Privacy glass

[Solis]

Can anyone please advise re. Privacy glass. Just ordered a 204 dsg ocean but now having second thoughts re. the level of tint. I really do not want it to feel like I constantly have sunglasses on whilst inside and it feeling dark. The reason of choosing is primarily reduce heat/fade and resale values. Is privacy a top option to have? All rather bamboozled.

 

[andyinluton]

A number of people find the factory tint too light. I think it is a good balance - its hardly noticeable looking out but just about dark enough in the day to keep some privacy.

 

[RoB5urf]

Agreed, I doubt you'll find the factory tint is too dark.

 

[Meoncoast]

A Cali with no tint is like having tent without pole

the rare times I have seen a camper van without a tint it looks most odd and those sat inside look like fish in a tank.

 

[CYCLOPATH]

I totally agree, the tint is not to much at all, and the van looks terrible without it...and no privacy.
If I lived in Spain, then I would complain it was not dark enough,, but it is perfect for the UK And France

 

[Grumpy Mike]

Oh..... I would not get a factory tint.... It is not private..... I got a factory tint and the first thing I did after taking her from the dealer is find a tinter.... Mine is 1 grade down from Limo blackout. It gives privacy but in no way is it dark in there. Its a good thing to do. But if you want privacy do not pay for the option..

 

[Bigted]

Mine has no tint and we like it as it makes in much brighter in the winter - we were going to get it tinted but having lived with it like it clear. Each to their own I guess!

 

[Solis]

Thanks for all your swift responses. V much appreciated. Can I just clarify, I've ordered the privacy glass with heat insulation £318. If I was to remove this from my order what will I get? Is it the 'factory tint' that you are referring to?

 

[Grumpy Mike]

Mine has no tint and we like it as it makes in much brighter in the winter - we were going to get it tinted but having lived with it like it clear. Each to their own I guess!

Spot on. Depends what you want from it. I wanted the privacy when travelling through France and Spain. When getting changed for work.... One mans meat....

 

[Grumpy Mike]

Thanks for all your swift responses. V much appreciated. Can I just clarify, I've ordered the privacy glass with heat insulation £318. If I was to remove this from my order what will I get? Is it the 'factory tint' that you are referring to?

Its another good point. What would you get? I suppose I must have heat insulating glass???? Is that the double glazing??

But as per the last post, I suppose its what you actually need that counts. Then spec her up. Will you need heat insulation? Like you say what do you get if you dont take the option? Perhaps Bibted can let us know. Is his totally clear glass and no double glazing?

 

[Bigted]

Mine is a beach so no double glazing and standard glass. It has a slight tint but like all car glass, but it's what I consider clear. If you remove the glass options then you just get this clear glass with double glazing on the ocean.

On another note I find the Cali gets a lot less hot inside when parked in the sun compared to previous cars. Remember it has a lot of insulation in the roof when folded!

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Anybody got a picture or 2 to show the difference?

 

[WillSS]

here you go...

no privacy glass..



VW privacy glass option (Beach/no double glazing)...



VW privacy glass option (Ocean/with double glazing)



VW privacy glass option with aftermarket 20% tint applied... (you can just about make out shapes)



VW privacy glass with aftermarket 5% limo tint applied (almost mirrored, nose on glass to make out shapes)



Just note that because the Ocean has the double glazed glass above the rear wheel (unlike the Beach) aftermarket tints can look a different shade compared to the middle windows, plenty of threads about that on this forum.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Brilliant post WIIISS
Thank you for taking the time.

 

[Solis]

That's super thank you

 

[Amarillo]

On another note I find the Cali gets a lot less hot inside when parked in the sun compared to previous cars. Remember it has a lot of insulation in the roof when folded!

Agreed - the Cali is a comparatively cool vehicle.

I had an argument about this with a Dutch Cali camper. He challenged me about leaving our dogs in the car when we were about to cycle into town to go shopping.

It was a hot day, perhaps low thirties. The van was in the shade, with the pop top and upper bunk raised with both bellow vents fully unzipped. The front windows had Brandrup vents in place, both rear windows were open one notch; the dogs had water. My argument was that the Cali would be cooler than most cars because cooler air would enter via the Brandrup vents and open windows, then warm up rise and escape through the bellow vents. In most cars, heat is trapped.

His counter argument was that my fridge throws heat into the van as it chills my beer and wine, and that my van would be hotter than other cars.

I reckon my argument is very significant on the van temperature, and that his argument is negligible. It was a very unpleasant encounter, with the Dutch man accusing me of animal cruelty.

On the topic of privacy glass, I love this factory fit option- barely noticeable from the inside, but not easy to peer in from the outside except at night when the lights are on -then you can close the blinds.



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[Jay586]

I got fed up of not knowing what the temp in my van was for my dogs. So got a min-max garden thermometer. Works really well.

Before conversion with a bulkhead, it was consistently too hot for dogs. Now converted, it was still a wee bit hot on warm days but that was in the sun, without vents or top raised. I would think the pop top would draw air in & up, providing airflow?

 

[Jabberwocky]

Each to their own.

 

[Solis]

Does anyone have an interior picture of the Cali showing with and without privacy glass? Thanks.

 

[RoB5urf]

The Beach that we test drove had no privacy glass. To me it looked like a minibus from the outside. Just my opinion....

 

[mccp]

I reckon my argument is very significant on the van temperature, and that his argument is negligible. It was a very unpleasant encounter, with the Dutch man accusing me of animal cruelty.

Last July, I stopped at Gloucester services in my Discovery, with the two dogs in the back. After taking them for a wee stop and giving them some water, I went in to the services for my own wee stop and to buy a sandwich. When I got back 10 or 15 minutes later, there was a pretty unpleasant note under the windscreen wiper accusing me of animal cruelty and threatening me with the police. This was about 7pm on a cool and cloudy day. My dogs weren't upset, overheated, or anything bad. It's likely that anyone poking around my car would have been barked at, but the dogs are both barking mad.

Sorry for the off-topic post, but some well-meaning people do seem to get over-heated about dogs in cars.

Back on topic - pretty much every ex-demo Cali I've been offered has privacy glass. It's obviously a popular option and it's on the option list for my order.

If you get the clear glass option and then get aftermarket tints, the double glazed windows look a bit odd in my opinion (there are pictures on the forum somewhere). Even if the factory tint isn't dark enough for you, it's probably better to go the factory route and then add aftermarket tints so that the double glazing doesn't look so odd.

I also think that the laminated glass tint is darker than the double glazed (insulating glass) privacy option. See this spreadsheet which gives a bit more detail: https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/t6-glass-option-details-from-vwcv.12160/#post-119343

 

[Snowy]

Does anyone have an interior picture of the Cali showing with and without privacy glass? Thanks.

I found u tube article Van tour - VW california Ocean T6 . Very useful and gives view from inside with windows closed and then open. I think they use a 'limo tint'

 

[larrylamb]

Does anyone have an interior picture of the Cali showing with and without privacy glass? Thanks.

It's a personal choice, why don't you call in a dealers and have a sit in a Cali and decide before it's too late to change your spec. A few photos on here of the interior won't show a true situation.

 

[Seán Kerr]

Agreed - the Cali is a comparatively cool vehicle.

I had an argument about this with a Dutch Cali camper. He challenged me about leaving our dogs in the car when we were about to cycle into town to go shopping.

It was a hot day, perhaps low thirties. The van was in the shade, with the pop top and upper bunk raised with both bellow vents fully unzipped. The front windows had Brandrup vents in place, both rear windows were open one notch; the dogs had water. My argument was that the Cali would be cooler than most cars because cooler air would enter via the Brandrup vents and open windows, then warm up rise and escape through the bellow vents. In most cars, heat is trapped.

His counter argument was that my fridge throws heat into the van as it chills my beer and wine, and that my van would be hotter than other cars.

I reckon my argument is very significant on the van temperature, and that his argument is negligible. It was a very unpleasant encounter, with the Dutch man accusing me of animal cruelty.

On the topic of privacy glass, I love this factory fit option- barely noticeable from the inside, but not easy to peer in from the outside except at night when the lights are on -then you can close the blinds.



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To me, the way you set your van up would be almost as cool as the dogs sitting under a tree as you'll maximise the airflow. It would certainly be way cooler than a standard car, even allowing for the minimal heat generation of the fridge. As long as the sun wasn't going to be on the van, I'd think the temp would be ok. Worth sticking a max/min thermometer in if you were concerned.

 

[Amarillo]

To me, the way you set your van up would be almost as cool as the dogs sitting under a tree as you'll maximise the airflow. It would certainly be way cooler than a standard car, even allowing for the minimal heat generation of the fridge. As long as the sun wasn't going to be on the van, I'd think the temp would be ok. Worth sticking a max/min thermometer in if you were concerned.

Every year there are stories of dogs dying in left in hot cars, (and very rarely babies too). People's concerns are well-meaning, and RSPCA advice is don't do it even on moderately warm days (they give an example of a car parked in 22C heat rising to 47C within an hour.

However, the physics of airflow in a parked car and a parked Cali with open windows, roof and bed frame raised with upper vents open are very different.

Even on a hot day, we are happy having an afternoon doze on the lower bunk with doors closed and windows open.


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