Automotive Tinting
There are three grades of automotive film and the difference is worth understanding before you spend money. Carbon is the cheap end, it fades after a few years and often turns purple. Ceramic is where the benefits actually become obvious. Nano-ceramic performs best and costs the most. We only fit ceramic and nano-ceramic, both block 99 per cent of UV, and both are tinted to Victorian legal VLT limits and backed by a lifetime film warranty.
What’s involved
What we install
- Privacy tint on rear passenger and cargo glass to legal VLT
- Every film we fit blocks 99 per cent of UV, protecting trim, upholstery and skin
- Full vehicle packages for cars, utes, vans and fleet vehicles
Why it works here
Built for Melbourne conditions
Melbourne summers swing hard, and a car parked in the sun on a 35-degree day becomes an oven. Ceramic tint drops cabin temperature noticeably, protects the interior from UV fade, and adds privacy for anything left in the car. It is the same logic as tinting your home glass, applied to the vehicle you sit in every day.
Warranty
Backed in writing
Lifetime film warranty for as long as you own the vehicle, covering bubbling, peeling, cracking, delamination, abnormal fading and adhesive failure. Twelve months on installation workmanship. Original purchaser only, and the film has to be a legal VLT install.
Genuine film, warranted
Authorised dealer for the films that matter
Stay Shady is an authorised dealer for XPEL, SolarGard by Saint-Gobain, UltraGard and Black Armor. That means genuine film sourced direct, installs done to manufacturer spec, and a manufacturer warranty that actually stands behind the work, not grey imports with nobody to call.
Types of automotive tinting
Which film is right for you?
Ceramic Film
Ceramic sits in the middle of the range and it is where the benefits of tint actually become obvious. Instead of dye it uses ceramic particles to reject heat, so it never fades purple and never bubbles as the dye breaks down. There is no metal in it, so it does not interfere with GPS, phone reception or keyless entry. Our ceramic film rejects between 75 and 84 per cent of infrared heat depending on the shade.
- Rejects 75 to 84 per cent of infrared heat depending on shade
- Holds its colour, no purple fade and no bubbling
- No metal content, so no interference with GPS, phone or radio
- Two mil thickness for added strength
Nano-Ceramic Film
Nano-ceramic is the best performing film we fit and the most expensive. It uses a finer particle technology that pushes infrared rejection to between 93 and 95 per cent, against 75 to 84 for standard ceramic. In a car that is the difference you feel on the back of your neck in February. Like ceramic it carries no metal, so signals are unaffected.
- Rejects 93 to 95 per cent of infrared heat, the highest we offer
- Glare reduction above 70 per cent on the darker shades
- No metallic elements, so GPS, phone and toll tags are unaffected
- Backed by a lifetime film warranty for as long as you own the car
Tinting to Victorian Legal Limits
Victoria requires a minimum of 35 per cent VLT (visible light transmission) on front side windows and 20 per cent on rear side and back windows for most passenger vehicles. We measure and install to those limits so your car passes inspection and your insurance stays valid. If you are unsure what your current tint measures, we can check it at the same visit.
- Front side windows tinted to the legal 35 per cent VLT minimum
- Rear side and back glass to 20 per cent VLT for most vehicles
- Roadworthy-safe installs that will not cause inspection problems
- VLT measurement of existing tint on request
Ceramic vs nano-ceramic
Where the extra money actually goes
Both films we fit block the same amount of UV, so that is not what you are paying more for. The difference is infrared, the part of sunlight you feel as heat on your arm and the back of your neck.
| Measure | Ceramic | Nano-Ceramic |
|---|---|---|
| Infrared heat rejectedThe real difference | 75 to 84% | 93 to 95% |
| Total solar energy rejected | 36 to 57% | 31 to 60% |
| UV blockedIdentical, on every film we fit | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Glare reductionVaries with shade | 17 to 95% | 19 to 77% |
| Film thickness | 2.0 mil | 2.0 mil |
| Signal interference | None | None |
Figures are Black Armor Select and Elite across their shade ranges. The exact numbers depend on how dark you go, which we work out at the car.
How it works
Our process
From first call to completed install, one person handles everything.
Tell us the vehicle make, model and what you want from the tint.
Fixed quote by message or phone, usually same day.
Install takes two to four hours depending on the vehicle.
Film cures over three to five days. We leave care instructions so it settles perfectly.
Why choose us
Why choose us for automotive tinting
With most automotive tinting companies a salesperson measures, a factory builds, and a subcontractor installs. When something doesn’t fit or the finish isn’t right, each party points at the other.
Stay Shady works differently. Dany handles every automotive tinting job personally, from the first measure through to installation and warranty. One person accountable for the finished result means problems get solved rather than passed along.
Owner-operated
Dany personally measures, installs and warranties every automotive tinting job. No rotating crews or unknown subcontractors.
Free quote
Send the year, make and model, or have Dany look at the car. Fixed price before anything is booked.
Transparent quotes
Honest automotive tinting quote on the spot, every cost laid out clearly. No waiting days for a number.
No subcontractors
Your automotive tinting project stays with one person from first call to final install. One point of accountability.
Workmanship warranty
Twelve-month workmanship warranty on every automotive tinting installation from day one. Manufacturer warranties run separately.
Melbourne-wide
Automotive Tinting across metro Melbourne, Geelong and surrounding areas, six days a week.
What our customers say
Rated 5 Stars on Google
“Would highly recommend Dany and his business. He was quick to return my call, provided great detail and clear with his quote. Great communicator and has done a great job with our 9 windows that needed retinting.”
“Great job and very fair price. Had two panels done upstairs and reduced the UV by a lot now. Would recommend.”
“Danny did a great job, great communication. We are very happy and will be using him again at our next place.”
“Danny was professional and friendly throughout the whole process. Super efficient as well. All done in one week!”
“10/10 so knowledgeable and very clean work.”
“5 stars.”
“I appreciated how easy the whole process was. Quote was clear, no hidden costs and everything happened exactly when promised!”
“Great finished product. Very polite and efficient services provided by Dany. Do recommend.”
“Great service, responsive and reasonably priced.”
“Dany was amazing! He's very friendly, made the whole process so easy, and was very transparent through everything. Highly recommend!”
“10/10 quality service and communication, I've got very large floor to ceiling windows and he's done a perfect job at tinting them. 100% recommend.”
“Awesome work and great customer service.”
“Had my car windows tinted today, really happy with work. Really easy to talk to, more than welcome to help with anything.”
“Would highly recommend Dany and his business. He was quick to return my call, provided great detail and clear with his quote. Great communicator and has done a great job with our 9 windows that needed retinting.”
“Great job and very fair price. Had two panels done upstairs and reduced the UV by a lot now. Would recommend.”
“Danny did a great job, great communication. We are very happy and will be using him again at our next place.”
“Danny was professional and friendly throughout the whole process. Super efficient as well. All done in one week!”
“10/10 so knowledgeable and very clean work.”
“5 stars.”
“I appreciated how easy the whole process was. Quote was clear, no hidden costs and everything happened exactly when promised!”
“Great finished product. Very polite and efficient services provided by Dany. Do recommend.”
“Great service, responsive and reasonably priced.”
“Dany was amazing! He's very friendly, made the whole process so easy, and was very transparent through everything. Highly recommend!”
“10/10 quality service and communication, I've got very large floor to ceiling windows and he's done a perfect job at tinting them. 100% recommend.”
“Awesome work and great customer service.”
“Had my car windows tinted today, really happy with work. Really easy to talk to, more than welcome to help with anything.”
“Would highly recommend Dany and his business. He was quick to return my call, provided great detail and clear with his quote. Great communicator and has done a great job with our 9 windows that needed retinting.”
“Great job and very fair price. Had two panels done upstairs and reduced the UV by a lot now. Would recommend.”
“Danny did a great job, great communication. We are very happy and will be using him again at our next place.”
“Danny was professional and friendly throughout the whole process. Super efficient as well. All done in one week!”
“10/10 so knowledgeable and very clean work.”
“5 stars.”
“I appreciated how easy the whole process was. Quote was clear, no hidden costs and everything happened exactly when promised!”
“Great finished product. Very polite and efficient services provided by Dany. Do recommend.”
“Great service, responsive and reasonably priced.”
“Dany was amazing! He's very friendly, made the whole process so easy, and was very transparent through everything. Highly recommend!”
“10/10 quality service and communication, I've got very large floor to ceiling windows and he's done a perfect job at tinting them. 100% recommend.”
“Awesome work and great customer service.”
“Had my car windows tinted today, really happy with work. Really easy to talk to, more than welcome to help with anything.”
Common questions
Automotive Tinting questions, answered
For most passenger vehicles in Victoria, front side windows must let through at least 35 per cent of visible light (35 per cent VLT), and rear side and back windows must let through at least 20 per cent. The front windscreen cannot be tinted except for the top visor band. We install to these limits as standard so your car remains roadworthy and insurable. Darker rear tints are only legal on some commercial vehicle configurations, and we will tell you straight what your vehicle can and cannot run.
Car tinting starts at $300+ and moves with the vehicle — a hatch is less glass than a large SUV or a van. Entry-level dyed film is cheaper up front but fades, bubbles and rejects far less heat, so we quote ceramic as the default. Send through the year, make and model and you get a fixed price before anything is booked.
Keep the windows up for three to five days after the install, depending on weather. The film bonds with a wet application, and rolling the glass down before the adhesive cures can peel the top edge. You may also see small moisture pockets or a light haze in the first week. That is normal and clears completely as the film dries out.
For a car you plan to keep, yes. Ceramic film rejects roughly double the heat of dyed film at the same darkness, blocks the same 99 per cent of UV, and does not degrade. Dyed film typically fades purple and starts bubbling within a few years of Melbourne sun, and the fix is a full strip and re-tint that costs more than doing it right once. Ceramic also avoids the signal interference that metallised films cause with GPS and phone reception.
Service areas
Automotive Tinting across Melbourne
Recent work
Automotive Tinting projects
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