One of the best things about Southern Nevada, especially in the Las Vegas area is the year-round beautiful weather. With this in mind, having a car that offers a sunroof can be a popular choice. There are however some disadvantages to having a sunroof on your car. New model cars have full panel sunroofs that take up as much as half of the roof’s total surface.
The most significant of these disadvantages is a byproduct of the sunroof’s intended function. When the sunroof is allowing your car to be filled with light, is it also allowing the sun to increase the temperature inside your vehicle. Rays damage the car’s interior surfaces as well.
Tinting your car’s glass surfaces including the sunroof is a great way to help keep the temperature down inside your vehicle. It can also increase the privacy of your vehicle while at the same time helping to protect the interior surfaces of your car from cracking, fading, peeling, and other heat/UV-related damage.
The UV entering your car damages your skin, hair, and most importantly your eyes while you are driving. Tinting decreases the internal temperature of your vehicle by as much as 60%. It also cuts the UV entering your car by as much as 95%.
Our crew here at Team Acme has done countless window tints. We’re prepared to say that it’s a relatively safe process, especially when compared to many of the other things that people like to do to their car. Many people who are concerned about cracking their glass might have a fundamental misunderstanding about how auto glass tinting works.
Tinting Is More Than A Luxury; It’s A Necessity
Having your side and back windows tinted is almost a necessity in the Las Vegas area. With that in mind you may have thought, why not get the sunroof of your car tinted.
You may have heard however that tinting the glass of your sunroof could cause the glass to crack or break. This is for the most part an urban legend with a small amount of truth. Nevertheless, the grain of truth has nothing to do with the tinting and more to do with glassmaking. Allow us to explain.
Designed To Be Broken To Keep You Safe
The glass that makes up your sunroof is a type of special glass known as tempered glass. Tempered glass is used in almost all of the passenger compartment glass surfaces of your vehicle.
A glassmaker takes regular glass panels, rapidly heats them up, and then cools them down several times in a row. This process radically changes the structural makeup of the glass and as such makes it many times stronger than a non-tempered glass of the same size and thickness.
Another quality of tempered glass is that it will not shatter or splinter when it is broken. Instead, it will just burst up into tiny pebble-like pieces that have dull edges.
These pieces will not cut or otherwise injure occupants of the vehicle during an accident or other situation with glass damage. One thing that should be noted about tempered glass is that it cannot be repaired once it is damaged. It has to be completely replaced.
Safety doesn’t just come in the form of glass that’s resistant to breakage, either. Think about what ultraviolet light is doing to your health as well as the interior of your car. It can warp plastic, not to mention what it can do to people or animals in the passenger compartment.
Even a relatively light amount of window tinting can help to dramatically improve the safety image on this front as well. Tinting is often seen as more of a necessity than something that’s just cosmetic. The process could potentially lower the interior temperature.
Excessive heat causes its own list of problems, even if it isn’t accompanied by an excessive amount of UV rays. By investing in some window tinting, you can possibly help to keep temperatures lower.
Businesses that have to ship temperature-sensitive products in the greater Las Vegas area rely on technology. They don’t seem to be afraid of their windows cracking. Such businesses would have the most to lose by experiencing this sort of problem.
Tinting Doesn’t Break Glass…Imperfect Glass Breaks Glass
Tinting a piece of glass, even your sunroof, will not inherently break the glass. If there are already imperfections in the glass that make it structurally vulnerable it can increase the chance of the glass falling.
Tint, to do the job that it’s intended to do, changes the amount of heat that the glass can absorb. This change in heat absorption can change the way that the glass expands and contracts when it heats up or cools. This change can lead to glass that already is vulnerable to cracking or breaking. It has nothing to do with the tint material or process, but rather the quality and condition of the glass itself.
Poor quality installations are a top cause of cracked glass such as this. For instance, those who take their vehicles to be tinted at a place with little experience will run into problems.
Think about how much pressure needs to be used to get tinting material to adhere to the existing window glass. Inexperienced installers may press far too hard or use a tool that exerts entirely too much force. This can cause cracks to appear, especially if they repeat this kind of abuse more than once. The more force that’s applied to a piece of glass, the more likely it is to eventually break.
At the same time, those with better window glass can expect better outcomes. Whenever we take on an auto glass job, we use the best glass available. Our team would like to introduce interested motorists to the concept of tempered glass.
What You Should Know About Tempered Glass
Most sunroof glass is made of tempered glass, as opposed to laminated glass that is nearly always used for your windshield. Tempered glass is made by rapidly heating and cooling the glass.
This process gives the glass added strength and protects against shattering. If you are involved in an accident and your sunroof (or side/back windows break), the glass will not shatter all over the passengers in your vehicle. Instead, the tempered glass breaks into small, dull, pebble-like pieces that very rarely cause any injury.
When tempered glass breaks, however, it generally cannot be repaired, but often needs to actually be replaced. If you notice a crack in your sunroof, get it to a reputable auto glass repair shop for an assessment. Cracks can very easily grow. The sooner your sunroof is fixed, the better.
Suppose, however, that tinting is applied properly. The only reason you’d ever experience this sort of issue is some sort of external force acting on your vehicle. Provided this doesn’t happen, you shouldn’t have to worry. What you’ll want to do, however, is talk to an experienced installer.
Team Acme: The Las Vegas Window Tinting Expert
Now you better understand that adding window tint to your glass sunroof is perfectly safe in most cases. Why not come see us at Team Acme?
Our AGRSS certified techs will perform a comprehensive inspection of your sunroof glass. They ensure that there are no nicks, cracks, or deep scratches which could be of consequence if the glass is tinted. We are the only AGRSS certified ship in the greater Las Vegas area to specialize in not only auto glass repair and service but also window tinting.
If the glass is satisfactory for tinting, we will be happy to quote you costs and talk over options. If we determine that your sunroof glass is not satisfactory for tinting, we can discuss replacement options.
Team Acme is located at 150 N. Gibson Rd. Suite D, immediately off of the 215 Freeway in Henderson, NV. We strive to provide you with the best tinting, glass repair, and vehicle wraps services.
When it comes to window tint and auto glass services, your first priority is safety. That’s why this is our first priority as well.
Protect Sunroofs And Rear Windows With Team Acme
Team Acme has been professionally serving the greater Las Vegas area for more than 10 years, with a dedication to excellence and customer satisfaction. We combine skilled service with a friendly attitude. Bring your vehicle in to be inspected and evaluated by one of our ARGSS certified techs. They can give you a comprehensive quote.
Our organization is always ready to offer a free quote online. Let us help you get the auto glass service that you need. Ensure that your vehicle is as great-looking, safe, and comfortable as possible. You can get a hold of us using our online form. We can’t wait to hear from you and to have the chance to serve you.
