There’s no escaping the fact that the UAE is an extreme place, and when it comes to climate and ambient temperatures, few places on Earth are more brutal. All of us seek respite – anything and everything to negate the soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity. Our cars, with air conditioning permanently cranked up to the max, working flat out, become fortresses of cooling. Here, we have a modicum of control – and we make the most of it.
Now that summer is rapidly approaching, our collective attention is being turned to our cars. Will mine cope with the heat? When was it last serviced? How are those tyres looking? Is that air conditioning as chilly as you’ll want it to be in the depths of July and August? And if you haven’t already had it done, isn’t it high time you had those windows tinted?
Isn’t window tinting simply an exercise in vanity, though? Is it a mere fashion statement? Or does significantly darkening your car’s glazing protect its cabin against temperatures normally experienced only by steel smelters? It’s a question I’ve been mulling over for the past few years, so when I was asked if I’d be interested in meeting the Indian man known simply as “Mr KT”, I felt it was too good an opportunity to miss. Because KT is the man in charge of V-Kool in this region, and that company’s logo is seen on the back of an enormous percentage of cars here. You’ve seen “I’m V-Kool” written on the darkened glass of thousands of cars, right? It’s an extremely clever and effective marketing slogan.
I head to the company’s main workshop, next to the ever-popular Tom & Serg cafe on the outskirts of Dubai’s Al Quoz industrial area. It’s an unassuming-looking premises for such a successful, well-established business, but there’s a never-ending stream of cars coming in and going back out through its doors. I’m greeted by KT – a garrulous gentleman with an infectious, booming laugh, who starts telling me about the V-Kool operation. But before we get into that, it’s perhaps timely to examine a few pertinent facts surrounding the products his company has become famous for.
Essentially a transparent film applied to glass and other surfaces (it's been used architecturally on the windows of homes and offices for many years, too), there's nevertheless a huge amount of science at play here. While there are a number of other firms supplying similar products, V-Kool is recognised as a global leader in what it refers to as "daylight harvesting and energy-efficient solutions", winning numerous accolades in the process, including being listed (along with other inventions such as the computer, the world wide web, air conditioning and the telephone) in the prestigious Top 100 Inventions of the Millennium by America's Popular Science magazine.
How can something as seemingly simple as a tinted film be so admired as innovative? As with so many things we take for granted, though, there’s a great deal more to these products than meets the eye.
Independent testing has shown that V-Kool’s films screen out 94 per cent of infrared radiation and 98 per cent of harmful ultraviolet light, the radiation that causes sunburn and eye damage. That’s the equivalent of a tanning lotion with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 130. For your car, then, these films allow you to experience the sunshine without the heat or its damaging rays.
By comparison, tinted, non-reflective window treatments filter out (at most) 15 per cent of the sun’s infrared heat. Heavily tinted windows also detract from the appearance of your car (although some would argue the opposite is true) and reduce visibility, especially at night.
It will probably come as no surprise to learn that these films, like so many technical advancements, were used by the world’s military and defence organisations long before we got a sniff at them, and while they might look like nothing more than rolls of thin, tinted adhesive plastic, they’re actually the result of decades of research into particle science.
V-Kool, according to its marketing blurb, uses “a patented, leading edge dielectric sputtering process”. This technology works, it says, by depositing various alloys, compounds and ultra-thin stacks of pure elements – many only atoms thick – onto optically clear polymers. The company’s films, it goes on to say, are effectively “wavelength selective coatings” – similar to those that allow Stealth fighter aircraft to evade detection by radar – and they’ve been fitted to car windows in the UAE since 1996.
I mention to KT that my own car has factory-tinted glass to its rear windows and the tailgate, so why would I benefit from having an aftermarket coating such as V-Kool’s? “What you have is very common and involves a darker film being sandwiched between the two layers of glass that forms the laminate,” he says. “And that’s cosmetic more than anything else. You can’t expect something done for markets that include Scandinavia, Russia and Europe to be suitable for our own region. What you have on your car will not protect you from the heat.”
OK then, so what do I do if I want that thermal protection? If my glass gets any darker it will be difficult to see out of and would probably be illegal. “To get around your problem,” he goes on, “we have a new product that is almost completely neutral in shade, but offers all the benefits of our other films. It cuts out UV and infrared, but there’s little to no tint, which is a significant safety benefit.”
By way of a practical demonstration, I’m taken to a heat lamp and asked to place my hand under its glare. After barely a second, I snatch it back, for fear of getting burnt – it’s that hot. However, shifting a clear section of glass over it, fitted with this new and almost completely transparent film, it’s as if there’s no heat source whatsoever – my skin feels entirely normal. So, I ask, is there any reason for car owners to go for films so dark they’re almost opaque these days? He says not and that his company is painstakingly trying to educate motorists and steer them in the direction of these new films.
I remain sceptical about the take-up of such measures, laudable though they are. I mention to KT that I once saw someone driving around Dubai Marina at night wearing sunglasses. He laughs. “Yes, for a certain section of the market there will always be this demand for very dark glass, but as you have seen, it really is not necessary now.”
Does V-Kool have a policy that prevents it from fitting film to cars that would be illegal in the UAE? It’s one thing having blacked-out windows on your house for privacy, but when it comes to motoring, there are many obvious dangers inherent in having glass that’s practically black. And when a car is put through its annual test, quite often these owners remove the black film only to have it refitted once the car is deemed roadworthy. It’s a perennial problem, so can V-Kool do anything about it, apart from trying to market the newer, clear films?
KT draws his breath. I know what’s coming. “We have a disclaimer,” he sighs. “Some customers insist they need the black film, but we are very clear to these people about the law here. We as a company cannot be held responsible for what customers do.” He says these words almost with an air of desperation – as though he’s deeply uncomfortable in sating the desires of motorists who obviously have no regard for the law or road safety. But, he says, the percentage of drivers demanding the really dark tints is minimal; the majority go for films that meet legal requirements. I suppose, when all is said and done, if someone is determined to have black windows, they’ll find somebody, somewhere, who will do the work for them.
He talks enthusiastically about the “Gen 2” products his company recently brought to market. “They soak up heat like a sponge,” he says. “The technology is unbelievable, how it reflects the light as if it’s a mirror, yet you can see in and out without problem.”
As someone who has previously dismissed these films as being of little or no benefit, I admit my mind has been altered. As I get older, my attitude to the sun has changed: I either cover up or slap factor 50 on every exposed piece of skin. Sunlight, as essential as it is to life, does cause damage, and I want to limit that as much as possible. The fact that these new window films cut out those harmful rays means there are health benefits – don’t for a second think that because you’re behind a pane of glass that you can’t get sunburnt.
Another thing to consider, especially if you have an environmental conscience, is that by reducing the ambient temperature of your car’s cabin, you put less strain on its air-conditioning system. This, in turn, makes your engine more efficient, saving fuel and reducing harmful emissions in one stroke. Admittedly, in our part of the world, saving fuel isn’t really on anyone’s radar, but things can quickly change.
Fitting these films isn’t cheap. My own car – a compact Volkswagen Scirocco – would cost upwards of Dh4,500 for the treatment. As far as KT is concerned, though, it’s money wisely invested. “We give a full five-year international warranty on all our films,” he says. “So when you spread that cost over those five years, it becomes less of an issue. We also have various payment plans to assist with the purchase.”
With summer temperatures set to hit hard over the next few months, perhaps you too are thinking about what to do to minimise the effect they will have on your life. When it comes to aftermarket window films, though, if you value the safety of yourself, your family and other road users, it’s at least good to know that you don’t need to be kept in the dark to stay cool. Hopefully soon we will be able to stamp out the scourge of illegal tints and the roads will be safer for all – now there really is no excuse for them.
motoring@thenational.ae
Follow us @LifeNationalUAE
Follow us on Facebook for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news.
