Tinted Windows

[Hatchman]

Having the sunroof re done, had a bubble in the sunroof tint. Going darker 20% this time. It's free, guaranteed for life and gives me something to do while wife is in the mall down the street . :)

[Hatchman]

Got the sunroof redone, now 20%.  I like it better than the 35%, now the roof is a little darker than the sides.  Should be nice during the hot summers. 

 

 

20% 

 

 

Old 35% for comparison

Edited March 24, 2013 by Hatchman

[JohnnOhio]

Just got mine done. I have 20% all the way around. Still drying and looks smooth and clear of bubbles. Had my previous car tinted also 12 years ago. Never have a bubble in it

[ArizonaEnergi]

We went with 35% (Arizona limit) and 5% in back.  Think it's perfect, and are looking forward to using the remote start this summer as we walk to it in a parking lot in the Arizona heat.

[Riddley]

In doing some research for the C-MAX, I ran across this excellent resource for window tinting, including laws by state: http://www.tintcenter.com/. One thing I wasn't aware of was that there were regulations for both the darkness of the tint, and the reflectivity.

Darkness of tint is measured by Visible Light Transmission percentage (VLT%) - the percentage of visible light allowed in through the film only. Where I live in Washington the regulation for passenger cars appears to be: must allow more than 24% for all windows (not including the windshield).

 

Reflectivity: Separate from darkness, the law regulates how reflective the tint can be. Some tinting film contain metallic elements that help in reflecting incoming light and reducing the glare and heat generated by visible light. In Washington the regulation for reflectivity in passenger cars appears to be: must be less than 35% for all windows (not including the windshield).

[ScubaDadMiami]

What happens if your state allows darker tint, and then you drive to another state that restricts to a lighter tint?

Edited April 3, 2013 by ScubaDadMiami

[CMax]

I have been doing some research on this on the internet and basically what I have found is that the local state police can ticket you according to their states laws. The general consensus from what I have read is that if you don't get an attitude with the police officer they generally won't worry about the tinting. If you google "out of state window tint violation" there are a lot of links to forums and such where people have voiced their opinions and occasionally there is a police officer that voices in on them also. Below is the link to tintcenter.com's blog post about the issue.

 

I am in the military and travel all over the US and am still planning on getting my windows tinted. I have looked at quite a few of the state laws and I think I am going to put 35% on all of the windows behind the driver and 50% on the driver and passenger front windows. I currently live in VA and front windows can't be more than 50% here. I figured that 35% is dark enough to block enough of the light and still meets most states requirements. If I happen to end up somewhere that has more stringent tint laws, I will change it according to their laws just to be on the safe side.

 

 

http://www.tintcenter.com/blog/2012/02/out-of-state-window-tint-violation/

[zhackwyatt]

What happens if your state allows darker tint, and then you drive to another state that restricts to a lighter tint?

Just don't drive to California :)  I hear getting ticketed for out of state tint is pretty common.

[Riddley]

I would guess that the rules that apply to the state where the car is licensed would be in force. If I were pulled over in another state with more restrictive laws - and if the officer wanted to cite me for window tint, I imagine that I would reference the law for the state listed on the license plate. If necessary, I would pull up the page using my cell phone. But I'm not a lawyer.  

 

EDIT:  I take this all back. Nod to CMAX (thanks for the blog reference): http://www.tintcenter.com/blog/2012/02/out-of-state-window-tint-violation/. 

 

Not only do I take this all back, but it may inform the level of tinting I get for my new car. As a WA resident, I was thinking of something in the 25% range (which would be in compliance in WA). As I read about this more, I'm now thinking about 35% transmit. I have not decided yet.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Riddley

[zhackwyatt]

I would guess that the rules that apply to the state where the car is licensed would be in force. If I were pulled over in another state with more restrictive laws - and if the officer wanted to cite me for window tint, I imagine that I would reference the law for the state listed on the license plate. If necessary, I would pull up the page using my cell phone. But I'm not a lawyer.  

That's not how it works.  Every state has the right to enforce their own laws.

[ArizonaEnergi]

I've driven to California many, many times in my various Arizona heavy tinted cars and have never been ticketed.  I would recommend not worrying about that issue, and get whatever your state allows or less and enjoy it.  We're at 35% front, 5% back, and like it very much.

[zhackwyatt]

I've driven to California many, many times in my various Arizona heavy tinted cars and have never been ticketed.  I would recommend not worrying about that issue, and get whatever your state allows or less and enjoy it.  We're at 35% front, 5% back, and like it very much.

Yeah, I mainly meant it as tounge-in-cheek.

[ArizonaEnergi]

I finally got a halfway decent picture of my 35% - 5% tinting job done by the dealer's sub-contractor.

 

Edited April 4, 2013 by ArizonaEnergi

[VirginiaRick]

I noticed that the little triangular window (in front of the mirror) appears to not be tinted.  Is that considered part of the 'windshield'?

[ArizonaEnergi]

I noticed that the little triangular window (in front of the mirror) appears to not be tinted.  Is that considered part of the 'windshield'?

It is tinted too, but the windshield is behind it in that picture so it looks lighter.  Here's another picture and you can see the tint in this one.

[dtorres]

That's not how it works.  Every state has the right to enforce their own laws.

Your both right.  Zhackwyatt is right in that each state does have the right to enforce their own laws.  However Riddley is also right in that Officers use the state the car came from as a general guide on whether or not to cite for tint in their respective State.  For example Arizona doesn't have tinting laws so generally speaking an office would not cite an Arizona vehicle in CA for tint.  However Colorado does have tint laws so a Colorado vehicle in CA might get cited for having limo tint on its side windows.  Of course they would be cited for the CA tint vehicle code section and not the Colorado VC section.

Edited April 4, 2013 by dtorres

[Riddley]

Since I'm going to be driving 98% in my home state, I've decided to get the tint to conform to those laws. F>24%, R>24%.  

[Red Twin]

Being new here, I haven't figured how to attach Pics yet.  Anyway, I picked up my C-Max from the dealer yesterday with all my windows tinted, including the Sun Strip and the two port holes.

 

Front - 50%

Back and roof - 35%

 

 I am now waiting the 48 hrs, so I can use my windows. I am really happy with the job they did.

[Riddley]

Steps to Insert an image file to your post (as opposed to attaching). You use "insert" when the image file exists on the Internet already.  Example: if you have an image already uploaded to the C-MAX Forum Gallery.

 

I have inserted a sample image file to this post to illustrate what these steps accomplish.

1. The picture needs to be somewhere on the internet already. Many people use a file sharing service for this. Alternately, you can insert an image that you previously uploaded to the C-MAX Forum Gallery.
2. Locate the image you want to show.
3. Identify (copy) the URL of that image: In the case of the image below, I just right-clicked on the image on the other webpage and selected "Properties". Then I copied the path that is shown for where the image resides.. Note, you can try this yourself. Right click on the image of the red car below, then select Properties, then you will see the path. Copy that path.
4. Now, when you are composing a new post, to insert a picture, click on the [image] button on the editing toolbar. You will see a prompt for the URL.
5. Paste in the URL that you copied in step 3 above and click [OK].
6. Click on the [Preview Post] button at the bottom of the screen. 
7. Review the preview of your post, make any final changes/edits.
8. Click on the [Add Post/Reply] to publish your post.

Note: The image you want to insert must be a conventional image file ending in .jpg, .jpeg, .png, etc. 

 

If you follow these steps, it should result in the image appearing in your post (example below).   

 

 

Hope this helps. Note: you can test this by using the "Test" forum at the bottom of the list of forums in the main page of this site. :)

Edited April 11, 2013 by Riddley

[Riddley]

Steps to Attach an image file to your post (as opposed to inserting). You can use these steps to include a file that is on your computer (not yet on the Internet).

 

I have attached a sample file to this post to illustrate what these steps accomplish.  

1. In the editor, click on the [More Reply Options] at the bottom of the screen. This opens the "full editor"
2. Notice that at the bottom of this full editor, you have the [Attach Files] control.
3. Click on the [Browse] button.  
4. Locate and double-click on the file you want to attach.
5. Click on the [Attach This File] button
6. At this point you have one file uploaded to the site, and ready to attach to your post A thumbnail will appear below the post you are editing. You can choose to add another file, or if you are satisfied, you can move onto the next step.
7. Place the cursor in the exact location in your message where you want the image or attachment to appear.
8. Click on the [Add to Post] button to add the file to your post as an attachment.
9. Click on the [Preview Post] button at the bottom of the screen. 
10. Review the preview of your post, make any final changes/edits.
11. Click on the [Add Post/Reply] to publish your post.

    Note: you can upload up to 67.58K of files (Max. single file size: 67.58K)

 

Hope this helps. Note: you can test this by using the "Test" forum at the bottom of the list of forums in the main page of this site.  :)

Edited April 11, 2013 by Riddley

[C-MAXER]

I dropped my Ruby Red off this morning to get 5% ultra-dark from the rear passenger windows back to the hatch and state legal for front doors (35% IIRC).   I wouldn't have gone 5% without a rear view camera due to vision restrictions at night while backing up.    Combining that with a new windshield shade will have me prepared for the impending onslaught of summer heat! :sad:  Pics coming after I pick it up.  :camera:

[fotomoto]

I dropped my Ruby Red off this morning to get 5% ultra-dark from the rear passenger windows back to the hatch and state legal for front doors (35% IIRC).   I wouldn't have gone 5% without a rear view camera due to vision restrictions at night while backing up.    Combining that with a new windshield shade will have me prepared for the impending onslaught of summer heat! :sad:  Pics coming after I pick it up.  :camera:

 

This is an evening shot without any back light so the tint appears to be even much darker than it is.  Fronts are Texas legal.  I wouldn't get the rears that dark if I didn't have a backup camera.  

 

[RachelnLa]

Sharp!!

[raymond963]

I had my windows tinted yesterday at Ziebart. 35% on everything except the windshield. You can see the outline where the little black dots are on the small windows, which looks kinda strange. I've already noticed the difference in temperature inside after it sits in the sun.

 

[raymond963]

I'm really liking the difference with the window tint. Went to a movie yesterday, Fast & Furious 6, at 4:05 PM and parked with the front of the car facing east, away from the sun. After 2-1/2 hours, returned to the car and it was just barely warmer than outside temp of 85+-degrees.