Tint: Keep % the same for front and back?

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I am probably going to get my windows tinted sometime this month. With past cars I have always kept the same tint % on the fronts, backs, and rear windshield. I seemed to always like the universal look.

But with the tiguan I am considering maybe 35% up front and something like 20 or 15% for the back and rear windshield. I just thought maybe this would look better on this type of vehicle. Thoughts?
DSC_4059.jpg
 
I personally did the same all the way around on my MDX.

In fact what was factory in the back was too dark [legally] for the front but i went with it anyways to keep the uniform look.
 
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just don't go crazy, and check your states laws.
from what i was able to find for PA,
on a van, or SUV:
Windshield - no tint allowed
front seat - must allow >70% of light in
Behind the "B" pillar, any darkness allowed.
no metallic or mirrored appearance tints.

on a regular car:
Windshield - no tint
the rest must allow >70% of light in.

other examples:

here in Ohio:
windshield - non reflective tint is allowed on the top 5 inches
Front seat - must allow >50% of light in
Behind the "B" pillar - any darkness is allowed.
tint must not be more reflective than a normal window.

If my brother had tinted my neon while he owned it in Texas, their laws are:
Windshield - non-reflective tint allowed above the Manufacturers AS-1 line
Front seat - must allow > 25% of light in
Behind the "B" Pillar - any darkness.
Tint MUST NOT be > 25% reflective.

http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/
scroll down and click on your state for your local laws.
 
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the below statement is correct BUT, this is speaking of factory applied tint any other "technically" wont pass inspection. That being said I have never heard of an inspection station sticking to that particular inspection law unless it was quite obvious.

Originally Posted By: earlyre
just don't go crazy, and check your states laws.
from what i was able to find for PA,
on a van, or SUV:
no tint allowed on windshield, front seats must allow >70% of light in, anything behind the "B" pillar, any darkness allowed.
no metallic or mirrored appearance tints.

on a regular car:
no tint on windsheld, the rest must allow >70% of light in.

other examples:
here in Ohio:
non reflective tint is allowed on the top 5 inches of the windshield, front seat windows must allow >50% of light in, and, anything behind the "B" pillar, any darkness is allowed.
tint must not be more reflective than a normal window.
If my brother had tinted my neon while he owned it in Texas, their laws go:
non-reflective tint allowed on windshield above the Manufacturers AS-1 line
front seat must allow > 25% of light in, any darkness behind the "B" Pillar. Tint MUST NOT be > 25% reflective.

http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/
scroll down and click on your state for your local laws.
 
20% back 35% front is how they usually do, looks good but its usually too dark for legal but the shops will put it on anyways.

Looks better is it is 10 or 15% and25% sides, IMHO. I like it as dark as can be but so that you can see through it, that's all that counts.

And remember, light tints look like normal tints at night.
 
I have 20% tint all around and 70% on the HUGE windshield of my 07 Civic on top of the darker strip at the top as well. Never had any issues in FLorida or surrounding states. Got pulled over for other stuff and cops never notice the tint. One cop asked if the front in tinted while writing me a ticket for speeding and I said yea, its for my contacts, cause my eyes are sensitive... Gave me the ticket and walked away. Been driving like this for 6 years now and 160k miles.
 
If it were me, I'd apply the same tint front and back. Just my preference. Here is our Passat with 35% front and back. It has the black interior, which helps the tint look a little darker.
20130214_155936.jpg

My TSX is black on black, with 35% front and back. I got a ticket for it here in Virginia three years ago. $90, I think. The officer pulled me over specifically for the tint.

I have 35% on the 4Runner (the rear is factory tinted glass), as well. It has been pulled over a few times for traffic infractions, without the officers saying anything about the tint.
 
Since I live in Illinois, and for many years tint has been illegal... until the last couple of years.

On my Silverado, the extended cab windows and the rear window are 20%. I went with 35% on the driver/passenger door windows to not draw any undue attention. And no tint strip on the windshield either.

Yes, you can tell that there is a slight difference from the 35 to the 20... but since the windows are completely different sizes, it seems like an illusion, depending on the lighting.

When I had the 35% tint applied on the front windows, it was illegal. Since then, the law has changed, and 35% is now allowed.

On an 87 Monte Carlo, I had 5% tint all the way around. It attracted too much attention. However, since it was titled, licensed, and insured in my Dad's name, and it was an equipment violation, I was only warned about it and never ticketed... since it was not my car.
 
I have 50% on the front and 30% on the rear, both of which are Huper Optik ceramic. I would highly recommend Huper Optik to anyone who has a vehicle with fairly flat glass - the quality is excellent, heat rejection is best in the industry, and the color is very unique and subtle.
 
Thanks for the replies! Thinking about doing 30% all around... Maybe 35%

The place I deal with uses Llumar ATR series film.
 
Originally Posted By: cpayne5
If it were me, I'd apply the same tint front and back. Just my preference. Here is our Passat with 35% front and back. It has the black interior, which helps the tint look a little darker.
20130214_155936.jpg

My TSX is black on black, with 35% front and back. I got a ticket for it here in Virginia three years ago. $90, I think. The officer pulled me over specifically for the tint.

I have 35% on the 4Runner (the rear is factory tinted glass), as well. It has been pulled over a few times for traffic infractions, without the officers saying anything about the tint.


LOVE that picture!
 
Originally Posted By: maybehabitformin
Anyone know Michigan tint laws???


yes, don't tint the front,
that will be another excuse to waste your time.
 
I'd keep the front/rear doors matching but the back window can get darker sure. I did 35% doors and 15% rear on my last Civic.
 
I've owned two cars with tint, and they were tinted uniformly, but weren't darker than 45-50%. Even that moderate amount was too dark for me on the front door glass. It was very difficult to see out the door windows on a dark road. Turning to the side was dangerous because you either had to crane your neck to see out the side through the windshield or had to lower the window to be able to see.

I've since not tinted the front door glass on my vehicles.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I've owned two cars with tint, and they were tinted uniformly, but weren't darker than 45-50%. Even that moderate amount was too dark for me on the front door glass. It was very difficult to see out the door windows on a dark road. Turning to the side was dangerous because you either had to crane your neck to see out the side through the windshield or had to lower the window to be able to see.


45 - 50% VLT is extremely lightly tinted. Most aftermarket tint starts at about 35% VLT - when we had our cars done the place recommended starting at 35% VLT as they'd had too many folks get 50% VLT and came back to have it redone as it was too light. The $@#%^ers messed up two of my rear defroster lines when they had to redo my rear tint so I've considered stripping it off and fixing the traces, if I did that I'd get the back hatch re-tinted at 20% I would strongly consider getting the windshield tinted with one of the purpose-made films (3M crystalline, Llumar air blue, etc...) and a 5% strip across the top.

I have 35% VLT tint on my Golf and it is still light and very easy to see out the side/back windows even at night. We're getting the 5 done this spring and I want to do at least 20% on the back windows and 35% up front. Some folks think tinting like that looks 'uneven' but I've never had a problem with it. And it does make it less likely that you would get pulled over for a tint check... appearance is reality.
grin2.gif


Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
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If you're looking at tint options, perhaps seek out some local VW folks that have 20% rear/35% front for you to see?
 
The other thing to consider is how dark that you want your windows to be *at night*. Huh, what? Night?

That Monte Carlo that I had with the 5% tint, at night the windows might as well have been painted black. If it wasn't visible through the windshield, you didn't see it... at all.. without rolling down a window.

Back up lights? Completely worthless without rolling down a window to see.

This is part of the reason why I went with 35% on the Silverado on the front doors.
 
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