I thought it might be good to have a 240 tint thread. I did not pull one up in my search, albeit it could be buried somewhere.

My dog has been suffering. She can't handle the direct sun, seated in my passenger seat and the back seat doesn't get enough air, with the AC on. Connecticut is north but that just means our summer days are longer and still can be quite hot.

So, I had my 240 Wagon tinted today with 3M Crystaline 40--their darkest of this new type of high heat (60%) heat rejection window tint. It rejects as much heat as the 5% limo black, and you can see out quite well. My choice would have been 20%. My home state Connecticut limits all the side windows to 35% and the back can be anything. I think 20% give some privacy, but I can possibly overcome that with curtains for times I'm car camping....

More about my tint. I did every window but the windshield in 3M Crystaline 40--their darkest of this type of tint. I have an appointment to get the windshield done in Crystaline 70--which is basically transparent, but offers 40% heat rejection, and 99/9% of UV is blocked. If I did this my Wagon would stay pretty cool even parked in the direct sun. It will stay pretty cool even without doing the windshield, but the windshield due to it's angle is a big contributor to solar heat gain.

A couple of cracked windows and some water and my dog would be ok for 10 minutes or so, perhaps longer, while I run a quick errands. When the weather cools down some I can leave the windows just cracked and she will be comfy. I'm thinking of a dc powered window fan also be nice for both of us. There is a trim piece on the back side I might modify for that--or I can figure something out to vent the wagon--a vent down low and a cracked window would keep temperatures down substantially. BTW. A comparison of the Cystaline 70 and a car without tint showed a 30 deg temperature difference. My 70 should rock for heat rejection. I'm also looking into reflector blinds for the windshield also.

The first pictures shows the back windows with the tint being cut on the outside.




Now the windows have tint installed on the inside. Tailgate was up in both pictures. note the paper towel in the back and the cardboard backs on the right side. Take a moment to admire my $200 Virgo's put on last week. I love them--the came nicely painted. Note too the decals in the bottom left corners of each window.



Another shot of the whole car, with the passenger side windows tinted, the drivers side might have been tinted at this point also...the more tint that went on, the dark it got. The tail gate is open letting in a lot of light.

I really like this tint. It came out better than I expected. It matches perfect with the silver paint and black trim.



Finished job, every window except the windshield all in what is called 40%, but the window decal reads 38%. Connecticut has a limit of 35% and a decal must be between the tint and the glass on every window--excluding the back window which can be any degree of tint including fully obscured. The bottom back corner of each window has a decal barely visible. People with legal tint are getting tickets for not having this decal--which is required by the law in Connecticut. Check your state's laws.


While I was at it, I had the black vinyl tape under the back windows replaced. It was cracked and failing. It looks better now, although there is a small section on the pillar that could use a touch up patch--on both sides. Can you see the patch of sliver on the aft pillar near the top? A small detail to fix next time. It is looking so good, I feel like getting the whole car painted to make it perfect.


I have a couple of other pictures of the view from the back. I will post those soon.

 

looks really good, from the pictures it looks darker than 40%. I like it alot. In my state (North Carolina) the tint limit is also 35% but we dont have to have the labels in the corner of the tint. I just had my 740 done in all out 5% excluding the windshield I still had a strip put across the top of it in 5%. I wish I had went with 20 because it is really dark you cant see in the car at all even in direct sunlight. But I do love dark tinted windows though.

 

my car tinted

 

It looks good on your car. I would not change it.

If you do, it is not that expensive. Why not indulge yourself? You only live once. And it is a safety issue as well. You can peel it off scrape off the glue with a razor and take it in after it is all off. The only headache are the curved pieces of glass that inhibits razor use. The shop I used, charged an extra $40 to remove old film but I think that varies depending on your situation.

If you do change it, consider the 3M Crystalline 40 if you are looking for heat rejection. It will work as well as your 5% limo tint and you can still see out of it. There ceramic tints also have good heat rejection and I'm sure they have a 20% tint we both like, as that and 35% seems to be the most popular shades.

The young guy who helped work on my car was from New York State...laws there limit front doors to 70% which is basically no tint at all. He had 5% all around on a black car except 50% on the windshield--which I think is dangerous. He reported it was hard to see out when it was raining and snowing--conditions where there is less light and headlights are not effective.

Law mandates that a window glass pass at least 70%. So his was, combining the two by multiplying, together, .7 x .5= .35--at the darkest. In real world light transmitted--35% in the windshield! HOLY COW BATMAN! That is dark for a windshield!

If I used 70% tint, I figure the real world light transmitted will be 49% with the 3M Crystalline 70 tint. The shop owner said it the number would be a bit over 50%. I saw one car like that it and was not really noticeable from the inside. I could not really tell it was tinted. Of course with the other windows dark it looks light in comparison.

I have to decide if I'm going to tint my windshield or not. I like complying with the law. However, I do not like exposing myself to UV--at all. And I do want my dog to be comfortable. At the moment, I lean slightly away from doing it. I'll see how hot my car feels this week.

One concern is the liability. I drive pretty slow in this car, so it is probably not a valid concern. I see it as comparable to having your headlights out of alignment. On the other hand I spend a lot of time in the sun and I avoid UV exposure whenever I can. Many people in my profession have died from skin cancer--it is cumulative and just keeps adding up. Consider the number of people, men especially, who have gotten skin cancer on their right side--a higher number than the left. So I think if it came down to a court ruling, a bare minimum of clear tint on a windshield to protect from UV is reasonable--more than that--I say no, don't do it as there is no reward other than esthetics, and increased risk.

Here are the real world results [on a hot sunny day driving home]:

I instantly felt my 240 wagon is way cooler.

When I turned the AC on, I dropped it immediately from the third highest fan speed to the second and was very comfortable--and the fan noise was reduced. Basically, I felt I dropped a gear in my AC fan speed. After things start to get too cold on the second setting, I switched to the lowest fan setting which I only use on the highway. First I found I was trying this in minutes it happened very quickly. I'd bet for highway use the lowest and quietest setting would work after my car cooled down a bit, where before, I found myself going from lowest to second lowest and was never happy on either...

Does the Volvo AC stay on all the time, or does it cycle on and off? It seems that mine stays on all the time. I presume all Volvo 240's are like this? So what I need is a thermostat hooked up to a relay to cycle it. That would help my fuel economy some and allow my AC to function in a modern manner. Or perhaps just leaving it on low will work on the highway. I need a longer trip to test that out.

 

I believe the ac compressor cycles on and off, at least I can hear the relay clicking on and off. the ac really does effect fuel economy to a substantial degree. most the time when I dont have to use it I just roll the windows down and enjoy the fresh air.

 

Basically, I felt I dropped a gear in my AC fan speed. After things start to get too cold on the second setting, I switched to the lowest fan setting which I only use on the highway. First I found I was trying this in minutes it happened very quickly. I'd bet for highway use the lowest and quietest setting would work after my car cooled down a bit, where before, I found myself going from lowest to second lowest and was never happy on either...


Great thread, very informative. Our feeble Volvo A/C's need all the help they can get down here in TX, especially this year. I've been wondering what sort of tint to get; didn't know there were so many options. That 3M stuff sounds like the way to go.

Re your fan settings: The lower the fan speed, the colder the air will be coming out of the ducts; this is true on any car. At higher fan speeds the air doesn't spend as much time doing heat transfer going through the evaporator, and the air is therefore not as cool, although the improved circulation does contribute to comfort. You can easily verify this with a thermometer in the duct. My 740 has five fan speeds; I usually keep it on three.

 

 

3M invented window tint. They are the best but there are good competing products. I had difficulty finding one of the other brands I was interested in.

The Crystalline types are the most expensive. Ceramic are expensive, but less so. The metal types have high heat rejection, and are probably better for nuclear bomb protection, they inhibit electro-magnetic waves and therefor cell reception, Easy Pass devices, Bluetooth, etc. And the base level tint work as well for the Minimum price.

I spent many hours researching tint and looking at all the options. I plan to keep this old Volvo for a long time, and that justified the higher expense for the tinting. It came out better than expected. I don't expect to have issues with law inforcement in my homestate, unless they measure me. I have the labels, which are show the level of tint to be 39% transmission, not 38% as I stated above. The real more light transmission would be in the neighborhood of .30 which is less than the legally allowed .35. I could fight it in court as the spec of the film is greater than the spec of the law, and I complied with the labeling.

I am debating putting this on my 18 year old 240 sedan at the moment, including the sun roof--which, while already tinted, is uncomfortable on hot days, and has no shade in the sunroof... It will cool that car down quite a bit.

Crystalline comes in 70, 60, 50, and 40. To be 100% legal, the 50 coupled with the >70 windows would work out to >.35.

Probably, I'd still chose to use the 70 again because I could probably get away with it. I recently noticed my brothers Tahoe, purchased in California has the side windows tinted. It is not in compliance, but similar to my own tint and he has never been hassled about it. Mine are equal all around, which might draw some attention. Time will tell.

 

good luck man, I am thinking about at least having my front 2 windows done in 35% just so I want get hassled about it but am unsure at the moment.

 

If you do the sunroof I have heard that you have to use certain types of tint to prevent problems. The heat reflects out and I have seen people say to use only silver films. I am not an expert by any means but I know on my old Formula T-Tops they said it could pop the glass out and I have read that you can only tint sunroofs with certain tints.

Here's my new car. It came tinted already. I am not sure how dark it is but I like it in the FL sun!

 

looks good, by the way if you want them bumpers to look better, sabestos make a satin black trim paint that will fix them right up, I just done mine a few weeks ago and they look amazing. Its about 8 dollars a can (spray can) and it should last for a couple years. Just a thought.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I was wondering what I could use to get them looking like new again. I do that and remove the pinstripes and it will look pretty good for its age.

 

yeah its a great looking car for its age, mine unfortunately does not. But my brother owns a body shop so I am going to enlist him for helping me paint mine back original.

 

I decided to tint the windshield as well. This is a very light, as light as you can get, 3M Crystaline 70 window tint. It blocks 40% of the heat. It is very clear and I don't notice it. No one has noticed it yet unless I point it out to them.

 

 

Good thread. That's a pretty 240 NightSailor. I wanted to get the windows tinted on my daughter's 240...as Joseph/TX noted, it's pretty hot here in Baton Rouge too, however, she likes the completely stock look. Oh well, good information for all of us, thanks.

 

LINK
Product review: 3M Crystalline window tint | Drive Arabia : Dubai / Abu Dhabi [UAE, Saudi, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman & GCC]

By the way, the 3M logo's he talked about are on the inside edge of the film and wash off. Some people like to have those visible--which is stupid in my opinion. I haven't gotten around to washing mine off--I keep forgetting until I see them.

He also talks about how the 40 tint is thicker and won't go on a highly curved rear window. I did not have the problem with my wagon as it was relatively flat. I don't know if it would be a problem on a 240 sedan--another car we are considering tinting--perhaps next year. I have to look hard to see any distortion though my windshield. A more curved windshield might have more distortion.

Yesterday, I parked in the sun all day and the car was hot was hot when I got in, but not crazy hot. I plan on installing a small screened vent in the storage well on the back passenger side, and the panel above it and cracking a window. I plan to add a switch, a fan and a small solar panel on the dash. It will get enough sun to keep the battery topped up and the inside temperature close to ambient all the time.

We have had cooler temperatures here lately. I had two dogs in the car and left the windows up for a short period without any worried, When I returned there was no increase in temperature inside. I would like an inside/outside thermometer to better access conditions.

In any event, both dogs were extremely comfortable. These black dogs inside on a black interior were pretty stealthy too. Our last pair of dogs barked like crazy when someone came close to the car. Living in Southern California at the time, migrant workers would tease them by rapping on the windows and throwing stones at them at the orange grove. They actually did us a favor, because I liked it that the dogs barked furiously when people came too close. We stopped locking the car doors after that because no sane person would want to enter the car.

 

Nice looking tint job on that 240!
I saw some mention of painting bumpers and I found a better way to restore bumpers on the net that I thought I'd share.

I tried it while I had my 93' 240 wagon torn apart to paint it and was very happy with the results.

Clean the plastic very thoroughly first and let it dry, then use a heat-gun to slightly remelt the surface. Easiest on a hot, non-windy day in direct sun.
It turns old plastic to new in a flash. Does not cause it to get brittle or gnarly unless you overdo it. It's easy to tell when you should be moving your gun faster though.
You can watch as the hot air goes on as if you were spraying paint. Amazing, cheap, and easy. Three of my favorite attributes.

I just bought some Solar Gard Supreme HP 28% to do my Volvo. Local tinter recommended Solar Gard Supreme.
From what I understand, the 28% rating means that this is the darkest that the tint could possibly turn out. My state law is 35% (Ky). A local tint shop told me that they normally use 30% film for front windows without law problems.

 

50% at Midnight Window Tint in Bellevue
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