The options are pretty hard - face the Supreme Court wrath or swelter in the heat. The apex court’s order banning darker films has put motorists in a spot. But there is a way out. If scorching sun is the only reason for using a tinted film in car windows, one can escape by opting for a premium product.
The popular perception that dark films repel sunlight and thus keep the interiors of a vehicle cooler may not be entirely true. Dark films cut down only visible sunlight but are not efficient in stopping the Infrared (IR) rays, so they are not very effective in reducing the heat, Major P.T. Chowdary, president of AP Motor Vehicle Dealers’ Association said.
Price
Normal tinted films cut IR rays by just about 25 to 40 per cent whereas there are films that can cut down IR rays by almost 90 per cent even though they are just 10 per cent opaque, he said. The tinted films cost anywhere between Rs.1,500 to Rs.30,000 depending on the brand and variety, he explains. “People are aware that there is a SC directive against using darker films. But they still opt for these films as there is no enforcement against such practices by the police,” Arvind Tated, owner of a car accessories shop, said. Darker films are preferred mainly by the younger customers. as they want to protect their ‘privacy’ or use the vehicles for transporting goods, he explained.
However, shop-owners point out that the sales of tinted films have definitely gone down after the judgement. “The demand for darker films has definitely come down. But those who have already purchased them are not removing the tint voluntarily,” Pavan Ahuja, owner of Pavan Electronics, a car accessories shop, said.
Supreme Court in a judgement passed in April 2012 directed that the transparency of the tinted films used in vehicles should not be less that 50 per cent on sides and 70 per cent in the front and rear glass panes. While city police is yet to start enforcing the SC judgement, Cyberabad police is gearing up to clamp down on the usage of darker films.
