Geoff.Rayner

I am thinking about having my windows tinted. The legal grade of tint for the front side windows is not very dark and I want to go a bit darker. There are loads of cars with blacked out windows out there and was wonering if people are getting hassle from the law over this or do they tend to turn a blind eye.
Many thanks in advance.
Geoff

C17RPA

dont go to dark tho mate,i think you get done 3 points and a fine

speedymonkey

I was caught a few years back, and the police car that pulled me called out a police bike that had the light reading equipment (the bike turned up with another police car! bloody 3 units attending my tints ) my windows failed, which i was kinda shocked at as they were not that dark, and it resulted in a £30 fine no points tho

Having said that, i been driving with those tints for over 3 years and had been pulled numerous times before, and they were never even mentioned, so its just the luck of the draw i suppose

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

If you get them done by a company, they can only legally fit "legal" tints; if they fit illegal tints they are liable for prosecution. Same as if you bought a car with tints fitted, if they are illegal, then the car dealership is liable.

My fronts seem pretty dark and I've never been pulled or anything for them - if they're legal they're certainly dark enough - my rear passenger windows are darker still, and my rear window is practically blacked out.

scatty

iTrader: (1)

i got done last november.......had 30 days to remove them....he let me drive off with my windows down which was good of him...no points but did get a £30 fine.....

scatty

iTrader: (1)

not true...i bought mine with illegal tints....the copper said currently you can fit tints and buy tints but once you set foot on the road then you are causing the offence....i said it was slightly unfair and he agreed and said the law needed changing, which they wanted.....

rigga

iTrader: (4)

Do not tint the front side windows,you are asking for trouble and i know that in some cases if pulled you will not be allowed to continue without removing the tints there and then,on top of the fina and points...... plus as a biker id appreciate you being able to see me at junctions.

davedipster

Essex police seem to clamp down on any extra front tint at all. I totally agree, infact I think rear window tints on top of the std factory tints are a bad idea.

jim16v

i had my old corsa windows tinted, looked great, but i hated driving it at night-couldnt seee a bloody thing, never got pulled over for them tho, i dont think they were that dark but the wife refused to drive it,
if you want them doing i would go for a light tint all round, would look good and keep the law away

RON

I was recently advised that some fitters will actually tint darker than is technically legal, however don;t expect it to say so on the bill!!!!! as they WILL get prosecuted and fined if caught!

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

I didn't say you can't buy a car with illegal tints. What I said was, if you buy a car from a dealers, which has illegal tints fitted - they are also liable.

As it is, I know the tints have been on my car since at least 2004 (several years prior to me owning it, and most likely prior to the current regulations), and with that in mind, if, gods forbid, I did pull out on another car or (motor)cyclist, it would obviously have bugger all to do with the tints, and much more with me not paying attention to what I was doing.

As it stands, a front side window must allow 75% of visible light to pass to be legal. If it only allows between 45% and 65% of visible light to pass you will be requested to remove them, and failure to do so could result in prosecution and a £2000 fine, between 30% and 45% is considered to be unfit for use, but not pose an immediate danger - a delayed prohibition order would be given with 10 days to remove the tints and present to a police officer or VOSA officer. If less than 30%, the vehicle is considered to pose an immediate danger and a prohibition order will be placed on the vehicle, preventing it from moving until the tints are removed.

Thing is, not even the bionic policeman is likely to be able to tell if a window has 75% or 65%, or between 40% and 30% of light passing through it without an appropriate measuring device. So what could happen is they demand an immediate removal of a tint which, under law, they have no right to demand immediate removal of, and may in actual fact, be entirely legal. However, VOSA gets around this by saying that a Police Officer, using only the naked eye, can make a subjective assessment based on looking through both sides of the glass and come to one of two conclusions - a) that visibility has been obscured to a point where danger of injury exists and issue an immediate prohibition, or b) advise the driver that the regulations may have been breeched and place the onus on the driver to investigate further.

As the tints in my rear window, rear passenger windows, and front side windows are all obviously quite different, and I think thats why I haven't had any problems (and presumably neither of the other two owners have either). It is also why I'd want the letter of the law applied quite firmly if a police officer attempted to state my front side windows were in the >30% bracket that allows an immediate prohibition to be issued.

And before any bikers get too heated about the issue, I'm sure they'd be very happy for the police to do an equal crackdown on tinted visors, which I'm sure they'll confirm, are also illegal.


If you can't tell, when I first saw the tints in mine I made sure I was totally comfortable with keeping them!

Mew

i guess it just depends where u are, i have 50% tints i think all round... never had a prob.

i wouldnt personnelly go for the 20% tint (80% light thru) cos i think they a waste of time, day time u cannot even see them lol so how i ask u do they reduce glare??

im just worrying that if i move to london, the police down there may say thats it too dark and ask me to remove the fronts one..... and i dont wana do that cos i kinda wanted the fronts ones to "hide" the defis when i get them on the dash lol

ianch

happened to me £30 fine told to remove within in 14 days and that if vosa was with them i wouldnt of been allowed to carry on with the tints on the windows. i was told that if i didnt take them off and got pulled again it could lead to a charge of dangerous driving or something like that. the police in south yorkshire have a light transmission machine that measures the % of light allowed through the windows in question, so there is no getting away with it if they pull you.

rigga

iTrader: (4)

Not going to get too heated,but actually police guidlines changed on this matter a few months ago,and as long as a tinted visor is being used when it is needed, ie sunny conditions where vison can be obscured by sunlight blinding the rider,then its ok,obviously if your stupid enough to use one in low light conditions you deserve everything you get...... riding one handed with your other hand trying to deflect the sun glare is about as unsafe as it gets,but thats just anothe example of our goverment setting laws they have no experience off

Agree with your other comments regarding the police abillity to judge the ammount of light level through the tinted windows...... they will just use the "we are the ploice so know best attitude" approach

The mgzr i had previous had tints fitted as an option from new,fronts were lighter than the rears,i had no problems,but the mate i sold it too was the one that got stopped and instructed to remove them there and then before he continued.

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

For the record, I thought it was a bloody stupid law anyhow about tinted visors; but seemed a fair comparison to make - especially when the whole issue of tinted windows is really because of bikes.

I would be in two minds to request a proper test to be done if I was stopped for my tints - simply because I believe thats what I'm entitled to under the law. I personally consider it to be obvious that my tints allow greater than 30% of light to pass, and so they have no right to make me remove the tints without a proper test. Of course, as someone who hasn't mugged/raped/murdered someone, we're not entitled to operate by the exact word of the law and would simply get buggered about for standing by our "rights".

scatty

iTrader: (1)

yeah i had the dreaded machine.....but as i said to the policeman it could tell me anything and id be none the wiser......my view is if it means saving a life or going to prison then id rather not av them on my front windows just for a asthetic view.......did look better with them on tho....now you can see my ugly mug.....

Drift_King

iTrader: (1)

I'd appreciate bikers not going between two cars on a motorway or going down the middle of a single carriageway nearly taking off every wing mirror and causing other annoyances to the motorists who are concentrating on other cars and pedestrians - but that's not going to happen is it?!

Sorry to rant, but I am sick of bikers bleating on about watching for them - don't do dangerous manouvers and most of the problem would be solved.

PS. I have light front tints and it makes absolutely no difference to my ability to see out of them or people to see in, but it does stop a lot of UV rays getting to me and my family.

Cad Monkey

You can tint the rears as much as you want, but I wouldn't recommend doing anything to the fronts.

Great in the summer but a little bit scary in the dark winter nights when its pi**ing it down.....

RUDDY

not scary at all as it takes all of 5 secs to drop down both windows IF you think your visibility is restricted! ive had tints for 12 months and havnt had any bother! its a lot better than sitting in a gold fish bowl. and usefull when its sunny too!

bish667

iTrader: (1)

when i was a good bit younger I had a nova with limo black tint on all side windows and the back,was very dark,good for looking at the ladies when out cruising at weekends ,

thought it was good at the time but thinking back I would never do the front side windows again cos at night you cant see f all.
Also got plenty of hassle from the polis for them.

I currently have the back windows tinted(bought car with them on).

rigga

iTrader: (4)

And pulling out at junctions into the path of any motorist never mind someone as vunerable as a biker is no ones fault but yourself then? or is that a dangerous manouver too?

Labelling every biker as an inconsiderate idiot is not the issue either,but there you go,fact is whether you like it or not, the issue is that front tinted windows are not the best thing to have for vision,you may well have no problem with your light front tints,but there are plenty of cars with much darker tints that are frankly dangerous to any other road user,car,bike,cyclist,.....