Top Edge Tinting, a car window tinting shop in Apex, North Carolina, offers 28 years of automobile tinting experience.
What is Window Tinting Anyway?
Window Tinting is a polyester based film that is intended to be applied to glass. There are many types, shades and brands to meet a wide range of requirements. Specific to cars, window film, reduces heat build-up inside, reduces glare from headlights and the sun, and blocks UV Rays helping to reduce the chances of skin cancer. *Window film is endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation. Other benefits include added privacy and, of course, it looks great!
For homes and offices, in addition to everything mentioned above, Top Edge offers other solutions such as; Solar Films, Frost films, Anti-Graffiti protection, decorative, bird safety films, Blast protection, energy savings and more.
How Is Car Window Tint Applied?
The process can be described in a few steps, however as easy as it may sound look paper it is rather difficult. Each car has its own unique challenge.
- Step 1: Clean the glass perfectly inside and out
- Step 2: Cut the film to the exact size and of the window
- Step 3: Shape/contour the film to match any curvatures
- Step 4: Apply the film to the inside of the window
- Step 5: Squeegee all the water out from underneath the film
- Step 6: Heat the edges with a heat gun
- Step 7: Wipe down any excess water drips
- Step 8: Do a final inspection before delivering the car
Easy right? Lol Anyone who has tried will surely tell you it’s not.
Top 7 Reasons Why You Need Car Window Tinting in North Carolina?
- It looks great!
- Factory Match the Back Windows – On trucks, suv’s and Jeeps with factory rear tint many people tint the front windows to match the back windows.
- Privacy – some people don’t want to be seen in their car however more commonly privacy tint is about protecting babies and tools and such from easily being seen.
- Comfort – Depending on the film you choose tint can block up to 97% of IR heat and 70% of overall heat.
- UV Protection – We all know about the harmful effects of UV rays on our skin and our children’s skin. Unless you are diligent in applying sunscreen every time you get in your car window tinting is a great option, as it blocks 99% of UVA&B rays.
- Glare Reduction – Whether from the sun or oncoming headlights glare can interfere with your ability to see while driving. Window film helps this need. When it comes to glare the darker the film the better protection. *However there are laws dictating the limit of darkness allowed, more on that later.
- Safety – Window film tends to hold broken glass together. If for any unfortunate reason your glass is shattered it normally stays held together by the film.
Below are the Specifications on the Xpel films we offer.
| VLT | TSER | IR (750-1000) | IR (900-1700) | UV | glare reduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xpel Prime Carbon Series | ||||||
| NC State Legal | 45% | 29% | 34% | 26% | 99% | 45% |
| 35% | 36% | 27% | 26% | 99% | 62% | |
| 20% | 42% | 27% | 26% | 99% | 78% | |
| 15% | 41% | 27% | 26% | 99% | 82% | |
| 5% | 45% | 28% | 27% | 99% | 95% |
| VLT | TSER | IR (750-1000) | IR (900-1700) | UV | glare reduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xpel Prime XR Ceramic | ||||||
| 80% | 42% | 78% | 77% | 99% | 14% | |
| 70% | 48% | 88% | 89% | 99% | 25% | |
| 55% | 50% | 83% | 84% | 99% | 41% | |
| NC State legal | 45% | 52% | 83% | 83% | 99% | 50% |
| 35% | 59% | 84% | 85% | 99% | 60% | |
| 20% | 64% | 85% | 85% | 99% | 78% | |
| 15% | 55% | 85% | 85% | 99% | 83% |
| VLT | TSER | IR (750-1000) | IR (900-1700) | UV | glare reduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xpel Prime XR Plus Ceramic | ||||||
| 70% | 52% | 92% | 97% | 99% | 27% | |
| 55% | 53% | 97% | 97% | 99% | 37% | |
| NC State legal | 45% | 58% | 97% | 83%| 99% | 58% | |
| 35% | 59% | 96% | 97% | 99% | 58% | |
| 20% | 66% | 97% | 97% | 99% | 80% | |
| 15% | 69% | 97% | 97% | 99% | 88% |
| VLT | TSER | IR (750-1000) | IR (900-1700) | UV | glare reduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popular for Windshields | ||||||
| Xpel Prime XR Plus | 70% | 52% | 92% | 94% | 99% | 27% |
| Xpel Prime XR | 80% | 42% | 78% | 77% | 99% | 14% |
Types & Brands of Film
There is no shortage of brands these days, and new ones popping up all the time. I’m going to discuss the major brand manufacturers only today. The largest players are; Eastman Chemical which makes (Llumar and Sun Tek), 3M and Xpel. All four of them are publicly traded companies that are well established. I’ll give an honorable mention to Saint Gobain who makes Solar Guard and a small newcomer Nano-Flex, they are making some waves on social media. Each manufacturer offers a full range of quality and shading levels for both automotive and commercial applications. See the chart below showing a performance specification comparison of a popular shade in both the ceramic and ceramic premium qualities for each brand. *Specs info found on each manufacturers website. They all perform very well, but there are some differences within each comparable quality level.
Top Competitor Comparison Specs
| VLT | TSER | IR (750-1000) | IR (900-1700) | UV | glare reduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic Premium | ||||||
| XPEL XR Plus | 45% | 58% | 97% | 97% | 99% | 50% |
| Llumar Stratus | 40% | 57% | 67% | 97% | 99% | 52% |
| 3M Crystalline | 40% | 60% | - | 97% | 99% | 55% |
| Sun Tek | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| VLT | TSER | IR (750-1000) | IR (900-1700) | UV | glare reduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic | ||||||
| XPEL XR | 45% | 52% | 83% | 83% | 99% | 51% |
| Llumar Pinnacle | 43% | 50% | 61% | 88% | 99% | 51% |
| 3M IR | 40% | 53% | 61% | 81% | 99% | 49% |
| Sun Tek CIR | 40% | 53% | 58% | 83% | 99% | 52% |
| VLT | TSER | IR (750-1000) | IR (900-1700) | UV | glare reduction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popular for Windshields | ||||||
| XR Blue | 80% | 42% | 78% | 77% | 99% | 14% |
| XR + | 70% | 52% | 92% | 94% | 99% | 27% |
| Llumar Air blue | 80% | 43% | 60% | 86% | 99% | 13% |
| Sun tek CIR | 80% | 42% | 59% | 84% | 99% | 13% |
| 3M Crystalline | 90% |
How Much Does it Cost to Tint Your Car Here in North Carolina?
Good question, one price doesn’t fit all cars. As you read there are many factors such as film type and your model car installation difficulty level. I can give you some general ranges but for an exact price I would need to know which type of car you need worked on. As a guideline tinting two front doors only (like on a suv to match the back) range $120. – $200.00. A full car (consists of all side windows and the rear window) range $250.00 – $450.00 these are the two most common jobs we get asked to do. For additional job types please see the booking section of our site or call / text us at 919-421-1052.
Tesla Owners
We get a lot of Tesla model 3 in for tinted glass. Please note we have no problem doing a perfect one-piece back window installation. Yes! We can tint the entire glass in one piece. That said it is one of the hardest, most time consuming and requires extra film for the rear window.
The Bottom Line
How are you supposed to decide where to go and what to choose? Great question. In my experience the most important factor in getting a great window tinting installation is choosing a reputable shop you trust. Peace of mind has great value. In this case trusting someone to help you choose the best film for your needs, both the film quality level and the darkness. Trust the shop to work on your car, offer a fair price, and of course to do a great job installing the film. There is no substitute for experience. Film installation quality will make the greatest visual impact and last longer, more so then the brand choice. Nothing looks better than a perfect installation, free from defects and imperfections; seamless one-piece back windows and clean top edges on the doors.