The art of window tinting
This issue we take a look at a different aspect of vehicle livery – window tinting. Tinted vehicle windows provide significant heat and UV protection, as well as reducing glare and helping to cut down fading of your vehicle’s interior. We visited Tom Whitehead of Fleet Auto Shades who started
applying window films in 2003 and admits to being something of a perfectionist. He specialises in window tinting and security film for all types of vehicles, homes and offices. Here, he takes us through the steps needed to apply the perfect vehicle window film.
A steady hand is vital at this stage.
Tom heats the film until it starts to physically change and he can shape it to the outside of the window.
Careful measuring means films aren’t wasted. “3M is a well known name and you can rely on their films, they
This new model Fiesta is a first for Tom so he’s cutting the window film to shape and size as he goes along.
From the outside Tom’s workshop in Fleet, Hampshire, may
resemble a barn but immediately you open the door, it’s apparent he takes his work very seriously. Inside everything is extremely tidy and clean, to an almost clinical standard, one could say “obsessively clean”. It actually looks as if the whole place is thoroughly washed and hosed down every day. The ceiling and walls are even sealed with special paint and the floor is lined with a special rubber matting to prevent contamination. Tom explains that a dust free environment is absolutely
essential for applying perfect window films, as the slightest bit of dust will be very obvious on a window film. He uses 3M window films, usually from either the Colour Stable or the FX ST ranges.
cost more but they last and last. I spend time and effort doing a good job and I only want to see my customers come back for their next tinting job, not because there’s a problem with the materials I’ve used,” says Tom. For this demonstration, Tom’s using 3M’s FX ST Window Film
to tint a new Ford Fiesta. As UK law currently states that the front driver and passenger windows cannot be tinted, apart from a clear security film, Tom is only tinting the backside windows (two on each side) and the rear window. He keeps templates of every model of vehicle he’s worked on but this new Fiesta is a first for him so on this job he’ll be cutting the window film to shape as he goes along. Prior to working with the films Tom detaches the rear tailgate
spoiler and takes out the rubber seals to the rear windows. Then he washes and dries the outside windows using a pressurised sprayer of water and a little washing up liquid before the really meticulous cleaning of the windows’ inside surfaces begins.
.....Continued on page 48 ISSUE 130 JULY/AUGUST 2011 Sign Update 45
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