Your car is going to lose value quite rapidly, from the first day you drive it off the lot to the day that you choose to trade it in. Though our cars lose value whether we like it or not, there are some ways to help slow the depreciation and keep your car looking and selling like a newer car. Your car is going to lose value over time, but you don’t have to take such a hit when it comes to selling it if you keep these two things in mind…
The first thing, is of course to keep it clean. Both the interior and exterior will fare better in the long run if you maintain its shine, as opposed to just the occasional wash. Keeping your car clean is one of the easiest ways to keep the value up, no matter its age.
To that point: Scotchgard the interior. This is a great way to keep upholstery and other areas looking great, even if they see frequent use. Using a product like Scotchgard can keep your seats from getting stained and worn over time. Along with this type of treatment comes keeping your floor boards free of debris, keeping them free of spills, and making sure that there is no unnecessary wear and tear that you can avoid. Accidents happen, of course, but every precaution you take now helps you later on.
Another way to keep your car value up is to take care of the exterior. This is often one of the first places that begins to show age in a car. Sun damage, weather damage, and simple age can make paint fade, flake, and chip. Clearbra paint protection can help keep paint looking new, even if it does have some age to it. Though keeping your car clean can help tremendously, you should also have regular maintenance so that the exterior and interior of your car match the car’s ability to run and perform.
Give us a call today. We’ll help you keep your car looking new.
Car customization is a great way to show off your personality. Many people like to customize their cars because it gives a sense of freedom. The ability to choose whatever kind of colors and designs you want can be very thrilling.
Many customizations also have very useful functions. Window tinting is a great customization that helps shield from the sunlight as well as give a sense of privacy.
People who live in California know how unrelenting the sun can be. There are many different degrees of darkness to choose from when wanting to tint your windows. So the question remains: how dark should you tint your windows?
To answer that question, you’ll need to ask yourself why exactly you want darker windows.
Heat Rejection
SoCal is sunny. That’s a fact. With the sun, we get plenty of heat, especially here in the Conejo Valley. From Simi Valley to Camarillo, car window tinting is practically a necessity. Tinting your car windows helps block out some of that heat while it’s parked out in the sun all day.
UV Protection
Speaking of sunlight, we’re also subjected to harmful UV rays on a daily basis. Car window tinting helps alleviate some of that, which is especially helpful for those with long commutes.
Privacy
If you want to keep those back seats private, whether for passengers or personal goods like computers or groceries or whatever, darker windows will help you out. You don’t have to be a celebrity for people to want to stare into your car. Keep it private by darkening your windows.
Aesthetics
Tinted windows just look better. It’s a scientific fact.
Many people choose to tint their windows for various reasons. It’s best to understand your own desires – what do you want from your tinted windows, how would you prioritize these features?
You should also be aware of the laws surrounding tinting. See our blog on CA laws on auto window tinting. Tinting is a customization that not only looks great but has many great functions, but be wise – don’t get slapped with a fine for having illegal tinting.
If you need some window tinting done, or if you have questions about it, give us a call – we serve all of Thousand Oaks and the surrounding area.
805.495.3967
Or, contact us online.
Technology enhances our driving experience and makes us safer. The BMW X5, for example, is a standout model for safety and style. Adding window tinting improves the look, the comfort, and has a host of other benefits. However, not all forms of technology are cohesive with the whole – auto-dimming rear view mirrors, for example, don’t always play nice with window tinting.
If you really want to tint your windows nice and dark, please consider that auto-dimming rear view windows may continue to auto-dim despite the darker rear windows. The dimming sensor may be up front, closer to the mirror itself or somewhere on the dashboard, so the light readings come from the front windshield, which isn’t dimmed at all. With particularly dark tinting, this can turn into a major safety hazard.
In many cases, the auto-dimming feature cannot be adjusted. Added by the manufacturer before it even hits the dealer lot, this is a feature designed to improve safety while driving at night. Unfortunately, if window tinting is necessary to make driving bearable during the day, you’re going to have to make a decision.
Give us a call – we can take a look at your car and give you our recommendations. We’ve had years of experience with car window tinting, especially on the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz sedans and other vehicles with auto-dimming features.
805.495.3967
Each state will have its own different car window tint laws. California has its own laws, and it’s important to know what they are before you get your car windows tinted.
Our most important window tinting laws focus on these certain aspects: which windows you can tint, the darkness of the tint on each window, and the reflectiveness of the tint.
Which Windows Can I Tint?
It is illegal for the front windshield to have any aftermarket tint. However, car owners may apply non-reflective tint strips to the top four inches of the windshield.
The side windows and rear windshield may be tinted.
How Dark Can My Car Window Tint Be?
The front side windows must allow 70% or more of natural light through. The rear side windows can be as dark as you like. The rear windshield can also be as dark as a driver likes, but the car must have the rear view mirrors on both sides of the car.
Can I Use Reflective Tint?
No. Absolutely not. California specifically does not allow any window tint that is more reflective than normal glass. We get enough sunlight as it is, imagine a highway full of mirrors shining that light right into your eyes. It’s just not safe, and accordingly, our state laws do not allow it.
Can I Use Red Tint?
Nope.
It’s important to know the state laws for the state you live in. Conejo Auto Detail & Tinting is located in Thousand Oaks, CA; we serve the entire Conejo Valley, from Camarillo to Simi Valley and down to Simi Valley.
If you need more information on California car window tint laws, check out the CA DMV page.
In addition to residential window tinting for comfort at home, equally important is commercial window tinting to keep your business safe, efficient and happy. Tinting windows is a frequently overlooked solution to many problems that business owners often face. For example, commercial window tinting provides the following important benefits:
1. PRESERVATION OF OFFICE FURNITURE & EQUIPMENT
High intensity ultraviolet rays damage office furniture, equipment, carpets and flooring. Your investment in furniture and equipment needs to be protected like any other investment. Sunlight fades furniture, and if you chose your furniture for a reason, make sure you keep it in good condition! Tinted windows can help keep your walls evenly painted, too, so the north walls aren’t more faded than the south.
2. ENERGY EFFICIENCY
If you are paying utility bills on your commercial property, naturally you’ll want them under control. Southern California is a hotbox all the way through November some years, especially in Thousand Oaks. Are you paying for air conditioning? How much are you paying each month? ACs are expensive to repair or replace. Running the unit less frequently is a win/win situation for both the business owner and the staff.
3. REDUCES GLARE
Although the human body needs natural light, bright glare from the sun can be an interference and annoyance, and bright reflections can keep your staff from working at an optimal pace. There’s no need to block the beautiful view outside with curtains or blinds; in fact, research shows that having a nice view tends to improve workers’ morale, which has been shown to increase productivity significantly. Who knew success could bloom from something as simple as window tinting?
4. SECURITY AND SAFETY
Santa Ana winds in the autumn can sometimes blow so hard that large, damaging debris gets blown through windows, especially at street level. Window tinting has the added benefit of keeping broken windows in place, so that shards of broken glass don’t get blown inside the building where people may get injured.
The bottom line: window tinting a commercial property saves money. Don’t delay, call today!
In Southern California, especially in Thousand Oaks and up through Simi Valley, we see our fair share of sunlight – especially in the summertime. While it’s great to play in, sometimes we need a respite from all that intense light. Tinting your home’s windows is a great solution to a lot of daily annoyances that many people are otherwise forced to live with. And while you may think it’s an undue expense that you’ve been living without up till now, consider the lowered air conditioning bill and consider these other three important benefits:
1. Comfort
The home ought to be the most comfortable place in your life. You shouldn’t have to wait 30 to 45 minutes for your air conditioning to cool down a room when you get back from work. You shouldn’t have to squint just to read the newspaper in the morning. You shouldn’t have to close all the curtains just to enjoy watching a ball game on TV. Window tinting on your home helps reduce the glare and irritation, and helps keep the temperature stable. It’s a low-cost investment that will greatly improve your quality of life.
2. Safety
Santa Ana winds can blow up large debris and detritus that can damage windows; tinting film helps the windows stay in place rather than blow shards of broken glass inside. It’s better than an additional insurance policy!
3. Money
As mentioned before, you can reduce the monthly energy bills by using your A/C less. Depending on your insurance carrier, you may also be able to negotiate a lower premium for your homeowner’s insurance. Also, upgrades to aesthetics improve your home’s resale value – at which point, the investment of tinting the windows will more than pay for itself!
Think about residential tinting for your home’s windows. It’s worth it. Call us and we can tell you more.
805.495.3967
That sunlight is actually a bigger hazard than a lot of drivers are willing to admit. So to help avoid accidents, here are some safety tips for driving into the sun:
1. Keep your windshield clean on both the inside and outside.
Those smears that may seem like nothing at noon become giant, visibility-impairing streaks when the sun gets low. It’s a major distraction, and one that is easy to prevent. If you need to, keep a bottle of cleaner and some paper towels in a convenient storage place in the front. Give the inside of your windshield a wipe-down before leaving work in the evening.
2. Make sure your wipers are in good condition.
Windshield wipers can get worn down over time, and at a certain point they stop being effective. They don’t remove water spots and dirt from your windshield at that point, they just smear it all around, making visibility even worse. New windshield wipers are quick and easy to install, and can make all the difference between being able to see and not being able to see while you’re driving. It’s a serious matter that people tend to ignore – especially in the Thousand Oaks area, perhaps because it rarely rains, even though wipers get used quite frequently to clean the windshield off.
3. Keep your dashboard clear.
Speaking of clean – the dashboard is an area that needs to stay clean if you want to reduce glare from the sunlight. If you place paper (especially bright white paper), the light can reflect from above into your eyes. It’s subtler than a direct beam of light, but anything white reflects more light than anything dark, and dashboards are typically dark. Best to leave them dark if you commute home westward at the golden hour.
4. Use that sun visor.
Make sure your sun visor works. It’s that flap that folds down to block the light. Plenty of drivers don’t want to bother with the time or cost of getting their repaired, since at first glance it may seem like an inconsequential detail. But when you’re driving toward the sun, the sun visor can save lives. Make sure its hinges are secure, make sure it isn’t falling off, and make sure you use it!
5. Invest in some polarized sunglasses.
This is generally good advice anyway, especially in Southern California, but particularly so when driving west at sundown. Polarized lenses mean you can block more of the painful light without blocking all light, so you don’t have to wear glasses that are so dark that you can’t see anything anyway. Polarized sunglasses will help you keep your eyes open, and will help ensure you’re able to see other cars on the road and the moves that they’re making.
And, of course, we always recommend window tinting in Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, or wherever in Southern California you may live. Reducing glare is one of many advantages car window tinting can provide. Read more about its advantages here (link), or call us today at (805) 495-3967.
