1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

California tint law sucks! bye bye tints >_<

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by Gilbert, Jun 13, 2008.

  1. Gilbert

    Gilbert Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2007
    255
    15
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    the gf wanted chocolate milkshake... we went to the mall to buy her one.... 2 minutes from the mall i get stopped by a cop... he tells me its illegal to have the front windows tinted.. to my surprise since its the first time i get stopped in california, he gave me a citation and told me i needed to remove them within 10 days. not sure if i would have to pay anything when i got to the place to show them i removed them. but anyways.. he left, i was pissed off saying to myself that i should have stayed home. so we finally got to the mall, she got her shake, and we left. around 3 minutes of leaving the mall i get stopped AGAIN! Im thinking Wth OMG THIS CANT BE HAPPENING!!:mad::mad:

    so i pull to a parking space, and he comes and tells me that my windows are too dark and its illegal blah blah blah. and i immediately tell him that i just got stopped for that like 5 mins ago and showed him my citation ticket. he tells me that his magic ball doesnt tell him that ive been stopped. so he told me to get it corrected and he left.... and here i am thining cops didnt stop prius's :p i drive around all day long, and the tints REALLY helped with sun and heat, is there any other alternative for this that's not illegal?:eek: i should have stayed living in puerto rico, tints allowed full way around :D
     
    Dylan Doxey and E C O like this.
  2. Leslie_M

    Leslie_M Waiting is the hardest part...

    Joined:
    May 19, 2008
    111
    0
    0
    Location:
    Knoxville, TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Hi Gilbert,
    Take a look at this site. According to it, CA allows tinting up to 30% on the front side windows. Are yours tinted darker than this?

    Welcome to TintLaws.com
     
  3. Speedwing

    Speedwing Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2008
    48
    11
    0
    Location:
    Southeast PA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    The driver's window is the main window they target for tint. They want to be able to see the driver when approaching the vehicle for their own safety. It makes sense. Go to an Optomotrist and get a script for light sensitivity and you can keep your tint. Always get the driver's window rolled down before they get to you and have the script laminated to show them.
     
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2006
    19,011
    4,080
    50
    Location:
    Grass Valley, CA.
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I think you read the wrong state. California state law limits you to 70% (must transmit 70% of visible light) on either side of the driver and any % behind the driver. Tint must not be reflective nor can it have a red hue.

    According to most CHP, ANY tint that did not come on the car from the factory is illegal. Obviously this doesn't jive with the vehicle code but if you've read the code you'll know how difficult to understand the exact law is.

    Basic rule of thumb is no more than 73% on the front windows if you have light colored interior. With dark interior you are taking chances IMO. I do tint at my stereo shop job so I sell A LOT of tint. :)
     
  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2006
    19,011
    4,080
    50
    Location:
    Grass Valley, CA.
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It is generally a $10 administrative fee.

    If you get unlucky you will simply get a ticket and fine instead of the correctable violation like you got. My buddy had the windows done on his C6 Corvette and got a fine within a week. I got two tickets like yours in the span of 3 months after having tint for almost 3yrs..... CHP make me angry sometimes (even though one of my best friends is one). I get all my info from him or my roomate who is a local officer. ;)
     
  6. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    No, it says CA 70% meaning 70% light transmission. I think you will find if you use a tint meter that the light transmission of the glass is about 70 to 80% therefore you can apply a clear UV protection film but any real colour is going to push you under 70%.

    Tint is always rated by light transmission.

    What I find amazing is if you want you can put solid black vinyl over the back windows, there is no limit.

    If anyone finds my tint meter can you let me know please? It was stolen from my unlocked work car at a farmers field day on Kangaroo Island.
     
  7. Leslie_M

    Leslie_M Waiting is the hardest part...

    Joined:
    May 19, 2008
    111
    0
    0
    Location:
    Knoxville, TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    No, I didn't read the wrong state. I interrepted the information wrong. Per the site it says this for CA:

    Front Side WindowsMust allow more than 70% of light in.

    I apologize for any confusion.
     
  8. Betelgeuse

    Betelgeuse Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2005
    1,460
    24
    1
    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Yeah. I'm with Leslie. I've always thought the tint notation was backwards. If a window is 30% tinted, it would seem to me that it blocks 30% of the light. So, "30% tint" seems like it should refer to something blocking 30% of the light.

    It certainly tripped me up the first couple times I heard it. Isn't one of the points of notation that it should be clear? :)
     
    Dylan Doxey likes this.
  9. AngelFish

    AngelFish New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2004
    119
    1
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    There are reasons behind the law... Primarily (from what I understand) it is for the safety of the police when they pull you over. Which I can understand. I would not want to be an officer in some of the areas of California.

    Personally, I would prefer that the law was if you get pulled over & have tint, all windows in the car must be rolled down. Otherwise you get the ticket. But that is unfortunately not the case.
     
  10. Gilbert

    Gilbert Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2007
    255
    15
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three

    I agree with this. on the back doors i have 6% tints, which u can barely see anything, and on the front i have 22%. when they stopped me, i rolled down all windows for courtesy.
     
  11. sendconroymail

    sendconroymail One Mean SOB

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    256
    3
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    If you want to make your car cooler than get a 100% metallic tint from llumar. The darkness of the tint has nothing to do with how well it blocks heat from entering the car. The tint (edit: I should say dye) is ONLY there to block the visible part of the spectrum. llumar has a tint (100% metallic) that is perfectly clear but it blocks 100% of heat from entering the car. It sounds like this is the best stuff to use in CA (for the front windows anyway).
     
  12. Scruge

    Scruge New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2008
    97
    0
    0
    Location:
    TX
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Them not rolling down their windows might imply they were bad boys, thus increasing the risk of an altercation..

    If I were a cop I would probably shoot the windows out before approaching :D
     
  13. freshmtt

    freshmtt Dachshund Addict

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2008
    532
    4
    5
    Location:
    Chicago Suburbs
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Just be lucky you are not in Illinois or another state that does not even allow the front side windows to be tinted. At least Cali allows some tint on the front sides,, We are not supposed to do that here, but my husband did the other day,, he got 20% on his front sides and wow is that tint dark,, I am just waiting for him to get pulled over,,, and he got 5% the limo type on the back window. I am not one to mess with the law, so I am rethinking the front side windows now, the tint shop has a 35% tint, but I want to see how it looks before I do this, if I think I might get a problem with it, then I might look into getting the front sides done with that Llumaar stuff that is 100% metallic and will not make the windows actually look as if they are tinted.. I'll probably pay extra at another shop to find that stuff..

    But, you have to be willing to take the heat from the cops when you knowingly do something that is not legal. If they say it is too dark, and you have proof that it is not according to Cali law, then you should still have the receipts from the tint shop to back you up. But if you knowingly put something on the windows that was not legal, then you are stuck with the fact you will get stopped.

    I was shocked when my husband came home the other day with his front sides so dark, and I am even more shocked that the tint shop did this, knowing they are violating the law,, but after that, I have now seen so many full tinted windows all over and I am left wondering do the cops even care here in Illinois?,

    However, I am not willing to do something to my front sides if it is going to look so apparent that they are tinted and end up getting pulled over for it. I have never been pulled over in my entire life before, never had 1 ticket in my entire time of driving, and I am just not willing to risk it with the window tint business..

    For the person that posted about the 100% metallic tint from Llumaar (sp?) do you have this on yours?? How do you like it??? It is way more expensive than the other kind of shaded tinting??

    I was thinking about getting the back side windows and the rear hatchback tinted with the darkest possible, 5% is what the tint shop has, and do the front sides now with the 100% metallic stuff that will not show a shaded color at all. I'm not trying to hide from anyone, I just want to keep the sun out.
     
  14. sendconroymail

    sendconroymail One Mean SOB

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    256
    3
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    When I got my car tinted (last week) the guy at the shop showed me all the tints he had and asked what I wanted. In FL we can go pretty dark so I choose the darkest tint (it had 60% heat block instead of 100% that the clear metallic had). I choose darkness over the heat blocking ablilty because I have my daughter in the car all the time and wanted the darkness over the heat blocking ability. She does not like to wear sunglasses and the bright sun bothers her eyes.
     
  15. sendconroymail

    sendconroymail One Mean SOB

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    256
    3
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I'm surprised tint places are still putting darker than legal tint in cars. I've seen a few cases where really dark tint was put onto a car. Then the drivers have an accident at night because they can't see other cars and pull out in front of them. The tinting companies loose their shirts after they are sued.
     
    kenoarto likes this.
  16. sendconroymail

    sendconroymail One Mean SOB

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    256
    3
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Sorry I forgot to answer about prices. The prices may very greatly by state but for here the 100% metallic clear tint was $199 installed on the Prius (edit: which was the most expensive tint they carried) . I think we may have cheaper prices here though since there is a tint company on every street about every couple miles.
     
  17. freshmtt

    freshmtt Dachshund Addict

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2008
    532
    4
    5
    Location:
    Chicago Suburbs
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Thanks for all this info,, I think I am going to look for another tint shop.. one that has the 100% metallic non-colored so they can do my front sides with this, and then I will get the dark stuff for the back windows and the hatchback. I'm not risking getting pulled over with colored tint on my front sides..
     
  18. Gilbert

    Gilbert Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2007
    255
    15
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Same, nowI'll have to remove my front tints, then find a place here in Sacramento which does that 100% metallic clear tint... BUT.... the dealer told me not to use metalic tints cause it will disrupt the gps system... so i dont know...:juggle:
     
  19. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2006
    19,011
    4,080
    50
    Location:
    Grass Valley, CA.
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A

    No worries, most people assume that the lower the tint percentage the lighter the tint. It's actually the other way around. 5% tint is considered pretty darn dark whereas the 73% film I have on my front windows now looks questionable as to whether I even tinted the window. :)
     
  20. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2006
    19,011
    4,080
    50
    Location:
    Grass Valley, CA.
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Just make sure the 100% metallic tint doesn't significantly increase the reflectivity of the windows or you'll likely get another ticket. :(

    HOW REFLECTIVE CAN THE TINT BE IN CALIFORNIA?
    Similar to sunglass lenses, some tinting film contain metallic elements that help in reflecting incoming light and reducing the glare and heat generated by visible light.
    • Front Side WindowsMust not be more reflective than a standard window. • Back Side WindowsMust not be more reflective than a standard window.