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strange headlight reflections in rear after tint

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by macmaster05, May 22, 2010.

  1. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    When I'm driving at night and look out the back, the headlights of cars create a vertical streak of light, which have accents from the defroster lines. Imagine looking out the rear at night and here's what it looks like, (the dashes represent light from the headlights behind you - the O's are the headlights).


    - -
    - -
    - -
    - -
    - -
    O O
    - -
    - -
    - -

    This headlight pattern/streak happens whether the car is tailgating me or is hundreds of feet behind me. Does anyone with tinted rears have the same thing, have you heard of this? I'm not too concerned, I'm just making sure that this is normal, right?



    EDIT: ok this message board doenst format my diagram right, imagine these 2 "bars" spaced apart.
     
    #1 macmaster05, May 22, 2010
  2. JHSmith

    JHSmith 2020 Avalon Hybrid Owner

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    On my 07 TCH (40 % Charcoal LUMAR tinting), I get the same type of vertical light bands you mention. Took quite a bit of time to get used to it.
     
    #2 JHSmith, May 22, 2010
  3. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    This effect is normal when you tint the back window. Its the defroster lines that cause it. Its happened on all of my cars.
     
    #3 sfv41901, May 23, 2010
  4. Manksgloob

    Manksgloob Member

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    Aye, normal.
    I've got it as well.

    What really freaked me out the first time was in a parking structure that used some type of amber lighting. This caused all the imperfections in the film to show up really clearly. I had thought that maybe the tint had warped or that moisture had gotten between the film and the glass. It wasn't until I entered an area of regular lighting that I saw that there was nothing wrong with the tinting. It was just the lighting.
    Perhaps it was a trick of polarized light?
     
    #4 Manksgloob, May 26, 2010
  5. BAllanJ

    BAllanJ Active Member

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    They were probably sodium arc lights in the garage... only one wavelength (well, one very tightly spaced doublet) so with only that one wavelength you can get some odd interferrence effects that won't be obvious when a broad spectrum light. I hate those lights since you can't tell the colour of anything in it.
     
    #5 BAllanJ, May 27, 2010
  6. Manksgloob

    Manksgloob Member

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    Ah! Very cool info.

    Learned something new today.
     
    #6 Manksgloob, May 27, 2010
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