What Does a Windshield Tint Strip Do? (And What It Costs)

By Mike Holland, Owner

A windshield tint strip is a band of ceramic film across the top of the windshield. It reduces overhead sun glare and adds UV and heat protection where your visor can’t reach, without tinting the glass you look through. At Level Up Detailing in Lexington, NC, a windshield tint strip starts at $80.

If you drive east-west roads around Northwest Greensboro, like Wendover Avenue or I-40, you already know how the sun sits after the time change. Late November sunsets in Greensboro fall around 5:07 PM, so a low sun can line up with the commute. A strip helps with sun that comes in over the visor. It will not do much when the sun is sitting on the horizon. In this blog, we’ll cover what a windshield tint strip is called, what it does for glare, heat and UV, what it costs, and when a full windshield makes more sense for heat.

Key Takeaways: Windshield Tint Strip

• A windshield tint strip is a top band of ceramic film: also called a sun strip, visor strip or brow. Our price list lists it as a Windshield Brow.
• It helps with overhead sun: ceramic tint reduces sun glare in the band it covers, above where a fold-down visor stops.
• Heat and UV are limited to that band: the strip does not cool the whole cabin, and factory windshields already block most UV-A.
• It starts at $80: you can add it to a ceramic tint package or get it on its own, and every ceramic tint job carries a lifetime warranty.
• Side and rear tint is the bigger heat fix: two front windows are $199, coupes, sedans, hatchbacks and trucks are $450, and non-commercial SUVs and vans are $499.
• A full windshield starts at $275: it adds ceramic heat and UV protection across the whole windshield, not just the top.

What Is the Tint Strip on a Windshield Called?

People call it a sun strip, a visor strip, an eyebrow or a brow. On our window tint price list, it is listed as a Windshield Brow.

Safelite describes a factory shade band as a darker strip of glass at the top of the windshield, placed just above the interior visor, with the goal of cutting down sun at the top of the glass without getting in the way of your view. Some cars have that band built into the glass from the factory; Safelite notes it is not standard. An aftermarket windshield tint strip does the same job with film: a band of ceramic window tint across the top of the glass, using the same ceramic film we install on the rest of the car.

We install the strip on trucks as well as cars, starting at the same $80.

Does a Windshield Tint Strip Help With Sun Glare?

Yes, for overhead sun. Ceramic tint reduces sun and headlight glare, and a strip puts that help in the band above your visor, where late-day or high sun can sneak in over the visor’s edge.

It will not do much when the sun is low. At sunrise and sunset, the sun can sit below the strip and shine straight through clear glass, which is a common complaint in sun-strip discussions. Your fold-down visor and sunglasses still do that job. That matters in late fall around Northwest Greensboro, when the sun is lower on east-west routes at commute time. A strip is for the sun that comes in over the visor, not the one sitting on the horizon.

Questions about night driving with ceramic tint belong in a different post: can you see at night with ceramic tint. A strip does not change how you see through the rest of the windshield.

Does a Windshield Strip Block Heat and UV?

Only in the band it covers. Our ceramic window film blocks 99% of UV and rejects up to 95% of infrared heat, but a strip is a small slice of the windshield. As one tint guide puts it, the strip covers too little glass to change cabin temperature much. If heat in the cabin is the main problem, ceramic tint on the side and rear glass is the real fix.

The honest UV picture is similar. A 2016 JAMA Ophthalmology study of 29 cars found windshields blocked an average of 96% of UV-A, while driver-side windows averaged only 71%. Those were factory windshields, measured on cars in Los Angeles, and the study did not measure aftermarket tint. The takeaway for a strip is simple: it is mainly about overhead sun at the top of the glass. For UV, the side windows matter more, which is why a full ceramic tint package does more than a strip alone.

How Much Does a Windshield Tint Strip Cost?

A windshield tint strip starts at $80. That price is listed as a Windshield Brow on our window tint page and as a windshield strip on our Greensboro window tint page. It is an additional service, so you can add it to a full tint package or get it on its own. The strip is not listed in our online shop, which is why we point you to those service pages for this price.

Every ceramic tint job we do, including a strip, carries a lifetime warranty.

Ceramic tint packages, verified in our shop listings, are:

Package	What’s included	Price
Two front windows	Driver and passenger door glass, all vehicles	$199
Coupes, sedans, hatchbacks and trucks	Four side door windows, one pair of quarter glass, rear windshield	$450
Non-commercial SUVs and vans	Four doors, rear side windows, one set of quarter glass, rear windshield	$499

Extra quarter glass, when you need it, is $25, listed with the other additional services on those same pages. For a full price walkthrough, see how much ceramic window tint costs in NC. If you are comparing films, start with how to compare ceramic window tint films.

If we tint your side windows as part of a package, keep those newly tinted windows rolled up for 5 days after the install. A strip on the windshield does not change that aftercare, because the strip is not on a window you roll down.

What About a Full Windshield Tint?

A full front windshield starts at $275. It covers the whole windshield with the same ceramic film, so you get heat and UV protection across the largest piece of glass in the car, not just the top band. We’ll talk through whether a strip or a full windshield fits what you want when you bring the car in.

Should You Get a Windshield Tint Strip?

Get a strip if overhead sun keeps getting past your visor and you want a simple, inexpensive fix. From $80, it is a small add-on next to a full tint package, and it uses the same ceramic film with the same lifetime warranty.

If heat in the cabin is the bigger problem, put the money toward side and rear tint first. The strip will not cool the whole car, and a low sun at commute time still needs the visor. Drivers coming from Northwest Greensboro are about an hour from our Lexington shop, and the work is done inside as a drop-off.

Why Choose Level Up Detailing?

• Ceramic film only: we install ceramic window tint, never carbon or dyed film, and every tint job has a lifetime warranty.
• Honest about a strip’s limits: it helps with overhead sun in that top band; it does not cool the whole cabin or replace your visor when the sun is low.
• Indoor install: all tint work is done inside our shop at 275 Crystal Ridge Dr, Lexington, NC 27295.
• Serving Northwest Greensboro: our shop is about an hour from the 27410 side of Greensboro. See our Greensboro window tint page.

Areas We Serve

We work with drivers from Lexington, Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Lewisville, Kernersville, High Point, Thomasville, Greensboro, Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Salisbury and Mocksville.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts on a Windshield Tint Strip

A windshield tint strip is a straightforward add-on: a band of ceramic film at the top of the glass that reduces overhead sun and adds UV and heat protection in that band, starting at $80. It will not cool the whole cabin or replace your visor when the sun is low, and that honesty is the point. If you also want heat and UV protection across the rest of the windshield, a full windshield starts at $275.

If the sun keeps getting past your visor, call or text us at (336) 780-7868, or send us your info through our contact page, to set up an appointment. We’re open Monday through Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM, and closed Sunday, so reach us on a weekday or Saturday. You’ll find us at 275 Crystal Ridge Dr, Lexington, NC 27295.