Window tint

[M@rt1n]

Hi guys,

Does window tint absorb or deflect heat? I've read that it deflects it therefore making your car cooler in summer, but (changing into scientist mode now!!) anything black coloured absorbs the suns heat... so I'm totally confused!!

I really want to get tints, but if it means that my car is going to be more of an 'oven' than it already is in this weather I dont think I'll bother!!

Also, if tints DO deflect heat, which ones deflect it best? I.e. light smoke, dark smoke, limo black or the 2-tone silver-black like Wimmy has?

Thanks guys,

Martin

 

[Anonymous]

Tints

Do you know what, sod the heat the tints will make your car look hectic so I would just go for it . The other thing you have to think about is the law cos you know that its not ment to be darker then 25% at the front but you can get away with 35% which looks good then just go as dark as you want at the back. To be honest my car gets very hot with the tints but just as hot without so theres not much difference but when your in the car you wont get as much sun on you. Think about getting a sun strip it really helps and just finishes off the look . Theres a good place in Middx that does tints for a good price not sure if thats anywhere near you though !

 

[Barakka]

Interestingly I was reading on another forum about the law surrounding tints.

We all know now that you can now only have tints from the B-pillar back. But apparently there's a few people getting pulled now who don't have the front doors tinted and getting told to remove ALL tinting film.

They tried to argue the point that it was only rear windows but were told that unless it's a commercial vehicle they can enforce NO tint at all. They were given a week to remove the film and get the vehicle inspected.

 

[Peter]

You can only get the back windows tinted?? when has this rule appeared? i see cars with front windows tinted all the time, and not just boy racers either - BMW X5s, Audi RS6 etc etc. Surerly the police would have to enforce the same rules with them? altho they wouldnt bcos older drivers can get away with alot more then youunger ones, in the eyes of the law! anyone know for sure the law regarding tints? thanks

 

[Anonymous]

i got pulled last week and told to remove the tints on the front doors i had to remove them there and then or they were gonna tow the car as it was an unsafe vehicle what a load of crap

 

[Barakka]

The rules have been changed in the last year on tints. Basically you can't have any more than a 30% tint (allowing 70% of light through) on the front doors. However, the lightest tint you can get is 30% and when you take into account that as standard most windows are tinted at least 5% from the factory any tint and you're over the limit.

The back-side and rear windows can be tinted as much as you like.

If you're caught with light tint on the front doors they would usually give a notice telling you to remove them within a week. Dark (limo) tint and they tell you to remove it on the spot or they impound the car.

That is my understanding of the law at the moment and how it is being enforced.

There has been articles in the newspapers about people that had bought a car new from a dealership with tints and having been stopped. However, it seems it's not the manufacturers tinting the windows that dark, but the dealerships offering it as a service.

I have noticed (especially on the motorways) a growing number of VOSA "Traffic Officer" vehicles pulling people over. This is something they would be empowered to enforce, along with driving with fog lights on, no tax, no MOT etc. etc.

But my post earlier was something reported on other forums that people have been pulled for having rear side and back windows tinted- Effectively meaning you cannot tint any windows at all.

 

[nico n the mule]

Yer, i thought I might get away with light smokes on the doors but I got given a producer when I refused to removed them there and then, after being pulled on the motorway (not helped by the fact that my rear quarter isn't tinted at the mo - so made it all the more obvious, DOH!!)

Like chuff was I guna remove my tints so just picked up spare windows from scrappy for £12 a piece and temporarily swopped em. Jobs a gudun. Tints will help keep your car a lot cooler. If I were doing the fronts again, I'd say ******** to it, and make em dark cos makes no difference if you opt for lighter - still illegal. Initially I put dark on the rears, although I'm tempted to put limo on now. Only prob with going that dark is visibility in winter and at night. If I do opt for limo and have any left over, a few of my custom sunstrips might appear on ebay

 

[ben]

my car had tints on when i bought it, they are very dark on the side windows (front and back) it does make the car much cooler in the summer.

i was worrieed about having her MOT'd as i was sure it was gonna fail because of the tints, and it passed, with the tints, when they are clearly more than a 30% tint!

 

[Anonymous]

why does the peugeot 206 sw have tinted back windows and tailgate as standard then. vosa wouldn't have approved it for sale in the uk otherwise?

 

[Anonymous]

tints

I asked a off duty bobby about this ( he was selling his astra to a friend of mine on auto trader) . Its another one of these things which is under the polices discretion. He also said that fog light were as we all know illegal but most police officers ignore this ! Back to the tints, he said as long as they are not too dark like limo black then it wont cause too much hassle but if your unlucky enough to get pulled over by a evil bobby ( there all lovely really lol) then they can make you remove them. Its true that the Peugeot is made with the back windows tinted and the Vauxhall mpv range so I would say stick with 30% at the front iv had no problems as of yet but iv probably jinxed my self now .