Riddle me this, riddle me that ...

[Porkchop]

To make a long story short - Got pulled over, cop had issues with tint, took tint off rear pass. windows and tear drops, retinted w/ 35% (legal limit is 35 +/- 3%), went to get inspected ... failed... too dark.

Now, my question ..... the fronts have the same tint level, same manufacturer and they read 33% which is perfectly legal. How can the backs read 30%??? No manufacturer I know of uses 95% stock tint (the 5% bringing me down to 30%)

The first time I went through just to see what it was reading, this with 20% on the rears .... 13% ..... 7% difference ...

Can anyone shine some light on this??

: DISCLAIMER :
No im not ****** at the cop, no im not ranting, yes im urked at the DMV ..... Ya I shoulda gone through with no tint on ... shoulda, woulda, coulda... ... oh and no "your breaking the law, suck it up" posts either...

 

[Chris Benvie]

Woah. Thats really weird. Take it back to the tint shop and tell them that they're readings are off.

But seriously chop, I wouldn't worry about it, if you can see through it at night. You are aok.

 

[Porkchop]

I don't have a tint reader so I can't take it back to the shop (i.e I did the tinting)

Ya, but thats not how the dmv see's it ... I NEED to go though inspection (fix-it-ticket) well fix-it-warning for me, but I still loose the regustration friday if its not fixed ... SOOOOOOOO

I don't like the fact that they are hassling me over 2%, I think that thier tint reader is off IMHO ...

Anyone have any ideas?? Is there something thats blatantly obvious that im missing?

 

[flosho]

Take it to a place that does tinting, have them test it and see what their 'reader' says. If theirs says its legal, have it rechecked by the DMV.

 

[Porkchop]

Jay - right after I got the warning, I called about 6-8 local tinting places both near my home and work. Most of them went " wth is a tint reader?? ......" and none of them had one, and I tried from the hole in the wall ghetto places to well known shops that have good reputations ... with the same outcome.

Im debating asking my local PD if they have one and if they would as to be so kind as to read my tint. Dunno if they will though...

 

[flosho]

Hmm I guess it cant really hurt to ask can it.

 

[NetNinja]

I used to want tint. That's until all my buddy's used to get pulled over for $H!T$ and giggles.

It's not worth the Hassle, especially if you look young and wear your baseball cap on backwards.

Never give Drudge Dread an excuse to shoot you.

 

[Bryan C. King]

Chop,

If you want come down to my place and I'll bring the tint meter home from work and check it out.

Just remember if you put 35% tint on a vehilce with factory air conditioning the windows allready have 2% in the glass. That would bring it down to 33%, so if the tint meter was off 2-3% that could be why.

: DISCLAIMER :
No im not ****** at the cop, no im not ranting, yes im urked at the DMV ..... Ya I shoulda gone through with no tint on ... shoulda, woulda, coulda... ... oh and no "your breaking the law, suck it up" posts either...

suck it up chop!

Don't listen to benvie: But seriously chop, I wouldn't worry about it, if you can see through it at night. You are aok.

You are not OK, just because you can see out of it at night dosen't mean that it is within the legal limits.

 

[JaySHOguy]

********. What about all of the SUV's and trucks that come from the factory with deep tinted windows? They need to change the laws and make them universal.

 

[Porkchop]

Just remember if you put 35% tint on a vehilce with factory air conditioning the windows allready have 2% in the glass. That would bring it down to 33%, so if the tint meter was off 2-3% that could be why.

Bryan, is there anyway to get the last time it was calibrated?? To see if the unit is off??

I would come down but I have work tomm and my only day off is Friday, the same day my reg. gets suspended. Guess I gotta call the local PD.

Give me a 2-way tonight

 

[Chris Benvie]

suck it up chop![/B]

Don't listen to benvie: But seriously chop, I wouldn't worry about it, if you can see through it at night. You are aok.

.

Hey!

 

[Porkchop]

Alright, I bit the bullet and went to the main inspection station to try my luck.

After 30 minutes of waiting for 4 cars I went in ... told him what the warning was for and what I changed .. "Ok, I don't care.." takes the warning scribbles on it, and letter punches it with a code .... asked why they didn't pass me in enfield and I told him. (prob shot myself in the foot) ...

So he breaks out the tint reader and it reads 30% in the front and 30% in the back ... ok wtf, 3 different times, 2 different tints THREE totally different readings..

So with the warning already signed, I passed by default. Still havn't gotten a sticker from the state cause they are being beetches about 2% which is VERY minute. He even said, he only signed it because it looked lighter than what it was....

Im good for now, till I get popped again for tint...again

 

[Keith M]

Sheesh...I really was considering tinting my car, but all this kop/DMV hassling pretty much made up my mind for me. I'm neither young nor wear a backwards/sideways baseball hat (which kinda makes ya look stoopid anyway IMO), but I still like to avoid any confrontations with the law. Sure, really dark tint on driver's windows can be a safety issue, but I'd rather see more enforcement of the "use your damn blinker" law than rousting people for moderate tint.

 

[Yamaha V6]

Keith -
FYI, at my inspection station, they passed my 95 MTX w/ 35% the first time, then failed it on the next inspection ("They're really cracking down on us now..."). Same station, same operator.

I'd love to do tint for a number of reasons, but I really don't like the idea of potentially losing the rear defrost pulling the tint off if I were forced to.

Also, I agree on the different rules for different cars - my wife's RI-purchased '03 Montana Van has dark windows all around (sides / back). You have to be on top of it to see through it.

 

[Camarok]

..... :shifty eyes : take the tint off..... take it to the dmv...... pass.... put tint back on..... : hides in corner : .....

 

[advocate]

yea you guys have it bad over there... where I am you can't tint anything beside or in front of the driver.... Doesn't mean that I do not have tint - I do. everything but the windshield... Well it has an "eyebrow" to keep the sun out of my eyes.

But it is not too enforced, and the ticket isn't too bad anyways up here. You can paint the windows behind the driver if you want and its legal

I am a firm believer of tint. Had an accident a few years back, pretty bad one. had only the rear windows tinted. at the hospital the nurses pulled a good sized jar worth of glass cubs out of my face (very few scars not noticable and the rear passenger had no problem as the tint held the glass together and it just fell down in large pieces that did not harm him.

 

[Porkchop]

Keith -
FYI, at my inspection station, they passed my 95 MTX w/ 35% the first time, then failed it on the next inspection ("They're really cracking down on us now..."). Same station, same operator.

I'd love to do tint for a number of reasons, but I really don't like the idea of potentially losing the rear defrost pulling the tint off if I were forced to.

Also, I agree on the different rules for different cars - my wife's RI-purchased '03 Montana Van has dark windows all around (sides / back). You have to be on top of it to see through it.

Yeah, I went all around robin hoods barn to get it to pass. I love the tint, but anything less than say ... 40% ... is useless.

Fred - the rear defrosters was one thing that ****** me off, esp if they made me scrape it - but then I thought ... rock ... full glass insurance ... w00t!

The laws concerning the "factory" tinted windows like your wifes Montana and aftermarket like yours, mine and everyone elses is a bit ***** in my opinion. If you expect the aftermartket tint(ers) to obey the law, they car companies should too.

Camarok ....

 

[750sho]

My sho had 5% tint for three years, never had a problem.
I sell it, and three days later, she gets pulled over, and gets a fix it ticket for the tint. Of course, she lives in a dumb little town called York, Nebraska. where all the cops are ***** and hate young people.

 

[krupt89]

********. What about all of the SUV's and trucks that come from the factory with deep tinted windows? They need to change the laws and make them universal.

If a car comes from the factory w/ the tint it is legal. IIRC, the tint they use is actually between 2 pieces of glass. Dont know why that would make a differance though.

And i dont know if it applys to all states but i know in PA you used to be able to get a priscription from an eye or skin doctor to tint your windows as dark as you please. Like i said, dont know if thats legal anymore and still expect to get pulled over and harrased for it all the time.

In PA they nevered bothered you for tint as long as the driver and pass side windows wernt tinted. I could deffinitly see why cops dont like it though, i wouldnt want to walk up to a car at night and not be able to see in.

 

[shoguy311]

or you could all move to arizona where the legal limit for ALL rear windows is 5% because of the extreme heat, limo tint for everyone