Not a stupid question.

There’s a small air gap between the demister strips and tint film where incoming light will bounce around in different angles, which causes the refraction you’re experiencing. This can be more pronounced if your demister strips are thicker, because the film will have to “bend” more over those strips, causing a larger air gap. Double tinting might exacerbate the issue further, as incoming light will then have to bounce around two air gaps.

Angle of the rear windshield also plays a part. It can be worse for sedans where the glass is more sloped, whereas SUVs typically have more upright glass at the back.

Material of tint is also a factor. I’ve not really compared the refraction index of various brands thoroughly, but I wager it may be worse on metallic sputter tints due to the reflective nature of the metallic pigments used in the sputter.

Darker tints can also make the effect worse, because the light refractions will be more prominent in contrast to the darkness of the tint.

It gets a bit better as the tint cures over time. You can also try pressing along the demister strips gently with a small soft squeegee (never use fingernails as you risk damaging the film or demister strips) after the film has cured for a couple of weeks, but overall it’s just the nature of the beast and you will have to learn to live with it. Some people are more sensitive to it than others (the same people who are more sensitive to pulse width modulation from LED screens), so only you can judge for yourself if you can live with it or not.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Sep 11 2023, 01:27 AM

If you want RM3k for both tint + coating, then the consensus here would be to go with decent local brands. With cheaper tints, it’s mainly a question of how dark you are willing to go for the front part of the car, and how many years you want it to last. Those are the only two areas branded tints can have the advantage, because their light tints have better heat rejection compared to cheaper brands (although imho still not sufficient for our weather) and they tend to degrade slower over time (also not guaranteed, tbh).

If you go with a brand like Totalgard for tint, you can probably get a very good spec and still have RM1-1.5k remaining for coating at another shop. Another option is to take the budget route and spend around RM1K for a tint + coating package at those “concept stores” and then redo every 2 or 3 years, basically splitting you budget over a longer period.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Sep 15 2023, 08:53 PM

XPEL is a respected brand (especially their PPF), but overpriced. Your pricelist is for their third tier film. Above that you still have Prime XR Plus and Prime XP series.

Prime XR tak boleh pakai in our weather. Bare minimum should be Prime XR Plus, but I wager the price will be at least RM500 more. Top spec Prime XP is probably around V-kool price already.

Comprehensive lifetime warranty doesn’t mean much when you’re being comprehensively baked by the sun for the lifetime of the car.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Sep 15 2023, 03:43 PM

Answer these questions first;

1. Are you willing to break JPJ guidelines?

2. If answer for question 1 is yes, how dark do you want to go?

3. What’s your budget?

4. New or old car?

5. Your location?

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Sep 15 2023, 03:51 PM

IrisPro HQ is at Puchong. Their Elite Series has the VLT spec to comply with JPJ 70% front windscreen and 50% front windows guidelines. Elite series also has 5mil security spec if you want. SmartTag will work for this series if that’s important to you. Price should be around RM2.5-2.8k, depending on car type/size. Visit https://irispro.com/products/automobile-2/ for details. I have one of their sales staff contact, so you can PM me if you decide on this brand.

If you’re willing to drive to Kepong, then Totalgard is probably the best budget option according to consensus on this forum recently. Infusion Pro series should be good enough, but I cannot confirm if they have 70% VLT for the front windscreen or not. Last I checked, they had 63% VLT as their lightest in that series, so a little below JPJ spec. Their sales rep posted the Totalgard customer careline number here before. Look for Marn @ 012-5596013 via WhatsApp (weekdays only, 9am-6pm) and he will assist you with spec.

You can also contact dog999 on this forum for advice. I cannot remember his location, but should be within drivable distance for you. He specializes in 3M films, but I think he also has other brands available. Good reviews on this forum.

Important: Just to let you know, no matter how branded or high-spec your tint is, following JPJ rule of 70% VLT for front windscreen will still let in significant heat (because half of solar heat travels via the visible light spectrum) through the front of the car. A good tint will definitely help with reducing the burn on your skin, but don’t expect your car to be super cool with sun blasting into the front on a hot afternoon day with just 70% VLT, especially for newer cars with sloped windscreens and long dashboards. I want to make this clear because later if you still feel heat with whatever brand you decide on, I don’t want you to blame the members on this forum.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Sep 15 2023, 04:29 PM

Sorry, missed your post earlier.
As for which option to take, it’s up to you in the end. If you can live with the untinted (or factory tinted) WS, then go ahead and tint the rest of the car first. If cannot bear the heat/brightness coming from the front, then get a cheapo tint for it alone and upgrade when you change WS. If your WS insurance includes tint coverage, then maybe you can claim that as well.

How cheap does it need to be? Totalgard (Kepong) Ceramic IRR series can probably get for around <RM500 (according to their Wasap business number - can find on my post on previous page here), although you may need to add a bit if they charge to remove your scratched up old tint film.

Rain sensing wiper sensor likely not affected, but you risk damaging your defroster lines when removing the old tint. You can search online for a DIY method to remove it yourself without damaging the lines, but it’s a slow and time consuming process, and even that is not a guarantee if it’s an old car/tint, because the film and defroster strips have gone through many cycles of heating and cooling, so very likely some of the defroster material has fused with the film already.

Hope this helps.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Sep 17 2023, 10:56 PM

Possible. Just visit any car accessory shop. Ask for highest IRR film. Price likely between RM200 - 500, depending on brand. Most modern cars with front demister function usually blow warm air up via vents on the dashboard, right? I’m not certain since I’ve never needed to use it (not even in Genting) here.

Regarding rain sensing wipers, best you double check since yours is a relatively old car. Some older cars use an IR sensor placed somewhere inside the dash or on the rear-view mirror that detects raindrops using infrared beams, so a tint with high IRR rating might affect it. I’ve not encountered any car that had rain sensors not work with tint though.

Those aren’t really high spec Llumar flavors. Not sure if the price worth it or not.
Also, don’t believe all this “shop will settle saman for you” stuff.

The area should make no difference. Any light meter has one end shooting its own light and the other end reading how much of that light is received. Puspakom meters are just fucked up by default, just like their entire organization.

JPJ* guidelines state 50% VLT (or lighter) for front side windows, so should pass. Only front windscreen needs to be 70% VLT if you want to conform.

If your “seems too low” is referring to visibility, it likely depends on the user. For me 50% VLT for the front half of the car (windscreen and windows) is still fine for even the darkest unlit underground carparks (as long as your headlights are on). My mum, aged 70+, is quite comfortable driving around with Diamond 60 for windscreen and front windows on her car. It’s mostly the rear boot/tailgate glass you need to be careful with, since going too dark (like below 30%) might affect visibility in the rear-view mirror.

*only for JPJ, different story if Puspakom because their meters are wonky and will minus 10% for every reading.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Sep 29 2023, 10:50 AM

Raytech always like this. Rep actually has the price sheet sitting in front of him/her, but they want you to visit them in order to upsell their coating and PPF packages, telling you how much “savings” you get if take whole package.

Some shops also won’t give you price until they see what brand of car you drive. These kind of shops will quote more for a Mini Cooper than a X70.

If my experience with their Diamond series and a handheld Lingshang meter is anything to go by, IrisPro films are likely compensated for post-application VLT readings, but this might still be borderline depending on the glass on your car. On my mum’s Cross, Diamond 60 installed on front measured 60.1%, but Diamond 30 installed on rear measured 29% (but rear has no limit in the JPJ guidelines). Most local brands are like that nowadays. Their lighter films are usually a few percent lighter than series name (eg: Brand X 50 might actually measure 53) and their darker films measure slightly lower (eg: Brand X 35 is actually 32 when measured). Usually the “cut off” point is at 50%, tailored to compensate for our front side window regulations.

Most decent installers (for any brand) should have their demo samples already stuck onto glass to give a closer ballpark reading, so you can just pay them a visit and check yourself. You can also hold their film on your side windows without installing and have them take a reading first, although this method will only work if your glass already has its pre-installed film removed.

Edit:
Fyi, IrisPro Diamond and Elite series have slightly different hues. Elite is closer to neutral, while Diamond has more metallic/mirror finish. Likely due to differences in sputter type. I’m not sure how dramatic the difference will be, but do take note in case you decide to mix&match series types.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Sep 29 2023, 11:41 AM

No problems for me or my mother whom I got this particular car for. Only small issue for my mom was the electrochromic feature in the rear-view mirror throwing her off a bit because the glare reduction from headlights was effectively doubled thanks to the tint and kind of dulled the contrast, so I had to disable that function for her. It’s just a switch on the rear-view mirror to toggle the function on/off anyway, so no hassle.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Oct 2 2023, 09:30 PM

If some higher up sets quota for for catching tint violations, tell him no need to set up roadblock. Just go to JPJ’s own staff carpark. Quota met already.

Lokasi mana? Kalau kat Selangor pergi kilang Totalgard di Kepong.
RM600 boleh cover satu kereta (lebih sikit kalau MPV atau ada sunroof).

The thing with all these “performance” warranties is that you can only claim if it degrades by 10% or more IRR at the wavelength they advertise (IrisPro is 1400nm, meaning the blue version of those LinshangTech meters you posted earlier). So let’s say your tint is 95% IRR, even if it degrades to 86% technically cannot claim because the degradation is less than 10%, but realistically once it reach 90% IRR you will feel a lot of heat being let through already. Not trying to ruin your day (fwiw, I have IrisPro Diamond installed on one of my cars), but imho the performance warranties offered don’t really mean much.

My IrisPro Diamond is marketed as “Multi Layer Sputter” or “Double Sputter”. Honestly, I have no idea how it will degrade over time. Now barely even 6 months. Some people say that almost all tints will degrade a bit the first couple of years and then stabilize.

Imho, mostly go for expensive tints with good warranty if you want JPJ compliance. If you plan to go dark (~30%) for whole car, then better to just get a cheaper brand and replace every 2-3yrs. Like that, if JPJ tangkap and force you to remove the tint and go inspection also you won’t rugi so much.

This post has been edited by dev/numb: Dec 12 2023, 11:47 AM

“Cuci” tu makna apa? Kopek tint lama?
Lagi senang you top-up sikit pergi Alva beli dia punya RM488 tinted package. IRR tinggi sikit.

See post #8317 on this thread page 416, and contact that guy’s WhatsApp business account (office hours). His name is Marn. Tell him you’re from this Lowyat Forum and you had a bad experience with their installation. He has assisted others before with getting their problems sorted. Only thing I’m not sure of is if he’s still working there or not.