i have an appointment tomorrow to get Llumar 35% charcoal put on my car. I was quoted $170. The guy said he would not tint over the dot matrix on the top of the rear window. Some of you have said that it looks okay with this method. I am fine with it.

My question regards the brake light. He said he would cut around it, but I am thinking that I wont like the look of that. Is there any reason ( legal or otherwise ) why you would NOT tint over the brake light??

Note: he didnt say he would not tint over the light, he just recommened that we cut around it and i was wondering why...

 

He just didn't want to go through the extra step of taking off the brake light. Lazy on his part. Since I didn't mind the look of the tint around the brake light (or have him fuzz around with my interior too much), I just had him cut around mine. Doesn't look too bad.

axleback

 

this guy is the trusted guy in town, and he does most of the tinting for dealerships here in Athens, so i tend to trust his judgement.

axleback, how did they do your dot matrix at the top of the window?

got a pic of your brake light??

steve@nikoneye.com

 

Well, the place I went to just simply tint over the dot matrix. Needless to say, the result isn't as nice as I wanted it to be. You can still see little bubbles now and then, depending on the angle and lighting. However, if the guy you speak of is professional, he'll do what this place did for my gf's Accord. As you probably know, the Accord also has dot matrix up on the top. They first put the tint in place from the inside, then, from the outside, another guy used heat torch to gently heat the glass up while applying the tint. The result was great since that softened up the tint enough to fill in the voids. See if he'd do that for ya. Since it's too late for me to do anything for mine, I'm just gonna buy a strip of dark vinyl adhesive and apply it over that area in the inside. I believe a couple of other members are doing that as well.

Sorry, I do have photos of my car but never really focus in enough around the brake light area to be meaningful for what you are looking for. I'll be taking more pictures this weekend after I Zaino it, but since your appointment is tomorrow, that wouldn't do you much good. Hope this helped. Good luck.

axleback

 

i just had mine done last week and they covered the dot matrix and the brake light without any problems, looks good.

The only reason I can see not covering the brake light is so that it is as bright as possible to hopefully thwart some idiot from rear ending you.

 

is it illegal to tint over the brake light?

 

I could be, besides, some lawyer could claim that you had improperly obstructed your brake light.

To be honest, I cant really agree with covering up the brake light, I just think that to tint through the light is so rice.
Its more responsible to keep your car as safe and as visible as possible especially when brake signaling is involved.
While some say that its a lack of effort involved in cutting around it, they fail to recgonize that making the cut and having it look professional is also an effort.
Hope that helps!

 

They don't tint the dot matrix at the top because there are issues with it adhering properly...not saying it can't be done...just that there have been problems.

My tinter said it was illegal here in Georgia to tint over the brake light...

 

Thats what a guy at work told me. I was checking out his tint job when he came outside, and so we talked about it. He had his tint done by the same guy 3 years ago and it still looked great. I won't tint over it if its illegal...

 

If legality is a personal issue for you then by all means follow it. But for me persoanlly, I think it's messy to cut around the brake light especially with a dark tint (like 35% or below). I've driven by a couple of luxury cars that done that and it totally ruins the rear IMO. Removing the high mount brake light is so easy you can even do it at home before you take it in the shop. Just lift the plastic box and pull out (but before you do disconnect the 2 bulbs through the trunk.) That should take care of any issues you have about the guy fooling around with the interior.

Just think about it for a second...which one will be easier to do if you decide to change your mind later? Have the window retinted? Or buy brighter bulbs?

Personally I have the entire rear window tinted. Later I got the OEM spoiler with the brake light built in. Imagine if I had the brake light cut out with the spoiler :yack:

 

I (in Texas) had mine tinted without any cut outs at the brake light.

I also didn't like the bubbles on the dot matrix so I had them tint UPTO the dot matrix... I personally think it looks ok. Once I have some money, I will buy a digital camera and post some pics.

The back was done in one piece.

-Tom

 

do you guys know the highest % that the front windows can be tinted up to in California? I am planning to get mine tinted and probaby will have the same % tint all around. Do any of you know of a good, reputable tinting shops in southern Cali (Los Angeles) area?

 

Yeah...it's 70%...which is basically almost nothing. Remember...the lower the % the darker the tint.

 

If its illegal to have your brake light tinted over then there are alot of SUV's driving around with factory tint thats illegal.

P.S.- Im having my TL tinted today, 20% on the backs. Im making sure that there is no bubbles on the dat matrix and the brake light is tinted over, ill post pics when i get it back later today.

 

wuts 70% tint like? like wuts the original tint % from the factory?

 

Really, wow learn something everyday. So 100% is basically no tint at all then right? thanx man, I thought it was the other way around on me

 

100% means you let 100% of the light pass through. So when people say "limo" tint...you are basically letting 5% of light go through.

California has one of the strictest automobile laws out there (other than the no radar detector law) so tinting the front windows more than 35% will definitely get you pulled over...especially if you have a white car.

 

Thats good out in California here in Washington D.C. you can only have 75% tint on any window except back. This only goes for passenger cars SUVs Mini Vans larger Van ect. can have them all tinted with darker tint except driver & passenger windows. We can have 50% on a passenger car on rear window. I have 51% REAR & 45% Side now. This is so stupid I get mad about it all the time. I wish it was 35% like Maryland. Most of the cars here are from MD.& VA suburbs. We have to go thru inspection every 2yrs & you won't pass with tint. I had to take off my 51% on the sides that I had put on when I got the car 2yrs ago. I then got it retinted after I pass inspection. This is why I got the 51% in the back as it will pass. They did not have the 51% when I had it retinted so I got the 45%. Its not that much difference in the 2 only 6%. I like the 45% much better. It cuts out more glare on the sides but I would love the 35%. The cops won't mess with me because all the cars from MD. & VA plus everybody has SUVs.

 

I got this from the CHP website

Can I put after-market tinting on the windows of my vehicle?

The main requirements for legal window tinting in California are:


The windshield and front driver's side and passenger's side windows cannot receive any aftermarket tinting.
If the rear window of a vehicle is tinted, the vehicle must have outside rearview mirrors on both sides.

The law prohibits any person from driving any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows, with certain limited exceptions.

However, legislation signed into law effective January 1, 1999, exempts from the above prohibition specified clear, colorless, and transparent material that is installed, affixed, or applied to the front driver and passenger side windows for the specific purpose of reducing ultraviolet rays. If, as, or when this material becomes torn, bubbled or otherwise worn, it must be removed or replaced.

 

Hence the 70%. Have you ever seen one of those? It's almost nothing. That's the lightest tint possible.

 

170 is expensive as hell!!!! i had my 35%'s removed and had 20%'s put on for $170

 

I had mine done on thurs. and paid $175 @ 20%

 

Steveinathens:
This may or may not help you out. The Accord Coupe's have the dot matrix as well (I have sedan, so no problem with it) and what a lot of people have done with the coupe is to cover that dot matrix with vinyl and tint the rest. If you want any more info, I can direct you to some posts in an Accord forum.
Schmiddy