1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Experience with Solar Guard tint films

Discussion in 'Prius v Accessories and Modifications' started by ZPriusv5, Aug 22, 2012.

  1. ZPriusv5

    ZPriusv5 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    74
    15
    8
    Location:
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Looking for any advice on the following tint options. (Will have to post a followup with a link to solar guard films specs since I'm ? on my iPod)

    My local dealer will install HP charcoal films for $240 and ultra performance for $400. When I look qt the specs from solar guard website the TSER is highest on the hp charcoal for films with similar visible light transfer. However the dealer is saying the more expensive film blocks more heat (90%) vs the less expensive film (50%)

    Heat is my primary concern and privacy/aesthetic is secondary so I'm willing to spend the $400 if his story is right, but everything I've read online is that I should trust the TSER figure as the best measure of heat blockage.

    Just for comparison I did call another dealer about 3M films and the crystalline was going to cost me $599 and it's TSER is worse than the solar guard HP charcoal so I had already ruled that out. I also ruled out DIY tinting as I'm not comfortable doing tint myself.


    Thanks in advance for any advice.
     
  2. ZPriusv5

    ZPriusv5 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    74
    15
    8
    Location:
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
  3. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    7,610
    4,464
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    go somewhere independent and save 50%
     
  4. ZPriusv5

    ZPriusv5 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    74
    15
    8
    Location:
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Thanks. Any feedback on whether TSER is right measure of heat reduction?
     
  5. SILVERCwSUN

    SILVERCwSUN Member

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2012
    261
    77
    29
    Location:
    Western North Carolina foothills
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    The most I would ever pay to tint my C would be $200.00...tops! Mine was tinted at the Toyot inport, jacksonville, Florida and looks perfect.
     
  6. ZPriusv5

    ZPriusv5 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    74
    15
    8
    Location:
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    OK, I appreciate the feedback on price.

    Even if the price of both films were halved so both under $200, I'm left with the question which to get and whether TSER is the best metric to judge the heat reduction.

    Anyone have anything along the lines of how to compare films (regardless of price) performance and whether TSER is the right metric to judge? I was able to (now on my PC) find the right link to the performance metrics sheet: Window Film | Solar Gard | Performance Specifications

    a good example of the dilemma:
    HP Charcoal 32 - Visible light T% = 32, TSER = 53
    Ultra Perf 30 - Visible light T% = 34, TSER = 43

    To me that looks like two films with very similar visible light reduction, but a 10% gap in the TSER works out to 23% better performance on the HP Charcoal (if you consider that 10 point increase from 43 to 53 is really a ~23% relative increase from 43).
     
  7. ZPriusv5

    ZPriusv5 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    74
    15
    8
    Location:
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five