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Styling My £1 Tint Job

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Styling My £1 Tint Job

g8rpi said:
I've tried to keep out of this but I can't anymore. Passing an MOT does not mean your lights are legal. The MOT assumes the car was designed and built to the regulations ans is mainly concerned with degradation. The guidance in the testers manua is very subjective so a lot depends on the tester. Your refelectors are almost certainly illegal. Technically your lights are illegal because you have modified them. The modification invaldates the type approval ("E" marking) even if they still meet the requirements. Technically you would have to get your painted lights approved. This is the only way to make them 100% legal. To see if they meet the requirements you would have to get an approved test house, VOSA inspector or possibly specialist police officer, with the correct test equipment to inspect them. A very basic test which is broadly in line with the MOT requirements would be to use a light meter to measure the output of an unpainted light and that of the painted one. If the painted is less than half of the unpainted I'd argue you don't meet the MOT 50% rule. From experience of neutral density filters I guess you are well under half. However you can't tell by just looking, a carefully designed filter could have reduced attenuation at specfic wavelengths, it could look dark but let lots of red through. Witnerss the expensive drivers sunglasses that pass more red and green so you can see brake and traffic lights.
Note that for refelectors the tint can only be 25% to meet the 50% guidance as it attenuates the light twice, once going in before reflection and then again going out after reflection.
Bottom line is, you are technically illegal and if anyone with runs into the back of you you could be looking at a very big bill and a conviction for driving without insurance.
You have told your insrance company haven't you?
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If they pass the m.o.t, I couldn't care if they were illegal, nobody's going to blame the reflectors for going into the back of someone in the day
 
tomharrison said:
If they pass the m.o.t, I couldn't care if they were illegal, nobody's going to blame the reflectors for going into the back of someone in the day
Click to expand...

I wasn't refering to the reflectors causing someone hitting you, it's the brake lights that are the issue. Anyone with a bit of knowledge who ran into the back of you, for whatever reason, could blame the tinted lenses and you would have no defence. If you haven't told your insurance company and the other driver blames the tint, your insurance company is within their rights (and highly likely) to cancel the cover, leaving you liable to a driving wthout insurance conviction. Same applies if a police officer with a thing against tinted lights sees you, or you get caught by a roadside check.
Sure it looks cool, and it's your decision, I just want people who read this thread (and the OP) to realise what the possible consequences are. Its the drivers decision to assess the risk of detection and balance this against the possible consequences. A shiny new MOT is no defence if the vehicle is not compliant with the law.
 
For all those who are on the edge of thier seats during this heated debate, i can confirm that my reflectors can still be seen at night when a headlight passes over the lights.. picture evidence to follow :thumbup:
 
Don't forget the light just above the back window,Looks good pal. I was thinking of getting my back lights done (but with fly eye) from a company who does tints by me £20-£25 a corner
 
Kinnie19 said:
Don't forget the light just above the back window,Looks good pal. I was thinking of getting my back lights done (but with fly eye) from a company who does tints by me £20-£25 a corner
Click to expand...

Im unsure about the back bar... cant really see it anyway under the spoilrt
 
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