Should I try Llumar clear film next?

[The ///Man]

llumar's air blue 80 would give you more heat rejection.

I have this on my windshield , this stuff rocks You wouldnt even know it's on , it's totally safe for night driving , 99.9% uv , it does make a difference . A great sell to anyone with or afraid of skin cancer, with the bonus of over 40% heat rejection. For what it's worth, this stuff is an easy upsell for anyone with a sunroof...you can actually enjoy the sun coming in without the sun beating the craap out of you.

AB is only 99% UV vs AU 99.9% I can't tell you if it makes a difference, but if AU blocks more bands of UV, it might be more effective. Now if the goal is heat rejection, AB all the way.

[Fiveofeen]

I find it so discouraging that so few shops will invest the money to purchase a UV meter.

They are money in the bank! Selling on UV is a huge market we are all missing out on right now, think of the amount of money spent on skin care and the amount damage UV exposure does to the body. Right now most people seek window film for privacy, looks or heat rejection. There are so many people out there who would gladly get window film if they only knew what it was capable of doing.

I understand that UV inhibitors won´t last too long, they also don´t filter all the UV rays, so personally I don´t push UV as a priority since I don´t want clients get false impression

That is correct. They are actually UV absorbers. An inhibitor is what they use in personal care products like sunscreens. Absorbers wear out in time depending on where they are located in the film structure. I'm sure the same is true with windshield laminates but I have never seen any published data on how long they hold up.

Based on what I have been told you will see large variances on this based on how the film is constructed and the quality of the product.

A high quality flat glass film with a better construction to filter UV could see a loss of only 1% a year in weathering tests while auto films rely more frequently on UV absorbers that could degrade at varying rates although on higher end films it still tends to be in a 2-3% range at most anually.

From what I'm learning after some research on this (and it makes perfect sense) its in the construction. Better film, better UV filtration.

For any window aside from the front windshield I see plenty of reason to sell on UV protection, there is a tremendous market for this and these discussions are helpful to ensure we are all well aware of how film works against filtering UV and its life expectancy.

With the abilities of window film for energy savings and UV protection the potential for this industry is huge, it is going to require a large investment from manufacturers and dealers in educating themselves and the masses and becoming much more in tuned with how to sell to non automotive based client base.

The times are changing! The good thing is it can mean exponential growth for everyone willing to get on board!

[The ///Man]

I find it so discouraging that so few shops will invest the money to purchase a UV meter.

They are money in the bank! Selling on UV is a huge market we are all missing out on right now, think of the amount of money spent on skin care and the amount damage UV exposure does to the body. Right now most people seek window film for privacy, looks or heat rejection. There are so many people out there who would gladly get window film if they only knew what it was capable of doing.

I understand that UV inhibitors won´t last too long, they also don´t filter all the UV rays, so personally I don´t push UV as a priority since I don´t want clients get false impression

That is correct. They are actually UV absorbers. An inhibitor is what they use in personal care products like sunscreens. Absorbers wear out in time depending on where they are located in the film structure. I'm sure the same is true with windshield laminates but I have never seen any published data on how long they hold up.

Based on what I have been told you will see large variances on this based on how the film is constructed and the quality of the product.

A high quality flat glass film with a better construction to filter UV could see a loss of only 1% a year in weathering tests while auto films rely more frequently on UV absorbers that could degrade at varying rates although on higher end films it still tends to be in a 2-3% range at most anually.

From what I'm learning after some research on this (and it makes perfect sense) its in the construction. Better film, better UV filtration.

For any window aside from the front windshield I see plenty of reason to sell on UV protection, there is a tremendous market for this and these discussions are helpful to ensure we are all well aware of how film works against filtering UV and its life expectancy.

With the abilities of window film for energy savings and UV protection the potential for this industry is huge, it is going to require a large investment from manufacturers and dealers in educating themselves and the masses and becoming much more in tuned with how to sell to non automotive based client base.

The times are changing! The good thing is it can mean exponential growth for everyone willing to get on board!

I've actually been thinking about breaking a little more in to this market by offering a free window tinted to a person who can bring me a doctor's note stating it would be beneficial to them. Essentially if they are primarily the driver of the vehicle I would tint their driver's door free of charge and obligation with something like AU 85 as a courtesy. Then if they wanted anything else done, obviously it would be of a charge. From there market towards optometrists and dermatologists to draw some interest and maybe some recognition from local organizations. Essentially use charity to drive sales. I am waiting to get some more scientific/medical information to make sure I am not blowing smoke when I push the benefits of a UV film vs an ordinary film, but I can see this benefiting myself and my customers.

[TomTint]

Odd that this subject came up today, we have a meeting with a customer tomorrow who wants a UV film to protect some special equipment that is sensitive to UV.... That is all Im told.

[Tinitman]

Hello,

I had Johnson clear film put on my windshield last winter because to help help protect my skin. I still feel like I'm getting uv rays because my face and hands are darker. I couldn't find a tint shop that had a UV meter to confirm this but I'm pretty sure that's what's happening. Should I try Llumar next?

Any information would be appreciated!

Thank you!

My question to you would be about any medicines making your photo sensitive. I have worked with many people with Lupus and other skin related issues. Many medicines make you extremely sensitive to light. Next question, are your other windows tinted?

[Fiveofeen]

Has anyone ever wondered why you sell very little UV shield film at your store? Perhaps because your captive audience at a tint shop are there for tinted windows. It really takes an effort to reach out to that market who would never even consider window film and who are unaware of its capabilities.

My girlfriend is a perfect example, never had any interest in film. Always associates it with a blacked out car and once she learned it could filter UV she was all over me to get her car done in the lightest VLT possible.

[TintWizard]

Has anyone ever wondered why you sell very little UV shield film at your store? Perhaps because your captive audience at a tint shop are there for tinted windows. It really takes an effort to reach out to that market who would never even consider window film and who are unaware of its capabilities.

My girlfriend is a perfect example, never had any interest in film. Always associates it with a blacked out car and once she learned it could filter UV she was all over me to get her car done in the lightest VLT possible.

Very true I was thinking this would be good literature to drop off to doctors offices that deal with skin cancer or various skin ailments where patients are aggravated by the uv rays. Another market is if your a hand cutter, hook up with the classic car circuit. These would by great customers as they are used to spending good money on their cars, want to keep it original looking, they only drive around when it's sunny out, usually they have no AC , but they want to keep the car looking original.

[vquestfilms.com]

Based on what I have been told you will see large variances on this based on how the film is constructed and the quality of the product.

Exactly, for instance I still see verbiage implying that UV absorbers in the adhesive cuts off the UV rays before it reaches the film so that is all that is needed. Not so...

[Guest nichole87]

Thank you all for the replys!

@Tinitman: I just have really sensitive skin, no medical condition that I know of. I also have my two front windows tinted with Johnson 35%.

My car is a '93 Camry. It looks like it has some kind of UV protection around the border of the windshield but I wasn't sure if the whole thing has it.

Llumar seems to have the reputation of being a higher grade film than Johnson so I thought that maybe it would be work better. So the UV protection in the window film will degrade over time? Is there a chance Llumar will degrade slower? How often would I need to get the film changed to insure protection?

Sorry for all the questions.

Thanks again!

[Guest shadeking]

I really don't like how a tinted windshield looks. I'm one of those people who "look at" everything. And since they have a natural distortion (looking closely) the film added sorta brings it out more. Overall I don't think its worth tinting windshields. All that water running down through the dash kinda bothers me. Occasionally I get some fool wanting a visor on the top and bottom and I think in the back of my mind "your a nut". Call me a windshield hater I guess.