To tint or not to tint

longjohn · 03-29-05, 03:42 PM

I was about to make an appointment to get my new GS300 tinted when I came across the following blurb in the manual in the Light Sensitive Optitron Meter section:

"NOTICE - Do not place luggage (especially metallic type) on the package tray, or apply window tint (especially a conductive or metallic tape) or a sticker on the rear window. Otherwise the light sensitive optitron meter may not operate properly."

Has anyone who has tinted their windows noticed any adverse effects on the instrument cluster? I was thinking on going with something fairly light.

YL06GS · 03-29-05, 03:54 PM

Tinted windows day after purchase. No problems. Went with Limo shade. Use a non metalic film and you should be fine.

Search previous threads for this topic.

rominl · 03-29-05, 05:33 PM

i would tint the car for sure

i have sc430 (nav), tinted, metallic tint, no problem at all

i have is300 (nav), tinted, metallic tint, no problem at all

gs430jw · 03-30-05, 11:42 AM

Tinting makes the car look alot cleaner. Make sure you get 3m tint if you do it.

lexuslover · 03-31-05, 12:06 PM

i used Suntek Carbon film, absolutely no metallic whatsoever and lifetime warranty against fading, peeling, etc. i wanted a non-reflective glare since the car is sparkly white i thought a reflective glare would be just too much. i had a bad experience with a previous GS using non-metallic tint on back and minimal metallic on sides (that's what the guy recommended), and the reception was SO bad. keep in mind that although the wires may be built into the *back* glass, metallic interference anywhere affects the reception sometimes. and NO, the tint is not that dark! my camera sucks and it is blazing sunny here today, so the contrast against the white car makes it look like a limo tint from that angle. it's actually a medium tint all around and you can see through it normally (in fact, if i had parked against the white wall as i did previously, the tint would have appeared much lighter).

TINTED:

NO TINT:

TINTED:

NO TINT:

longjohn · 03-31-05, 02:40 PM

Thanks for the comments, I have an appointment to get them tinted.

Lexuslover, being in CA you're not worried about having to have the tinting removed? Is it just a fixit ticket if you get stopped?

lexuslover · 03-31-05, 02:46 PM

yeah, it's not legal to tint front sides at all, but i'm ok with taking the risk. this is the 3rd GS i've tinted all around, and i have yet to be stopped for it (knock on wood!). i typically don't go beyond a medium tint, and i tend to drive around with the sunroof cover open (so that light flows down into the front cabin), so the tint does not look egregious at all. i did get stopped once for not having a front license plate, and i rolled my front windows down immediately to avoid a 2nd violation. in any case, yes, both of these are fixit tickets, although it would be sad to have to remove the front tint.