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Tinting roof glass

UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan

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I tinted the roofs of my R1T and R1S last spring. Installer said the tint would actually keep the glass cooler than without the tint, don't know if that's true.
Not possible. Unless the heat rejection film is on the exterior and blocking IR radiation from penetrating the glass.
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Steve A.

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Is there any known issue with tinting roof glass? I remember reading somewhere tinting roof glass makes it more likely to break in hot weather because tint makes heat dissipation more difficult for the roof glass.

Rivian support told me tinting roof glass does not void warranty, but they do not know if tinting makes it more likely to break in heat.
Don't believe the F.U.D.D. The only instances I could find of ANY ceramic tint issues that *may* have contributed to broken glass on ANY vehicles were 1 or 2 DIYers who used cheap products.

Just go with a proven product (XPEL XR+) and a reputable professional installer and sleep like a baby.

That said, I still ended up getting a roof shade afterwards and am happy with the big difference in temp now on the hottest days.

One of the stupid design decisions is having a glass roof that doesn't open and doesn't have a button to press to cover it up like EVERY OTHER ICEV I've owned. I'd rather not have a glass roof than to have one that doesn't open.

Scout's retractable canopy FTW!
 

supramann94

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The shade is clean, easy to install with 2 people and way cheaper. Easy to remove without permanent issue if desired.
 

UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan

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One of the stupid design decisions is having a glass roof that doesn't open and doesn't have a button to press to cover it up like EVERY OTHER ICEV I've owned. I'd rather not have a glass roof than to have one that doesn't open.

Scout's retractable canopy FTW!
Folks will be complaining about NVH instead. You just wait. Every direction/decision has tradeoffs.

And the R1 would have costed even more, have more issues (leaks, component failures) if it had a motorized roof.
 

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I personally went with ceramic "clear" for the roof (and windshield)
 

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Steve A.

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Folks will be complaining about NVH instead. You just wait. Every direction/decision has tradeoffs.

And the R1 would have costed even more, have more issues (leaks, component failures) if it had a motorized roof.
More F.U.D.D. I've owned probably a dozen vehicles over the last 35+ years with sun/moon roofs including an aftermarket ones and experienced ZERO leaks.

I would gladly pay extra for a sheet metal roof so that I could at least get an aftermarket market sunroof than a stupid glass roof that doesn't open that requires me to spend $600+ on ceramic tint and a shade to keep my R1S a reasonable temperature.
 

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25% ceramic on my roof and no issues in the FL heat. Can't imagine it not being tinted honestly.
 

POLAR1S

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My tint guy that I've been going to for the past 12 years does not recommend tinting the roof glass. Also, I would not trust anything a Rivian rep says unless it's in writing. The roof glass is pretty thin and getting a real good tint with high TSER and IRR would cause a lot of heat to get trapped in the glass. There are a lot of other shops that say that they will do it and that it will most likely not crack on you, because it's uncommon. I do feel that the roof needs more heat rejection, but I think its almost good enough which is good enough for me. But if it does happen to you, it's going to really cost you. I'll feel more comfortable taking it to a shop that says they will not do it because they are not interested in squeezing an extra few hundred bucks out of you but to really look out for their customer.
 

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Not possible. Unless the heat rejection film is on the exterior and blocking IR radiation from penetrating the glass.
If the film keeps the vehicle cooler, then the glass may end up cooler as well.

However, I wonder why they don't just install it on the outside. PPF and color change film goes on the outside, and it very similar. That's what I'd do. But, I live in Michigan now.
 

UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan

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If the film keeps the vehicle cooler, then the glass may end up cooler as well.

However, I wonder why they don't just install it on the outside. PPF and color change film goes on the outside, and it very similar. That's what I'd do. But, I live in Michigan now.

No. Laws of physics does not work that way. Tinting is generally applied to the interior side of the glass. The film is laminated with a layer that has fine particles that act like mirrors. They block and redirect IR energy back out through the glass. The glass is still subjected to the same amount of radiation (as if not tinted) because the glass itself is not shaded by anything but the same air. The same reason windshield itself remains hot even if you placed an insulated sunshade behind it to lower interior temp and shield dash from IR and UV damage.

Conservation of energy. Energy doesn't just disappear. Here, energy is converted to heat. Unless you shade the roof, or pour water on the roof (to transfer heat from glass to water), the roof glass does not get cooler.
 
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usofrob

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They block and redirect IR energy back out through the glass.
If the IR energy is redirected back out, then it won't be heat that heats up the car. But, it'd be going through the glass twice. So, if the IR is converted to heat in the glass, then it could be twice the heat. However, there is also thermal conduction of the heat from inside the vehicle to the glass. So, if the heat to the glass is greater from the redirected IR, then it'll be warmer, but if the heat is greater from the vehicle when it doesn't have the IR film than it could be less.

But, if you put the film on the outside, the redirected IR from the film would never reach the glass. So, it'd just be the redirected IR from the glass roof back through the film.
 

Electrified Outdoors

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There have been cases where roofs have cracked. I am not a tinting expert. Might be better to talk with the manufacturer of the tint and ask them if they will cover roof replacement or if they recommend a certain type of tint to reduce the likelihood of that happening.

In my case I chose not to do it because I am in Maryland and the heat is a benefit in the winter time. It takes a ton more energy to heat up the car in the cold then it does to cool it down in the summer. So what I did is purchased the shade that way when the temps cool I can simply remove it.
 

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I just wish they'd gone with a metal roof. Same for all my Teslas. Even without tinting the roof, it is still pretty dark and it isn't like you have this big open view of the sky anyway.
 

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I've tinted about half of the glass roofs in the fleet with XPEL XR Prime. All the front windshields are tinted with 70%.

Never had any issues with the roof glass cracking. Is it possible? Yes. Have I seen it personally on some Teslas? Yes. Cause? Shrugs, but in most instances it appears that the glass itself had a lot of tension on it from the factory.

When the glass is tinted, although it rejects heat it will very quickly reach a saturation point. At that point the glass will absorb more heat and it will be hotter than one without tint where the heat normally passes through. Also, the glasses are usually very soft on Teslas and other vehicles with curved glass. Some softer than others. Just depends.

Is the whole glass cracking from tinting mostly FUD? IMO, yes.

Cheapest option: Roof shade. Easy and it works well.

Tinting (the roof) benefits: Helps a lot with keeping the cabin cool and temperature maintained. Provides some safety in case it shatters. Potential warranty issues? Would be hard to prove, but YMMV.
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