Window tint is one of those things I cannot stand. Yes, it can make a car look better and be cooler inside, but as somebody who often looks through other cars to see what is going on ahead, a car with tinted windows really cuts down on my safety
Window tint is one of those things I cannot stand. Yes, it can make a car look better and be cooler inside, but as somebody who often looks through other cars to see what is going on ahead, a car with tinted windows really cuts down on my safety
so you hate all the soccer mom vans, pick-ups, and SUV (even CUV's) … in other words anything larger than a Miata … am I reading you correctly ? even in your SUV it's hard to see beyond a new F150 or a Town-n-Country, or a Explorer … right ?
heck, in my 4x4 F150, which sits pretty tall, I can't see past those
The darker the better as far as I'm concerned. My work vans have limo tint on the back and 25% on the front. Everything else is maximum legal dark, which isn't near enough for me.
wbjones wrote: so you hate all the soccer mom vans, pick-ups, and SUV (even CUV's) … in other words anything larger than a Miata … am I reading you correctly ? even in your SUV it's hard to see beyond a new F150 or a Town-n-Country, or a Explorer … right ? heck, in my 4x4 F150, which sits pretty tall, I can't see past those
I am not even fond of the light tinting my Disco has...
wbjones wrote: so you hate all the soccer mom vans, pick-ups, and SUV (even CUV's) … in other words anything larger than a Miata … am I reading you correctly ?
As someone who was trained to look through the cars ahead of you to see 5 cars further up in traffic... YES, YES, 100% YES.
The sad thing is, this safety problem is due to the E36 M3ty DOT regulations. If we had sensible lighting like European spec instead of USDOT "Throw lots of light everywhere, drivers will get used to the glare" then we wouldn't need limo-tint on everything. And then DRLs so that you could see other traffic through the limo lint. And then just raising the rear beltline on the vehicles so glare stops being a problem, which requires everything have backup camera because oddly enough it is hard to park when the rear window's lower sill is five feet off the ground.
I started driving when sealed-beam lights were still the main lighting on the road. They weren't perfect but they were a sensible standard, and you didn't blind everyone else on the road. The current relaxed DOT regs for lighting are a shame and 100% designed by corporate interests instead of engineering standards.
My favorite thing about limo tint is that every drug dealer puts it on his Pontiac Grand Prix, thereby giving LE bullet-proof reasonable suspicion to initiate a traffic stop.
In reply to ShadowSix:
How I make my money is of no concern to you
In reply to mad_machine:
By that same logic, even without any tint your Disco really cuts down the safety for other drivers in cars behind you, since sheet metal is even harder to see through than tint. Pot, meet kettle.
I didn't say it didn't. I just said I am just not happy with making it harder for people to see.
I also have a classic Saab (if I ever get it back on the road) so I am well aware of the rolling wall of metal that an SUV can be.. and I really hate following them.
914Driver wrote: My son had his GTi windows tinted in Atlanta, I don't know the % but it really helped down there. In New York he got stopped twice, $288 each time. He asked a tint installer about removing it and was told you can't, replace the glass.
That guys is selling you a load of BS. I removed mine from my Civic with a razor scrapper and 3M adhesive remover on a Saturday.
Do you guys know if it is possible to tint the sliding windows on my Delica? As it seems to me it may be tough if not impossible to get the tint on the parts where the two sliding windows overlap each other. Just so you guys understand the rear glass on the van is double sliders aside from one side on the rear most window which is just a single slider, and a fixed portion of glass.
Mazda, a pro tinter should be able to do that with quality materials.
I love tinted windows. Just more comfortable. But I also don't like being outside without sunglasses on during the day.
93EXCivic wrote:914Driver wrote: My son had his GTi windows tinted in Atlanta, I don't know the % but it really helped down there. In New York he got stopped twice, $288 each time. He asked a tint installer about removing it and was told you can't, replace the glass.That guys is selling you a load of BS. I removed mine from my Civic with a razor scrapper and 3M adhesive remover on a Saturday.
I learned a really good trick for tint removal from somewhere on the inter webs. Basically, step 1. hose the inside of the window down with ammonia-containing glass cleaner, really saturate is; step 2. ASAP, before the glass cleaner evaporates, stick sheets of black trash bag to the window, they'll stick to the dampness of the glass cleaner (it helps to cut the bags to size before you start); step 3. park the car in the sun, the hotter the better, but this even works on mild days; step 4. peel the tint away in big, soggy sheets. If you've done it right you won't need any tools, the tint will literally come off in your hand.
The razor method works too, but is harder (I am lazy), takes longer in terms of actual doing of work (lazy), and is way harder on the glass, especially the defroster on your back window. With the trash bag method you windows are scratch-free and your defroster lives to fight another day.
Source: I have killed a defroster or two in my day. I'm not proud.
use soapy water spray on inside of window and one =ply black garbage bag to soften tint as many time as needed . peel as slow as possible to let glue stay on tint . Check out www.tintdude.com for more helpfull hints .. Best way is to consult your local window tinter he likes 420 and beer . place a straight porn mag under the seat 
cwh wrote: Had an interesting conversation with a Ft. Lauderdale cop recently. Super dark tint is an indicator that the driver is either a cop or a drug dealer. Also, dark tint is considered "Probable Cause" for further /more intrusive searches.
Not everywhere.
In Oklahoma, it's a secondary offense. In other words, they can't pull you over for your tint, but if they pull you over for some other infraction you can then be ticketed if your tint is too dark.
but that "reason" for pulling you over can be as faked as the officer wants it to be … all he has to say is "I saw you cross the yellow line a couple of times" … and unless you've got a dash cam ….
The trains of logic and latent assumptions displayed in this thread are pretty unnerving.
As a native Texan i have suffered too long under 100f+ sun and seen too many otherwise-nice old cars where the top third of the interior was ruined to question the value of window tint.
If you have a nice old car or a newer car that you think SHOULD live and remain in good condition for years to come, park it inside whenever it's not moving. If you cant do that, at least put SOME kind of tint on it. It doesnt have to be dark. Anything helps.
The sad fact is that an old car with a blown engine or broken transmission or bad paint is not a big deal, but an original interior is often basically irreplaceable unless the model is popular enough to have reproductions available. That's about 0.001% of all the cars owned by enthusiasts.
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