Window tints (WHATS LEGAL?)

imp124

Buy & Sell Member
i know this probably gets mentioned a lot but can peope please clarify to me.

How much can i tint my:

* Rear boot window
* Left and right rear passenger windows (the ones that open on the plastic hinges)

Cheers everyone!

Steve
 

ollie240585

Ex. Club Member
The rear half of the car can be finished in matt black paint if you wanted, there is no legal limit on the rears.

Only the windscreen and front windows which I believe must let in 80% of light, but don't quote me on that!
 
OP
OP
imp124

imp124

Buy & Sell Member
thats what my friend told me shen he did his car in limo black but i didnt belive him. After posting i thought about vans with no back windows lol.
Thanks


ONE MORE QUESTION IF YOU PLEASE:

What type of paint can cover rubber hoses and where can i find it?

thanks

steve
 

JStone

Ex. Club Member
Rear windows can be pitch black. Driver / Passenger windows must let through 70% of light and windscreen must let through 75% of light. I'd never black out my back windows, simply because if I hit someone in my blind spot when pulling out or reversing, I'd be devistated. Hell, I'd never tint anything because of the increase of the risk in not seeing something. I see people driving around with non legal tints AND sunglasses on and it makes me wonder why they haven't had an accident already...

Buy coloured rubber hoses.
 

Pete

Site Supporter
Not sure if it works as well in K10's but when I had my one and only K11 I had dark tints on the two back windows (sides) and that made the cabin a much nicer place to be, but I could still see out the back...
 
OP
OP
imp124

imp124

Buy & Sell Member
ok i wasnt planning on doing the back windows i was debating on doing the sids in a light tint but this would be a very final task to do after all the important things like servicing it. I really must put up some pictures soon, i was really suprised when i got it 31,00 miles and original toolkit and steel wheels for £100 GREAT
 

daveeeeee

Ex. Club Member
my dads truck has very dark (almost limo) all round except the windscreen, and was factory standard not added. however from the inside you can see out the windows suprisingly well. so i think it depends on the tinting film used i'e how dark they go but still lrtting in light, if that makes sense.
 

Arnold

www.alanarnold.co.uk
Moderator
Site Supporter
I've got 70% tints on the front and 80% on the rears, and you can still see perfectly well outside. Infact, i'd say visibility has improved as you don't get the glare from the sun anymore. You don't even realise they're there after a week or so, it's just like driving as normal. Haven't tinted the windscreen though
 

curtis

Ex. Club Member
I've got 70% tints on the front and 80% on the rears, and you can still see perfectly well outside. Infact, i'd say visibility has improved as you don't get the glare from the sun anymore. You don't even realise they're there after a week or so, it's just like driving as normal. Haven't tinted the windscreen though

so you have just ammitted too having illegal tints on the front then??? fwn
 
I've got 70% tints on the front and 80% on the rears, and you can still see perfectly well outside. Infact, i'd say visibility has improved as you don't get the glare from the sun anymore. You don't even realise they're there after a week or so, it's just like driving as normal. Haven't tinted the windscreen though
I HATE people who tint their fronts.grr When approaching someone from the side, I want to be able to see that the driver is/has been looking at me and is not just pulling straight out whilst on the phone. It's saved me plenty of times...
 

Speedle

Ex. Club Member
I HATE people who tint their fronts.grr When approaching someone from the side, I want to be able to see that the driver is/has been looking at me and is not just pulling straight out whilst on the phone. It's saved me plenty of times...

being a motorcyclist i have to agree with that 110%!!
 

Arnold

www.alanarnold.co.uk
Moderator
Site Supporter
Yeah that is a good point, but i know i'm not going to pull out in front of someone unless they're giving me a reason to do so, such as indicating or stopping. I don't use my phone whilst driving either.

People that pull out regardless are going to do so whether they have tints or not, they're just crap drivers.

Another thing you are tought when your driving is prepare for the unexpected. If you think someone might pull out, then slow down and prepare for it just incase. If they do, then you've saved yourself, regardless of looking 'at the driver'.
 
I had limo tint on mine, during the day was perfect, could just see enough. At night was alittle hard to see, but could still see cars etc. Makes it look smart aswel.
 

ollyc98

Ex. Club Member
I HATE people who tint their fronts.grr When approaching someone from the side, I want to be able to see that the driver is/has been looking at me and is not just pulling straight out whilst on the phone. It's saved me plenty of times...

It's best just to always assume there's an idiot behind the wheel, cos even if they are looking in your direction they may not be seeing you.
 
Yeah that is a good point, but i know i'm not going to pull out in front of someone unless they're giving me a reason to do so, such as indicating or stopping. I don't use my phone whilst driving either.

People that pull out regardless are going to do so whether they have tints or not, they're just crap drivers.

Another thing you are tought when your driving is prepare for the unexpected. If you think someone might pull out, then slow down and prepare for it just incase. If they do, then you've saved yourself, regardless of looking 'at the driver'.


The point is... How can I tell that! Esp if I can't see you!!! And seeing you is not a be all and end all, it's part of what you've put down on here yourself. Yes, drive DEFENSIVELY, but at the same time you still need to 'make progress' (words from the old traffic police bible 'Road Craft'), and seeing the other driver all helps in anticipating what they may do.
Oh, and if I'm going to have a rant, I feel the same about people who have sat-nav's and phones stuck at high level or slap bang in the middle of their windscreens... Grr

Oh, and yes I do have tints on our K12, but it's 50% tint on rear 1/4s and tail which helps shade things but keeps things visible. (Of course, we could apply commercial vehicle regs to all those with limited visibility...)
 

Pete

Site Supporter
Arnold, To be fair to Taz (my dogs called taz hehe) if you can see the driver then you know more often than not what they are going to do. If you were to stop every time there was a car at a side road then you'd never get anywhere, don't forget for a bike someone pulling out at any speed is dangerous. If I see someone with limo tints on it means i've got to slow right down, pull as far out as I can and take my attention off the road longer than I care to do. If I can see that the driver hasn't spotted me I'll have to do the same but if I can see the driver recognise the situation and me then I can progress at a safe speed.
 

Pete

Site Supporter
Well your forcing me to unless I'm on duty in which case we'll all be sat at the road side for half hour 40 mins while a traffic officer turns up with a light meter.
 

Arnold

www.alanarnold.co.uk
Moderator
Site Supporter
if you see someone with dark tints on the front then slow down and expect the unexpected. simple

Yes it really is that simple. The standard of driving is so low on britains roads, you can't assume someone is going to do what you expect. How many times have you been waiting to pull out, and people turn in without indicating, or people are indicating and drive straight on! Looking at the person doesn't always reveal their intentions, and as above, just because you think they've seen you, doesn't mean they have done.

Slow down and prepare to stop, as you would do in any situation, and this is the advice in theroy tests and the highway code. Also, would you rather slow down a fraction than drive straight into the side of someone?
 

JStone

Ex. Club Member
How many times have you been waiting to pull out, and people turn in without indicating, or people are indicating and drive straight on!
Never act with out knowing for a fact what the person is going to do. I'm never in a hurry anywhere so I'll happily sit at a junction till the guy indicating right has actually started to slow down to a reasonable speed. Never take indications at face value.
 

Courior

Fat ppl r harder 2 kidnap
i would say 70% of time eye contact with a car driver when on the bike you can be pretty sure they have seen u and will allow you to pass... but ive had plenty that see you with good eye contact and they STILL pull out! car drivers sometimes cant judge the speed of a bike very well.
 

Pete

Site Supporter
I remember once hearing "even if the car driver has seen you, recognised you as their neighbour and waved at you, still be prepared for them to do something daft like 'not see you' "
 
so what difference does having tints have? My point exactly
... IT MAKES THINGS WORSE! As you have to be even more careful than you would otherwise. Also, in poor visibility/low light conditions it restricts the visual capacity of the driver in the car with the tints making more likely that they cause an accident especially at junctions.
 

Arnold

www.alanarnold.co.uk
Moderator
Site Supporter
... IT MAKES THINGS WORSE! As you have to be even more careful than you would otherwise. Also, in poor visibility/low light conditions it restricts the visual capacity of the driver in the car with the tints making more likely that they cause an accident especially at junctions.

No it doesn't. You can still see very well out the car in low light conditions. You wouldn't notice this as you haven't tinted your own, but your assuming you can't see anything. I've got front tints as stated and I've not crashed into anyone at a junction, and I'm sure the majority of people on here with tinted fronts haven't either!

Another thing is if people did decide to stick very dark tints on the front, then surely they know they need to compensate for 'lack of visibility' with an increased sense of awareness and judgement, instead of driving as they were. I still believe that if people are going to pull out at a junction, then that's what they would do regardless of tints. The police etc only want front tints removed so they can see what you're up to, nothing to do about safety or visibility - It's perfectly fine for government cars to have limo all round.

You may not realise that tints make it alot harder to see inside the car, than the other way round
 
No it doesn't. You can still see very well out the car in low light conditions. You wouldn't notice this as you haven't tinted your own, but your assuming you can't see anything. I've got front tints as stated and I've not crashed into anyone at a junction, and I'm sure the majority of people on here with tinted fronts haven't either!

Another thing is if people did decide to stick very dark tints on the front, then surely they know they need to compensate for 'lack of visibility' with an increased sense of awareness and judgement, instead of driving as they were. I still believe that if people are going to pull out at a junction, then that's what they would do regardless of tints. The police etc only want front tints removed so they can see what you're up to, nothing to do about safety or visibility - It's perfectly fine for government cars to have limo all round.

You may not realise that tints make it alot harder to see inside the car, than the other way round

I've USED other peoples vehicles with dark tinted fronts, I've ridden at night with dark visors, and if you think people who tint their fronts will compensate, we'll YOU may do, but the vast majority don't (including the last 2 idiots who've ended up in the gardens of houses at the end of our road...

The visibiltiy issue is the same reason dark visors are outlawed... It's not a police issue (although they are meant to enforce it) It was brought in as a ROAD SAFETY by ROSPA (or their equive.) Although it's good to be able to see if some one's on their mobile at a glance...

Govt cars HAVE TO BE TO THE LAW AND DON'T have dark fronts (foreign diplomatic shouldn't, but don't give a figs...)

It's a great look, but not a safe thing to do.
And the reason you can't see in as well as out is that the interior of the car is darker so your eye's can't compensate (it's the same as 2 way mirrors - they only work when the room BEHIND the mirror is dark)
 
Top