Auto tinting overview
Ceramic and carbon film, cut by machine and installed indoors
Pro Auto Design tints cars, trucks, SUVs and EVs at 1972 Fulton Ave in Sacramento. Every install happens inside a climate-controlled, dust-free bay, and every pattern is cut by machine from the vehicle’s own template, which means no blade ever comes near your glass and no edge is trimmed by eye on the car. That is the difference most people are actually looking at when they compare one tint job to another a year later.
We install two film lines, nano-ceramic infrared film and a lower-cost nano-carbon film, in shades from a 3% limo to a nearly clear 78%. Dyed film only darkens the glass; both of ours reject infrared heat, which is the part of sunlight you feel on your arm at a red light on Fulton in July, and ceramic rejects the most. Both block 99% of UV, carry no metal so they will not interfere with GPS, cell signal or keyless entry, and neither will turn purple or bubble the way cheap film does.
California sets the rules and we work inside them, and the front doors are stricter than most people expect. Vehicle Code section 26708 begins by prohibiting material on the front side windows outright, then allows one narrow exception: film that is clear, colorless and transparent, that passes at least 88% of light on its own, and that leaves film and glass together at 70% or above. That is a near-clear UV and heat-rejecting film, not a shade, so we meter your specific glass first and you leave with the installer's certificate the code requires you to keep in the vehicle. Shade is genuinely your choice behind the front doors: rear side windows and the rear windshield can be any darkness provided the vehicle has dual side mirrors, and the windshield takes a non-reflective strip across the top four inches, or down to the AS-1 line marked on the glass.
Most full-vehicle jobs take two to three hours. Leave the windows up for three to five days afterwards, and expect a little haze or a few small water pockets while the film releases its moisture; both clear on their own, and a full cure can take up to 30 days in cooler weather. We are appointment-based rather than walk-in, and we tint for drivers from Arden-Arcade, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Fair Oaks. If the paint deserves the same attention as the glass, ask about ceramic coating while the car is already in the bay. Call (916) 844-6905 with your year, make and model and we will talk it through before you book.
Shade preview
Build your tint before you book
Pick a shade for the front doors, the rear windows and the windshield, then drag the divider to compare with untinted glass. Tap a window on the car to choose it. Lower numbers let less light through, so the glass gets darker.
Clear glassRear windows
No filmClear glass
No film on this glass yet. Pick a shade below to see it on the car.
The car shown is an illustration, not a customer's vehicle. A screen can only approximate a shade, so come by and look through sample glass in daylight before you commit.
How much does window tinting cost in Sacramento?
Installed prices for both film lines we carry. Nano-ceramic rejects more infrared heat; nano-carbon is the lower-cost option with the same 99% UV protection.
| Coverage | Coupe & sedan | SUV & crossover | Truck & minivan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full vehicleEvery side window and the rear windshield | Coupe & sedan$299–$379 | SUV & crossover$319–$399 | Truck & minivan$319–$399 |
| Back halfRear door windows, rear quarter glass and rear windshield, any shade | Coupe & sedan$239–$279 | SUV & crossover$269–$299 | Truck & minivan$269–$289 |
| Front two doorsClear film with 99% UV rejection | Coupe & sedan$129–$159 | SUV & crossover$129–$159 | Truck & minivan$129–$159 |
| Windshield stripTop four inches, or down to the AS-1 line | Coupe & sedan$79–$129 | SUV & crossover$79–$129 | Truck & minivan$79–$129 |
| Sunroof or glass roofHeat rejection for sunroofs and panoramic roofs | Coupe & sedan$69–$129 | SUV & crossover$69–$129 | Truck & minivan$69–$129 |
| Old film removalOnly charged when there is film to strip | Coupe & sedanFrom $99 | SUV & crossoverFrom $99 | Truck & minivanFrom $99 |
| Coverage | Coupe & sedan | SUV & crossover | Truck & minivan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full vehicleEvery side window and the rear windshield | Coupe & sedan$199–$279 | SUV & crossover$219–$299 | Truck & minivan$219–$299 |
| Back halfRear door windows, rear quarter glass and rear windshield, any shade | Coupe & sedan$159–$199 | SUV & crossover$189–$219 | Truck & minivan$189–$209 |
| Front two doorsClear film with 99% UV rejection | Coupe & sedan$99–$129 | SUV & crossover$99–$129 | Truck & minivan$99–$129 |
| Windshield stripTop four inches, or down to the AS-1 line | Coupe & sedan$59–$99 | SUV & crossover$59–$99 | Truck & minivan$59–$99 |
| Sunroof or glass roofSunroof or dual moonroof. Tesla glass roofs are quoted separately | Coupe & sedan$49–$99 | SUV & crossover$49–$99 | Truck & minivan$49–$99 |
| Old film removalOnly charged when there is film to strip | Coupe & sedanFrom $99 | SUV & crossoverFrom $99 | Truck & minivanFrom $99 |
Shade and how much glass your vehicle has both move the price within a band. Some vehicles are exceptions, such as the Tesla Model X, and are quoted separately. We confirm your exact number before any film goes on, and the quote is free.
Ceramic vs carbon tint: is ceramic worth it?
Most of the price difference between films is heat rejection, not darkness. Two cars with the same shade can feel completely different on a July afternoon.
Swipe to compare every option
| Compare | Dyed carbonNot installed here | Nano-carbonLower-cost option | Nano-ceramicMost heat rejected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrared heat rejected | Up to 40% | Up to 79% | Up to 97% |
| Total solar energy rejected | Up to 46% | Up to 60% | Up to 62% |
| UV blocked | 97–99% | 99% | 99% |
| Fades or turns purple | The dye layer can | No | No |
| GPS and cell interference | None | None | None |
| Warranty | Varies by brand | Lifetime | Lifetime |
| Full vehicle, coupe or sedan | Not offered | $199–$279 | $299–$379 |
Heat figures are manufacturer maximums for the darkest shade in each line. Lighter shades reject less, and we will show you the spec sheet for the exact film going on your car.
What you get with window tinting at Pro Auto Design
- Nano-ceramic and nano-carbon film that rejects heat rather than simply darkening the glass
- 99% of UV blocked, which protects your skin and keeps the dash and seats from fading
- Seven shades: 3%, 5%, 15%, 20%, 35%, 50% and 78% VLT
- Patterns cut by machine from your vehicle’s template, so no blade touches the glass
- Front doors metered and certified for California CVC 26708 compliance
- Lifetime warranty against bubbling, discoloration and peeling
How it works
- 01
Tell us the vehicle
Call (916) 844-6905 with the year, make and model. We will talk through film line and shade and put you on the calendar, usually within the same week.
- 02
We meter your glass
Before any film goes on we read the factory VLT of your front doors, so the combined figure lands inside what CVC 26708 allows.
- 03
Machine-cut and installed
The pattern is plotted for your vehicle and applied in the climate-controlled bay. Most full-vehicle installs run two to three hours.
- 04
Cure and warranty
Leave the windows up for three to five days while the film cures. You leave with a compliance certificate and a lifetime warranty.
Window Tinting questions
A full vehicle in nano-ceramic film runs $299–$379 for a coupe or sedan, $319–$399 for an SUV or crossover and $319–$399 for a truck or minivan. Nano-carbon film costs less, at $199–$279, $219–$299 and $219–$299 for the same vehicles. The back half of a coupe or sedan (rear side windows and rear windshield) is $239–$279 in ceramic or $159–$199 in carbon, and a windshield strip is $79–$129 in ceramic or $59–$99 in carbon. Some vehicles, such as the Tesla Model X, are quoted separately. We confirm your exact price before any film goes on, and the quote is free.
Not as dark as most people hope on the front doors. CVC 26708 permits film there only where it is clear, colorless and transparent, passes at least 88% of light by itself, and leaves film and glass together at 70% or above: a near-clear film rather than a shade, and one the code says you must carry a certificate for. Behind the front doors the answer changes completely: rear side windows and the rear windshield can be any darkness as long as the vehicle has dual side mirrors. We meter your factory glass before quoting and you leave with the certificate.
California allows a non-reflective strip across the top four inches of the windshield, or down to the AS-1 line etched on the glass. A full darkened windshield is not street legal here. Tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will tell you what we can legally install.
Dyed film makes the glass darker and not much else, and it is the film that fades, turns purple and bubbles after a few Sacramento summers. Nano-ceramic film rejects infrared heat, so the cabin actually gets cooler rather than just dimmer, and it contains no metal to interfere with GPS, cell signal or keyless entry. Every ceramic film we install is covered for life against bubbling, discoloration and peeling.
Most full-vehicle installs take two to three hours. Leave the windows up for three to five days so the film can bond, and expect a full cure to take up to 30 days in cooler weather. Haze and small water pockets during that time are normal and clear on their own.
Yes. Teslas and other EVs come through the bay regularly, and their large curved glass is exactly where a machine-cut pattern beats a hand-trimmed one. Ceramic film also keeps the cabin cooler, which takes some load off the climate system on a 100-degree Sacramento afternoon. A few models, such as the Model X with its oversized windshield and glass roofs, are quoted separately.
We work by appointment rather than walk-in, which is how the bay stays clean and how your car gets the whole install slot to itself. Call (916) 844-6905 and we can usually get you in the same week.
