QUOTE(lowkl @ Sep 12 2013, 05:42 PM)
My wife's Sentra had V-Kool installed by the SA when purchased more than 8 years ago... at that time, honestly didn't even think there was such a thing as different grades/quality so was very naive and just depended on the brand; bottom line... dunno what type was installed.
Overall, the tint was perfectly acceptable; compared to my Altis (without tint, but with standard "heat absorbing" glass), you could notice the difference; nevertheless, in our crazy mid-day heat, the interior would still become an oven. The good part was that within 15 min or so, the aircon could cool the car down to comfortable level... my Altis would take mebbe 5-10 min more. Sorry for the very "gut-feel" feedback, but this whole thing was not a big concern.
About 2-odd years ago the front screen started developing "waves" especially under any sticker (eg. security for condo) that distorted the view. This was at the side area and it was usually covered up so this was not an issue. Then we used a screen-mount for a GPS.... wah! That "sucker" resulted in a permanent disc right in the centre of the windscreen! Over the next 2 years, the whole front started to deteriorate... eventually it looked like driving underwater. Finally when the car was sent for routine servicing the SC people recommended to tear off the front as it got so bad as to interfere with driving.
Side and back remain problem-free until today.
Have been using HO Sech60 front & back on the Fofo for now 2-odd months... no bubbles from Day 1. Slight distortion around the rear screen defroster lines, which has since got much better (but can still see at night). Love the clarity and the high VLT (I can't even tell the tint is there)... heat rejection "feels" better than the V-Kool, but mebbe just in love with the car... no complaints.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the post. Much appreciated. Coincidentally, my Nissan Sylphy also had V-kool installed under the Nissan package more than 6 years ago. Think the package costs RM2k+. I have just recently sold the Sylphy to get this Focus Titanium. I don't have problems with V-kool and the heat performance is good, only for the first 2 years only. Starting from the 3rd year the efficiency deteriorates, and it seems like the V-kool tint is not so effective in filtering the heat as when it was new.
I don't experience any waves or bubbles with the V-kool on my Nissan Sylphy, just a loss in efficiency going into the 3rd year.
I think I'll just cut it down to Huper Optik and Raytech. Too many brands available. Since I've tried V-kool last time, now it is time to try another brand. If Huper Optik, it will be Sech60 all front/back/sides or Sech60 front/back + C40 sides(cheaper). I will see if the Raytech equivalent in VLT and TSER is significantly cheaper than the Huper Optik. It is likely I will take the cheaper option. From what I gather both brands are pretty good, though installers are trying to fight off each other in this tough competition to win customers.
Cheers.