Rubber Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I have been thinking about getting the windows tinted. For me, it's not anything to do with privacy or to hide an ICE install - it's purely aesthetic. Especially on silver cars (mine is a blade) I think the tint looks good. I don't want a dark limo tint, just a light tint on all the windows (except the windscreen of course ) I had this type of tint on my previous Celica and had no issues with MOT or the police. I found night driving fine. Yes, I admit there was some reduced visibility but it didn't cause an issue. However, on going to a local window tinting firm in Aberdeen for a quote, they told me they would not tint the front windows. The cops are clamping down on this and can apparently give you points for it. While out and about in Aberdeen I see lots of cars with the front windows tinted - not specifically modified cars but Range Rovers, BMWs, Minis (with all their crap chrome trim etc). How do these people get away with it or is it a matter of time before they get 'caught'? I have searched all the information in the forum but have yet to come up with a definitive answer. The most useful link I could find from the other posts was http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/newsandevents/pressreleases/2004pressreleases/21-09-04vosanowhavethepowertostopmotorists.htm but even this appears to be open to interpretation from different members!!! So in summary: 1) Are front window tints with 70% light transmission legal? 2) Will it pass the MOT? 3) Can the police give you points for window tints that are too dark on the front windows? (I thought the normal method of dealing with this was to get the driver to peel it off the tinting film on the spot. This would be rather upsetting but I could live with the chances of that happening but not further points!) I realise some people have strong views on tinted windows and that they are chav and dangerous etc. However, I'd prefer to try and keep this post centered on the legal side... Cheers, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 70% is the legal limit but you can get away with 75%. Once you stick with the legal 70% you will not get pulled over and if you do, when they check you should be safe. They use some device which measure how much light is being past through. Personally, I think window tint looks good and at the same time protects you from the heat from the sun. I have gone for the dark limo tint on the rear quarter panels and the rear window which is legal. I dont think police can give you a "on the spot fine" for having too dark tint, they may just give you a warning but these days you never know. So your good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s14akw Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 there is no such on the spot fine for having tints that are too dark, they will either tell you to get them removed by a professional or ask you to remove the film on the spot, if you are stopped again by the same officers(hard luck lol) then they may issue a fine for failing to adhere to warning if the tints are exceptionally dark but tbh its not really something they are likely to do you for these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 there is no such on the spot fine for having tints that are too dark, they will either tell you to get them removed by a professional or ask you to remove the film on the spot, if you are stopped again by the same officers(hard luck lol) then they may issue a fine for failing to adhere to warning if the tints are exceptionally dark but tbh its not really something they are likely to do you for these days +1 Never known anyone to get a fine or points for them. I'm sure theres a post somewhere that shows the amount of light let through for a standard Z & it was pretty much on the legal limit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
player2301 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Yeah device is called a tint master 70% mate just keep it at that it's not worth running into a grumpy traffic bloke and gettings point/fine !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
player2301 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Yeah device is called a tint master 70% mate just keep it at that it's not worth running into a grumpy traffic bloke and gettings point/fine !! Most of the time though you will be made to rip em off there and then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rentech Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Had smoke tints on my old car that were fitted from the dealer. Had always been a bit worried about them so popped down to the local police station to get them checked out. They measured taking the average of 5 points on the window and maximum reduction allowed is 30% (or 70% transmission as mentioned). Mine came it at 30.4% . Police officer said that you would have to meet an officer who was having a real bad day to do anything more than ask you to get them removed. That was 4 years ago though so not sure what the line is now. Have seen episodes of police camera action etc where they won't allow you to drive off until you've peeled them off. Daft really as it seems that a window covered in glue has far poorer visibility than one that is tinted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmck13 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Tints are not checked under the MOT system, Vosa are in charge of the legislation and the police have the juristiction to deal with it. Quote from Vosa below, Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA) Statement The window tinting law in the UK states that the specifications are: a) The law is for Motor Vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1985 The light transmitted through the windscreen must be at least 75%. c) The front side windows (to either side of the drivers’ head) must allow at least 70% of light to be transmitted through them. If the glass is tinted to a point whereby it lets through less light, the vehicle is breaking UK Window tinting law. As stated by others the police really have the power to enforce it in many ways really up to the kindness or not of the individual officer? Thats it keep it at or above 70% and your safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac@TarmacSportz Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I enquired with a couple of tinting companies and they refused to do it. Seems odd they don't want your business if 70% is legal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greeny Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 well i had tints on mine.got pulled for the very first time, by the only tw*ts with the light machine i was only letting 20% light through, i had to remove them there and then and! recieved an on the spot fine of £35 quid so they defo do fine you if they are bad. i though i was getting cheating so asked them to test the standard window incase they can fix the machine(yes i hate! pigs) and the standard glass alone was 72% so its not worth getting them tinted as any tint will take it over! yeah sure you might come across some that will let you off, but theres some that love their job lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 well i had tints on mine.got pulled for the very first time, by the only tw*ts with the light machine i was only letting 20% light through, i had to remove them there and then and! recieved an on the spot fine of £35 quid so they defo do fine you if they are bad. i though i was getting cheating so asked them to test the standard window incase they can fix the machine(yes i hate! pigs) and the standard glass alone was 72% so its not worth getting them tinted as any tint will take it over! yeah sure you might come across some that will let you off, but theres some that love their job lol what car was this in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubber Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 Thanks for all the comments guys! So far I think we have established: - you don't get points for having your front windows overly tinted, maybe a fine or a request to pull off the film on the spot - MOT does not have a check for tinted windows - You must have at least 70% light transmission through the front windows - For some unknown reason some window tinting companies refuse to do the front windows A couple of posts refer to the fact the factory glass may only leave 70% through on the fronts. I had seen some reference to this as well in an older thread. However, I am unclear as to whether people are referring to the Zed or older cars that they had? As far as I can see my front windows are clear although I do believe that even this might amount to something like 90% light transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmck13 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Hi just to ensure you are getting this right, your quote to clarify. "You must have at least 70% light transmission through the front windows" This means the front side windows "in front of the B pillars" but you require 75% through the windscreen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubber Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 This means the front side windows "in front of the B pillars" but you require 75% through the windscreen. Yes, I don't have any intention of tinting the windscreen . I was rather confused from a previous post as well when people were clarifying that you can't tint a windscreen! Don't think I have ever seen this done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 well i had tints on mine.got pulled for the very first time, by the only tw*ts with the light machine i was only letting 20% light through, i had to remove them there and then and! recieved an on the spot fine of £35 quid so they defo do fine you if they are bad. i though i was getting cheating so asked them to test the standard window incase they can fix the machine(yes i hate! pigs) and the standard glass alone was 72% so its not worth getting them tinted as any tint will take it over! yeah sure you might come across some that will let you off, but theres some that love their job lol Are you actually complaining because the police caught you breaking the law? FFS, you got caught and were miles out so suck it up and admit you were wrong: 20% isn't even close to the legal limit, that's bloody dangerous if you ask me! I'm glad they're stopping people with daft tints who can't see through the bloody windows, makes the roads a bit safer for those of us who understand that being able to see is fairly crucial in a car weighing 1500kgs travelling at 70mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
player2301 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I hate PIGS lol Your a clever boy !! So when your house or car gets done over dont bother calling us mate !! You dont want a crime number or owt lol I love grown ups !! 98% of the population never come into contact with the police but the 2% that do always moan !!! I wonder why lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greeny Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Neilp it was in the zed mate. ekona nah i aint moaning i cought mate as i didnt know they were illegal and you could see them through both ways just fine pal so no danger there for "you or your lot" and player 2301 your judging my intelligence from me saying i hate pigs, lmao and thinking im a child. you say that the 2% that come into contact with the police moan and you wonder why? maybe its because of the lack of respect given to people these days by the police! infact when i was given the ticket for the windows, there was a formal compliant made against the officer and that was made by his partner!! for the way he was treating me. i clearly dont know every officer in the country but the ones around my area are jumped up fools which love the power. its a shame and dont worry i have no intention of going to "you" if anything were to happen to me or my properties as nothing ever gets done anyway! ive only been unlucky enough to of been broken into once, the police did nothing said it could of been worse and they will never find who did it anyway. so yes people get pi**ed off with the police as its tax payers who pay their wage yet they get let down a lot of the time! its a shame because im sure their are some really nice guys out there who do they job the right way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
player2301 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 lol what respect do you want ? You break the law we catch you !! You then moan how we never do anything and should be catching real criminals !!! We would have time to do that if people like yourself just done as everyone else did !! You then feel the need to come on a forum and slate the PIGS as you state for doing our job !! I bet when you were pulled for your windows you treated the officer with the upmost respect didnt you ? I think not from your attitude on here Its sad to see You broke the law you got done for it so take it like a man and stop whinging Your in the wrong place to slate police for doing there job mate as people on this forum are adults, Do some research on here and see who gets slated for coming on here boasting about breaking the law or slating police for doing there job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam86 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Another thread that seems to be going no where near answering the OP's question!! Stop squabbling above. Keep your opinions to yourself. Many people probably don't care, me included. OP, as has been stated above 70% and 75%. I'd just leave it standard though, why choose to have reduced visibility?.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greeny Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 lol listen to your self. i am not coming on this forum to moan about police far from it. you have no idea how i act or what type of person i am! ive been on this forum for a while, and made many friends that can vouch for my manners and respect. with my last msg on here i was also very nice, its you that seems to be taking this very personaly and getting mad about it. and ill say again incase you dont understand i am not moaning about the fact i got done at all. the problem was with his attitude, which is very similar to yours i must say, trying to make out im a child when im very much an adult pal. also id like you to point when exactly i boasted about breaking the law as this is not true! its funny reading your comments and watching the faces of the 7 other "adults" im with at the moment some being alot older than you, all have the same view of police due to the fact they have been let down many times over the years. but i really dont want to carry on with this because its like talking to a brick wall as usuall. so anyway hope your enjoying there weather lets make the most of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 i think when you refer to the police as the "pigs" it kind of sets the tone of the whole conversation before it even got started. that was your lack of respect right there, should we all start refering to black people as wogs??? i think not as its derogatory and disrespectful. respect is earned, and not just given out, and this works both ways. its a sad day as i see the same in my profession (teaching) gone are the days that the posistion naturally gained a certain air of respect, now everyone thinks that they are more important than they actually are, and deserve to be treated like p diddy. something my old man taught me when he was in the navy was that you have to respect the badge, not the person. some people of course earn both. i haven't been stopped in a very long time, but i am always polite, even when i think i haven't been in the wrong. your far more likely to be let off if your easy to deal with. i think the more defenseive someone gets the more likely the copper is to make their life more difficult. i know as a teacher than twhen a kid kicks off i'm more likely to increase the punishment. so when all they woul dhave originally got was a slight reprimand turns into much more becuase they want to argue the point. as with regards to the front tints, most cars have a certain degree of tint anyway, and general rule of thumb is to leave them alone. anything behind the b pillar and your welcome to go as dark as you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
player2301 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Greeny let's agree to disagree We don't know each other from Adam I agree Just gets a liitle tedious after a while to hear the same old moans about police !! Some of us are sound Some are idiots but you get that in every walk of life Here have a drink on me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greeny Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 agreed,, or is it disagreed i never meant pigs to be affensive i appologise for that, even some police use pigs around me just another name lol plus it two letter less to type lol. but anyways cheers for the beer matey have one back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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