Solar tint on C4GP? - Page 6 - CitroenChat.com

braveheart7172 · 07-02-2010, 09:40 PM

Hi Friends,

Some updates on my solar film search:

1. Bro Sgdstuff and Ram did some research with 3M and Huper Optik. They got a good quote (cannot list here as it's a special price) from a HO installer and msged me about it. I was rather hesitant to commit so fast because I haven't checked up the other brands yet. However, the price seems good. But last min bro Ram not comfy with the installer as they do it at a workshop and may not be very pro. They are checking out another more reputable installer on the price. Note: For films like HO and 3M, it will cost at least >$1000 if you want decent films.

2. I read up quite a bit on solar films. Realized that there are a few things to note. For UV radiation, most films cut out up to 99% so IR and total solar heat rejection will be the critical things to note. In fact, for IRR, there's both the near and far IR rejection to consider. Near IR pass through the glass and heats up contents in car. Far IR is the resulting "heat" radiation that you feel. For most films, the IRR advertized will be the far IR. So the heat from the bulb that's cut off from most solar film demos will be different from the IR from the sun; as the bulb's IR is far IR, not near IR. In essence, heat transmitted from a heated bulb is different from heat transmitted from the sun. So we need to be discerning about the demos. I hope I am clear and not wrong in this.

3. On the market now, only Johnson flims (http://www.unique1995.com.sg/johnson/index.html, quite reputable in US, Unique is the SG dealer,) have claims on rejecting near IR. Other films only list IRR, VLT, UV and total solar energy rejection properties. In fact, there are so many brands out there with so many different construction types for their film - metallic, ceramic, non-metal, sputtered metallized, sputtered ceramic etc. Hard to know which ones are really good and which ones are just marketing.

4. Some say go with the reputable brands. However, I have heard personal feedback from friends about their >$1000 films from reputable brands "under-performing". IMHO, much money may have went to the marketing. I am not saying the films are no good. I am just saying we may be paying more for the marketing and branding of the product.

5. Lastly, I believe in the "law of diminishing returns". Will you pay $300-400 more for a film that cuts out IR or total solar energy just 5-15% more? Is that a wise use of money?

With so much "research", I am forgoing the big brands in my hunt for solar films. I have narrowed down to 3 choices:

1. Unique(http://www.unique1995.com.sg) - They have a huge range of solar films at reasonable prices. I wanted to go down on Sat but the demo guy not around. I did my previous 2 rides CS2 PPS with them and their service and products are top notch. I haven't bought solar film from them before but I'm willing to give them a try. Also, the added advantage of bundling a PPS with the solar film is enticing.

2. Perfect Window Films(http://www.perfect.com.sg/, also known as Lextint or Ray-shield) - My current ride's solar fim is done with them. They do very little marketing but has survived for so long. To be honest, I am including them in my search here because I know myself to do a lot of research for purchases like that and I must have went through a lot of that when I settled with Perfect the last time. I just could not remember why. I tried to visit them on Sat but reached at 5:30pm. They closed at 5pm

3. Zen Car Services (http://www.zencar.com.sg/solar.html) - They are very well-known in VW and BMW forums and many sing their praises in terms of quality of films and service. I called Jimmy, the boss, and spoke with him. His quote is very, very good(pm me for price). I will go down this week to see his demo.

Yup, that's it. Sorry for my long post. Just wanted to share my "research". Hope to help fellow friends here to make some decisions on this too. If you trust me and are interested to get the films with me(got a few pms already), we can negotiate for a good price. These film packages will cost less than $800 for the whole car, including moonroof. I think that gives us the best bang for the buck. I will visit the above-mentioned shops next week and make a decision. I take my ride on Feb 20 and hope to get a conclusion before that.

Cheers!

PS1: Just went to Citroen showroom today to sign some papers(in the end have to source for motor insurance myself as the AIG one damn ex!). Checked out the windscreen "solar film" on the C4GP myself. There indeed is a film "stuck between" the glass with a cut-out at the ERP device area. This important to note as we will need to measure the VLT of this film and add it to the film we intend to install if we want to keep to LTA's guidelines. More on this later when I get my ride as I will verify and post it here.

PS2: My concurrent project is the ICE. Anyone has any idea where to site the amp in the C4GP? I went to the showroom 3 times to look at the car but cannot find a suitable place. I know this may be off-topic but do pm me if you have any ideas. Much appreciated...

voyager · 07-02-2010, 10:06 PM

hello braveheart7172

thank you so much for taking the time to do the research, in terms of the reading up, calling around, driving here and there, and finally typing it all up.

your post is truly a valuable resource and there is no need to apologise for it at all :-)

braveheart7172 · 08-02-2010, 09:10 AM

Bro Voyager,

I read your posts earnestly and your contribution here is confirm plus guarantee chop more than my humble post...

Let's make this forum a better place, both in terms of making friends and sharing knowledge.

Cheers!

Ram Ram · 08-02-2010, 10:46 AM

Hey braveheart...thanks for the detailed analysis...

I wanted to install another layer of film on the windscreen and was highlighted that there will be a cut/adjoining line due to the design of our rear view mirror 'pole'. Perhaps that explain why the solar film is pre-installed.

Ram Ram · 09-02-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ram Ram

Called up Huper Optik's installer - Astrotech today and was quoted their latest C70 and C30 film combination (both with IRR 91%):

W/o Moonroof: $1600
W/ Moonroof: $1800 (Estimated)

All prices are before GST.

Groupbuy discount - 25% discount

I am pretty keen on HO. Any takers?

I have installed my films yesterday with Astrotech. For installation w/o front windscreen, there is a reduction of $200 from the listed price (before GB discount) above.

Subject to negotiation, I believe the prices after GB discount can be nett (with GST). For e.g. w/ Moonroof (w/o front windscreen) = $1,200.

voyager · 09-02-2010, 12:54 PM

mine also done at Astrotech :-P

Ram Ram · 09-02-2010, 01:24 PM

Thanks for sharing your feedback...

nextreal · 15-02-2010, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by braveheart7172

PS2: My concurrent project is the ICE. Anyone has any idea where to site the amp in the C4GP? I went to the showroom 3 times to look at the car but cannot find a suitable place. I know this may be off-topic but do pm me if you have any ideas. Much appreciated...

There's actually some space under the driver's seat. It's actually meant for the Philips sub with the ICE pack in UK/France. You can put a small amp or 2 there.

braveheart7172 · 17-02-2010, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nextreal

There's actually some space under the driver's seat. It's actually meant for the Philips sub with the ICE pack in UK/France. You can put a small amp or 2 there.

Really! Sweet! That's good news for me. I will check it out when I get my ride this Sat! Just got sms from SE that my car already registered!

jwishan · 18-02-2010, 02:53 PM

Hi braveheart...thanks for the detailed analysis...

07-02-2010, 10:06 PM	#52
voyager Avant-garde Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,125	hello braveheart7172 thank you so much for taking the time to do the research, in terms of the reading up, calling around, driving here and there, and finally typing it all up. your post is truly a valuable resource and there is no need to apologise for it at all :-) __________________ 2003 C5 2.0 (sold to friend) 2005 C4 (sold) 2006 C5 2.0 (sold) 2010 C5 2.0

09-02-2010, 12:54 PM	#56
voyager Avant-garde Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,125	mine also done at Astrotech :-P __________________ 2003 C5 2.0 (sold to friend) 2005 C4 (sold) 2006 C5 2.0 (sold) 2010 C5 2.0

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07-02-2010, 09:40 PM	#51
braveheart7172 Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 47	Hi Friends, Some updates on my solar film search: 1. Bro Sgdstuff and Ram did some research with 3M and Huper Optik. They got a good quote (cannot list here as it's a special price) from a HO installer and msged me about it. I was rather hesitant to commit so fast because I haven't checked up the other brands yet. However, the price seems good. But last min bro Ram not comfy with the installer as they do it at a workshop and may not be very pro. They are checking out another more reputable installer on the price. Note: For films like HO and 3M, it will cost at least >$1000 if you want decent films. 2. I read up quite a bit on solar films. Realized that there are a few things to note. For UV radiation, most films cut out up to 99% so IR and total solar heat rejection will be the critical things to note. In fact, for IRR, there's both the near and far IR rejection to consider. Near IR pass through the glass and heats up contents in car. Far IR is the resulting "heat" radiation that you feel. For most films, the IRR advertized will be the far IR. So the heat from the bulb that's cut off from most solar film demos will be different from the IR from the sun; as the bulb's IR is far IR, not near IR. In essence, heat transmitted from a heated bulb is different from heat transmitted from the sun. So we need to be discerning about the demos. I hope I am clear and not wrong in this. 3. On the market now, only Johnson flims (http://www.unique1995.com.sg/johnson/index.html, quite reputable in US, Unique is the SG dealer,) have claims on rejecting near IR. Other films only list IRR, VLT, UV and total solar energy rejection properties. In fact, there are so many brands out there with so many different construction types for their film - metallic, ceramic, non-metal, sputtered metallized, sputtered ceramic etc. Hard to know which ones are really good and which ones are just marketing. 4. Some say go with the reputable brands. However, I have heard personal feedback from friends about their >$1000 films from reputable brands "under-performing". IMHO, much money may have went to the marketing. I am not saying the films are no good. I am just saying we may be paying more for the marketing and branding of the product. 5. Lastly, I believe in the "law of diminishing returns". Will you pay $300-400 more for a film that cuts out IR or total solar energy just 5-15% more? Is that a wise use of money? With so much "research", I am forgoing the big brands in my hunt for solar films. I have narrowed down to 3 choices: 1. Unique(http://www.unique1995.com.sg) - They have a huge range of solar films at reasonable prices. I wanted to go down on Sat but the demo guy not around. I did my previous 2 rides CS2 PPS with them and their service and products are top notch. I haven't bought solar film from them before but I'm willing to give them a try. Also, the added advantage of bundling a PPS with the solar film is enticing. 2. Perfect Window Films(http://www.perfect.com.sg/, also known as Lextint or Ray-shield) - My current ride's solar fim is done with them. They do very little marketing but has survived for so long. To be honest, I am including them in my search here because I know myself to do a lot of research for purchases like that and I must have went through a lot of that when I settled with Perfect the last time. I just could not remember why. I tried to visit them on Sat but reached at 5:30pm. They closed at 5pm 3. Zen Car Services (http://www.zencar.com.sg/solar.html) - They are very well-known in VW and BMW forums and many sing their praises in terms of quality of films and service. I called Jimmy, the boss, and spoke with him. His quote is very, very good(pm me for price). I will go down this week to see his demo. Yup, that's it. Sorry for my long post. Just wanted to share my "research". Hope to help fellow friends here to make some decisions on this too. If you trust me and are interested to get the films with me(got a few pms already), we can negotiate for a good price. These film packages will cost less than $800 for the whole car, including moonroof. I think that gives us the best bang for the buck. I will visit the above-mentioned shops next week and make a decision. I take my ride on Feb 20 and hope to get a conclusion before that. Cheers! PS1: Just went to Citroen showroom today to sign some papers(in the end have to source for motor insurance myself as the AIG one damn ex!). Checked out the windscreen "solar film" on the C4GP myself. There indeed is a film "stuck between" the glass with a cut-out at the ERP device area. This important to note as we will need to measure the VLT of this film and add it to the film we intend to install if we want to keep to LTA's guidelines. More on this later when I get my ride as I will verify and post it here. PS2: My concurrent project is the ICE. Anyone has any idea where to site the amp in the C4GP? I went to the showroom 3 times to look at the car but cannot find a suitable place. I know this may be off-topic but do pm me if you have any ideas. Much appreciated...

08-02-2010, 09:10 AM	#53
braveheart7172 Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 47	Bro Voyager, I read your posts earnestly and your contribution here is confirm plus guarantee chop more than my humble post... Let's make this forum a better place, both in terms of making friends and sharing knowledge. Cheers!

08-02-2010, 10:46 AM	#54
Ram Ram Regular Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 317	Hey braveheart...thanks for the detailed analysis... I wanted to install another layer of film on the windscreen and was highlighted that there will be a cut/adjoining line due to the design of our rear view mirror 'pole'. Perhaps that explain why the solar film is pre-installed.

09-02-2010, 01:24 PM	#57
Ram Ram Regular Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 317	Thanks for sharing your feedback...

18-02-2010, 02:53 PM	#60
jwishan Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 30	Hi braveheart...thanks for the detailed analysis...