I haven't actually done it yet, and I'm kinda NOT doing it myself, but after researching some of this "ceramic" window tint, decided to make an appointment for the local truck accessories store nearby to get some ceramic film done for my truck by professional installers. They use Llumar and 3M film lines, so with either of these high quality films, I can't go wrong. I chose the 3M. Plus, they had a spring special if you got the whole thing done all around, including windshield (clear UV protective film), they knock $100 off the package price. $350 for the rest of the truck, $250 for the windshield if done separately. But for $500 I can get the entire truck done all around. A bit pricey, but overall I think it'll save the interior and keep me from frying through the glass. It's non-metallic so it won't mess with any bluetooth or phone signals.
Warranty is lifetime, so that's a plus. And in SC, they're required to have the installer identifier under the film somewhere so the police can find them if they try to do an illegal tint. Around here, traffic cops carry one of those tint level meters with them.
They had a demo inside the store of a heat lamp to simulate the sun and had different films set up so you could actually feel the effect of UV blockage across their entire array of window films. The least expensive films you could hardly feel any difference between the heat with or without the film, even at the same tint levels. On the upper end of the price scale, you could barely tell the lamp was on. Ceramic was the hands-down choice. If anyone's ever been in the South in the summer time, it's a welcome feature. It's almost like out in the Southwest, but with all the humidity. Out west, the sun is about 20 degrees higher, but you can step in the shade and drop 40 degrees because of no humidity. In the South, you can step in the shade and drop about 2 degrees. The humidity hangs on to the heat.
It's been about 20 years since I've done any window films on my cars, but technology has come a long way.
