What's "irresponcable" mean

I had dark tints on my mk3 astra gsi years back and they used a "tint master" I think it was called to measure the light allowed through the tint.

I've only tinted the rears out since but looks awful in my opinion.

a freel2 member posted this guidance a few years back

Mad-Dog wrote:

Hi Guys

Just thought i would offer some advice about window tints, as a serving Traffic Officer i keep getting asked about window tints and the law, it can be confusing so i will set it out here as simple as i can

The Law

Section 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations deals with the law on tints, in 2003 a very nasty accident occoured in Greater Manchester between a car and a motorbike, on investigation the cause of the accident was directly atributed to the tints on the car, as a result in late 2003 an amendment to the as was current law was introduced this change came into effect on the 1st January 2004. It states that as of this date "Window Tint Films" where such materials attached to the glass are capable of reducing the Visible Light Transmission of forward windows to below prescribed levels (70% VLT for windows forward of the 'B' pillar)

In laymans terms this means that all glass forward of the b piller, (the rear edge of the drivers door) must let 70% of the natural light through.

What we have already

I have contacted Landrover and they have sent me an e-mail stating amoung other things that we currently have the following tints currently on the windows

Windscreen - 78% of light will pass through
Drivers door - 71%
Passenger door - 71%
Rear passenger doors - 71%
Rear Window - 71%

What we can do

With this information it is clear that the Front windows and the windscreen are already at the legal maximum, given the 1% leyway, as far as the rears and the back screen you can leagally tint these as dark as you like, remember though if you do get it done that the windows already have a 71% tint already so take this into account when ordering

Getting stopped

If you are unfortunate enough to get stopped by the Police, or VOSA they will use a light meter to gauge the amount of light coming through, if it is found that the fronts are to dark you WILL get asked to remove the tints at the side of the road, you do not have to comply instead ask for a rectification notice or a prohibition notice this will give you a grace of usually 10 days to get the tints removed proffesionally. In either case, the vehicle will need to be inspected by a Police Officer or Vehicle Inspectorate Office to confirm that the glass has been restored to a compliant condition.
If your tints are deamed Below 30% Visible Light Transmission (Excessively dark window tints) The driver or owner of such a vehicle may be issued with an immediate Prohibition Notice and immediately prevented from driving the vehicle on public roads until the tints have been removed and either a Police Officer or Vehicle Inspectorate Office confirms that the glass has been restored to a compliant condition

The maximum fine for having these tints is £2000, one thing to be aware of is that if you are having your tints measured as a result of a Road Traffic Accident and your tints fall below the 30% you may also be facing a charge of dangerous driving.

Some forces have been known to issue an on the spot £30 fine along with the rectification notices, this isnt common practice and you could fight the fine, but of course this will be at your expence.

Forces that are cracking down on tints

The following forces are cracking down on window tints this summer and WILL be setting up random stopchecks along with VOSA officers

North Wales, Cambridgeshire, Staffordshire, Northumberland, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, The MET, Devon and Cornwall, Essex

In Summary

70% maximum tint from B Piller forwards
Freelander 2's have 71% as standard
Rear Windows no legal limit
£2000 maximum fine if caught
Can ask you to remove tints at the side of the road

DISCLAIMER

I AM OFFERING THIS INFORMATION AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL AND I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPOSIBLE IF YOU ARE CAUGHT AND USE THIS INFORMATION IN A COURT CASE.

Cheers

Mad Dog

RRS Daz wrote:

What's "irresponcable" mean

I had dark tints on my mk3 astra gsi years back and they used a "tint master" I think it was called to measure the light allowed through the tint.

I've only tinted the rears out since but looks awful in my opinion.

I'm afraid it isn't just 'youngsters' who are guilty of this stupidity - there's an increasing number of drivers in the middle years who think they know better than the car designers and engineers. These people also the ones who probably have the arrogance to drive while on the phone despite the proof of how unsafe it is.

Why on earth would you wilfully restrict your visibility.

The amazing bit is that rather than accepting the fact that they've be caught they complain about the penalty.

My TDV8 came to me (from a LR main dealer on the LR Approved scheme) with tints on all windows (except the windscreen). These are quite dark and appear to be an aftermarket film. I've wondered about removing the front driver and passenger side films but don't find, so far at least, that it restricts my vision in dark/wet weather. I'm wondering about asking a traffic copper to check the tint with the relevant device and then, if necessary, removing it. I've had the vehicle 3.5 years so far... 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

rrstdv8 i personally wouldn't ask a policeman to tell you if its illegal as you could get a jobsworth who might give u a nice 3 points and £60 fine for the pleasure, you say they are quite dark which would suggest they are more than likely illegal as even a light smoke tints on front side windows is illegal

id personally get them pulled off asap

Hmm, you have got me thinking now about my front window tints on my P1. Although it has passed several MOT's, they really don't look that dark to me.

Click image to enlarge

That's poor parking.

Ady 555 wrote:

Hmm, you have got me thinking now about my front window tints on my P1. Although it has passed several MOT's, they really don't look that dark to me.

Click image to enlarge

They dont look too dark to me, in the pic you can see through to inside of car, and through to other side of car,looking through two lots of tints  itisme

myfirstrrs wrote:

That's poor parking.

Why, what is wrong with it?

Looks good to me, nice and subtle  2003 BMW M5 - 5 Litres of V8 Optimax Slurping Goodness in Carbon Black

2013 SDV6 HSE Black Edition- Orkney Grey with Ebony & Ivory. LR Facelift RAI, Genuine G4 Expedition Rack, 4x Warn SBD-160 Spotlights, Warn 9.5XPS Winch, Mantec Underbody Protection and Sump Guard, Full Easy Lift Suspension Module, LR Light Guards, Light Force HTX230 Hybrid spotlights, 18� Compomotive PD1881 on 265/65/18 BF Goodrich KO2, ARB fridge, TuffTrek awning 😎

Without wanting to sound harsh it looks like you are using a bit of someone else's parking space. You wouldn't catch me doing that

That's normal parking when we meet up to go out for a run. It's not my normal everyday parking tactics
















I normally take up 3 spaces.

Best way to avoid scratches and digs  itisme

Totally agree, best way to avoid dings, someone once had the cheek to leave a note on my windscreen because I used two spaces, i wouldn't care either the car park was half empty.
There's always someone who will park so close you can't open the doors 2010 RRS, TDV8
bali Blue / colour coded
side steps / flappy paddles
black perforated leather
22" overfinch
heated everything, TV,fridge ...... now with gold calipers and mud flaps !( black mud flaps that is) !!
Many years ago,,,,, 1955 series 1 landie , sometimes wish I had kept it