How Does Window Tint Help Protect Vehicle Leather?

Have you ever been shopping for a luxury used vehicle, and the one you fell in love with quickly turned to disgust when you saw the way the sun had damaged the rich leather interior? Or perhaps you have such a vehicle, and you are looking for a way to get ahead of that ‘leather cracking’ curve as it were? Plain and simple, the sun will damage the leather interior of a vehicle within a few years of that vehicle being new.

Next to your home, your vehicle is one of the largest investments that you will ever make. Would it not be in your best interest to do everything in your power to protect that investment? Taking a proactive approach to protecting those rich luxurious leather interiors is going to keep that leather looking new, and protecting that resale value of your vehicle down the road.

For the purpose of this post, we are going to take a look at how window tint helps protect vehicle leather. Before we begin, lets first take a look at what the sun’s rays do to an unprotected leather interior.

Leather Interior’s Number One Enemy: UV Rays from The Sun!

It wasn’t that long ago that the vehicle manufacturers would install leather seats and dashboards as a rather expensive add-on to the sticker price of the vehicle. Through a lot of design and innovation, those same vehicles began to implement ‘man made’ leather blends that looked like the real thing while at a price point that was much lower and more appealing to prospective buyers.

Whether you had real, or blended leather in the interior of your new car, you still had the same problem when it came to the sun’s harmful rays and the effect they have on leather interiors. Real, or blended, the sun’s harmful UV rays are what breaks down the leather product causing unsightly fading and cracking.

The best way to protect your vehicles leather interior is by implementing window tint that is designed to block those harmful UV rays. Ultraviolet (UV) rays like the ones that cause leather to crack and fade can also do irreversible damage to human skin, and in some cases has been the direct cause of skin cancers.

But which type of window tint is the one that is right for you and your vehicle? The choices of window tint today are as vast as vehicle choices and each type is designed for a certain level of protection for you and your vehicles interior.

Now let’s take a look at those types of window tint, and the benefits provided by each of them.

Which Type of Window Tint is Best for UV Protection and My Leather Interior?

Most vehicles that receive tint at the factory when the vehicles are assembled are in the 20% range. All window tint is measured in the percentage of light that the tint lets pass through into the vehicle. So, 20% film is blocking 80% of the sunlight that it is exposed to. Each state is different in how dark your tint can be, and you should always be in compliance with those laws when tinting the windows in your vehicle.

Once you have decided on what percentage you need for your vehicle, the next question is in regard to what type of window tint do you want to put on those windows? There are basically three types of window tint for vehicles;

1. Dyes. The window is tinted with several layers of dye to get to that shade that the customer is after. These types of window tint usually are on the less expensive end of the spectrum, and they are not quite as durable as the other types of window tinting.
2. Metallic Tint. These are tint’s that actually have microscopic metallic flakes pressed into the film. They do a good job of reflecting heat and UV rays, but due to their metallic nature they can wreak havoc on your cellular reception and AM/FM radio signals. The metallic films are widely used because of their inexpensive nature as compared to other window tinting mediums.
3. Ceramic Tint. This is by far the best way to deflect those harmful UV rays, and providing protection for you and your car. These tints are a bit more on the expensive end, but they boast an 80-98% reduction in UV rays and infrared heat signatures. Ceramic tint is the best way to eliminate harmful UV rays, and excessive heat.

As you can the ceramic tint is the ultimate choice when trying to stop the ill effects of the sun on your leather interior. Now the only thing you need is a team to install that tint on your vehicle.

The Ultimate Window Tinting Difference

There are just about as many window tint brands as there are brands of vehicles. Most of those companies do not offer the quality or the type of service that you will get when you have your windows tinted with XPEL brand window tints. XPEL offers the best tint films on the market for durability, longevity, and heat reduction. XPEL offers the highest percentage of heat reduction at 98%. Most of their competitors are in the 60-70% range. XPEL window tint is also the only tint sold and installed by Ultimate Window Tinting, here in the greater Portland, Oregon area.

Here at Ultimate Window Tinting we have successfully sifted through all the available window tint on the market, and XPEL brand window tint stands head and shoulders above the rest. These high quality window tints are the leaders in the industry for blocking those harmful UV rays that shred your beautiful leather interior. XPEL also offers a ceramic tint that will block out 88-98% of all incoming heat and that’s good news for you and your leather interior!

When you are ready to have the ultimate in window tinting products, simply turn to the pro’s at Ultimate Window Tinting! They are just a quick phone call or click away from giving your leather interior a fighting chance this summer!