You’re talking about that Ecotint “Ray Barrier” tint, right? Don’t bother. Even if you die-die want to be JPJ compliant (and I really mean die, because 70% front VLT is suicidal for ASEAN average UV index even with the best branded tint), go for aftermarket. The only benefit a manufacturer tint package offers is security for the sides. In that aspect, can say very good. In terms of preventing your eyes and skin from getting raped by the sun, completely utterly useless. Might as well go bookshop, buy tracing paper and stick yourself.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: May 31 2023, 03:26 PM

What VLT do you plan to take? Do you want to comply with JPJ regs or not?

From the products you listed, only Xpel has a VLT 70 listed for front windscreen, although the other brands still have other models for VLT 70, just not in your list. IrisPro has Elite series with 70, while Raytech has their Centurion line, obviously more expensive than your budget.

If you really want JPJ compliance solely from the products you listed, your only option is Xpel. If you’re willing to break JPJ guidelines for the FWS (go down to 50%) then the specs you listed suggest IrisPro UVPro would be the best compromise (lose a bit to Raytech RC for FWS, but better for sides and back).

Obviously specs are just numbers. There’s no way for us to ascertain if the numbers will translate to actual real-world performance.

Edit:
This is just anecdotal, but if I were getting for myself, would not even bother visiting Raytech for quote. Not one person I know in real life has felt that their Raytech installation was worth the price.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Jun 1 2023, 03:00 PM

I heard in some cars if you connect Apple Carplay or Android Auto, the HU’s GPS antenna will take over from the phone. Maybe that’s what people refer to? Some car brands the HU wired to the external antenna (GPS and AM/FM radio cable both routed to that antenna) so no problem, but some others just depend on the GPS antenna inside the HU assembly which usually got issue since nowadays those “floating” type units are quite close proximity to windscreen. Not 100% sure though.

Mine must wind down window. V-kool Elite for windscreen, 55 for front windows.

Where are you getting the specs? I cannot seem to find them on the site.

Guys, in your experience, how do third-party installers work around factory installed dashcams? The car I recently picked up has the front and rear factory DVR units stuck to the windscreen. Looking closely at the front one, I can see they cut an opening on the factory tint for the place the unit is attached. Rear one I haven’t checked yet. How would an external shop work around this? Only choice is to remove dashcam first? My own car’s DVR is the “floating” type, so never had to deal with this before.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Jul 6 2023, 10:57 PM

Thanks bro.
So it’s safe to stick on freshly installed tint film? I always assumed should not stick anything for first few days after application.

TotalGard is actually just a wholesaler? I remember visiting their website and noticed they were only selling in rolls. Do they have any authorized installers in other states?

Not as bad as that (I don’t have fb). The gap is not as big. Can only notice if look very closely, but that’s partly because this factory tint is very light. If it was a darker tint I’m sure even a 1mm gap would be easy to spot on a bright day. This likely depends on installer skill.

That”s the biggest factor that puts me off V-kool. After my trusted installer retired and sold his business, I can’t find a single V-kool installer that inspires confidence. Some outlets have frontline (reception girl) staff that don’t even know the product they’re selling, the “boss” is always too busy to attend to you and they just don’t seems as skilled.

Pricing inconsistencies between branches is also a huge turnoff. I suspect it’s worse here in JB since everyone and his dog claims to be an “authorized” V-kool, SolarGard, 3M or Xpel installer (they all claim they’re also the exclusive agents in JB, lol) in order to con Singaporeans.

Frankly, if someone quoted me RM5k+ for any of those brands, I’ll just tell them that I’d rather top up another RM5k and drive to PJ to install Spectra Photosync IRD instead. If I’m gonna pay mad prices, might as well go full Mad Max.

Honestly, here in JB, I have negative perception of 90% of installers, whatever the brand. If it’s a small-time Tan Ah Beng selling <RM1K package maybe I can close one eye, but a lot of these “established brand” shops seem just as incompetent and dishonest.

Visited SolarGard so called “official” store a week ago and was quoted RM4.5k for whole car. Everything she told me was copy-paste from SolarGard website, just translated to Mandarin (cannot speak English* when selling international brand is another red flag for me). She didn’t know shit about TSER. Couldn’t give me concrete reply if they could re-attach my front/rear dashcams after installation. Said her boss was busy when I asked for him. Basically, if I could describe their customer services in two words, it would be “fucking useless”. This is just an example. Not singling this particular shop out because a lot of tinting businesses here behave in the same way.

*but still has some fancy lalamui western name on her name card, lol

What’s laughable is that, when the “Ah Boy” near my house can guarantee me rear demister will not be damaged when removing factory tint (so much so that he said he will bear cost of replacement rear window if he gets it wrong), how can the so called “established” installers not offer that same guarantee? They keep trying to show me certificates on their wall. Hello, I can also show you a dozen different phd I bought from Indonesian and Philippine universities. Means I real doctor ka?

Last time I tinted in KV region was many years ago, when there were less fakes, installers were less dishonest, and prices were less insane. Cannot comment about current day scene there.

Regarding Totalgard - I had a conversation with Marn a few days ago, and he was extremely helpful. The guy knows his product. I actually have some respect for this company because they used to bring in Sahara X (which I have positive experience with) back in the day, until they went their own way with manufacturing Totalgard locally, so basically the expertise is there. Sadly, they don’t have authorized/official installers here in JB. Marn did forward me a couple of shops that buy wholesale from Totalgard but offer their own tint packages (and pricing), but one of them wasn’t operating at the level I felt comfortable with while the other only specialized in buildings. This is not a knock on Totalgard since it’s out of their control (they’re primarily wholesalers, after all), so if it’s convenient for you on a logistical level, I suggest visiting their place in Kepong to at least hear what they have to say.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Jul 28 2023, 10:32 PM

For me, in order of importance; 1. Installer, 2. Spec, 3. Price

Spec for smaller brands (or even big brands) can be exaggerated, but you will learn about actual real world accuracy if installer is honest. If installer is clear about the limitations of what the tint can and cannot do (there’s no magic bullet - if your autogate remote still works, means the tint manufacturer was lying about their high IRR) and has the confidence to tackle problematic installations (dashcams, rear demisters, tweeters sitting between a-pillar and windshield), and still manages to quote a realistic price (not too cheap but not crazy either), then I’m willing to take a chance with their local/in-house brand. Usually, if you’ve dealt with car people for a long time in this country, you can sort of tell who is honest and who isn’t based on style of speaking and body language. This is why I will always insist on visiting installer first even when dealing with a bigger company over phone/email/wasap. Will not simply allow them to make appointment for me. Even better is you recce installer first before contacting main branch.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Jul 28 2023, 04:19 PM

I’m no sifu. Just a layman, so I can explain only in layman terms.
Basically, solar heat comes from 3 spectrums;
53% Infrared Light
3% Ultraviolet Light
44% Visible Light

So even with the best tints that claim to reject 99% IRR* and UVR, you will still have some heat coming through if it’s a lighter shade (70% VLT means only 30% of that 44% is being blocked), so if it’s a lower spec tint, you will be adding more unblocked IR heat on top of the unblocked VL heat.

*note that this is actually more complex that I make it out to be, because some manufacturers measure against shorter wavelength ranges compared to others.

TL;DR = Yes, cheaper tints can compensate (to an extent) for their lower IRR by going darker.

My quote from Tint-Shop was different. Only Elite 70/73 was cheaper by $500. VK55/40/30 were the same price.

Should be RM4k to 4.5k, depending on size of car. My quote was for a Corolla Cross (classified C segment but in terms of interior size and overall glass coverage is more like B+ segment, imho). My Harrier XU80 I did for roughly RM5.3k (company expense, fortunately) around 18 months ago, but this one included sunroof coverage.

Not gonna tint V-kool for the Cross (mum’s car). Already made an appointment for IrisPro – Diamond 60 for front windshield and front side, Diamond 30 for rear and boot – on Wednesday. Total RM2.8k. Will report back after a few days of use. Recently tinted our company office glass with this brand and the performance has been great, so fingers crossed the experience with their automotive line films will be similar.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Jul 31 2023, 08:51 PM

Afaik with JPJ roadblocks the officers are issued one of two types of meters;

The first type is similar to the one our tint installers use, meaning the need to put the glass in between it to measure, which technically means they only have the ability to measure side windows. In those instances, you’ll pass as long as your front side windows measure above 50% VLT. Do note that many 50% VLT films will end up measuring lower once combined with the window glass, so in this case a 55% - 60% VLT film is a safer bet.

The second type is a two piece device that’s like two sticks. That one can measure any glass. The officer will hold one end outside over the windshield car and pull the other end inside (through your side window) to align it under your windshield. The problem with that decice is that they’re the same models Puspakom uses which are (I suspect intentionally) calibrated in such a way that they will fail those inspected vehicles that are below 76 or 77% VLT (some places only 80% VLT will pass), so there’s a high chance you’ll fail that test anyway even if your tint is legal.

Usually they let you off if they can see your face. If not, just be polite about it and tell them that in this weather sticking to 70% “tak boleh hidup lah bang” and they will close one eye most of the time.

TL;DR = “Kalau dia boleh nampak you punya muka suda boleh lah” as most of the tint installers will tell us

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Aug 1 2023, 08:27 PM

Took my mother’s Cross Hybrid back to installer today to stick that dark strip at top of windshield and also to reattach dashcam (film needed to cure for a week). Here’s the shop’s meter on the windows. IrisPro Diamond 60 for front, Diamond 30 for rear;



Alas, I forgot to take a pic of the reading for the Toyota factory tint back when they removed it. Iirc, the IRR was just below 90%. Quite low, which explained my skin burning when driving under the blazing sun.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Aug 9 2023, 10:39 PM

Diamond 60 = front windshield + front windows
Diamond 30 = rear windows + tailgate

Price is RM2800, which includes removal of crapshit factory tint. Turns out stripping the rear tailgate film is quite time-consuming because they need to do it very slowly in order not to damage demister lines.

Not possible. Included in the price.

When I got a call after picking up the car asking about how happy I was with my purchase, the main thing I complained about was the tint. The person calling was likely from a third-party marketing company comissioned by UMW and couldn’t converse fluently in English and we spoke on BM, and the words I used the most often were “sampah tint”. I hope I repeated it enough so that she puts it in her notes when sending results back to UMW.

As for your second question, see below.


If you were me and saw the quality of application for the factory tint, you would also remove it first. It was terrible. There were dust specks and smudges all over. One section even had a clear fingerprint mark (meaning factory installer didn’t even wear gloves). The fingerprint was so clear that I could probably scan it, commit a crime and frame that incompetent installer.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Aug 10 2023, 04:35 PM

To clarify;
Specifically for rear tailgate/boot window, actually most installers will recommend you double tint that part. Even the skilled installers will still say there’s a 10% chance of damaging demister strips for new cars. For older cars or some brands that have a reputation for using softer compounds for their demister strips (usually conti brands), the installer won’t even dare to try.

The other factor to take note of is that VLT is multiplied when double tinting. Let’s say the stock tint is 60% and you want to apply a 30% on top of it, it’s roughly 0.60 X 0.30 = 0.18, so you’ll end up with roughly 18% VLT. This is not an exact science, but close enough to be ballpark formula. In my case, considering I mentioned previously that I purchased this car for my mother, it would be too dark for someone of her age and eyesight to discern things in the rear-view mirror at night. Even the 30% I just installed took her a bit of time to get used to. Had to disable the electrochromic function (the auto-darkening feature) in the rear-view mirror for her to be comfortable, even if she doesn’t drive after dark all that often.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Aug 10 2023, 04:59 PM