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Is window tinting on your car illegal?

G

Gaard

Diamond Member
My wife wants to get it done to her car....why? I dunno, she's a weirdo. But I think I heard somewhere that it's illegal. Anybody know?
 
I believe that it depends on the severity of the tint. Tints are only allowed until a certain level I think and it's probably a state law on the tints so you should check. If you get it done at a respectable place you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
 
In Michigan, you can't tint the front windshield and the driver/passenger windows. Well, the top 3-4 inches, you can.

That's why no cars come from the factory w/ the driver/passenger side windows tinted.
 
Well she already left so I'll have to wait to tell her it's against the law until she gets back. 😀 I think she planned on having the whole car done. And it's a friend of a friend doing it...
 
I know for South Carolina, any tint under 30% is illegal. They do it by percent. The lower the percent, the darker the tint is (correct me if I'm wrong, somebody).
 
In Illinois, you can paint your windows black if you wanted to, but your car has to be made before 1982 ( grandfather ) all others after are allowed NO TINT on the front's, but everywhere else you can do whatever.
 


<< I believe that it depends on the severity of the tint. Tints are only allowed until a certain level I think and it's probably a state law on the tints so you should check. If you get it done at a respectable place you shouldn't have anything to worry about. >>



I agree.

Though I think you can tint the fron windshield from the top down to a certain point and to a certain degree. Don't most cars already have some sort of tint at the top of their windshield?
 
A friend of a friend? Warning, warning, warning: Does he own/work in a shop that does this? How many of these tint jobs has he done? Your wife needs to take a look at some of this guy's previous work. Applying tint and doing well takes practice and skill, as well as a few special tools. (And good film is a lot more expensive than cheap film, but difference becomes readily apparent within a few years.

As far as laws go every state is different. I've seen the info on the web, but I don't remember where. I s'pose Google would be a place to start looking.
 


<< A friend of a friend? Warning, warning, warning: Does he own/work in a shop that does this? How many of these tint jobs has he done? Your wife needs to take a look at some of this guy's previous work. Applying tint and doing well takes practice and skill, as well as a few special tools.

As far as laws go every state is different. I've seen the info on the web, but I don't remember where. I s'pose Google would be a place to start looking. >>



Yeah, check the guy out first. If the tint is done badly (like with lots of air bubbles underneath) it's a pain to have it removed and retinted right.
 
Good point about the quality of tint. There's only one shop here in MI that i trust. They do tint for lots of celebs and sports stars.

Also, if it's a woman, she can always play dumb saying "my husband did it". I think cops might let her go with a warning.

I got pulled over many times for my tinted windows. I got away with lots of playing dumb, but I did get a ticket once. They let me waive the fee if I went to the police station within 14 days and show them I stripped the tint. The worst part is that I stripped it, and when I got to the police station, they guy just took my word for it without looking at the car 🙁
 
there is a certain % of tint that you can have on your car. well i mean like basically you need to have at least 35% tint here where i live. its weird, but some ppl do 5%.
 
Also, if it's a new car that you'll keep for a while, ask about "titanium" tinting (i think that's what it's called). The normal dye turns purple after a few years. You can't get titanium as pitch black as normal stuff, but it's still pretty dark.
 
I am not vouching for the accuracy of the information, but this page has information on the window tinting laws in each state.

I hope she spends a few bucks extra and gets metallic tint, which will not turn purple. Llumar is the best tint manufacturer, and they certify installers, so a Llumar-certified installer should be a safe bet.
 
My windows look like This and I live in NV where it is legal to pretty darn dark tint on all the windows (except the windshield). I used to live in CA where it was illegal to have tinting on the drivers and passengers windows. It is a state by state law, just call up your local PD (do not use 911 for this) and ask them.

My tinting cost $150 for all windows and is guaranteed for as long as I own the car.
 


<< A friend of a friend? Warning, warning, warning: Does he own/work in a shop that does this? How many of these tint jobs has he done? Your wife needs to take a look at some of this guy's previous work. Applying tint and doing well takes practice and skill, as well as a few special tools. (And good film is a lot more expensive than cheap film, but difference becomes readily apparent within a few years. >>


I know nothing about the guy...whether or not he's done it before, etc. I know Gabby (my wife) bought the cheap ass tint at the local going-out-of-business Kmart. 😀 (She wears blue lipstick and puts ketchup on her pizza so I wasn't too surprised when she brought it home). Let me see if I can say this right...when it's done, even if it looks shltty she'll be happy. I'd just hate to see her get a ticket for it...you know who'll pay it. 🙁
 
I just looked at your profile to see what state you were in, Michigan. Why would you need tinting in Michigan??? It gets about a gazillion degrees here in vegas, that is why we have it. It is actually 87 today, whew.

I am going out on a limb here and guessing it would not be legal there.
 
Wow, Maine only allows 50%. What a gip. I guess I won't be getting any tints anytime soon.

Recently here around school, in Kentucky, I've been seeing some tints that almost look mirrorish. Really weird, but kinda cool on some cars. Those must be really dark though. Anyway, it sounds like you'll have a lot of fun with crappy tints on your wife's car. AIR BUBBLES! WOOHOO!
 


<< I am going out on a limb here and guessing it would not be legal there. >>



According to the site listed:

Michigan
4 inches (windshield)
4 inches (front driver/passenger)
ANY (rear sides)
ANY (back)
198x (year introduced)

That goes along with what the cops have all told me when they used to pull me over 😛
 


<< I know nothing about the guy...whether or not he's done it before, etc. I know Gabby (my wife) bought the cheap ass tint at the local going-out-of-business Kmart. 😀 (She wears blue lipstick and puts ketchup on her pizza so I wasn't too surprised when she brought it home). Let me see if I can say this right...when it's done, even if it looks shltty she'll be happy. I'd just hate to see her get a ticket for it...you know who'll pay it. 🙁 >>

Bad idea. Steal her car and bring it to a local auto custom shop and have them do it in compliance with the law, if you care about her getting a ticket. Oh, yeah, throw that other sh!t away.
 
Enforcement Note : Out-of-State cars driven in California are required to be in compliance with the CA Tint law.

:Q

Time to stop driving into CA to see my dad in LA. (..and he is moving out to palm springs next month, never been, lol)
 


<< Why would you need tinting in Michigan??? It gets about a gazillion degrees here in vegas, that is why we have it. It is actually 87 today, whew. >>


🙂 You mean there's actually a practical reason for tinting your windows? I thought everybody did it to look cool. 😀

Edit: Or so the kiddies could roll their own squares without worrying about the eyes of authority.
 
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