Window Tint & PAINT PROTECTION FILM
Over 40 years of experience!
CarSmart! has been tinting windows for over 40 years. As your Vehicle Improvement Specialists, we are committed to using top of the line products which are backed by a Lifetime Warranty, on both the window film itself and the labor to install it. We guarantee that the film we apply to your vehicle will not fade, blister, peel, bubble, discolor, or become difficult to see through over time. We use Xpel Prime™ High Performance and Xpel Prime™ XR Plus Window Films.
Benefits of our Window Tint
- Reduce incoming heat by 25% or more
- Reduce incoming glare by 50% or more
- Eliminate incoming UVA and UVB rays by 99%
- Help keep glass contained in the event of shattering during an accident
- Increase security; making it more difficult to break into the vehicle
- Covered by a Lifetime Warranty* on both the product and the labor; meaning the film will not bubble, blister, peel, crack, delaminate or fade significantly.
*Warranty does not cover damage.
Shopping around for Window Tint?
The most important consideration when shopping for window tint is assuring that you will receive a written Lifetime Warranty on both the window film product AND the labor to install it. Companies that install window tint inexpensively are often times using a low-grade film that will discolor within a year or two and eventually delaminate.
Window tint removal is often more expensive than having a quality film with a Lifetime Warranty installed from the start.
Our window tint is dye-stabilized, meaning that the film will never lose its color or become sun-bleached over time.
Window tint removal is often more expensive than having a quality film with a Lifetime Warranty installed from the start.
Our window tint is dye-stabilized, meaning that the film will never lose its color or become sun-bleached over time.
Illinois Window Tint Law
Searching on the internet for the Illinois Window Tint Law can be difficult because much of the information out there is either incorrect or explained in a confusing or contradictory manner. If you visit the International Window Film Association website (iwfa.com) it presents very good information, but there are a few legal explanations that are hard to properly interpret. We at CarSmart! were given a handout by the Will County Sheriff’s Department that simplifies the Illinois law on window tint. Here is our explanation from all of our credible resources:
As of 2010, you can now tint ALL of the windows on your vehicle with these rules/exceptions:
- Excluding your windshield, you can tint all of the windows in your vehicle to a "Net Metered Rate"* (VLT or Visible Light Transmitted)** of 35% with a 5% variance down to a net metered rate of 30% for all windows in the vehicle.
- You can tint from the rear doors back on your vehicle (including rear door glass, quarter glass, cargo windows and back window of the vehicle), as dark as you want to non-transparent black / limousine grade black. If you do this, you can tint your front door windows (driver door and passenger front door) at a Net Metered Rate of 50% with a 5% variance down to 45%.
- If you have an SUV, Truck or other vehicle with factory tinted privacy glass in the rear, this factory glass usually meters right around 20%. Because the factory privacy glass meters under 30%, the bullet point above applies. Front windows can be 50%, net 45%. And yes, you can tint over this factory privacy glass as dark as you want and tint the front windows and the 50% rule does apply.
- Tinting the top 6" of your windshield any level of darkness is legal.
- Tinting your entire windshield is not legal at any shade.
- Putting a UV-eliminating/heat-reducing film on your windshield is only legal with proper medical documentation.
- Colored window tint is not legal.
- Mirrored or Fader Film, such as Chrome to Smoke, is not legal on any windows
NOTE: Factory glass that is not tinted and appears "clear" is not actually 100% clear. Due to the nature of safety glass (as it has the bluish-greenish hue) will meter at about 75-80% clear, not 100% clear. When you put a window tint film over privacy glass it lowers the VLT of the rating of the film. For example, if you put a window tint film on it that has a VLT of 35%, once over the factory glass, the combination may meter at 30 or 32%. It will always be lower than what the film shade itself states.
* Net Metered Rate is what a digital window tint meter reads. Illinois allows a +/- 5% variance.
** VLT is the combination of how much light is passing through the combination of your factory glass window and the window tint film together.
In order to issue you a ticket for tinted windows that do not fall within the parameters of the Illinois Tint Law, a law enforcement officer must have a Digital Window Tint Meter to actually read the VLT** of your windows.
If the officer does not have a meter, they cannot issue a ticket no matter how dark your tint is or appears.
Ceramic Window Tint
We do offer ceramic window tint here at CarSmart! The benefit of ceramic tint is that it is multi-layered and blocks up to 80% of infrared heat as well as providing SPF 1000 protection against harmful UV rays. The only downside to this film is that it is typically twice as expensive as traditional window film and is only of great benefit to those who live or travel within high-heat states such as Arizona or Texas.
Xpel Paint Protection Film
A clear film that adheres to and protects your factory finish, Xpel Ultimate™ Paint Protection Film keeps your vehicle’s paint safe from damage caused by everyday driving, such as small rock chips, bug splatter, and bird droppings. Xpel Ultimate™ can be applied to virtually any painted exterior surface of your vehicle, including the headlights, door sills, and roof. Machine printed to fit the exact measurements of your vehicle, Xpel Ultimate™ offers unparalleled surface coverage that cannot be matched by “one size fits all” applications.
Some of the benefits of Xpel Ultimate™:
If you are looking to have Xpel Ultimate™ applied to your vehicle, CarSmart! offers quotes over the phone or in-person. If your vehicle is older and/or has seen significant road rash and highway driving, we will need to see the vehicle in person before we can give you an estimate.
Some of the benefits of Xpel Ultimate™:
- stain resistant; won’t turn yellow or fade over time like lower quality alternatives
- self-healing; when exposed to heat, fine swirls and scratches disappear over time
- “invisible” look; indistinguishable from factory paint
- backed by a 10 year warranty, keeping your vehicle looking great for years to come
If you are looking to have Xpel Ultimate™ applied to your vehicle, CarSmart! offers quotes over the phone or in-person. If your vehicle is older and/or has seen significant road rash and highway driving, we will need to see the vehicle in person before we can give you an estimate.