Window Tints

[P155 ON U]

Ok, just thought i would find out what you all think about window tints. I have the chance of getting mine done as part of a deal with a friend. he seams to think the mini's look good with 20% light in or something like that. any info or feedback would be good.

[Craig]

you don't mention if it is the whole car or just the back 3 windows ?

If your thinking of doing the whole car then please be aware that ANY tint added to the front windows makes them illegal. Just in case you didn't know.

I have previously had midnight tint on the back 3 windows (which blocks out 80%) and really like the way it looked. :thumbs up:

[GCA3N]

you don't mention if it is the whole car or just the back 3 windows ?

If your thinking of doing the whole car then please be aware that ANY tint added to the front windows makes them illegal. Just in case you didn't know.

I have previously had midnight tint on the back 3 windows (which blocks out 80%) and really like the way it looked. :thumbs up:


Seems to be an issue with this comment, it looks like the author is " Craig "when it should have been "KenL":lol:


Just kidding guys, If we are presuming your just going for the back 3 windows then I had full tints (limo) and although I quite liked the look it was too dark inside and on I on 2 or 3 occasions nearly hit another car , pure and simply because i never saw them through the tints. This is the reason I have held off on the new car. I do however like the lighter tints, and they wont obscure your vision too much. As far as front tints go , then please dont, not only is it an offence, but more importantly it's really dangerous as well as the fact it would also void an insurance claim if you were in an accident too.

[Gismo]

Being a biker it irks me that some folks do it, we hardly stand a chance at junctions as it is and with the front windows tinted just makes it worse :ragin:

[RyanK]

I am with you all the way Alan, even worse in the dark. However I don't get how bikers are allowed to wear the smoked visors?

Sorry, perhaps the smoked visors are illegal though? It was just that I have seen Aberdeen police going about with them & it was one of my arguments when I was up in court about the 3 points I was going to receive.

[Gismo]

I am with you all the way Alan, even worse in the dark. However I don't get how bikers are allowed to wear the smoked visors?
Difficult one, depends on PC Plod, but, full black visor and you would get pulled over but, tinted are no worse than sun glasses, but again depends on PC Plod.

[Big Gordy]

I always thought the tints on the back made the mini look like a van:eek: me no likey but hey its you car to do with what you like:thumbs up: Like Craig and others have said tho DON'T get the fronts tinted:ragin:

[koolsville]

I got 'medium' black tints on the back three, I think it improves the look of the car IMHO, no problems seeing out when reversing etc. and keeps it cool inside on these hot days too.

[P155 ON U]

you don't mention if it is the whole car or just the back 3 windows ?

If your thinking of doing the whole car then please be aware that ANY tint added to the front windows makes them illegal. Just in case you didn't know.

I have previously had midnight tint on the back 3 windows (which blocks out 80%) and really like the way it looked. :thumbs up:

Well i have found out some information from a friend of mine in the traffic police. Its not illegal for the from windows to be tinted. They must be 55% or more light in for them to pass and they cant charge you or make you remove them.

Going with 20% light in on the back three and 55% on the front two!

no sun strip though

[Gismo]

Well i have found out some information from a friend of mine in the traffic police. Its not illegal for the from windows to be tinted. They must be 55% or more light in for them to pass and they cant charge you or make you remove them.

Going with 20% light in on the back three and 55% on the front two!

no sun strip thoughSorry, he doesn't appreciate that the MINI front windows are already tinted to the maximum allowed, so, any extra tint is illegal.
If he's your friend ask him to use his light meter to prove it

[john]

You will find that the windows are already tinted as standard and by adding even the light tint it makes them illegal, I would be interested to see you friendly copper test them afterwards and if he still thinks they are ok then get it in writing just incase you get pulled over by a copper you dont know.







Gizmo, I see being a biker has changed a few thoughts as you had full tints on you grey mini :)

[Livi]

I am with you all the way Alan, even worse in the dark. However I don't get how bikers are allowed to wear the smoked visors?

Sorry, perhaps the smoked visors are illegal though? It was just that I have seen Aberdeen police going about with them & it was one of my arguments when I was up in court about the 3 points I was going to receive.

It is actually legal to wear a full tinted visor on a motorcycle helmet during the day ONLY if you have a clear one with you aswell incase of dull weather as such.

Most helmets nowadays come with both inserts or an actual built in drop visor.

Helmet visors must not be tinted to the extent that there is less than 50% of AVLT and they must bear the BS 4110:1979 or ECE Regulation 22.05 markings.

[GCA3N]

Well i have found out some information from a friend of mine in the traffic police. Its not illegal for the from windows to be tinted. They must be 55% or more light in for them to pass and they cant charge you or make you remove them.

Going with 20% light in on the back three and 55% on the front two!

no sun strip though


Sorry, he doesn't appreciate that the MINI front windows are already tinted to the maximum allowed, so, any extra tint is illegal.
If he's your friend ask him to use his light meter to prove it


Alan is right the fronts are Tinted the maximum allowed under the law. You are right they cannot make you take them off, they'll just issue you with a fine everytime they stop you.

[Forbes]

You are actually allowed another 2% on the front aren't you:confused: Just so there is room to play with if there is a picky cop

[GCA3N]

You are actually allowed another 2% on the front aren't you:confused: Just so there is room to play with if there is a picky cop


2% Is not much Ben. I mean you can hardly tell the fronts are tinted and they are over 50%. Would really not be worth while for an extra 2%, if you wanted to stay legal that is.

[P155 ON U]

Alan is right the fronts are Tinted the maximum allowed under the law. You are right they cannot make you take them off, they'll just issue you with a fine everytime they stop you.

sorry but that bull, they are tinited but no were near the max allowed.

You can say all you like but i know otherwise.

[Craig]

as others have said, the info I gave you was taking into account that the front windows are already tinted to the legal maximum... I have tested my own windows with the "Tintman" machine and the fronts are on the limit so the info is genuine.;)

[P155 ON U]

as others have said, the info I gave you was taking into account that the front windows are already tinted to the legal maximum... I have tested my own windows with the "Tintman" machine and the fronts are on the limit so the info is genuine.;)

well mine is no where near 55% light in so somethings wrong. The mini out the dealer ships are no where near 55%.

:argh:

[Craig]

well mine is no where near 55% light in so somethings wrong. The mini out the dealer ships are no where near 55%.

:argh:

have you had your windows tested with a tintman machine as used by the police?

what year is your car ?

I don't know of any MINI that has front windows that are not tinted and they are all tinted at the factory to the same level:confused: have your front windows been changed over with glass from a company that hasn't had them tinted? Remember the 55% light thing is a lot less than you think. You look at the windows and think "that is only about 10-20% but it is much more.. ;)

[C.Noble]

well mine is no where near 55% light in so somethings wrong. The mini out the dealer ships are no where near 55%.

:argh:

I think there is a little misunderstanding or misinformation going on here... The legal limit for the drivers and front passenger windows are 70% of light to get through... windscreen is 75% below sunstrip line.

But even clear glass only lets through around 80-90% visible light at best so even a 30% tint will send into dodgy ground.

As far as I am aware (although I admit I have never tested it!) Craig is correct and the MINIs windows are very close to this 70% visible light limit.

[ianking]

sorry but that bull, they are tinited but no were near the max allowed.

You can say all you like but i know otherwise.

Well then why are you asking for advice on tints then, if you know otherwise???

[RyanK]

I was told that you are allowed 30% tint. My windscreeen was showing that 68% light was being omitted through on the coppers machine, thats only with the mini oem blue tint on the windows. Of course he let me off with this as he knew I never tinted the windscreen.

Between 30% and 70% you get a £30 fine and anything below 30% you get 3 points, I was the latter. My fronts were only letting in 26% light, fought the case though and luckily got away with it.

[P155 ON U]

Well then why are you asking for advice on tints then, if you know otherwise???

I was asking what everyone thought looked good, or what they had. you guys are all very touchy on this subject are you not?!?!?!:p

[AndyP & Lenore]

sorry but that bull, they are tinited but no were near the max allowed.

You can say all you like but i know otherwise.


I was asking what everyone thought looked good, or what they had. you guys are all very touchy on this subject are you not?!?!?!:p

Touchy? Perhaps...

But as you're new here we're all showing an incredible amount of refrain in saying what we really think of you're attitude. Keep on with the "You call say what you like but I know better" attitude and you'll find yourself being simply ignored. At the moment it's an interesting discussion, it can turn very south, very quickly with comments like that.:hand:

A.:D

[P155 ON U]

Touchy? Perhaps...

But as you're new here we're all showing an incredible amount of refrain in saying what we really think of you're attitude. Keep on with the "You call say what you like but I know better" attitude and you'll find yourself being simply ignored. At the moment it's an interesting discussion, it can turn very south, very quickly with comments like that.:hand:

A.:D

well i will stick my hands up and say sorry! :blush:

[C.Noble]

I was told that you are allowed 30% tint. My windscreeen was showing that 68% light was being omitted through on the coppers machine, thats only with the mini oem blue tint on the windows. Of course he let me off with this as he knew I never tinted the windscreen.

Between 30% and 70% you get a £30 fine and anything below 30% you get 3 points, I was the latter. My fronts were only letting in 26% light, fought the case though and luckily got away with it.

There is def. confusion about tinting levels.

AVLT (Available Visible Light Transmission)

The machine the police use to test your tints (the tintman) measures the available visible light that manages to penetrate your screen, theoretically, if this value is less than 70% (window has at least 30% tint) you are illegal.

Bear in mind though that, even clear glass has an AVLT of 80-90%- So with non "tinted" glass you still have an effective 10-20% tint, adding another 25% tint to this glass will send you over the limit.

I checked for prosecution limits on some police force sites, and came up with this;
https://www.cambs-police.co.uk/about/foi/procedures/Policy%20Procedure%20Template.doc%20Tintman.pdf

To summarise, this particular forces guidlines (others maybe different/stricter)-

AVLT of less than 30% (effective total tint of over 70%) = immediate prosecution

AVLT of more than 45% but less than 65% (effective tint maximum of 55%, minimum 35%) = advisory (in other words, "get 'em changed sonny!")

Hope this helps.

[AndyP & Lenore]

well i will stick my hands up and say sorry! :blush:

:thumbs up:

Now, I know of someone in my family who had the lightest possible tints applied to his windows. A few weeks later he was stopped, checked and biven and order to remove them, then get the car checked again. So, I'm with everyone else on this one, ANY tint on the front windows will very likely be illegal.

But, if you find a way of getting a tint done and it's legal, I'm sure you'll have a load of folk interested in doing it themselves.:thumbs up:

A.:D

[GCA3N]

sorry but that bull, they are tinited but no were near the max allowed.

You can say all you like but i know otherwise.


Ok so being an ex copper I know nothing on this.

The legal position is that the front side windows on all cars must allow 70% of light to pass through them. That figure also applies to the windscreens of cars first used before April 1985; any car first used from then onwards has to let 75% of light through the windscreen.

[KenL]

Seems to be an issue with this comment, it looks like the author is " Craig "when it should have been "KenL":lol:


So, I am not the only sensible person on here :thumbs up:

[GCA3N]

So, I am not the only sensible person on here :thumbs up:


apparantly so.

[rpn]

An interesting and very informative thread.

On reading P155ONU original post again he was asking on the LOOK of Mini with front windows tinted and nowhere did he mentioned the legal issue. :smilewinkgrin:

So all you guys are totally :off topic: :p :D :p :D :p :D

[KenL]

Being a biker it irks me that some folks do it, we hardly stand a chance at junctions as it is and with the front windows tinted just makes it worse :ragin:

Is everyone going soft around here? No, just using common sense :thumbs up:

Window tints can and do limit the amount of light through and hence lessen the chance that you will see something or someone. Put that another way, it increases the chance that you will not see a cyclist, biker, car approaching from your side when you are at a junction or changing lanes on a motorway.

Call me a boring old f*rt if you will but these laws ARE put in place for a reason.

[AndyP & Lenore]

An interesting and very informative thread.

On reading P155ONU original post again he was asking on the LOOK of Mini with front windows tinted and nowhere did he mentioned the legal issue. :smilewinkgrin:

So all you guys are totally :off topic: :p :D :p :D :p :D

He also said:


any info or feedback would be good.

He just didn't like the info & feedback he was getting.

A.

[Scottie]

I love tint threads. Yee Hah.:clap:

Tint them to the MAX:D:D:Whistle::Whistle:

[Scottie]

Gizmo, I see being a biker has changed a few thoughts as you had full tints on you grey mini :)


:laugh:

[AndyP & Lenore]

Call me a boring old f*rt if you will ....

OK.

You're a boring old fart.:laugh:

You did ask.:moonie:

A.:D

[AndyP & Lenore]

I love tint threads. Yee Hah.:clap:

Tint them to the MAX:D:D:Whistle::Whistle:

Someone reach over and take Scottie's stick away from her would they. I can't reach, 'cos I'm still sore from the paintball.:laugh:

A.:D

[sedgie]

Go on go for full tint!:thumbs up::D:moonie::clap::clap::clap:

[rpn]

Someone reach over and take Scottie's stick away from her would they.
A.:D

OK, sir... http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w214/rpn48/pokefun.gif

:D

[audrey]

I love tint threads. Yee Hah.:clap:

Tint them to the MAX:D:D:Whistle::Whistle:

:lol::lol::lol:

[john]

well i will stick my hands up and say sorry! :blush:


To answer the original question, I like the look of the full tint and have had this done to several mini's but im getting old and cant be ar$ed with some young copper telling me off.:thumbs up:

[mini designs]

Eeeek was scared to make any comments on this topic. It always gets folk a bit mad!

I personally like full car tints and must admit that all the cars I've had have always been fully tinted. However, we never recommend customers tint the front windows simply because it's illegal!

In my opinion adding tints to the front side windows actually has many benefits and doesn't actually affect your vision at night and i've never had any problems seeing bikers and the like. Tints were banned mostly because of the boy racer types who used to put limosine tints on the front windows and so spoiled it for everybody!

Be gentle on me now!

[john]

Eeeek was scared to make any comments on this topic. It always gets folk a bit mad!

I personally like full car tints and must admit that all the cars I've had have always been fully tinted. However, we never recommend customers tint the front windows simply because it's illegal!

In my opinion adding tints to the front side windows actually has many benefits and doesn't actually affect your vision at night and i've never had any problems seeing bikers and the like. Tints were banned mostly because of the boy racer types who used to put limosine tints on the front windows and so spoiled it for everybody!

Be gentle on me now!


:thumbs up::thumbs up::thumbs up::thumbs up:

[GCA3N]

Eeeek was scared to make any comments on this topic. It always gets folk a bit mad!

I personally like full car tints and must admit that all the cars I've had have always been fully tinted. However, we never recommend customers tint the front windows simply because it's illegal!

In my opinion adding tints to the front side windows actually has many benefits and doesn't actually affect your vision at night and i've never had any problems seeing bikers and the like. Tints were banned mostly because of the boy racer types who used to put limosine tints on the front windows and so spoiled it for everybody!

Be gentle on me now!

it got a bit heated for a while but everyones calm now. Look at the end of the day it about personal choice, I like the look but found it too dark inside and tricky when looking over my shoulder, however I did have really dark tints. I think that there is more than just the boy racers that got them banned. What is interesting apart from the fact that it looks good are there any other reasons you got them all done.
:thumbs up:

[KenL]

Look at the end of the day it about personal choice, I like the look but found it too dark inside and tricky when looking over my shoulder,

Exactly, that is why they are banned, no?

I say stay natural and be seen, beautiful or handsome, at the wheel of your MINI ;)

[GCA3N]

Exactly, that is why they are banned, no?


I'm only talking about the rear windows Ken, not the front side ones (which are banned).

[KenL]

I'm only talking about the rear windows Ken, not the front side ones (which are banned).

Oops, sorry :blush:

I have factory rear tints and never found them a problem.

[GCA3N]

Oops, sorry :blush:

I have factory rear tints and never found them a problem.


If I got them again I would get a medium tint, I had blacked out limo tints on my old cooper.

[Livi]

If I got them again I would get a medium tint.

I would only get a medium tint on the front, i dunno how light the rear ones i have or come standard on the MINIs from the factory, but mine dont look as dark.

i got pulled 4 years ago in my polo for having medium tints, but then i was young and the police might have just wanted to pick on me.

funnily enough, the N/S passed and the O/S failed by 2% :hand:

[colliz]

I personally like the rears done.... but i am thinking of getting the fronts done with clear tints for security and the lack of mess if someone trys to break in... i was also told if you get pulled over by the police and they fail you on your windows ask them when the little machine was last callobrated as it has to be done every morning and if it was not then they do not have a leg to stand on....so i heard...

[Livi]

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/18197Dead_Thread.jpg

:p:p