twopu

The sun beams into my daughters eyes because they are rear facing in their car seats. I refuse to get car shades or strips of tint that my wife is telling me to buy at Babies R Us. My only alternative is to tint the back half of the car but I'm really not sure how that is going to look. I'm looking to go with a factory tint on my black TL. I can't/won't go all around because it's illegal in NJ and I just don't feel like jumping through hoops to find someone to inspect it. Anyone have pics of just the back half tinted?

Most of the shops around here say that their tint won't effect the navigation on my 05 TL and that moleskin is not necessary. None of them stock ceramic so are their other tints out there that are nonmetallic that won't negatively effect nav? One shop said they use a high performance charcoal and highly recommend moleskin.

Razzi

just throw 35% in the back and 50% in the front, the back never matters and i think it's 50% in your state, might be less.

35% light transmission oughta stop sun glare and a lot of nasty UV

chairguru22

Just get her some sunglasses.

Tinting won't give you too many problems from cops and inspections if you don't go too dark. 50% is pretty light and will be fine. I have 30% and it's not too dark. If it's only on the rear then you should be fine. Metallic tints shouldn't affect your Navi or bluetooth but may affect AM radio. Moleskin isn't needed really but it can't hurt.

erdoc48

I went to Shades of Gray in Pennsylvania and had the rear 1/2 of my car done in 15% tint- to me it looks very good, and no pullovers (I'm in NJ as well). If you go too dark (like 5%), then there is too much contrast between the front and rear. 15 or 20% should be right. I also had concerns about the Nav being impaired because of the tint- I have Llumar metallized tint and have had no issues with the Nav.

I can post pics tomorrow PM if you want- there are a few threads about the same topic on Azine and some people have the cars 1/2 tinted. The purists don't like it half tinted, but since we both want the cars legal, this is the only way.

shadesofgraytint.com

chairguru22

^ that's where I went too, I recommend them.

twopu

thanks guys!!! How much did they charge you?
erdoc I would really appreciate you showing me pics
I'm really curious how 15%, 20%, and 30% look in a side by side comparison. Shadesofgray.com has a cool tool but nothing compares to real pics. Thanks again!!!

chairguru22

Apparently you didn't see their forum.

http://shadesofgray1.proboards83.com...read=21&page=2

and my pics
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-photograph-gallery-96/finally-nice-day-out-695738/

greco9885

iTrader: (1)

not many people know this but in some states cars are NOT allowed to tint the rear side windows. but in your case you can tint the rear side/back window as dark as you want
http://www.tintlaws.com/

also your dealer will inspect your vehicle and pass it...atleast jeep did when i had it. its just a visual inspection, its not like the computer takes a picture of your windows and analyzes it most places dont care.

erdoc48

OK, here are the pics- these were taken at 12:30 PM on a cloudy day in NJ, so on a better day, the tint would likely seem a slight bit lighter.

erdoc48

Even at 15% on the rear, you can see through the tint (5% is too dark for me). I had my wife's Cadillac done this way as well in 20% (for comparison):





Taken after sunrise in the summer.



I have no problems seeing at night, and there is now no glare in the rear view mirror. Plus, it stays cooler in the summer (you should use a windshield screen - the metallic looking ones- when the car is parked for maximum heat/ light reflectivity).

Shades of gray charged $140 for everything and there is a lifetime warranty on the tint- they will recommend removing a small rubber strip from inside the window recess to avoid scratching the tint. It does not cause any air leaks or water leaks to remove the strip. Damon and Ryan are the 2 owners of the shop and do excellent work- I had all 3 of my cars done there.

ABP_04TL

iTrader: (2)

will b puttin my tints back on this comin summer!

twopu

Thanks for the pics guys you've made me more comfortable with going with just doing the back half. I'm leaning towards 20% in the back half, but a couple other options are 15% on rear window with 20% on the rear sides, or just pushing it a bit and going 30% in all five windows.
erdoc- nice cars and neighborhood
abp- what % do you have
Also, does anyone know if it's legal to tint a license plate cover with a 30% or 50%?

greco9885

iTrader: (1)

illegal.

Malloy

iTrader: (3)

I also went to Shades of Gray in PA. $165. 30% all around, not too dark in my opinion. I will have better pix tomorrow. I'm not a fan of tinting just the back...BUT function should lead when it comes to kids

Pic taken on a cloudy day at 4:30 or so. Car is filthy too.


FWIW: I put ~70k miles on my blacked out FX in PA and NJ exclusively, I got stopped once for tint, and it was just a warning from a rookie state trooper.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...ke/fx/fx23.jpg

erdoc48

If you get tint all around, the car might not pass inspection if you go to a NJMVC inspection station. You might have to pay a private garage to inspect the car or leave your windows down and hope for the best (hope they don't put the windows up).

I personally like a lighter tint all around (like 30-20%), but since this is my daily use car, I don't want to be pulled over, even if for a warning (I can't afford to be late for work as most people can't).

If you go all around, stay on the lighter side (like 40-30%)...I think you run less of a risk of a pullover if the police can see the driver through the side window. I can show pics of my MR-2 with the sides done in 40% tint.

erdoc48

This is 15% on the back window and 40% on the sides (this is a recreational car, so I'm willing to take my chances of a pullover with this, plus it's light enough so I can be seen through the driver's window)

Malloy

iTrader: (3)

Here is another pic of 30% Llumar metallized all around

erdoc48

Hey Malloy,

Nice looking car- that degree of tint looks very good- not too dark. I wish we could get our cars done like that in NJ.

twopu

I really like the 30% all around I just don't want to get pulled over or go through the hassle of looking for someone to inspect it.
Can they pull you over for just a tinting offense? I thought it was a secondary offense like talking on the phone.

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

I prefer the even look all around. The half and half to me kind of takes away from the luxury of the car and kind of make it look taxi cabbish.. that just my opinion. If you're really worried about cops just do 35% all around and you'll be fine because its light enough for people to still be seen inside the vehicle.

My take is that, rarely people get hassled for tints on cars in NYC atleast. You usually get pulled over for something else first and then get a ticket for tints. In my experience tints have gotten me out of other serious speeding tickets where the cops give me a warning and write me a tint ticket instead, so I dont know... take it for what its worth.

I have 15% all around and 40% on my windshield and I am very happy. I dont consider it too dark at all.

This is my advice:

If you're really really worried then do 35% all around
If you're not that paranoid then do this:

If you got dark interior do: 35% on the sides and 20% on the rear windshield (no you will not see the color difference I guarantee you that) Best combo remember most light gets into the car from the back and front windshields

If you got a light interiro like mine then you do 15% all around and that will get you the same results as the one above for the dark interior because you have to compensate for light reflection. I've spent quiet a bit of money on redoing my tints over and over again so this is from personal experience and money wasted. LoL

greco9885

iTrader: (1)

that is so true. ive gotten pulled over for speeding and received a tint ticket instead, ill take that any day. i have never heard of anyone getting pulled over just because of tints. on my car i have 20% all around and dark interior, and it gets DARK inside. if you have a light interior you can get 20% and have no problems and it wont be as dark.

ac-n-up

i say go with 20% on the back half, you should be ok....

Rob RiL

iTrader: (5)

I haven't heard of a tint law against it, but I'm sure cops would give you crap for it. In Louisiana, any modification or misplacement is called "IMPROPER DISPLAY OF LICENSE PLATE". And yes, there is a ticket for it. I got one for moving my plate to the inside of my truck's bed while my tailgate was in the shop.

As far as the tint goes, it just depends on your state's law and your police. On my truck, I had between 0% - 1% tint on all windows, minus the front windshield, for about 4 years. Getting a brake tag was always a long agenda and involved some simple bribery.
I was actually never bothered for the legality until a few months ago when they cracked down around New Orleans. In my parish, I was pulled over and the cop asked if it was darker than limo because he could only see a black wall when he tried to see who was driving. He let me go and told me to get it lighter. Then my father borrowed my truck and went upstate and was pulled over by a state-trooper who ticketed him at 1% all windows and another sort of ticket that said the vehicle had to be presented to a Louisiana State Trooper office within 5 days with legal or no tint. Failure to do so would result in a warrant for the arrest of the driver.

So.....basically it depends on how lucky you are and where you live.

twopu

Does more expensive tint (ceramic or better brands) do a better at reflecting light and heat? I want to go as light as possible 20%-35% but need to make sure it will keep the sun out of my daughters eyes.

erdoc48

I believe all of the higher end tints (non dyed) will reflect 99% of UV, and the light transmissibility depends on the darkness of the tint. It will definetely keep the inside of the car cooler, even if not so dark. On my MR-2 (see pics above), the side tint is only 40%, but there is a noticeable decrease in interior temp. in the middle of the summer (probably 30 degrees cooler at peak sun). This is also with using a windshield reflector when the car is parked.

erdoc48

Lastly, yes, the tint should keep the sunlight out of your child's eyes- decreased glare, etc.