Solar Film - 3M, CoolnLite, Zen Tint, Vkool

[gccp23]

For those who used the V-Kool film and had no problems with GPS, may i know:

 

a. what film you used: V30, X75 or J83 for each panel?

b. is your GPS inbuilt in the car, or is the antenna outside / separate box?

 

I like the V-kool for the TSER heat rejection but i have huge concerns considering the different experiences everyone has.

 

Thanks!

I called Vkool, they said they have to cut a hole for IU, its SOP, but I think you can insist they don't have cut out.  They said iphone and samsung phones tested ok for signal.  Other brands not tested.

 

 

Now on 3M crystalline, the price ranges from $700-900 for same grade, mid size sedan when I asked different shops.  Anyone went for cheaper shops done by car wrap shops?  if got 10years warranty should be safe right?  comments?

[borez]

I called Vkool, they said they have to cut a hole for IU, its SOP, but I think you can insist they don't have cut out.  They said iphone and samsung phones tested ok for signal.  Other brands not tested.

 

 

Now on 3M crystalline, the price ranges from $700-900 for same grade, mid size sedan when I asked different shops.  Anyone went for cheaper shops done by car wrap shops?  if got 10years warranty should be safe right?  comments?

 

BTW could you share on your contacts? $700-900 is a very wide range. I got a quote from DS at $950.

 

I'm looking to replace my "3M Crystalline" films given by my AD. Seems that mine is of the lowest grade - the front windscreen is extremely hot in the sun..

[gccp23]

BTW could you share on your contacts? $700-900 is a very wide range. I got a quote from DS at $950.

 

I'm looking to replace my "3M Crystalline" films given by my AD. Seems that mine is of the lowest grade - the front windscreen is extremely hot in the sun..

Arch Performance at AMK.  they do car wraping.

 

Classic auto leather, they do leather seats and also solar film

[Ivan_06]

I*******t.

 

Workers OK but boss a bit stuck up. I lao pok chia see me no up but I paid $680 for supposedly their premium grade. Now one side window also turned cloudy.

Wow jialat. Thanks for highlighting this.

[Ivan_06]

Any reviews from stealth film

[Ivan_06]

Hi All,

 

Have shortlisted the above.

 

Zen is half the price of the other 3 brands (3M, Coolnlite, Vkool) though but not sure if it performs as well.

 

 

Any recommendations? Thanks.

Any reviews from your own installation??

I thot it was a feature of this brand when the tinting turned milky viewed from inside but my mechanic asked me why my tint so strange.

 

Went back and had it replaced, initially could not find my warranty card so took an extra week before I found it.

 

Guy told me not to use phone holder with suction cup, he said it voided the warranty and they replaced it out of goodwill.

 

Huh??

This is bad.. Cos even the $100+ free solar film provided by my ex se, after 4 years still good.. I used suction cup one lei. Guess I will steer away from i**********t then.

When mine turn slightly murky, I went down ask already.

 

All my cars related doc is always in car.

You also encountered??

[Guysmokey]

I had used Huper Optik and Ritecool. Both tint are effective while you are driving with AC. Tint cannot help keeping a car cool while park under the sun for more that 30 mins. The best is to park under shade. End of the day, more premium tint can give you better comfort while driving time under the sun. As long as the tint is of certain quality, I guess the durability is down to the installer.

 

My car came with rikecool. I find that it was not working well enough in the front. My friend recommended Huper Optik. Made an appointment and their manager was very patient and explained many things, from name change to product demonstration.

 

They are now named as Hyper21, I think they have a contract with Nissan cars. In the end I chose the highest heat rejection one for my front 3 windows. Very happy with the film.

 

I cant remember how much I paid for it, its almost 2 years. 

 

For my work, I always park outdoors. All I can say is anything less than 1-2 hours, the film works. 3 hours onward, better to park in shelter. 

 

Normal driving, only my wife is able to tell the diff between front seats and back seats. She sits at the back when the baby is out with us. She did tell me the money was well spent. 

 

We did think about v-cool and 3M crystaline too, but they were relative pricier. 

[Chucky2007]

I tried Zen twice, Tint Inc, vKool and a few budget ones. I think the entry level films are all similar in quality. Current is Cool n Lite given by PI.

 

the best one I had in heat rejection was from vKool.

Yes I agree Vkool is the best in terms of lasting heat rejection and clarity and zero issues of film quality. Only downside is interfering with GPS last time... but I don’t use standalone gos anymore.

 

I didn’t use vkool this time bec I was quoted $1400 for my car... went 3M crystalline range for $1000 but I think was far from vkool... wouldn’t use that again. Went for zen at $430 and I think same same as 3M.

 

Next time I tint.. will either go for $400-500 film or vkool. No more those $800-1000 range..

[stargazing76]

on the topic of window film. anyone heard of llumar film and whether it is a good film for cars in singapore? 

[Othello]

on the topic of window film. anyone heard of llumar film and whether it is a good film for cars in singapore? 

 

this is an "old" name ............... Been in market for very long liao. Rarely hear people going to them for cars. Maybe they focus more on commercial/residential 

[richard_crl032]

Yes I agree Vkool is the best in terms of lasting heat rejection and clarity and zero issues of film quality. Only downside is interfering with GPS last time... but I don’t use standalone gos anymore.

 

I didn’t use vkool this time bec I was quoted $1400 for my car... went 3M crystalline range for $1000 but I think was far from vkool... wouldn’t use that again. Went for zen at $430 and I think same same as 3M.

 

Next time I tint.. will either go for $400-500 film or vkool. No more those $800-1000 range..

 

Hi Chucky,

 

Not sure why again on so-called top of the range 3M crystalline version ... BIL collected his X3 and already find 3M crystalline provided foc by Performance Motors cannot make it and looking to added 2nd layer like you and me.

 

For the last 1 month +, absolutely ok and without any major discomfort despite the hot weather and bright sun which make my sgd350 of Zen film on front windscreen and front side window one of the best spent.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard

[Normanlai]

On 11/24/2018 at 11:48 AM, Ki113r said:

Yup, V-Kool indeed has very good heat rejection.

Just replaced my V-Kool with Zen and missed my V-Kool immediately!

Had to change coz I was not getting proper GPS reception in the car.

If I want to increase the heat rejection, can I do double layer with Zen?

 

V-kool seems to be a risk with GPS and cell reception. and its not cheap.

 

On 3/17/2019 at 7:17 PM, Ivan_06 said:

Any reviews from stealth film

i am also wondering..their top of the line is also 99% iRR 450+ dollars. many Vezel and Kia go to them. openly promised on the FB that LTA compliant, VEP, GPS, IU no need to cut hole. 

 

On 11/17/2018 at 9:28 PM, Ceecookie said:

On 11/17/2018 at 9:03 PM, ivanljr said:

Hello! Is Zen the most value for money? I recently bought my first car and wana install solar film to it.

You can check out Stealth Film work. They have 3 types of film depending on your budget

Tempted by Stealth too. I hope this is not a self advertisement by Ivan 😛

 

On 3/17/2019 at 10:22 PM, Guysmokey said:

My car came with rikecool. I find that it was not working well enough in the front. My friend recommended Huper Optik. Made an appointment and their manager was very patient and explained many things, from name change to product demonstration.

For my work, I always park outdoors. All I can say is anything less than 1-2 hours, the film works. 3 hours onward, better to park in shelter. 

Normal driving, only my wife is able to tell the diff between front seats and back seats. She sits at the back when the baby is out with us. She did tell me the money was well spent. 

We did think about v-cool and 3M crystaline too, but they were relative pricier. 

5

so you ripped out the rikecool and replaced with a layer of HO?  my car is always parked in the open. I need something extraordinary.

 

On 3/31/2019 at 7:55 PM, Chucky2007 said:

Yes I agree Vkool is the best in terms of lasting heat rejection and clarity and zero issues of film quality. Only downside is interfering with GPS last time... but I don’t use standalone gos anymore.

I didn’t use vkool this time bec I was quoted $1400 for my car... went 3M crystalline range for $1000 but I think was far from vkool... wouldn’t use that again. Went for zen at $430 and I think same same as 3M.

Next time I tint.. will either go for $400-500 film or vkool. No more those $800-1000 range..

10

Zen the same as low-grade 3M? did I interpret correctly?

I suspect the previous owner of my existing car did with Zen. He said near Macpherson, small shop, 2 man team, an old man with Malaysian worker.

My current old car is quite good, always parked open carpark even at work, the heat when we get into the car is more bearable than BMW my colleague drive. But then the BMW is probably armed with the lowest of the lowest grade.  never had problems with suction handphone holder.

 

 

On 7/11/2018 at 1:21 PM, Count-Bracula said:

I thot it was a feature of this brand when the tinting turned milky viewed from inside but my mechanic asked me why my tint so strange.

Went back and had it replaced, initially could not find my warranty card so took an extra week before I found it.

Guy told me not to use phone holder with suction cup, he said it voided the warranty and they replaced it out of goodwill.

Huh?? 

1

Is this about Zen?

voided the warranty?

most Dash type phone holders are terrible, if cannot use suction type then it makes no sense.
 

 

On 11/18/2018 at 9:36 PM, Contrarian said:

I installed their top grade film on my Mazda. Having used it since April 2017, I'd rather buy another brand next time even if I have to pay more. 

1

would you mind elaborating more? We are on the topic of Stealth right? My colleagues driving Kia recommend it. it is way better than lowest Rikecool 28 which is given as default.

 

 

[Mengster]

On 9/10/2019 at 4:19 PM, Normanlai said:

V-kool seems to be a risk with GPS and cell reception. and its not cheap.

 

i am also wondering..their top of the line is also 99% iRR 450+ dollars. many Vezel and Kia go to them. openly promised on the FB that LTA compliant, VEP, GPS, IU no need to cut hole. 

 

Tempted by Stealth too. I hope this is not a self advertisement by Ivan 😛

 

so you ripped out the rikecool and replaced with a layer of HO?  my car is always parked in the open. I need something extraordinary.

 

Zen the same as low-grade 3M? did I interpret correctly?

I suspect the previous owner of my existing car did with Zen. He said near Macpherson, small shop, 2 man team, an old man with Malaysian worker.

My current old car is quite good, always parked open carpark even at work, the heat when we get into the car is more bearable than BMW my colleague drive. But then the BMW is probably armed with the lowest of the lowest grade.  never had problems with suction handphone holder.

 

 

Is this about Zen?

voided the warranty?

most Dash type phone holders are terrible, if cannot use suction type then it makes no sense.
 

 

would you mind elaborating more? We are on the topic of Stealth right? My colleagues driving Kia recommend it. it is way better than lowest Rikecool 28 which is given as default.

 

 

Seems like you guys have quite the beef.. been through hell with my car.. had Cool n lite before after tearing if off and getting rikecool.. and finally with solargard. Took awhile but still the best in my opinion.. cool jlike park open air on a hot day not that hot. just my two cents cos the install was great and it seems to answer all your issues ^

[Extremme]

Zen seems like the best value for money...getting my car soon. Not sure if there is more recent reviews of Zen

[richard_crl032]

On 2/18/2020 at 8:49 PM, Extremme said:

Zen seems like the best value for money...getting my car soon. Not sure if there is more recent reviews of Zen

Hi Extremme,

Zen is fine ... can do 2nd layer on front 2 windows and windscreen for no horse run protection if same concern with vcool on gps, phone etc. but avoid 3M top crystalline.

Btw, it also depends on stock glass if tinted like merc or toyota then easy peasy but if clear transparent like subaru cars, extra care as mentioned.

Cheers.

Richard

[Normanlai]

On 2/18/2020 at 8:49 PM, Extremme said:

Zen seems like the best value for money...getting my car soon. Not sure if there is more recent reviews of Zen

Possibly the cheapest in Singapore to maintain the cool interior temp of your car for 3 hrs. 

Lets get real, all these film, 70% you pay for labour, smiles and rent.  Film is not expensive. 

Anything more than 3 hrs, all film behave like a greenhouse. The glass absorbs heat then heat radiates into the cabin. This radiating heat from glass is not factored in when you put your hand in and "experience" the effectiveness of the film.

Or you have no budget, then sputtered film are a different universe. Up to 2k for whole car. 

I am using stealth, the car is more bearable than zen at the end of the day. However, my new car is white and my old car is black, reflecting also takes place therefore its not a proper test. 

 

[Extremme]

54 minutes ago, Normanlai said:

Possibly the cheapest in Singapore to maintain the cool interior temp of your car for 3 hrs. 

Lets get real, all these film, 70% you pay for labour, smiles and rent.  Film is not expensive. 

Anything more than 3 hrs, all film behave like a greenhouse. The glass absorbs heat then heat radiates into the cabin. This radiating heat from glass is not factored in when you put your hand in and "experience" the effectiveness of the film.

Or you have no budget, then sputtered film are a different universe. Up to 2k for whole car. 

I am using stealth, the car is more bearable than zen at the end of the day. However, my new car is white and my old car is black, reflecting also takes place therefore its not a proper test. 

 

Thank you all for your reply.  So you used both Zen and Stealth? Stealth is this https://www.eelikes.com/stealh-film-workz/ 

I read somewhere that someone installed Stealth but failed inspection but it might be an isolated case. 

I think Stealth pricing is also comparable. I am contemplating these 2 as well. My car is Cool Grey Khaki (abit like light bluish grey) Subaru XV with the Eyesight installed. 

Stealth seems more established though

Edited February 20, 2020 by Extremme

[Normanlai]

On 2/20/2020 at 5:37 PM, Extremme said:

Thank you all for your reply.  So you used both Zen and Stealth? Stealth is this https://www.eelikes.com/stealh-film-workz/ 

I read somewhere that someone installed Stealth but failed inspection but it might be an isolated case. 

I think Stealth pricing is also comparable. I am contemplating these 2 as well. My car is Cool Grey Khaki (abit like light bluish grey) Subaru XV with the Eyesight installed. 

Stealth seems more established though

Zen cool is 20% cheaper also 20% less cool. 

My family support zen cool so I get to experience it all the time. 

Double layer only increase tint.  Filtering ability is fixed. You can't get 90% IRR x 2 = 180%.

Zen is very established.  Stealth is new. 

If you have eyesight technology maybe you consider zen cool. I feel that stealth is too effective. No I'm not indirectly advertising.  When features don't work its irritating. 

Fail inspection is coz the tool is not calibrated.  All the good film all hug closely to 70% like 72%. Means, if the inspector does not close 1 eye at 68% then you failed. 

 

Edited February 25, 2020 by Normanlai