Ok, wanted to let you guys know that I guess they pick you out of the crowd a little more than I thought, lol... got a ticket and told me i had to get it changed out or they would just keep giving me tickets for it... So i guess i'm going to get the windows at 35% and get the sunroof done... pretty sad... I have had 20% on my 300ZX for 8 years, and never had anyone say anything to me about it around here :(... Ohh well... So word of advice, unless you want to pay a ticket, or multiple tickets, stick to your local tint laws...

 

Just got legal for mine, 35%. What was the point!?

Guess it will keep it a little cooler in the summer but I really like the way those who have blacked out the windows look. Had it not have been for a $400 tint ticket previously for 20% I would have done it again. Oh well.

 

Geezz! $400!!!

I just got a fix it ticket last week. Here in MN its about $130.

 

I went 20% all the way around...SDs law is 35% in the fronts and 20% in back. I like the same % all the way around. Gives it a better look in my opinion. Its a chance I'm willing to take. Paid $160..professionally done, lifetime guarantee

 

So to bring this back up I am about to get my windows done this up coming week by a company called Tint World. Which a bunch of people in JAMM recommended. They are want to charge in the neighbor hood of about $350 for ceramic tint (Suntech brand) and a strip on the windshield also it would be 15% all the way around. I am thinking it is the economy is why it is almost twice what it used to be but, Is this a good idea?

 

If you did not go by and talk to them do so and drive by once or twice to get an idea of how busy they are. If it does not appear that they are that busy then you can probably negotiate the price with them and get it knocked down at least $50 if not more. I would offer them a little under the going rate that is average for your area.

I found out that a coworker did this at the shop I got my MINI tinted at. Unfortunately it was the day after I got the tint done.

 

they are ripping you off, and u dont want anything more than 20% or it really serves no purpose. 5% is pretty freaking dark at night, my roomate has it all the way around. I have 15% with 35% on the windsheild. You cant see into my car even up close at night and barely in the day time. Before the windsheild it was a lot easier to see in but still pretty dark. Get semi reflective tint.

I paid 170 for mine plus another 50 for my windsheild. Dont do more than 20% or its not worth it, and dont do any price more than 200

 

Keep in mind legal limits. Check into the fine associated with being too dark and decide if it is worth it. My ticket was over $400!!!

 

Second that. I don't have the problem, but I've known others who have. And for heaven's sake, don't tint your tail lights--my daughter did on her Cooper, and when I followed her one time I was appalled that when she braked it was like regular running lights--barely visible.

You might also run into resistance with tinting the sunroof. There are some who say it can make the window shatter. I suppose so, but I personally haven't run into anyone who knows anyone who had the problem, even here in Texas, so it's probably pretty rare. My sunroof has been tinted twice, one layer over another, because I didn't get it dark enough the first time.

Ask your dealer who does his work. Might be more expensive, but will probably look better. Mine actually charged the same as other shops in the area, and it's a great job.

 

Well one its 15% not 5% just clearing that up. I don't want 5% that is too dark. I could get it knocked down about $40-$60 if I were to go legal up front, cause Florida is 15% up front 30% in back. They are some what busy there I had to set up an appointment to have the windows tinted. I am not trying to justify spending this much but, they tint the windows for the high end car dealerships down the road (which are Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, MINI, and Cadillac) which if its good enough for them it is good enough for me. Also I could lower the price if I didn't want the good stuff. I have just been screwed in the past by tint shops and I have had tinted in one state to find out that the next state I was in it was illegal. I also want a quality job, the last car I had tinted the guy that didn't charged me a great place but, he was doing out of a garage and he did a crappy job. Also on the legality of going darker then legal they charge you a little more and you sign a waiver stating that the shop warned you and is not liable for you getting in trouble.

 

Just out of curiosity, why DO people tint so dark that there's even a legal question? Anyone? I mean, it can't be for "cooling." Is it to look "cool" or are you guys trying to hide?

 

Because I want to have the front and the back matching. And yes the darker tint will keep the car a lot cooler(in temperature)

 

Just got pulled over for the first time since I moved to CA, and for what? Having my front windows tinted! Grrrr. It's a "correctable violation" which means I'm supposed to remove it, have that verified by a LEO, and send in $25 (which is an administrative fee, and not a fine, as the LEO pointed out). Why are the front windows tinted? Uniformity, making the car look even more awesome. Mine aren't even that dark, but CA allows for NO front window tinting at all.

 

Well, I got pulled over several times lately and was handed tint tickets each time. So I decided I had to rip if it off because I can't afford to pay the tickets. Its sucked ripping it off too. I am going to have it retinted sometime though.

 

Yeah, I agree evenly tinted windows would look better. Here's the thing, though. At 60 mph, I'm covering 88' per second. I'll take all the advance warning I can get.

Or maybe you wear sunglasses at night?

 

Well, you know when I say "front" I mean front side windows, not the windshield, right? I'm not getting any advance warning of anything coming at me from the side anyway (if I'm going 60, I best be on the highway, where nothing should be coming at me from either side).

 

Okay, I misunderstood. There ARE people who tint the windshield. As for the side windows, I think the laws are there to protect people (police?) from those who have somewhat less than honorable intent. You know, like people who might reach for a gun on a cop who has pulled him over...for having a dark tint!

 

That's the thing that gets me: "to protect the police." TBH, I think anyone who would consider pulling a gun on a cop would most likely do it before the officer even got to the window that s/he may or may not be able to see through. And if there was no tint, by the time the officer saw the gun it'd still be too late anyway. I think the whole "no tint" thing is just another moneymaker, much like speedtraps where the speed is 25 even though its straight and narrow and there's nothing around to prevent safely traveling at 50+ mph. Or as a way to pull someone over for basically nothing in hopes of getting something else out of it (like suspended DL, no insurance, no seatbelt, DUI, etc.).

 

I suppose. As a fellow driver, though, I dislike them. If I want to signal something to that driver (informative, not "you're number one"), I can't. It's also difficult to monitor the other driver's intentions. Sometimes you can get a clue that he covets your lane, or something like that. Lots of things like that. Anything helps.

And if I were a cop--and no, I'm not--I'd really hate to walk up to someone who has dark windows. I have no way to assess his/her intentions or actions. Given that you're already starting with a pissed-off driver who's been pulled over, there are lots of possibilities. And what about the guy who wants that time to stow drugs or bottles? I'd like that kind of driver off the streets.

JMO, but it's based on 40 years of driving.