I just bought a 2003 Silver SE and wanted to get the windows tinted. I live in maryland and the legal limit here is 35%. To me 35% looks light and i think I want it darker. Can someone tell me how tinting is enforced by law enforcement. Are they strict about it or...? I don't want to do a 20% and then get pulled over and have to tear it off but at the same time when driving around, I see a LOT of cars that I know for sure have their tints a lot darker than 35%...how are they getting away with it? What kind of risk do you run if you tint below the legal limit?

thanks

 

It really depends on the state / town you are in. I'm in NY and see a lot of cars with way darker than 35% rolling around (and the legal limit is 70%). However, people in Virgina seem to get the death penalty for it

Instead of asking on the board, I would ask some of the local tint shops or other drivers with tinted windows. Unless of course you can find some Maryland org members.

Also, if you do get pulled over and your windows are dark:

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ROLL DOWN YOUR WINDOWS, TURN ON YOUR INTERRIOR LIGHT, AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL!!!!!
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I actually had a couple guns in my face when I was messing around with a girlfriend in the back seat . Cops don't like surprises!

Actually, I can't even remember the last time I did it in a car. My God, I'm old

 

IMHO putting illegal mods on a car that can be seen by law enforcement is foolish. These mods in themselves can become the reason for being pulled over. Then you chance their finding other things, like too many beers beforehand, no seatbelts on, stale insurance proof or registration, etc. I know it's a long shot, but getting carted off to jail for something that started off as nothing more than 20% tint makes little sense to me.

 

I'd say get 20 percent all around. Somewhere in the low 20's. If you get something like 35 I'm pretty positive you wont be happy. And if you do get pulled over do what the guy who posted before me said. And I have a habit that whenever I see a PO I lower my front two windows. Not worth taking the risk. Before i never got pulled over and this one time i was on rosemead and chp was right next to me. He stared at my car for like 5 minutes and then pulled me over. It sucks taht before that i never got pulled over and then suddenly this officer who had nothing better to do pulled me over and gave me a ticket. =/ hopefully i wont get caught again. So yah dats my recommendation. Low 20s. or High Teens.

I really recommend that dark tint on black cars. Because I drive a black car.

 

I have 35% on my Grey Lustre 2003 SE. It looks dark enough to me, but then again I have a black interior. One thing to note though, are the small dots on the top 4" of the back glass, nobody seems to be able to tint over these without it looking fugly. I hae even seen shops start the tint below the bumps.

 

I am getting 5% on my Black on Black Max this Saturday and it is going to be dark as SH^*!! But like someone said earlier if you get pulled over just roll your windows down and keep you hands on the wheel. My roomate and fellow 5th Gen owner is a cop and he told me that the big worry wqith tint is the whole "surprise" thing when they walk up to a car and that they appreciate it when you roll down the windows showing them respect for their safety.
But I just can't see spending $$$ on tint that is barely there. For me it's 5% or nothing. But that's just me.

 

Go limo all the way around, and like Black2k said if you see a cop roll down your window. Your back can be as dark as you want it to be its just the front that you gotta watch for.

 

NIIICCEE!!! Another Sheer Silver in Da Houuusssee!!!

Be daring.......Do the 20%!

 

5% limo all around and the top 10" of the windshield

 

im looking to have my windows done in the next week or so too. im looking to have 5% on the backs and 15% on the front windows. cops "usually" dont pull you over for just tinted windws, but if you have blue lights and other stuff, then they pull you over and start writing tickets. most of the time they dont care, as long as you put your windows down and they can see inside the car when they get next to you.

also the amount of tint and where the tint can be is state dependent, if you search on the web you can find what your state's laws about tinting are.

as for how do they check, they have a meter that will determine the amount of light that can pass through. if they do use this meter make sure the area he/she tests is clean.

 

I think it mainly has to do with just if the cop wants to be an @ss or not. If hes busy eating a donut then he'll prolly let you go. If he's having a crap day then he'll prolly right you up. So just hope the cops you pass are not *******s. Before I didnt pass any ******* cops till that Chp Po pulled me over! =/ had to strip and retint the front. That sucked. Hopefully I wont get pulled over again.

 

thanks for the input everyone...i think i'll do 20% but i'll talk to the guy at the shop as well.

on another note, what do you guys think about tinting the sunroof...i'm thinking about it because it can get really bright on some days.

 

To add on to this, they have to use a meter if they write you a ticket. They can't just do a visual and tell you it's too dark and write a ticket. So if a cop tries to pull that sh*t, you'll be able to get out of it.

 

are you saying he can't write you a ticket just by visually looking at it or that he CAN write you a ticket but you can fight it if he does it just by visual.

wonder how many cops actually have the thing to test the tint.

 

My roomate is a cop and he said that they cannot write a ticket unless they have checked your window with the meter.

 

It's all up to the judge. I've heard of people getting convicted on speeding tickets from a cop standing on the corner because "He had special training and could tell the speed of the car"!

I remember the first time I got pulled over for my tint. It was 20% and I was thinking "there's no way this will hold up without a light meter". Next thing I know *BAM* He pulled it right out of his back pocket! DOH! My 20% with the factory glass tint rang up 9%

I just paid the $50 and have been tinting ever since. Trust me, it's a small price to pay if you drive past your girlfriend with another chick in the car

 

Sorry officer



BTW, if you are drinking and driving with no seatbelt, no insurance and no registration you should get pulled over and thrown in jail...tinted windows or not.

 

thanks. does u're roomate carry a meter?

 

If you have light interior, you may be able to get away with 20% without getting in trouble. However, if you mod the exterior of your car, you're going to be drawing more attention to yourself. I live in VA and I wish that my tint was darker, but I don't want to deal with the 'MAN'. 35% all around (MD) is not bad. Check the DC forum for MD tint questions

 

im re-tinting my front windows down to 5% shortly, i have 20% now but its just not dark enough and the contrast with the limo tint in the back is too much...

about cops, i have never been bothered even though 20 is illegal where i live...most cops think tint laws are a waste of resources, as long as you lower your windows if you get pulled over, you should be all good..

 

I think it has a lot about what kind of car you drive as well. Cops use tint as an excuse to pull someone over to check for warrants and what is in the car. i doubt pro athletes get pulled over very much in Ferrari's with 5% tint.

 

Right– The cop pulls you over and says, "The reason I pulled you over is because I could smell that beer on your breath two blocks away, and my psychic powers told me that your insurance and registration papers are out of date. Also, through my x-ray vision I could see you have no seat belt on."

 

city police sticker helps me out of window tinting tickets