MambaTL

On Saturday just after noon, a police cruiser passed me going in the opposite direction as I approached a stoplight. I noticed it. No problem. About 10 seconds later a cruiser approaches me from the rear. No problem. I make a right turn and it turns right behind me. No problem. Then it's lights come on. I pull over to let it go by. It pulls up behind me. Problem? I'm wondering why on Earth am I being pulled over. I know I wasn't speeding. The lady officer must have noticed the puzzled look on my face and utters the words "Its your window tint". Michigan law doesn't allow a full window tint of any degree on the front driver and passenger windows. And my 08 TL Type-S with full A-Spec has them. It never even occurred to me. The car was originally titled in Florida and the owner had a beautiful tint job done. I was looking forward so much to a summer that would not bleach the black interior of this car.

She let me off with a warning and told me to have the tints on the front windows removed quickly or get a ticket next time I'm pulled over. I'm totally bummed. I hate the very idea of having someone rip out that beautiful work of art. And paying them to do it. I'm hearing that others are being pulled over because of the tints. Looks like tinting is getting special attention around here now. At least the rear side and back glass are OK. I'll truly miss the fronts.

One question: Other than tinting, has anyone found a good solution for effectively keeping the sun out of the front side windows while the car is parked in the summer?

TLType-s12

iTrader: (2)

My friend has a skin condition ( i dunno wat its called) and he has a note from his doctor that says he has the right to have a X amount of tint done to his car for health purposes. So hey if you know a doctor or one that will be bought. Theres my 2 cents lol

AirJordan23922

i heard u can get a note from ur eye dr for sensitive eyes or some shit.... ask around...

bug

same thing happened to me in montreal... i had it removed to pass an inspection (they call it a 48h). had 35% front/back and 20% rear and now im at 50% front 35% back and 20% rear just so they can see a difference when they look at me. (no tint in the front when tinted in the back is ugly in my opinion)

what a pain to be pulled over for this crap. like i need another reason for the cops to pull me over... never again i will put tints on!

04DCTL

i got pulled 2 weeks ago for tint here in NC, i have 15 all around except ont he windshield, and i got a warning and didnt have to take it off even though i was asked to, just got to know the right people, but if you dont want to pay someone to do it, it is a rather simple job if it is quality tint, if youd like, you can PM me and i can give you some advice on it..

Fulani has a TL

iTrader: (1)

It all depends on the state, and their rules.

If you want, they have clear tint available which blocks out the UVs which can be damaging to the interior, it also helps reflect heat as well

Jesstzn

I have a DIY link to remove tint if you want it .

ndabunka

If your tints on the rear are heavy (15% or so), just pull the front off and have them re-done in 35%. The contrast between the two will be so dramatic, it will look like the fronts don't have any tint to most people (including officers)

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

Does anybody know if you will have trouble in one state if your car is registered in another?

For example, can Illinois police give you a ticket for your tint in Chicago (which is illegal on your front windows) if your car has Connecticut plates (where tint on your front windows 35% is legal there)?

Can police give you a ticket for no front license plate if your car is registered in a state where it's legal?

avs007

I don't know about where you live, but over on the west coast, the answer is NO. The laws regarding tint, explicitely mention the vehicle being registered in-state. (I live in a state with laxer tint laws, but work in a state with stricter tint laws...)

I believe if you look up the terms in the statues, it defines vehicle, as being registered in the state. Otherwise they'd have to inspect ever car that crosses the state lines, as equipment laws vary by state... For example, WA requires front turn signals to emit amber, but Oregon allows white. Oregon requires rear reflectors to be visible up to 600ft or something like that, but CA only requires them to be visible for 350ft or something like that, etc, etc.

TeknoKing

Hey, and the answer is yes yes yes

I have friends who registered cars in Florida with tints, they get tickets just like I do in NY, each officer is explaining that you must abide by the state rules of where you are...it sucks, but that's what they say. You might get a warning first time, but if the same cop sees you again (chances are very likely) he may be an ass about it.

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

^^^sounds like a constitutional violation to me, a violaton of the interstate commerce clause to be specific (it is taking profit away from tint shops in FL )

ps. Most florida plates in NY are NY residents scamming it up to get cheaper insurance

fish008

I say don't remove the tint unless you get a report and repair ticket. How dark is it? What color is your car? Interior and exterior. What part of Michigan do you live? Here is a tip: leaving the sunroof shade open lets light into the car and makes the tint appear lighter. Dark interior also make the tint appear darker. Most of the time where I live the cops leave the nice cars alone – they figure that upstanding people drive them and no need to give them a hard time. Just a thought.

TeknoKing

stillhere, shhhhh, shhhhh

Evader

This is crazy with everyone getting pulled for their tints. I have 5% all around on my Envoy and never once got pulled. I have 20% on my fronts and 5% on my rears of my TL and not once have I got pulled. Personally I wouldn't care.. I would pay the find and just consider it a "fee" for having a nice car :o )

V-Sic

Question? I've gotten many tint tickets and loud exhaust tickets on my 00 accrd. I plan to get tints on my 07 tls soon(fuck that law)........but how can a state allow vendors to sell or install tints but make it illegal for consumers to have on their cars. Thats like saying that people can sell "weed" but buyers cannot smoke it. Maybe a bad example but you guys get the point! LOL

S PAW 1

R U really 54?
If you are, you must have some good eyes, 'cause I wouldn't WANT dark tinted glass, especially at night.
I don't know what year your TL is, but my '07 already has some high tech filtering built in from the factory.

S PAW 1

V-Sic
I agree with you to a point. Even though I don't want to tint, it pisses me off that different states have different laws governing the amount of tint you can have. So, if you are just visiting in another state, they can nail your ass, even if your tint is legal where you live.
It's like some states banning radar detectors.....
DON'T GET ME STARTED
F______g politicians

fish008

Your example is slightly flawed because weed, no matter what is illegal. Tint however is not. Tint can be used in a legal way or an illegal way. A better example would be the pipe you smoke the weed in. It was likely sold for use as a tobacco pipe - how the owner uses the pipe is not the retailer’s business. My example is flawed too but how does the tint shop know it’s not a show car? I mean that is a lot of show car driving around but what do they care? They made money, same with the tobacco shop.

fish008

^^^ This is not true. You cannot be ticketed in another state for your tint if your state of residency allows such tint. It matters who the car is registered to and what state you came residency in. You cannot register your car in one state and have residency in another. I am blanking on the law but it has to do with interstate commerce. States must honor other states laws if you are just passing though or there for a visit.

Just because you drive into a state does not mean that your emissions must comply with their requirements. But a car purchased in a state must comply with their emissions standards. This is how you can buy a car out of California that does not comply with California emission standards, but if you purchase in that state it must comply.

MR1

Looks like a few possible answers to the OP's question.

1. Consider it a use fee and leave tints alone
2. Consider bigger contrast between front and rear tints.
3. Replace dark tint with lighter or zero tint film for more UV protection.

I started with 20% on sides and rear but changed it after one day. My old eyes couldn't see out my sides at night. Changed to 35% for driver and front passenger. Still very illegal but looks and works great for me in CA. So far, after three years, no tint stop or tickets.

S PAW 1

Well, I'm not a lawyer, but I personally know people who have gotten tickets in Ohio that are from out of state (namely Florida) due to tint. There are also several internet sites that address the tint laws in individual states, and they all contradict your opinion on this. I have pasted the one below for quick reference. Look under enforcement in several states such as California, and they state that they have the right to ticket out of state cars that don't comply with California tint law. The enforcement varies from state to state.

http://home.pcisys.net/~bpc/auto_law/tint/

MambaTL

Thanks for all the comments. This is a much larger issue than I ever thought. I called today and made an appointment with Ziebart to remove the tint on Thursday morning for $15.00 per window. I thought it best to have an appointment on the books in case I'm pulled over again. I asked about a clear tint for UV protection. They can do it, but don't have the tint since nobody ever buys it. They have to buy the stuff in 100' rolls. It would cost me about $300.00 to buy the roll and keep it after having my 2 windows done. As for enforcement in Michigan, I checked and found that if its an out of state plate, the State Police will usually ignore it. If you live here, they can be aggressive about it. We had a state trooper killed by a gun he didn't see behind the tinted glass. Its a very emotional issue with the state troopers. They would prefer no tint AT ALL. I'll check around to see if anyone other than Ziebart has the clear tint. Either way, I have to say goodbye to my beloved tint job. Some of you mentioned that you know how to remove the tint DIY style. Would you mind sending instructions via PM? I hate the idea of people being in my car with potentially destructive chemicals. If I find that I can do it myself, that would be my choice. Thanks in advance.

JCL622

generally if it's not something you've DONE "red handed" on the scene, the cops pull you over and just give you grief.

I get pulled over probably once a week in MO because I dont have a front license plate. Then they pick on me because i'm from NY and goto an expensive college, so they further try to fuck with me by asking if i'm smoking or holding weed in the car. Then the worst is if i get a white cop who just doesnt like the fact that some asian kid is driving around in a nice TL...ive had them make me get out of the car sit on the curb for nothing, meanwhile i can hear him talkin to his partner making racist comments..and i see some of my schoolmates drive by and wonder wtf did THAT asian kid do.

but i'd rather get harassed once a week than waste time and press charges that probably wont even hold, and w/e, so long as i keep up friendly terms with 111th precinct in NY i'm GRAVEY baby

fish008

Don't remove the tint until you get that report and repair ticket. Who knows you may never get pulled over again for it. If they do write you a ticket it is either pay a fine or have in remove the tint and show that it has been done. If you never get pulled over again you will get to keep the tint and will save yourself $30.

S PAW 1

OP:
If you decide to re-tint, it's very, very important to have stuff called "moleskin" installed, or else it will scratch. If you don't have any scratches now, it sounds like whoever did your tint did it right.

frenchbiker

I agree with you. If you are ticketed, this ticket can be easily fought in Court.

frenchbiker

I'm not a lawyer either but I have a hard time believing that you could get ticketed in OH for window tints if you drive a car registered in FL and you have a FL license. If you are, this ticket should be dismissed in Court without a problem.

V-Sic

lol....i know my comment wasnt the most well thought out, i was just talking out of my ass.....but honestly im gonna get tints and the police could kiss my ass(quads).....if i get tickets i'll just pay them and keep it moving..... as long as they arent criminal offenses and i dont have to show up in court then im cool. It may be ignorant to think this way but in my experience some cops are going to be d*cks regardless.

fish008

This is a Con Law debate. See Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution for the answer.

Article. IV.
Section. 1.
“Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.”

For those who don't know about the interpretation of this Article here is a good summary of how it is correctly applied/ the meaning:

Article IV, Section 1 ensures that states respect and honor the state laws and court orders of other states, even when their own laws are different. For example, if citizens of New Jersey marry, divorce, or adopt children in New Jersey, Florida must recognize these actions as valid even if the marriage or divorce would not have been possible under Florida law. Similarly, if a court in one state orders a person to pay money or to stop a certain behavior, the courts in other states must recognize and enforce that state’s order.

Article IV, Section 1 also gives Congress the power to determine how states recognize records and laws from other states and how they enforce each others’ court orders. For example, Congress may pass a federal law that specifies how states must handle child custody disputes when state laws are different or that sets out the process by which a person winning a lawsuit in one state can enforce the order in another state.

fish008

I have to say that I do believe S Paw 1 about that happening in Ohio. I have no doubt that Ohio just makes up laws on the fly. Ohio is a stupid state and nothing good comes out of there. GO BLUE.

No offense to anyone from Ohio I am just a big MICHIGAN fan.

S PAW 1

Rumor has it they are trying to allow the death penalty for speeding here, and yes, the tint ticket is real.

Does that mean I can use my radar detector in states that prohibit them?


GO BUCKS!

scv76_

When I got my tints installed, I had to sign a disclaimer on the work order about being aware the darkness of tints I wanted are illegal in my state.
By signing this disclaimer, I can not seek legal action against the vendor.

MambaTL

The officer assured me that if I don't have the tint removed, I will definitely be ticketed next time. I checked with my ophthalmologist and I don't have the required medical profile to get a written permit for the tint. I've never had a problem with the law. I'm 54 today and never had a speeding ticket in my life. In this case, I don't want the hassle. The car is black with a black interior. This makes the tint look even darker than it is. I now see that the car sticks out like the proverbial "sore thumb". Folks with lighter interiors don't seem to be bothered very much. I fear that any long stints on the highways around here will get me more looks and probably more stops than I'd care to live with. I assume that any stops and the reason for them are recorded in the police database. Not taking the warning and removing the tints might make me look like some kind of hard case. And that could lead to harassment. It's true that I might never be stopped again, but who reallly knows? In the end, it looks like the clear tint with good UV protection will be my best bet.

By the way, there is NO scratching on this tint job. The original owner had the work done right. That's one reason it kills me to have it removed. Oh well.

fish008

Hmmm, that is a good question. I don't know but my guess would be no. The radar detector is not registered to a particular state and is easily removable. I wouldn't push my luck on that one.

By the way isn't it buck+eyes as in the things that come from the plant/tree. I suspect a wolverine would eat them if they were not to busy chasing real food/ being a cool mascot.

Me too.

S PAW 1

^
I was being facetious, of course, as all those that have had their detectors confiscated will attest.
I don't think tint is "registered" in a particular state.
They'd make things easier if the laws were the same for every state instead of each state making their own "laws".


Buckeyes can also be made out of chocolate with peanut butter centers,
and who would want in little snarling animal as a mascot? Just an oversized ferret

avs007

Just because you get a ticket, doesn't mean the cop knows the law either. I got a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian. Cop said that as soon as the pedestrian steps off the curb, I have to yield. In our state, the law ACTUALLY says you have to yield if the pedestrian is on YOUR HALF of the street. Since the pedestrian was on the opposite side of the 4 lane street, I actually still had right-of-way... Judge agreed, ticket dismissed.

My wife also got a ticket for "failing to obey lane markings". Cop said she illegally drove on the shoulder when passing. The law actually says it's legal to pass on the shoulder (so long as your tires don't leave the pavement), if THE DRIVER DETERMINES IT IS SAFE TO DO SO when going around obstacles. So it doesn't really matter if the cop said it was safe or not, the law didn't say, "when it is safe", it actually explicitely said when the "DRIVER determines it is safe". In any event, my wife was going around a semi-truck that looked to be stopped in the cross-hatch area, so she went around on the right, no danger whatsoever at the time..... Judge agreed, ticket dismissed.


If the other post is correct, than CA can say whatever they want, it doesn't make it valid. They may have the right to ticket, but THEY DO NOT have the right to collect. Federal law > state law.

pnoi521

Yes, but only if you are living in that state, at least I think.
My dad bought my car for me and drove it for a year in Vegas.
i picked it up from him last november and never registered it here in Cali since I'm moving to Vegas in the summer.
Last week i was pulled over by a california highway patrol officer and got a ticket for front tint and for not registering the car in california.
I'm sure that if he noticed i had no front plate i would have been cited for that as well.

pkarandi

Hilarious!

Strangely enough, I got a warning from a cop in 1998 about 3 months after I bought my old Honda Prelude. The lady who owned it before me was from FL and had it tinted pretty dark. I ignored the warning and drove the car 10 years (I just sold it this past weekend). I even got a few more speeding tickets over that time but for some reason, none of the later cops noticed the tint. I guess I was just lucky. My TL has no tint since I didn't like the lack of visibility when I wear sunglasses anyway.

To avs007: what a pr!ck cop your wife encountered (shocker). That's just BS to get a ticket for that...

AZN.M3NACE

screw the law, they make things up so the government would be able to make money. plus if you were pulled over by a cali high way patrol officer, you could of stated that you were borrowing the vehicle from your dad for the day, since he is from Vegas.