Anybody know what percentage of the factory tint on the side windows? I'm searching online and on the manual with no luck

 

i was thinking it was pretty much, err, 0.


At least when I compared it to after I tinted mine.






Before tint (don't left the shadow in the driver seat fool you, you can see through the front windshield at how clear the passenger side is)





Post Tint

70% fronts, 80% rears (if memory serves) Fucking bright here in Cali, screw their 10% law...

 

There is no such thing as 0% tint. Even "clear" glass has some sort of tint.

Automotive glass generally has 85-88% tint. I've not seen anything on the ILX specifically but you need to keep that in mind if you add tint. If, for example, you are adding 50% tint then the final result will be in the 40-43% range (50% of 85 or 88 minus a couple of percent because of the installation process).

Any tint place should have a tint meter and can check for you. Please report back what the meter says.

 

Just figure out what tint you want and tell the tint shop that you believe there is stock tint and you want... For example... 70% visibility 20% tint. Just tell them you want exactly 70 and they should measure your tint and let you know what they suggest.

 

I mean sure there will be some amount of tinting. Just from the thickness if the glass or other materials used in the OEM configuration. But often it's not much. Certainly less then even he lightest aftermarket tint you could choose from.


I mean in my first 'untinted' photo you can see through to the other side and see a slight blue color attenuation. It's tinting the brightness slightly, but it's not a full spectrum tint like a 3M aftermarket setup would. That's all I really ment as 0%

The tint in went with is a ceramic style tint designed to block heat and lower frequency infrared wavelengths. Cost over $500 for everything + sunroof.

 

Automotive tint includes UV blocking - the reason that transition glasses don't darken well inside cars.

Don't believe me? Put your transition glasses into a case to allow them to lighten fully. Get into your car, roll up the windows and put the glasses on your side window. You'll note that there is little difference in a half hour or so. Then roll the windows down and see how quickly the glasses change color.