Tinting windshield or roof glass may cause the glass to crack/break?

[T35L4]

I read in a few places that with a large piece of glass and in extreme heat, this could happen. Is this true?
I was about to get this done before I read this.

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[TwiztOG43]

I have tinted all my Teslas as well as other vehicles with moon roofs and none have cracked to date. Vegas heat is pretty much as extreme as it gets, other than Death Valley.

 

[CTSoFL]

I read in a few places that with a large piece of glass and in extreme heat, this could happen. Is this true?
I was about to get this done before I read this.

Myth:

Busted

 

[RickJ19Zeta8]

I read in a few places that with a large piece of glass and in extreme heat, this could happen. Is this true?
I was about to get this done before I read this.

It depends on the film and how it works. Reflective tint doesn't increase thermal loading in the glass. But most tint / cheap tint keeps the cabin cool by absorbing some UV and other wavelengths. That energy goes into the tint as heat, which heats the glass beyond its normal temperature adding stress due to the differential thermal expansion.

The larger the piece of glass, the more it expands, the more stress there is if its not fully free to do so.

 

[T35L4]

It depends on the film and how it works. Reflective tint doesn't increase thermal loading in the glass. But most tint / cheap tint keeps the cabin cool by absorbing some UV and other wavelengths. That energy goes into the tint as heat, which heats the glass beyond its normal temperature adding stress due to the differential thermal expansion.

The larger the piece of glass, the more it expands, the more stress there is if its not fully free to do so.

Thanks for that explanation. Is ceramic a risk?

 

[Brandon708]

I went to a tint place down the street and they quoted me $1200 to tint the front windshield. Seems pretty high.

 

[RickJ19Zeta8]

Thanks for that explanation. Is ceramic a risk?

Ceramic tint is UV reflective, so should be minimal risk. It does depend on brand and tint level. Each brand should have a chart similar to this. You're looking for the total solar energy rejected vs. the light allowed through the film. The difference is the energy absorbed by the film. Darker films will absorb a higher percentage of energy while reflection stays relatively constant.

Hence why you can do an extremely light side window tint and still get the thermal benefit for the cabin.

 

[DittoDan]

Make sure your state allows tinted glass. In Michigan, you can get a ticket if its too dark....

Dan the Man from Michigan

 

[deftguru]

I went to a tint place down the street and they quoted me $1200 to tint the front windshield. Seems pretty high.

that is very high!!! they are certainly trying to take advantage of you. I had one shop quote me $800. ultimately I found a shop that did it for $400 using xpel ceramic pro XR plus. I went and got 50%. and this is in tri-state area. they did a fantastic job!!

 

[Brandon708]

that is very high!!! they are certainly trying to take advantage of you. I had one shop quote me $800. ultimately, I found a shop that did it for $400 using xpel ceramic pro XR plus. I went and got 50%. and this is in tri-state area. they did a fantastic job!!

I got that feeling when she said Tesla is the hardest vehicles to tint. I looked at her a little weird because I am looking at the windshield and its almost completely flat. I don't think any heat shrink would be necessary.

I am going to keep looking.

 

[deftguru]

well, I have never tented the window in my life! ?, I leave that to the pros! but at the place I took it, within an hour or so it was done. i just waited. They said it was a bit challenging because the window is so large that it’s hard to get the edges, especially towards the front. they had all the right tools. But it was nothing that they needed up charge dramatically. 400 is more expensive than doing a regular, smaller car, but I thought that was fair. hope you find a good shop that’s reasonable for you. Keep us posted.

 

[jerhenderson]

A sealed window unit sure, as it causes a difference from one pane to the next. Not a single pane alone.

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