive away in an hour' or similar claims, it won't just be unsafe for a couple of hours, structural integrity will be compromised for the life of the vehicle.
Does the weather affect mobile fitting?
Yes, in a word. A bonded window has to be fitted in the dry. Some of our vehicles have awnings fitted which means we can usually manage in all but extreme weather conditions if there's room to set up, our vans also have electricity on board to run our power tools so this also becomes an issue of safety if its too wet. Obviously this won't apply if you have somewhere under cover and its large and light enough to work in
Do I fit the carpet lining first or the windows?
We get asked this almost on a daily basis, I would always recommend that you do your lining FIRST and leave a couple of inches of material overlapping the aperture, when we fit the window we will tuck the lining under our edge trim and trim off the excess material, this is then obscured by the black ceramic band on the glass. Pictures here
PRODUCT & TINT FAQ'S
How dark is 'Privacy' Glass?
Our Privacy Glass has a tint of approximately 80% Dark Grey, although dark from the outside, visibility not that compromised looking out, we liken it to wearing sunglasses
Is the tint in the glass or a film?
Our Privacy Glass is actual 'dyed' glass, not film (unless specifically stated otherwise)
What is meant by 'Bonded Window?
A bonded, or 'Direct Glazed' window means simply that the window is 'glued' to the bodywork, in the same way as most vehicle manufacturers now fit windscreens. From a practical point of view this means that a hole is cut in the side of the van and the window is significantly larger than the aperture as opposed to the traditional way of cutting a hole that is 15mm larger than the window and fitting them in a 'H' profile rubber called Claytonrite
What types of window are there?
We refer to mainly 3 types of window:
- FIXED WINDOW is a non-opening window
- HALF-SLIDER is a window where the opening section encompasses roughly half of the window area, useful wher a lot of ventilation is required.
- TOP SLIDER is a window with a small opening section at the top, these are ideal if you just need a little ventilation without the risk of a lot of 'weather' coming in, for example whist cooking or if you want to park the van up with the window left open as the opening is too small to access the vehicle.
This picture shows a VW Crafter with a 'Half Slider' in the front panel and two 'Top Sliders' in the middle and rear panels