(805) 714-7061 Free quote
01 — Automotive Ceramic Tint

Window Tint in Santa Maria

Nano-ceramic film that cuts the heat and blocks the UV without going purple, bubbling, or killing your phone signal. Cut to your vehicle and installed to the edge of the glass.

  • Nano-ceramic & IR film
  • Full vehicle tinting
  • Windshields & top bands
  • Two-front matching
  • Old film removal
  • Legal shades explained first
Get a quote (805) 714-7061

Ceramic, not dyed

Cheap dyed film is why so many cars on the Central Coast have purple windows and bubbles along the bottom edge. It fades because the dye is doing the work. Nano-ceramic film rejects infrared heat with a ceramic particle layer instead, so it stays the color it was the day it went on, and it is completely transparent to phone signal, GPS and tire-pressure sensors — which old metallic films are not.

The install is the product

Two cars can leave two shops with the same film on them and look nothing alike a year later. What separates them is edge work: film cut to the actual glass rather than trimmed short, no light gaps along the top of the door, no fingers or creases in the corners, and a windshield laid in one piece. That is the part you are paying for.

What is legal in California

Behind the driver you can go as dark as you like. In front of the driver California is strict, and stricter than most people expect: the front side windows take clear film only, and the windshield takes a band across the top. We will tell you exactly where that leaves you before anything gets cut, and what a shade will genuinely look like on your car rather than on a swatch. Nobody leaves here surprised by what is on their car, or by what the rule is.

Old film coming off

Removing failed tint is its own job, especially on rear glass with defroster lines running through it. Those lines lift with the film if it is pulled dry. We steam it off and clean the adhesive rather than scraping, so your defroster still works afterwards.

Before you pick a shade

What is legal
in California.

Every window has a different rule, and the strict one is the front. We go through it with you before anything is cut — nobody leaves here with a ticket they did not agree to.

  • Windshield Top band only — nothing below it California does not use the AS-1 line other states do. Under CVC 26708(c) a clear, colorless film of at least 88% VLT may sit across the top, and its bottom edge must stay at least 29 inches above the driver's seat — commonly about the top four inches. Film across the whole windshield is not legal here without a medical exemption.
  • Front side windows Clear film only — 88% VLT or better The one nearly everyone gets wrong. CVC 26708(d) permits only clear, colorless and transparent film here, transmitting at least 88% on its own, with glass and film together meeting the federal 70% minimum. That means a genuine heat-rejecting clear film is legal — and darkening your front windows is not, at any shade.
  • Back side windows Any darkness No limit behind the driver. 20%, 15%, 5% — whatever you want the cabin to feel like.
  • Rear windshield Any darkness No limit, provided the car has working outside mirrors on both sides — which every modern car does.

California measures darkness as VLT — visible light transmission. A 5% film lets 5% of the light through, so lower numbers are darker. Factory glass is already tinted, so the finished number is film and glass combined — which is why the shade on a sample is never quite the shade you end up with, and why we go through it with you first.

You leave with a certificate

CVC 26708(d) requires the installer to give you a signed certificate stating the film complies, and it needs to stay in the vehicle. We write one for every car.

Medical exemption

CVC 26708.2 allows darker film, including on the windshield, for a driver or passenger who has to be shielded from the sun for a medical reason. It needs a signed letter from a licensed physician, optometrist or dermatologist kept with the vehicle. Bring that and we can go further than the table above.

Front windshields and front windows

We do film front windshields and front side windows at the owner’s discretion. What we will always do first is tell you exactly where the law sits, so the choice is yours and it is an informed one. Come and talk to us about what you are after.

General information about California Vehicle Code sections 26708, 26708.2 and 26708.5, current as of 2026 and simplified for readability. It is not legal advice, and the law can change. Confirm anything you intend to rely on with the statute itself or with law enforcement.

Pick your shade

See it before
you commit.

We are an authorized HITEK dealer, so these are the two lines we run and the numbers are HITEK’s own. Tap a shade and it goes straight into your quote request.

HITEK Ceramic Plus

True nano-ceramic. The one to pick if heat is the problem.

  • True nano-ceramic with specialized IR coatings
  • Up to 96% infrared heat rejection
  • Smooth, sleek finish with low internal reflectivity
  • Advanced UV and fade protection
  • Lifetime warranty for color stability and performance
HITEK Ceramic Plus performance, as published by HITEK
Shade5%15%20%35%50%70%
Visible light transmittance5%15%19%36%51%68%
UV rejection99%99%99%99%99%99%
IR rejection (1025nm)90%90%90%90%90%90%
IRR (broad range)96%96%96%96%96%96%
Glare reduction94%84%78%63%44%23%
Total solar energy rejection69%65%63%61%54%48%
The HITEK Ceramic Plus sample board on the wall at the shop, showing every shade from 5% to 70% over the same window.
The real board, on the wall at the shop. Come and look through it.

HITEK Carbon IR

Nano-carbon. Deep black look, no metal, no signal interference.

  • Non-metal construction, 100% signal safe
  • Stable color tone with a deep black appearance
  • Blocks up to 70% heat and over 99% UV rays
  • Reduces infrared heat for improved cabin comfort
  • Fade-resistant, scratch-resistant and durable
HITEK Carbon IR performance, as published by HITEK
Shade5%15%20%35%40%50%
Visible light transmittance5%15%20%35%40%51%
IR rejection62%48%44%40%39%35%
Total solar energy rejection61%53%50%41%36%32%
UV rejection99%99%99%99%99%99%

The swatches are an approximation of how much light each shade lets through — a screen cannot show you the real colour, and every car’s factory glass changes the finished result. The sample boards are on the wall at the shop and you are welcome to come and look through them before you decide.

Related work

Window Tint, done here.

Full gallery
Window Tint
BMW M2 — Ceramic window tint — The Tint Kings, Santa Maria

BMW M2

Ceramic window tint

Window Tint
BMW i4 — In the bay — The Tint Kings, Santa Maria

BMW i4

In the bay

Next step

Get a real
number back.

Tell us the vehicle and what you want. We will tell you what it costs, how long we need the car, and what we would do differently if there is a better way to get you there.

Other services
Is there film on it already?

This opens your own messaging app with everything filled in — you just hit send. Straight to (805) 714-7061. Photos of the car always help.

Nothing on this page is sent anywhere until you press send in your own messaging app. When you do, we will text you back about your quote — reply STOP any time and we will stop. We do not add you to a marketing list for asking. Privacy policy.

Call Text Get a quote