Window tinting & the law

Noree

And excessive tints should fail an MOT now as well.

So be careful on the so say amount of tint applied.

Nasqueron

Side windows e.g. for kids I can understand, back window maybe (mine is, factory spec) though it does cause problems for some road users e.g. cyclists not being able to see in to see if there is a person in who might open a door etc but why on earth do you want the window you need to see out of to drive safely to be darker than it needs to be (particularly pushing it right to the margin)?

JustAnotherSaver

AndyMc..... wrote: »

What I’m saying to you is you’re going to a company who’s making money by selling tints. The machine can be recalibrated by the user to make illegal tints appear legal.

I understand what you're saying. I don't know whether different degree tints cost different amounts - say perhaps 5% tint is more expensive than 70% tint perhaps or whether the tint costs the same and it's the labour that adds up - i don't actually know.


But IF the tint is the same across the board then it wont really matter whether X-tint or Y-tint is being applied, the price will be the same therefore a 'good company' should be honest if they've got the tools.


Obviously i use the term 'good company' loosely as who really knows. We'd all like to think we choose a good company to do jobs for us but we know that isn't always the case.

JustAnotherSaver

Nasqueron wrote: »

Side windows e.g. for kids I can understand, back window maybe (mine is, factory spec) though it does cause problems for some road users e.g. cyclists not being able to see in to see if there is a person in who might open a door etc but why on earth do you want the window you need to see out of to drive safely to be darker than it needs to be (particularly pushing it right to the margin)?

If the law dictates that 70% light is acceptable but nothing below that then those who have put that law in place have determined that this is a safe level. If it wasn't safe then they'd have raised the number to a higher amount.


So if the window, be it factory or afterwards, is taken to 70% then it's in the eyes of the law still safe.

Jackmydad

Or instead of having tinted glass, then like the young woman I saw the other evening you could wear mirrored sunglasses.
It was definitely "dusk". No low sun.
She just driven along a heavily wooded, twisty bit of road as well, that's dark in full daylight!
Really not a good idea! :eek:

JustAnotherSaver

Well the chap said he could do it BUT a) even his lightest tint would make it illegal and because of that b) he certainly would advise against it.


So it wont be getting done.




As an afterthought what is the darkest tint? Is it 5% or is it darker? I mean tint where you can still see out from the inside and not just a case of sticking DPC over the window meaning everything is very dark but you can't see out.

Jackmydad wrote: »

Or instead of having tinted glass, then like the young woman I saw the other evening you could wear mirrored sunglasses.
It was definitely "dusk". No low sun.
She just driven along a heavily wooded, twisty bit of rad as well, that's dark in full daylight!

...or not...

Retrogamer

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

As an afterthought what is the darkest tint? Is it 5% or is it darker? I mean tint where you can still see out from the inside and not just a case of sticking DPC over the window meaning everything is very dark but you can't see out.
...or not...

You can get darker than a 5% tint technically if you apply a 5% tint to a window that already has a factory tint of some kind in the glass itself.

I've used 5% tint on the rear of my last two cars. It helps keep it cooler when parked out of the shade in the summer, and if you're like me and have the seats down often with stuff in the rear you'd rather keep hidden (camera equipment / RC models) then it gives a lot more privacy. The downside is reverse parking at night is a lot more difficult.

Jackmydad

Jackmydad wrote: »

Or instead of having tinted glass, then like the young woman I saw the other evening you could wear mirrored sunglasses.
It was definitely "dusk". No low sun.
She just driven along a heavily wooded, twisty bit of rad as well, that's dark in full daylight!
:eek:

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

...or not...

Is the correct answer!

Car_54

Jackmydad wrote: »

Is the correct answer!

To which question?

Nasqueron

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

If the law dictates that 70% light is acceptable but nothing below that then those who have put that law in place have determined that this is a safe level. If it wasn't safe then they'd have raised the number to a higher amount.


So if the window, be it factory or afterwards, is taken to 70% then it's in the eyes of the law still safe.

It's not a matter of whether it's legal, it's whether it's sensible to do. It might be legal to drive around on 1.61mm tyres and penny pinch until they're 1.59mm but that doesn't mean it's a good idea