Window tinting & the law

George_Michael

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

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

Just because it's legal doesn't always mean that it is safe.

Someone could legally drive a car in England if their blood alcohol limit was 79mg per 100ml of blood but this wouldn't mean that every driver who had this amount of alcohol in their system was safe to drive.

AdrianC

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

I wouldn't know if it's untainted or not. It certainly APPEARS to have zero tint on it but whether or not it actually does have no tint on i couldn't possibly comment, since it may have a level that is undetectable to my eye.

The car is quite old anyway - a 2002 plated Golf GT TDI 150.

Something like a 00s Golf will certainly have a factory tint. Untinted glass went out in the '80s, and was poverty-spec-only even then.


Just half-open the front door glass, and compare the clarity of objects seen through the glass and above it. If you're still unsure, hold a sheet of A4 up next to the edge of the glass. If it's plain and untinted, you will see virtually zero visible difference.

LandyAndy

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

The car is quite old anyway - a 2002 plated Golf GT TDI 150.

I had one of those as a company car back around then. It was a black one. I had all the windows (except the windscreen) tinted the same colour. The company that did the job told me they were 'one shade darker than is legal for front side windows'. I wanted all the windows the same shade so I went with it. I drove it for 2 years without any trouble and when it went back there was no adverse reaction from the leasing company.

Raxiel

Anyone have any experience of the clear 'tint' that's only opaque to UV?

My factory windows have a little bit of visible tint, but no idea how much UV i.e. sunburn protection they have.

JustAnotherSaver

Raxiel wrote: »

Anyone have any experience of the clear 'tint' that's only opaque to UV?

My factory windows have a little bit of visible tint, but no idea how much UV i.e. sunburn protection they have.

What do you mean by 'experience'?


We were given a sample of some & we know of someone who's had it fitted in their house.


Though i don't have any personal experience of it day in day out during all seasons (or even any season at the moment)

Mr.Generous

All the talk re legality of tinting front window and what the police may / may not do if they stop you isn't the thing to worry about.



Any kind of accident where the drivers lack of a clear view may have contributed - even in a tiny way - is going to cause such a massive headache and the consequences could include a cancelled policy, prosecution, fine & points.


Any tinting done should be declared to insurance company. Not declaring is a big gamble. Declaring a tint on any car's front windows is going to open a can of worms with insurance company.



Basically just don't bother. Risk / Reward ratio is too great.

forgotmyname

Raxiel wrote: »

Anyone have any experience of the clear 'tint' that's only opaque to UV?

My factory windows have a little bit of visible tint, but no idea how much UV i.e. sunburn protection they have.

Which UV is it blocking?

Standard glass blocks a lot of UVB without the need for tints.

The tint will allow a good 70% of UVA to pass also.

LandyAndy

LandyAndy wrote: »

I had one of those as a company car back around then. It was a black one. I had all the windows (except the windscreen) tinted the same colour. The company that did the job told me they were 'one shade darker than is legal for front side windows'. I wanted all the windows the same shade so I went with it. I drove it for 2 years without any trouble and when it went back there was no adverse reaction from the leasing company.

Mr.Generous wrote: »

All the talk re legality of tinting front window and what the police may / may not do if they stop you isn't the thing to worry about.



Any kind of accident where the drivers lack of a clear view may have contributed - even in a tiny way - is going to cause such a massive headache and the consequences could include a cancelled policy, prosecution, fine & points.


Any tinting done should be declared to insurance company. Not declaring is a big gamble. Declaring a tint on any car's front windows is going to open a can of worms with insurance company.



Basically just don't bother. Risk / Reward ratio is too great.

I had an accident in mine, only a scuff to a rear wing. Insurance company didn't raise a murmur, even when they had it inspected a second time because the original repair was such a poor standard.

Raxiel

forgotmyname wrote: »

Which UV is it blocking?

Standard glass blocks a lot of UVB without the need for tints.

The tint will allow a good 70% of UVA to pass also.

It's the UVA I'd want to block.
As you say tempered glass blocks most of the UVB already. I know most standard tints don't block much UVA but I have heard that there are films that specifically block UV too (3M produce some apparently) some of which have little to no effect on the visible spectrum (so no falling foul of plod). The UK not being a particularly hot country though, there's not a lot of info beyond some vague marketing stuff from companies that sell it, although I've only just started looking.

Car_54

Raxiel wrote: »

It's the UVA I'd want to block.
As you say tempered glass blocks most of the UVB already. I know most standard tints don't block much UVA but I have heard that there are films that specifically block UV too (3M produce some apparently) some of which have little to no effect on the visible spectrum (so no falling foul of plod). The UK not being a particularly hot country though, there's not a lot of info beyond some vague marketing stuff from companies that sell it, although I've only just started looking.

There may not be much info in the UK, but there's a thing called the World-Wide Web ....