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Window Tint and the Law

5K views 24 replies 18 participants last post by  Gravity 
#1 ·
I'm think about getting my two front windows tinted and wanted to know from other members if they started getting pulled over for having them tinted.

I know that laws vary from place to place but I see a lot more vehicles with tinted windows now. A guy I play sports with is a cop and his windows are tinted and he said he doesn't get pulled over. :cool:

He said that if the guys see some tricked out import cruising through town at 2 in the morning with tinted widows they would likely pull him over but if its a Saturday afternoon and your plate comes back clean on a search they "probably" wouldn't pull you over.

Anybody have any experience with this?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
I think this thread will derail quickly...

You are in Alberta, I thought it was legal there?

But IMO, whether legal or not, which it's not here in BC, I think having it is a safety concern for others.

I travel quite a bit to Washington where it's legal, and a few times as a pedestrian and a driver, the lack of being able to make eye contact with a motorist, has put me in situations where I'm unsure if they see me. I'm glad its illegal here, yeah most guys in the car scene hate the law, quite a few tint anyway and just "pay to play".
 
#3 · (Edited)
I'm think about getting my two front windows tinted and wanted to know from other members if they started getting pulled over for having them tinted.

I know that laws vary from place to place but I see a lot more vehicles with tinted windows now. A guy I play sports with is a cop and his windows are tinted and he said he doesn't get pulled over. :cool:

He said that if the guys see some tricked out import cruising through town at 2 in the morning with tinted widows they would likely pull him over but if its a Saturday afternoon and your plate comes back clean on a search they "probably" wouldn't pull you over.

Anybody have any experience with this? Thanks
Gravity, I posted a photo of my tinted Overland awhile back. It is not limo tint but it is pretty dark. I have never had any issues in Calgary but lots of issues when I lived in Edmonton, 10 years ago! The cops there were always checking vehicles! :mad: My 3 trucks are tinted and I have never been targeted . . . yet! :D However, when I do come up beside a cop, I try to remember to roll down the window! :D

I got my 2 front windows with the Supreme 28 & shaved edges for $150 @ Shadow Tinting. I also had them do the back window with Supreme 15 for another $80. It really blacks out the back as they put it on top of the factory tint! Overall, they did a great job! Here is their info:

http://www.shadowtinting.com/services/autoTinting.php
 
#4 ·
I live in and near San Francisco. I had my last vehicle tinted, but not the super dark limo tint. Rear windows were darker than the front windows, but all were tinted. 15 years with that car, I never had a problem, and I traveled to many states, Canada and Mexico in that car. I realize that's no guarantee you'll be okay. It is one data point.
 
#5 ·
If you see a lot of tint, particularly on similar vehicles, in your area, it is probably well received by the police. [presuming laws checked first] You MAY draw attention if you travel a lot cross country or south of the border if only fart can exhaust minimobiles slammed to the ground or blinged up SUVs have tints in that area.
 
#6 ·
I have had all my vehicles tinted. Over a period of 10 years, I got pulled over once, this was my little 2 seater summer toy car. Besides from that, never been stopped. Knock on wood! :D


Tinted to 35% pretty much same as stock rear sides.
 
#7 ·
I just had my two front windows tinted. I was going to go with the same level of tint as the rear windows, which I believe is 30? The tint company owner told me that level is illegal here in Ontario and I can only go to a 15 legally. I was going to go with the illegal until he pointed to a Lexus in the parking lot and said it had the illegal tint, and it was in to get pulled off because the car owner got a ticket the night before for illegal tint.
I went with the legal level tint. It still looks good.

Greg
 
#12 ·
(NJ) 18% on my front windows. ive driven right past cops and never got pulled over. cops usually dont worry about SUV's, its the smaller cars with tints they will pull over. just dont drive like a jackass and you should be good. its usually a secondary offense, like they wont pull you over for tints but if you get pulled over for speeding or anything else and you have tints they will ticket you, if its a nice cop and you get pulled over for speeding sometimes they will ticket you for the tints and not the speeding.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the graph, surphkid11. That makes it much easier to visualize! :thumbsup:
 
#22 ·
I live in Jersey, not legal to have it on the front windows. But obviously I'm a rebel and don't care lol. I have 5% front and 20% in the rear over the stock tint and it's DARK.

Had 20% all around on my previous car and was never pulled over for the tint once.

The only place that ever gave me a hassle was Commi-fornia. My friend got 3 fix-it tickets in California where he had to pull it off and prove it, and then just reinstalled afterwards. Was expensive to keep doing though. In Nevada I had 5% all the way around on a Dodge Charger and never had an issue. In Arizona, I had an SUV with 5% all the way around and never had an issue. I now have 15% in the front (wife thought it was to hard to back up at night and in parking garages) and re-tinted the rest of the windows with 15% over the factory tint which makes it really dark. I also put Formula 1 Clear-Blu on the windshield and the sun roof. Works great! One of the most important things is that if you get pulled over for anything, roll all your windows down. The tint law is for officer safety, so if you roll all your windows down, and show them you have nothing to hide, they will be appreciative and less likely to cause issues. Every time I am pulled over, I do this and the officer has thanked me for doing so and for being appreciative of their safety. If you are a jerk to the officer, they will look for anything they can to give you a ticket, including a ticket for window tint.
 
#17 ·
Here is a reference for what is legal among the states in the US.

Car Tint Laws | Car Tinting Laws

With that, it's more dependent on the cop than anything. I have rolled through DUI check points, border patrol check points and questioned for other things in the past. Not once was tint mentioned. Then the one time a cop was "fishing" as I passed through AZ while in a construction zone, he pulled me over for tint. No other reason...specifically for tint. Even got out his little meter and placed it over the passenger side window.

Despite the car having plates and legally registered in another state. So he let me off with a "warning" :rolleyes: like he could make it stick as I was passing through only.
 
#19 ·
He said that if the guys see some tricked out import cruising through town at 2 in the morning with tinted widows they would likely pull him over but if its a Saturday afternoon and your plate comes back clean on a search they "probably" wouldn't pull you over.



Anybody have any experience with this?



Thanks
Yeah, I've experienced this. I used to be the guy getting pulled over at 2a.m. In the tricked out ride with the dark tint for no reason other than tint. Then I bought a new vehicle, tinted the windows and stopped driving in the wrong place at the wrong time and haven't been pulled over in 10 years.

Hate to say it but it's all about the look. A new Jeep with some tint is probably not going to be hassled as long as you're not in crack alley (or other similar places).
 
#20 ·
I have been running tinted windows on my cars now going on 20 years. I even lived in Iowa where any tint on the front windows is illegal. From my experience even in Iowa if I had 20% tint all the way around I was never hassled for tint. Now I got a wild hair to go darker on the Ram Air Trans Am that I had and did 5% all the way around. I paid at least 10-12 tickets before I peeled that and went back to 20%.

Now here in Nebraska you can have 35% on the fronts and 20% behind your head. I did 20% all the way around so they match and did a layer of 50% on my windshield. I drive directly into the sun on both to and from work. I have seen police and no one cares. Now the state patrol may be different. They are usually the ones that have hardons for whatever they can get you for.
 
#21 ·
Does anyone know the tint percentage is for the stock WK2s (front & rear)?


On my new 2015, the rear windows look about the same as the ones on my 2012. But the fronts look a bit darker on the 2015 then they did on the 2012 I think.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I get pulled over for tint maybe every other month lol.


Just pay my tickets and be on my way.

I know what I got into when I got the tint done.

Then again, I live in Manhattan and they harass the shit out of you here to meet quotas. Not a big deal they are just following orders from their superiors.
 
#25 ·
What is the cost of the fine Robert P? Here in Alberta it's $57. People I've spoken to say that the boys in blue couldn't be bothered for such a small cash grab.

Got mine tinted yesterday. It's at 20%. I wanted the fronts to match the rears. I know some people go a bit lighter but I choose not to.

It sure is strange driving it now. I feel like I'm in a cocoon or something. I'm starting to regret it already. It just seems to dark plus now my interior driver side dash AC vent reflects on the tint when I check my side mirror. Very distracting.:mad:

Maybe I'll get used to it. I'll give it a month or so.

I'll for sure be putting all my windows down when or if I get pulled over.
 
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