Maxxma tint experience/opinions

[eisfeld]

Went to a local shop that does car window tints to see if they do 3M Crystalline which I planned on getting because it's one of the clearer films and still blocks heat nicely. The owner said they did 3M Crystalline before but stopped as they had quite a few problems with it. Maybe sales talk, who knows but it seems hard to find Crystalline in Phuket and I have also read that in the US some 3M dealers don't like it much or dropped it. Anyways he pitched Maxxma as a brand which I never heard of and can't find much online especially in english. Seems like a local Thai re-brand of a Korean tint brand but I couldn't find what the real brand is.

 

Anyways he had a test machine there which can check 1. VLT 2. UV400 (UV A) 3. UV100 (UV C) 4. Infrared Rejection 5. TSER.

We compared various films from 3M Crystalline over V-Kool to said Maxxma. To my surprise the 3M didn't fair so well in the UV400 test. V-Kool was OK but Maxxma IP55 Nano Ceramic performed really well considering that it's half the price of 3M Crystalline. It has a VLT of 60% and blocked nearly all IR, 61% TSER and 26% UV400 transmitted.

 

All of the films blocked nearly all UV100 but reading up on Wikipedia that wavelength of UV actually doesn't really hit the earth as it ionizes already in the atmosphere. UV wavelengths of around 300 are the really dangerous ones. UV A (300 - 400) is 95% of the UV that hits the earth with the remainder being mostly UV B. So when the film companies quote 99%+ UV filtered they are bull<deleted>ting because no, they don't filter 99% of all UV. They probably refer to UV C at 100nm which is irrelevant for the real world.

 

So I am seriously considering Maxxma and wanted to see if anyone was brave enough to try it already. It comes with 7 years guarantee against bubbles, color changes etc.

[transam]

Get the guaranty in writing and go for it...

[JAS21]

 

 Crystalline window film is reputed to be the best. I wanted to crystalline 70 on my wife’s new car but she didn’t like the clairity.

 

 So we went to the dealer  Who fitted  the film to a previous car. I talked to him about crystalline and he said yes it is the best, a little pricey but well worth the money.

 

Many on this forum  have used crystalline 70 and also repeat it on their next car.

 

 It always amazes me when I see various films compared on the machine. It seems their film always comes out best....

Edited October 1, 2019 by JAS21

[transam]

Twelve years back when I bought my Vigo the dealer had his own shop for bling and film. I had a choice of many types, as my ride was dark blue I went for a similar colour, I was told that is a cheaper one that only had a 1 year guaranty.

 

I still went for it, it looked very good when finished, it still looked perfect when I sold it after 11+ years..

[eisfeld]

1 hour ago, JAS21 said:

 

 Crystalline window film is reputed to be the best. I wanted to crystalline 70 on my wife’s new car but she didn’t like the clairity.

 

 So we went to the dealer  Who fitted  the film to a previous car. I talked to him about crystalline and he said yes it is the best, a little pricey but well worth the money.

 

Many on this forum  have used crystalline 70 and also repeat it on their next car.

 

 It always amazes me when I see various films compared on the machine. It seems their film always comes out best....

I am not sure about this reputation. I have now read from various dealers here and in the west that they are not happy with the Crystalline lineup. Maybe they just don't get enough comission out of it, who knows. But these little test machines can not know when a certain brand is inserted and they don't come from say 3M or whatever. The thing is this shop didn't try to push me for other brands that he carries that are more expensive and provide more margin. He said if you look at value for money then many are better than 3M Crystalline, especially the ones coming out of South Korea recently. I actually by accident stumbled into a guy who used to work for a film shop and he said the same and he had no horse in the race anymore.

[eisfeld]

So today I got Maxxma IP55 film done all around the car. Cost 13400 THB. I noticed a difference in heat but one can still feal quite a lot. I have to get some other cars with films to compare side by side in the coming days and see how it fairs comparatively in the real world. Clarity is fine in the day and today evening I'll do a test drive in the night to see how it performs there.

[transam]

13 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

So today I got Maxxma IP55 film done all around the car. Cost 13400 THB. I noticed a difference in heat but one can still feal quite a lot. I have to get some other cars with films to compare side by side in the coming days and see how it fairs comparatively in the real world. Clarity is fine in the day and today evening I'll do a test drive in the night to see how it performs there.

I paid 3000bht, well it was a few years back...????

[eisfeld]

1 hour ago, transam said:

I paid 3000bht, well it was a few years back...????

Sure there are much cheaper and much more expensive films around. I plan to check with a friend of mine who has a cheap film (Lamina Pop) and see what's what. Maybe this one is better or maybe not. Hard to tell at the moment ????

[transam]

To be honest I don't think film makes a lot of difference regarding temp. If you leave the car out it will still be hot inside. Stopping the naught rays whilst you're in it is great, plus the A/C usually keeps up with stuff..

[JAS21]

22 hours ago, eisfeld said:

So today I got Maxxma IP55 film done all around the car. Cost 13400 THB. I noticed a difference in heat but one can still feal quite a lot. I have to get some other cars with films to compare side by side in the coming days and see how it fairs comparatively in the real world. Clarity is fine in the day and today evening I'll do a test drive in the night to see how it performs there.

 I can’t hold my breath any longer. So how was it at night?

 

Will you be changing to  crystalline 70 

[eisfeld]

4 hours ago, JAS21 said:

 I can’t hold my breath any longer. So how was it at night?

 

Will you be changing to  crystalline 70 

Sorry just got home from the dealer and meeting an insurance guy. 2h after I got registered with insurance a motorbike scratched my front while I was parked... ????

 

Anyways. The film was just fine at night. No problems at all. Whenever I get some time I'll post some pictures. I have no intentions to switch at the moment unless I can see another car next to mine in the heat and feel a big difference in terms of heat blocking.

Edited October 4, 2019 by eisfeld

[transam]

7 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

Sorry just got home from the dealer and meeting an insurance guy. 2h after I got registered with insurance a motorbike scratched my front while I was parked... ????

 

Anyways. The film was just fine at night. No problems at all. Whenever I get some time I'll post some pictures. I have no intentions to switch at the moment unless I can see another car next to mine in the heat and feel a big difference in terms of heat blocking.

Your ride does have working aircon doesn't it...?

[eisfeld]

11 minutes ago, transam said:

Your ride does have working aircon doesn't it...?

I know what you are trying to say but you need to consider that if less heat gets into the car the aircon has to work much less (less noisy), the car gets cooler much quicker after sitting in the sun and you feel much less heat on your skin amongst things like preventing damage to the console and seats due to UV.

[transam]

1 minute ago, eisfeld said:

I know what you are trying to say but you need to consider that if less heat gets into the car the aircon has to work much less (less noisy), the car gets cooler much quicker after sitting in the sun and you feel much less heat on your skin amongst things like preventing damage to the console and seats due to UV.

Weeeeell, my 11+ year old Vigo's interior still looked like new when I sold it. No plastic damage at all. The A/C cooled it down in no time, plus the A/C pump uses a lot less power than the old piston type....

[eisfeld]

Here some pictures from inside and outside. Not the best as it's 6pm evening sun and the windows are not 100% clean because of rain earlier today but I think they still give a good enough impression. No night pictures for now, maybe this coming weekend.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by eisfeld

[eisfeld]

6 minutes ago, transam said:

Weeeeell, my 11+ year old Vigo's interior still looked like new when I sold it. No plastic damage at all. The A/C cooled it down in no time, plus the A/C pump uses a lot less power than the old piston type....

I've seen cars with interior damage from UV. Not all cars are prone to it the same way. Also depends on how the car is stored, driven and maintained. Some materials are more fragile than others. I've rented a Vios a while ago with a really dark cheap tint and you couldn't get close to the glass without feeling extreme heat on your skin. Took a good while of full blast aircon to reach acceptable levels. That Vios was not more than 3 years old I think.

[tifino]

there is a way of doing experiments on heat transmissions etc by using removable tint vinyl film. 

 

I've used this stuff for over 20 years... took some packs with me for using for the 5 years I was living down in Malaysia... 

 

product is a 'Magic Vinyl' film 

 

 it is still available on the market... even via Amazon now 

Safety 1st UV blocking film (repeatedly removable) 

 

I found it a great way of doing a non-committal test... but liked it so much that I use it permanently... to this day! 

  (every 6 months, I'll remove the films, wash them both sides in warm soapy water, then put back up) 

My current 2 wagon uses 3 twin packs of Safety1st. I have trimmed all to fit the shapes of side (door)  and rear glass surfaces... 

 

 

[eisfeld]

6 minutes ago, tifino said:

there is a way of doing experiments on heat transmissions etc by using removable tint vinyl film. 

 

I've used this stuff for over 20 years... took some packs with me for using for the 5 years I was living down in Malaysia... 

 

product is a 'Magic Vinyl' film 

 

 it is still available on the market... even via Amazon now 

Safety 1st UV blocking film (repeatedly removable) 

 

I found it a great way of doing a non-committal test... but liked it so much that I use it permanently... to this day! 

  (every 6 months, I'll remove the films, wash them both sides in warm soapy water, then put back up) 

My current 2 wagon uses 3 twin packs of Safety1st. I have trimmed all to fit the shapes of side (door)  and rear glass surfaces... 

 

 

Well it costs $5 and doesn't provide any proper specs as to what it filters and the Amazon reviews are not exactly stellar. Not sure what to compare with it.

[tifino]

38 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

Well it costs $5 and doesn't provide any proper specs as to what it filters and the Amazon reviews are not exactly stellar. Not sure what to compare with it.

yeah I know what you mean!

details via Amazon 

 

but my old mazda is now 28 years old, having worn this vinyl for the past 20 years. 

The only sun damage inside the car is that from via the front window ( not vinyl covered at all) 

 -  the internal rearvision mirror is made of that whitish cream mazda plastic, and it is crumbling and powdery) the rest of the interior is in good nick, courtesy of all the other windows being 'covered' by the vinyl...

I know I have still some never used spare packets, so if find them, I'll take a pic of the whatever details on the pack. I recall about it quoting something 99% whatever... 

 

[eisfeld]

There are pictures of the package on Amazon and it just says "up to 98% of UVA/UVB". What "up to" means is anyones guess. Also you can't put this on windshield because too dark and they say you can't put it on the rear with defroster lines. Also can't operate windows while having the film on. So please let's not bring this up as an alternative to proper films because it's just not ????

[Just Weird]

On 10/3/2019 at 3:36 PM, transam said:

To be honest I don't think film makes a lot of difference regarding temp. If you leave the car out it will still be hot inside. Stopping the naught rays whilst you're in it is great, plus the A/C usually keeps up with stuff..

I think you're right particularly as window tint does nothing to block the heat that is conducted/convected to the interior through the steel body that loves to soak up the sun.

[eisfeld]

4 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

I think you're right particularly as window tint does nothing to block the heat that is conducted/convected to the interior through the steel body that loves to soak up the sun.

My car has white exterior so that soaks up quite a bit less sun than e.g. a black one. Touching the interior side of the roof for example feels way less hot than touching any of the windows. Therefor, most of the heat comes through the windows in my car. This makes sense because there are several layers that make up the body work of a car whith air in between which acts as an insulator.

[Just Weird]

12 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

My car has white exterior so that soaks up quite a bit less sun than e.g. a black one. Touching the interior side of the roof for example feels way less hot than touching any of the windows. Therefor, most of the heat comes through the windows in my car. This makes sense because there are several layers that make up the body work of a car whith air in between which acts as an insulator.

If you say so.

 

 

[eisfeld]

3 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

If you say so.

You can easily verify yourself. Alternatively I'm also accepting arguments to refute my point of view. But not kindergarten style ????

[Just Weird]

12 hours ago, eisfeld said:

You can easily verify yourself. Alternatively I'm also accepting arguments to refute my point of view. But not kindergarten style ????

How very gracious of you to deem to accept other members' comments, shame you'll only accept them in a style acceptable to you!

 

My point was that glass isn't the only, or main area, that contributes to the heating of a vehicle's interior and, therefore, the effect of window tinting film as a heat reducer is minimal and not even significantly measurable. If it was measurable I'm sure there would be comparable, real life, practical tests out there but I can't find any.

 

Many people forget that the entire vehicle is made of heat transmitting steel that gets very hot when sitting under a tropical sun, regardless of your claim that the air inside panels (that is there only because the car cannot be carved out of solid steel) is there as an insulator!   No manufacturer claims that the vehicle was designed with in-panel, in-built, air insulation.  

 

And you know what?...no manufacturer, anywhere, even offers it as a factory option.  If the tint film is thermally effective as a cabin insulator, as some people claim, why is it not fitted as standard in the hottest places that could benefit from it such as the Middle East?

 

Good luck with yours, anyway.

Edited October 5, 2019 by Just Weird

[eisfeld]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

How very gracious of you to deem to accept other members' comments, shame you'll only accept them in a style acceptable to you!

I just want a normal discussion and not sarcastic bickering. Of course I'll only accept comments in a style acceptable to me, that's a tautology. ????

 

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

My point was that glass isn't the only, or main area, that contributes to the heating of a vehicle's interior and, therefore, the effect of window tinting film as a heat reducer is minimal and not even significantly measurable. If it was measurable I'm sure there would be comparable, real life, practical tests but I can't find any.

Yes I understood your point but my point was that I don't think that's true and I said why I think so. Your last point speaks I think exactly for the opposite because if window heat was not measurable then you'd expect there being studies or tests that would practically de-legitimize huge parts of the window tinting industry. And like you said you couldn't find any such tests confirming your arguments. Here's an article which lists some actual studies that confirm mine instead: http://www.christopherteh.com/blog/2013/03/car-cool/

 

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

Many people forget that the entire vehicle is made of heat transmitting steel that gets very hot when sitting under a tropical sun, regardless of your claim that the air inside panels (that is there only because the car cannot be carved out of solid steel) is there as an insulator!   No manufacturer claims that the vehicle was designed with in-panel, in-built, air insulation.

I agree that the cars were not designed with insulation in mind and I never claimed they were and I never claimed the manufacturers claimed so either. The air gaps are just a side product but the fact remains that they exist and form an insulating layer. And no, they are not there just because the car can't be carved out of solid steel. Noone would build a car out of solid steel, what would be the point? You always want other materials for various reasons.

 

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

And you know what?...no manufacturer, anywhere, even offers it as a factory option.  If the tint film is thermally effective as a cabin insulator, as some people claim, why is it not fitted as standard in the hottest places that could benefit from it such as the Middle East?

Because different people prefer different tints including no tint at all. There are lots of variations regarding material, darkness, reflectivity and color. Manufacturers really don't like to have a huge amount of variations for their cars to optimize manufacturing efficiency. That's why tints are then offered by dealers which apply it only after the car is ready. You mention the Middle East. Look at what percentage of cars in hot climates have tints vs the percentage of cars having a tint in colder climates. All these people don't just do it because it has no effect.

 

 

 

You can do a very simple test: park the car in the sun for a while. Then touch the interior side of your roof. Then touch your windshield from the inside. Which one is hotter? The hotter one transfers more heat to the inside of the car. The only question then is to calculate the amount of surface that each has to get close to being able to say what transfers more heat.

 

Films themselves don't make cars a lot cooler themselves. But they reduce the energy transmitted to the inside which makes 1. heat buildup slower 2. cooling easier / more efficient. And of course one wants to block UVA.

Edited October 5, 2019 by eisfeld

[Just Weird]

11 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

 

 

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

My point was that glass isn't the only, or main area, that contributes to the heating of a vehicle's interior and, therefore, the effect of window tinting film as a heat reducer is minimal and not even significantly measurable. If it was measurable I'm sure there would be comparable, real life, practical tests but I can't find any.

Yes I understood your point but my point was that I don't think that's true and I said why I think so. Your last point speaks I think exactly for the opposite because if window heat was not measurable then you'd expect there being studies or tests that would practically de-legitimize huge parts of the window tinting industry. And like you said you couldn't find any such tests confirming your arguments. Here's an article which lists some actual studies that confirm mine instead: http://www.christopherteh.com/blog/2013/03/car-cool/

 

I agree that the cars were not designed with insulation in mind and I never claimed they were and I never claimed the manufacturers claimed so either. The air gaps are just a side product but the fact remains that they exist and form an insulating layer. And no, they are not there just because the car can't be carved out of solid steel. Noone would build a car out of solid steel, what would be the point? You always want other materials for various reasons.

 

Because different people prefer different tints including no tint at all. There are lots of variations regarding material, darkness, reflectivity and color. Manufacturers really don't like to have a huge amount of variations for their cars to optimize manufacturing efficiency. That's why tints are then offered by dealers which apply it only after the car is ready. You mention the Middle East. Look at what percentage of cars in hot climates have tints vs the percentage of cars having a tint in colder climates. All these people don't just do it because it has no effect.

 

You can do a very simple test: park the car in the sun for a while. Then touch the interior side of your roof. Then touch your windshield from the inside. Which one is hotter? The hotter one transfers more heat to the inside of the car.

"I think exactly for the opposite because if window heat was not measurable then you'd expect there being studies or tests that would practically de-legitimize huge parts of the window tinting industry. And like you said you couldn't find any such tests confirming your arguments".

We're not discussing "window heat", we're discussing the interior temperature, big difference.

I was saying that there are no tests showing that your argument is justified, i.e. that there is a significant reduction in interior heat as a result of using tints! 

Your link showed an insignificant (in terms of occupants being able feel it) average reduction of 5ºC and did not justify tints as interior heat reducers any more than body colour or sunshades!

 

"You mention the Middle East. Look at what percentage of cars in hot climates have tints vs the percentage of cars having a tint in colder climates. All these people don't just do it because it has no effect".

If it was as efficient as after-market sellers like you to think, the manufacturers would do it themselves, but they don't, none of them.  Perhaps there's a reason for that!  Many people use tints for aesthetic reasons and anti-glare reasons, it's not all to do with (insignificant) heat reduction.

 

"Because different people prefer different tints including no tint at all. There are lots of variations regarding material, darkness, reflectivity and color. Manufacturers really don't like to have a huge amount of variations for their cars to optimize manufacturing efficiency".

That argument doesn't fly; manufacturers offer many different colour choices, don't they, many more than there are tint choices?  Nothing to do with "manufacturing efficiency".

[eisfeld]

5 hours ago, Just Weird said:

We're not discussing "window heat", we're discussing the interior temperature, big difference.

I was saying that there are no tests showing that your argument is justified, i.e. that there is a significant reduction in interior heat as a result of using tints! 

Your link showed an insignificant (in terms of occupants being able feel it) average reduction of 5ºC and did not justify tints as interior heat reducers any more than body colour or sunshades!

That's a misunderstanding. We are not discussing interior temperature. The topic is about Maxxma tint experiences and opinions and then drifted a bit into the general usefulness of tints. So all that is out of the window, excuse the pun ????

 

My claims are as follows:

 

(the right) Window tints...

1. Can significantly reduce heat/energy transmitted into the cabin

2. Make it easier for the aircon to cool down the car

3. Block UVA radiation

 

BTW 5 degrees can be noticable. Together with exterior color you're at 10 degrees which surely is noticeable.

 

5 hours ago, Just Weird said:

If it was as efficient as after-market sellers like you to think, the manufacturers would do it themselves, but they don't, none of them.  Perhaps there's a reason for that!  Many people use tints for aesthetic reasons and anti-glare reasons, it's not all to do with (insignificant) heat reduction.

I don't know if not a single manufacturer offers window tint off the factory. Do you have a source? I could imagine some more expensive ones offer it.

I totally agree though that many if not most people use tint for aesthetic reasons, how else would one explain the overly dark tints on windshields here.

 

5 hours ago, Just Weird said:

That argument doesn't fly; manufacturers offer many different colour choices, don't they, many more than there are tint choices?  Nothing to do with "manufacturing efficiency".

I think it does fly and you are wrong about the choices. How many colors are there for a given model? Maybe 5 on avg? Now consider the choices of tints. Even if they would just offer a cheap and an expensive option (simple "plastic" and a ceramic one) and four different shades that's already 8 choices. Combined with the 5 color options you suddenly have 40 different variations of cars instead of 5. And all that has to be tested and certified by government agencies. A lot of accessories are btw also not fitted from the factory, the dealer does it upon delivery.

 

But I think the main reason why they don't do it is simply because at least in Thailand for example the majority of window tints are most likely not street legal as they are too dark. A dealer can put that on as the car is already certified and it's the owners responsibility what he adds from the moment of purchase. Same like any other after market stuff. I bought a Ducati from an official dealer. Ducati Thailand sold me an aftermarket exhaust and put it on the bike that is not street legal as it has no TIS certification. No problem for a dealer. The factory though can't do that.

[Just Weird]

17 hours ago, eisfeld said:

I don't know if not a single manufacturer offers window tint off the factory.

Window tint film, you know, the same as the subject of this thread, not tinted glass. 

 

I know that no manufacturer will supply a new vehicle from the factory with tint film stuck on the glass, I don't need to show a source, I know it's a fact, if you dispute it you tell me just one that will do that.

[eisfeld]

6 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Window tint film, you know, the same as the subject of this thread, not tinted glass. 

 

I know that no manufacturer will supply a new vehicle from the factory with tint film stuck on the glass, I don't need to show a source, I know it's a fact, if you dispute it you tell me just one that will do that.

Yea I ment tint film. Wasn't 100% clear I guess. Let's set this argument to the side, I don't think we're going anywhere with it. Back to Maxxma vs other tints.