I read about this in the NY Times online and thought I would share.
- Ian

http://solargard.com/

New York Times
July 19, 2009
Greentech
A Clear Way to Keep Cool
By JOHN R. QUAIN
DARKENED windows aren’t only for starlets shunning paparazzi or for low riders. Blocking out the sun’s rays can help prevent your car from turning into a kiln in August, reducing the need to run a power-sapping air-conditioner at full tilt.

So what if you want the benefits of shading the sunlight but don’t want to look like part of a Britney Spears motorcade?

One maker of sun-blocking window films, Solar Gard, says it has a solution: a nearly clear window treatment that helps to beat the heat by limiting the amount of infrared radiation that enters the car.

Typically, keeping the sun out required choosing between dark window films, which can impair visibility, or metallic treatments. Neither is a perfect answer: dyed coatings reduce glare but can fade over time, and they may develop bubbles. Metallized films, on the other hand, tend to be more reflective and can interfere with radio frequency signals used by cellphones, tire pressure monitors and radio antennas embedded in the window glass.

“That’s why we don’t carry anything metallic anymore, so it’s pretty much obsolete,” said Ryan Baxter, an installer with Pro Tint, a glass treatment shop in Salt Lake City.

Solar Gard, based in San Diego, has been working for several years to perfect a film coating of nanoparticles designed to limit the infrared portion of sunlight that enters the car. The company says that its Ultra Performance window films will do the job while allowing 76 percent of visible light through; with additional layers it can also block out 99 percent of ultraviolet radiation.

Mr. Baxter said that installation costs from $260 to $290 per car, about $60 more than traditional treatments.

Solar Gard says that most people won’t even realize the film is on a window. Of course, if you want to feel like a celebrity, you can get a dark version as well.

 

cool stuff, literally. i wish i knew if my current tint had any of this solar blocking quality to it. my last tint was 2% so my current 14% seems much lighter and subsequently not as heat reflective.

you gonna get this for your ride ian??

 

Hey, if the stuff really works, I'd get it for my front windows, so that I pass state law. Right now I'm techincally breaking the law in NJ with front side tint.

 

Sojah, Not sure if I want it. Just thought I should share what I read. I am a fan of very light tint...I'm talking 50%. So this product does not help regarding an actual change in the appearance of the car. So what I need to find out is...whether a 50% tint can still do much of what solar gard can do. At $260-$290 that is slightly more expensive than some tint options I have seen.
I am doubting I would spend money on both solar gard and ordinary tint. Though I guess you can put it on the front glass of a car.
Cheers,
Ian

 

here's my 50% tint from solargard. i got it done about 2 months ago and cant say anything bad about it. sorry pic sucks

 

When you say it's 50%, is that the tint is actually dark the same shade as a 50%, or it's clear, but reflects the same sunlight/UV as a 50%?

If clear, but acts like a 50% tint, then I might have to go for this if I fail my inspection next year. Don't really want to go through the constant on/off of the tint during inspection years.

For me, tint in rear was more for privacy, while in front I wanted protection, but if I have to go clear, then so be it.

 

Hey 06Ultra...is that just 50% regular tint or is that the nano tint thing that is in the article that lead this string?
Please do take another picture and post as I want to know what the 50% will look like on my car.
Cheers,
Ian

 

May we ask how much you paid total to have your LS tinted?

 

the 50% is the amount of tint in the film (35,20,10 etc) its not the clear sg. it blocks out i believe 98% sun/uv its a good enough film that can protect you from the sun and not get any attention from the police well i havent so far and i live in nj where the cops love to give away tickets. price i paid was $260 with life warranty from dealer. here goes some pics in some different angles

 

good lookin' car ^ ^

 

I have sold Solar Gard for years and sold it with their lifetime warraty, never had any issues. Actually I have installed in my brothers car and even with Miami heat it has not discolored for the past 6 years.

If you want my opinion as a seller and user I love it

 

My dashboard radiates heat from the sun when I am driving. What can I do to reduce the "hot enough to cook an egg" effect? I welcome any suggestions

 

I actually had this film, their highest end Ultra Performance and had the installer take it off. It had a cloudy haze all over the inside of the film (inside looking out), and a weird orange peel texture that wasn't totally clear. I was disappointed. I prefer their metallized HP Charcoal line, but I think it was discontinued already.

 

This is new news? This nearly clear tint has been around for a few years now. It started on high end exotic windshields and now moving down to more mainstream.

 

Any tint dealers in D/FW midcities area (Grapevine) that you would recommend? I'm not having any luck getting an installer for SolarGard. Are there other excellent/comparable systems installed by competent people?