that's it, i'm getting the windshield tinted

when i left the house this morning it was all rainy and cloudy and otherwise non-sunny outside. since the past couple of days have been like this, i decided to leave the sunglasses at home for the first time in months.

huge mistake.

just my luck, it turns out to be this beautiful sunny a-little-too-warm afternoon. and as i walk over to the main science building to use the darkroom and my vision goes white without sunglasses, i realize i'm going to be screwed when i try to drive home.

i have extremely light-sensitive eyes. while driving, sometimes my eyes hurt even with sunglasses ON. i called DH, who couldn't come get me. so i drove home- on as many back roads through wooded areas that i could. (which, fortunately, are plentiful around campus and on most of my way home.) it wasn't as bad as walking outside because the side windows are tinted, but my eyes just hurt from doing that.

that made up my mind- i'm definitely getting the windshield tinted. after i go get my eyes checked and get a prescription for this windshield tint... which won't be till sometime in december, unfortunately. but i made up my mind.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ Oct 18 2006, 07:32 PM) [snapback]334825[/snapback]</div>

ahh, so we're the cool sunglasses chicks in black prii! B) :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rangerdavid @ Oct 18 2006, 07:47 PM) [snapback]334831[/snapback]</div>

ahhh, a fellow blue devil i'm on west, and yes there are lots and lots of trees.

i'm actually subject to wi law since that's where my car is registered. statutes are vague- i just double checked to see if i could find anything i might have missed. i've heard anecdotal stories of wisconsinites getting pulled over for windshield tint and being let go because they had a valid rx. i know here our tint guy won't install without a valid rx. i guess i'll take my chances to not be 100% dependent on sunglasses.

i'm only talking about a lighter tint so it won't obstruct my night vision, although i see great out of the 35% i've got on the rest of the windows at night (reduced glare too.)

 

tumbleweed-

i've already got 35% everywhere but the windshield, the tint that our guy put on (suntek) has been great so far, no scratches but of course i take good care of it! if you scratch it, i think you have to replace it though. and i wouldn't even bother doing that myself, i'd pay the tint guy again.

i'm going to play around with darkness before i commit to anything. i'm thinking of asking him for a 50% scrap piece to hold up in front of the windshield at stoplights and such during the day and at night to check the "dark enough but not too dark" factor. he gave us a scrap taillight tint piece to check out too, he's been very good.

there are different brands of tint and different installers, and of course those things will make a difference in your results. our tint guy has done a very good job on our current stuff and we're happy with the brand of tint as well.

in most states windshield tint is illegal without a medical exemption, hence the prescription when i go to the opthalmologist. i'm not going to do anything til i've got that in hand. and actually, i need the rx for 35% on the front windows, wi requires 50 or more.

35% is the amount of light that gets through the tint.

i'll report back when i do something about this, but i fear it's going to be a couple of months before we can gather up the cash for the eye doc and the tint and all that.