Just got the windows tinted on my friend's 2010 Mazda 3. That is, the same Mazda 3 that I helped my friend buy.
We wanted to go with a ceramic tint since the car has an integrated antenna on the rear window. Built-in antennas can be affected by metallic tint, which is why I chose ceramic. Also, she uses her phone and her GPS inside the car, which are devices that can also be affected by the metallic tint. Plus, ceramic tint blocks more heat than most films.
Originally, we had decided to go with a 50% tint in the front and 35% in the rear. When I got to the shop, I used the light measuring device and discovered that the front windows only had a ~70% light transmittance!
That's already the legal limit for CA! I did not expect the factory tint to be that dark. So, in order for the car to look somewhat legal, we decided to go with the new Llumar Air Blue 80% film for the front windows. In combination with the black interior and the factory tint, this combination produced a near 50% appearance for the front windows. The backs, as planned, were tinted with the FormulaOne Pinnacle Ceramic 35%.
Here are some pictures:
35% rear, Llumar Air Blue in the front.
Close-up view of side-by-side
Rear Window at 35%
Note that these pictures were taken in STRONG sunlight, so the actual tint appears much darker under more common lighting conditions.
I must say, the ceramic tint definitely helps a lot with heat reduction. After five minutes in the sun, my Saturn was steaming, but the tinted car was only lukewarm.
We wanted to go with a ceramic tint since the car has an integrated antenna on the rear window. Built-in antennas can be affected by metallic tint, which is why I chose ceramic. Also, she uses her phone and her GPS inside the car, which are devices that can also be affected by the metallic tint. Plus, ceramic tint blocks more heat than most films.
Originally, we had decided to go with a 50% tint in the front and 35% in the rear. When I got to the shop, I used the light measuring device and discovered that the front windows only had a ~70% light transmittance!
That's already the legal limit for CA! I did not expect the factory tint to be that dark. So, in order for the car to look somewhat legal, we decided to go with the new Llumar Air Blue 80% film for the front windows. In combination with the black interior and the factory tint, this combination produced a near 50% appearance for the front windows. The backs, as planned, were tinted with the FormulaOne Pinnacle Ceramic 35%.
Here are some pictures:
35% rear, Llumar Air Blue in the front.
Close-up view of side-by-side
Rear Window at 35%
Note that these pictures were taken in STRONG sunlight, so the actual tint appears much darker under more common lighting conditions.
I must say, the ceramic tint definitely helps a lot with heat reduction. After five minutes in the sun, my Saturn was steaming, but the tinted car was only lukewarm.
