Not sure if this should belong to the exterior or interior section as window tinting does change both the exterior aesthetics as well as the interior usability.
I know in Australia window tinting is very common; however, not so common in the UK.
As I am wanting to get the i30 ready for some future long distance trips - I wanted to have the windows tinted.
Tinting the windows were for a few reasons:
(1) Reduce the amount of sun & therefore, heat in the rear cabin.
(2) Reduce the chance of opportunists eyeing high value items in the rear cabin they might take a liking to.
(3) Reduce the glare for rear passengers.
I had the i30 tinted a while ago - but its taken a while to get into a position of posting the results here.
These images show the different shades of tint available in the UK.
Nothing is allowed (except for a sun strip) on the windscreen as 75% of light must pass-through.
Clear UV blocking tint & Light smoke is allowed on the front drivers & passengers windows as long as the glass is not already tinted as 70% of the light must pass-through.
Anything is allowed on the windows behind the driver. I went for Midnight for all windows behind the driver.
Slightly different angles - shows the difference between what light passes through the tinted windows.
The tinted windows do change the aesthetics of the vehicle. At normal standing eye height - those outside could not be able to see rear passengers or rear items without getting much closer - almost nose touching the glass close.
At normal in-car seated eye height - those in surrounding vehicles would be able to ascertain that there were rear passengers but would not be able to identify them.
Same situation with the rear window; although, you can see stoplights of vehicles infront through the rear window.
I initially wanted to go for something lighter than Midnight on the rear window was talked out of it. I'm glad now I didn't go a shade lighter.
One of the side benefits is that vehicles behind that don't use dip beam or have super bright HID headlights - don't both me as much at night time now which is a considerable bonus.
View from the rear right.
The next few photos show the sun-strip on the windscreen. Again this is something that is common in Australia but not very common in the UK. I debated about going a lighter shade for the sun-stip but again was talked out of it. With the Midnight tint - it blends into the windscreen ceramic black edges perfectly - looks like a factory job.
The sun is a bit bright and therefore, this photo isn't the best - but the photo is suppose to show the sun-strip from the front.
The sun-strip from the drivers side.
The sun-strip from the passengers side.
This shows what the sun-strip looks like from the drivers position. Looks a little bit like letter-box TV format. What I've found is that the sun-strip is perfect for taking the sting out of the glare of the sun without pulling the sun shades down.
This shows the difference in the amount of light getting through between the Midnight on the rear passenger window and the clear UV blocking tint on the front passenger window.
This shows the difference in the amount of light getting through between the untouched windscreen, the clear UV blocking tint on the front passengers window and the Midnight sub-strip.
So the conclusions after living with the tint for the last few months:
(1) Reduce the amount of sun & therefore, heat in the rear cabin.
Definitely reduces the amount of sun bouncing around behind the driver. The whole cabin feels a bit darker now. As for heat - as the UK hasn't been particularly sunny this summer I cannot really tell. I'll have to go to Spain and see if it has a marked noticeable affect.
What I have definitely noticed is that I don't feel the sun stinging my skin as much when exposed to bright sun light through the drivers side window.
(2) Reduce the chance of opportunists eyeing high value items in the rear cabin they might take a liking to.
I definitely, feel safer... (*) in that you really need to put your nose on the glass to be able to identify objects on the rear passenger seat.
(*) not wanting to be lulled into a false sense of security.
(3) Reduce the glare for rear passengers.
Definitely, reduces the glare for passengers seated in the rear with the added bonus of adding better contrast to colours. Its interesting that you can see more clear detail in objects outside especially green or white objects outside the car from the rear passenger seats than you can from the front drivers seat.
Hope someone finds this report & photos useful.
