The Ford MK1 Escort gets freshened up with new Lamina window tints
When you own a 40 year old car with leather seats in a country with a tropical climate, it often feels like sitting under a magnifying glass on a sunny day. That’s why we decided it was time to upgrade to Lamina Window tints on our Ford Escort Mk1.
In the UK the only reason for tinting your car windows was to look like a bad boy when you cruise the streets of East London, or if you were a drug dealer trying to keep the cops from seeing what was going on inside your ride. So naturally I knew nothing about the different grades of films available and what their purposes were.
We decided to visit our friend Yuht at Saveway Autos on Mahidol Road Chiang Mai. He explained that Lamina Window Tints are the worlds number 1 quality film and showed me the research and specifications of the different types. We spent 15 minutes looking at the cars outside to decide which windows looked dark enough and discussed the costs and benefits of each. As usual Yuht pulled some strings, called some suppliers and reduced the price for us.
On the morning that we had booked to have the work done we confirmed the job spec and the staff set to work removing the old cheap tints that were currently on the car.
Shortly after the car was driven into the clean inside environment and the films were cut to fit our car windows. The professional staff cleaned the glass and laid the films neatly into place, being careful to remove any air bubbles and create a smooth finish. The Lamina Technicians come in especially when you book to have their tints fitted.
To have a full set of Lamina Window tints fitted with 99% UV protection all around we paid 4,800B. I have heard of other places in Chiang Mai that will whack tints on your windows for less than 2000B, but although they look dark the UV protection is less than 50% and will degrade over time in the sun.
To kill the time we had a late breakfast and coffees at ‘Ocean Delicious Drinks’ which is about 5 minutes from Saveway behind the B2 Boutique Hotel off of Mahidol Road. They have a nice quiet garden and sell simple Thai foods and good quality cakes and drinks.
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The job took a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes including the stripping of the old films, cleaning and preparation and fitting of the new Lamina films. Visually the tinted material is very thick and robust looking and the Lamina technicians did a great job of laying the film onto the glass without trapped air bubbles.
Yuht, our contact at Saveway Autos handed over a 7 year warrantee card with the receipt and informed us that we could not open the windows for 7 days after the tints were fitted.
We left Saveway looking officially like gangsters in our new blacked out ride. We may not be looking fly cruising through London or Essex. But at least our flesh is well protected from the harsh sun as we embark on our future road trips across Thailand.
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Jmayel El-haj – 8 miles from home
