Window Tint FAQs

Window tint is a polyester material that is applied on the inside of your vehicle to the glass to provide privacy, aesthetic upgrade and provide sun protection by blocking UV and infrared wavelengths.

For several reasons! Tint definitely looks great, it comes in different shades from nearly clear to completely limo tint dark. Window tint also protects yourself and your vehicle’s interior from UV fading and also heat damage. Privacy tint also makes it harder for people to see personal belongings inside your vehicle, lessening the chance of a break in. Seattle may not be the hottest state, but a high performance film on a summer day sure feels great.

This can get rather complicated if you look at pure stats from the tint manufacturers. All light is measured in nanometers on a wavelength chart. Infrared light is what we typically feel burning on our skin, the issue is that infrared blocking performance tint meters measure only 1 specific wavelength but there are thousands of wavelengths. This being said, a lot of window tints are designed to beat a tint meter. The best way to test a film is by putting it in a solarium heat tester and physically feel how much heat it is blocking. We find that STEK NEXseries film offers the best heat protection we have found.

Carbon is a great way to provide some heat protection by blocking UV and near infrared, also carbon will never fade. Even some high end window tints have dye in them, these will fade over time leaving you with a lighter tint or possibly purple color. We do not use any dyed films at Metropolitan Detail.

There are a lot of factors that pay a role into the cost of our window tint. First, we wash every car that comes into our shop, we can’t easily tint a dirty car as the dirt and debris can get caught in the film’s adhesive during the installation and look unsightly. We also use an array of tools including Soak Rope, and protective coverings to protect your vehicle’s interior while we are performing our installation. You can trust that you are always getting a great value with any Metropolitan Detail service. 

We do not use any metalized films here at Metropolitan Detail. Metalized films are a cheap alternative to ceramics to get decent performance at a low cost. We are not interested in offering lesser quality and low cost services.

Not exactly maintenance, but there are some precautions. When the tint is fresh, we ask that you keep your windows rolled up for 5 days, this will allow the tint to cure properly so it doesn’t begin to peel away.  If your window jogs up and down when you open the door, this is not an issue. Ammonia based window cleaners should not be used on window tint, they will cause the film and adhesive to fail causing discoloration and bubbling. 

Window tint is a wet application as we squeegee a soap and water solution out from under the film. After a few hours of the application, your tint may start to form some pockets of moisture, this is completely normal and within a few days, this should evaporate. 

Cheaper ceramic films can look hazy because of the dispersion of large ceramic particles in the film. STEK uses the absolute highest quality nano ceramic particles with the very best dispersion method to provide the very best clarity on the market.