Window tints

[VW Fletch]

Hi guys n gals,

My sport has tints as standard but I'd like them darker tbh. I've no idea when it comes to tint levels other than Limo Black might be too dark for a car.

Ideally I would like to have decent rear vision at night inside the car but very limited visability into the car during the day.

Has anyone got experience in this and could possibly direct me towards some examples?

Many thanks,

Fletch

[dieseljames]

You probably aught to speak to your local window tinting company on shades, they can give you all the tech spec. I do know that there are many different shades and colours available so it is all down to individual preferences.

[damo140]

I got the lightest tint on the front windows and a mid-tint on the rest

[james_tiger_woo]

I think you need to be careful how dark you go as it might make it difficult to see out at night - The last thing you might want would be to have not seen someone behind the car while you're reversing, knock them over and the police to cite you for having too dark a window tint....

[s4-matt]

My s4 came with tint's on the rear and back. I don't particularly like having such a contrast between the front and rears so looked into getting some tint on the fronts, however on reading up it is a dodgy area. Essentially the allowable tint on the front is specified in law and most decent cars are on limit from factory! You can therefore go with what you want on the back but nothing (legally) on the front. Visibility in the dark is reduced though even with tint on the back, which can make parking trickier than without.

[Hex69]

My s4 came with tint's on the rear and back. I don't particularly like having such a contrast between the front and rears so looked into getting some tint on the fronts, however on reading up it is a dodgy area. Essentially the allowable tint on the front is specified in law and most decent cars are on limit from factory! You can therefore go with what you want on the back but nothing (legally) on the front. Visibility in the dark is reduced though even with tint on the back, which can make parking trickier than without.

Max tint on fronts is 30%

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6707873.stm

[dieseljames]

As Hex69 said - 70% of light must pass through the front windows. This is measurable with portable gadgets some traffic police carry.

You can do what you like with the rears - at night if you cannot see out the back then it would be just the same as a panel van - and the same caution when reversing would need to be applied.

One thing that I have read somewhere is you can get light scatter from the headlights of the cars on the opposing carriageway when using really dark tints which can be distracting, dazzling and annoying. ....has anyone had any experience of this?

[pcplum]

Yep, as mentioned above, front windows MUST allow at least 70% natural light transmission, and the windscreen must allow at least 75%.

Most (if not all) modern cars (those manufactured after about 1996) will have the maximum level of tint applied to the windows at the time of manufacture. This can be determined by looking at the stamped-in text in the lower corner of each window.

If the window has the maximum tint already applied by the manufacturer, it will have 'AS2' on the front windows and 'AS1' on the windscreen. If these are present, you CANNOT add more tint and still use the vehicle legally on the road.

The police actively check cars using a light-transmission device. Tinted windows can attract a fixed penalty, a court summons and vehicle prohibition, depending on the level of tint. It's really not worth the hassle & cost, just to have slightly darker front windows.