6 months, no tint. i've had tint on every car i've owned before this one... and i don't miss it. as a matter of fact, i kinda like being able to look over my right shoulder and have a clear look at traffic. i'm resolving to never tint a car unless it comes from the factory tinted as part of the design.. like my yukon. stock, perfect.

but man... oh man.. do i WISH i had opted for the rear auto-visors!!! would have been perfect for my 2 year old. thank god this isn't my last car

 

Just have read this thread on tinted windows and the very informative post by gamehaus. Here in Germany, one would find film tinted windows mostly on cheaper "home-modded" cars, although it was more frequent in the 90?s. Like in California, it?s illegal for the windshield and front side windows. On SUVs (X5, MB ML, Range, Cayenne etc.) so-called privacy glassing is popular, which would be dark tinted glass for the rear windows.

Anyway, I thought about the technical aspects and would have some questions:
1. Is it always a film solution or do you find tinted glass too?
2. Sitting inside, can you tell there?s a film on the windows from first look?
3. With a 5% tinting on the rear window, can you still observe the traffic behind you or do you have to use the mirrors?
4. Regarding the southern part uf the US with lots of sun, why not order the climate-control glassing with nearly 100% UV+IR reduction as a factory option?

Thanks!

 

In the USA, it is against federal law for an automotive company to sell a passenger vehicle with darkened glass. The official rule is that glass must have VLT over 69-70% or something.... which is what most auto glass is from the factory due to the UV/heat blocking treatments applied during the manufacturing process.

There are some exceptions to this law. SUVs, Trucks and Vans are permitted to have privacy glass on rear passenger sides, and rear windshields from the factory. But front doors may not. This is why you will see many SUVs with tinted rears and back doors, but clear front doors.

Once the car is sold to the public, each US state has its own laws regarding the legality of aftermarket tint films.


No. From the inside of a tinted car, you cannot tell there is a film. It does appear darker, but if the tint film is applied by an expert installer.... it does not affect the clarity of your view. I live in Florida, the sunshine state.... and for me, the window tint vastly improves my daytime vision. It is like wearing sunglasses.

Poorly installed tint may distort light that passes through it, causing optical effects like ghosting. Any professional installer should replace tint film under warranty if this occurs, as it presents a potential safety risk to the driver.

Sometimes, on large or very curved windows, the tint cannot be applied in a single piece. When a window must be covered by two or more pieces, the seam lines can usually be visible. They appear similar to defroster lines. A skilled installer who must do this will typically try to conceal these seams by cutting them right on top of a defroster line.


I have had 5% tint on the rear windshield of 3 previous cars I owned. It does significantly affect your rearward nighttime vision. The best way to describe it is this..... it makes the cars in your rear view appear the same as they would when your nightvision mode engages on the rearview mirror.


Several reasons:

1. Because this option is not available to USA.

2. Because window tint looks better.

3. Because the increased privacy is, in itself, a safety feature.

 

my wife got pulled over by a glendale cop because he said the tint was too dark i believe its a 20%. He said he cant see wether the driver is a male or female,Anyway he gave my wife 1 month to fix it and told her to take the car back to glendale city hall and pay the $10 fee. my wife said he added that she doesnt have to take the tint off on that deadline.What did he mean by that?Does that mean i dont have to take the tint off and he pulled over my wife just for the sake of being able to say he did his job?Guys what should i do ?should i take the tint off or leave it on?if i have to take the front passenger and driver tint off i might as well just take the whole thing off to me its either tint all around or nothing.I need your help fellow e60 owners......

 

Here is mine with 40% on sides and 15% on the rear, can't see any point going darker than 15% as it looks black from outside anyway!!

 

@ subterFUSE

Thank You for the info, now I understand more of this discussion. Strange, you cannot order the climate-control glass in the US, with at least half of the states getting so much more sun than Germany does.

 

Blame it on BMWNA.

 

I hope the cop is not flirting/hitting on your wife. I would seek advice from a local tint dealer and/or another law enforcer on local tint laws before taking your tint off. Removing tint can be very time consuming.

Most tints have a rating on it, so check your tint against the local ordinance.

 

Hey,

Nice car and tints!!! I'm a Benz owner and plan on getting the same tint you put on your's....35% Madico Charcool tint all around. Can you take more pics of your car such as side views of the tints and post them....

Thanks!!!

 

The great thing about tint, besides reducing the heat, glare and looking good, is that it's inexpensive. If you decide you want something darker or lighter, for a few hundred dollars you can change it. There was the comment about the difficulty of removing tint from the rear window, but when I bought my car it had 20% on the back and rear sides. I had it removed and 50% added all around (except the windshield). No problem. If the next guys wants dark tint or no tint, it's easy enough to do.

I like 50%. Good night vision, looks nice.