SW17LS

As some may remember, when I got my 17 LS460L I tinted the windows with 30% Formula One Stratos tint. Legal limit in MD is 35%. I was going to do 40%, but went with the 30 which I had on my 15 LS460.

Well, then 15 was nebula with a grey interior, the 17 is liquid platinum with a black interior, long story short it looks way darker on the 17. Still though, doesn't look super dark. Nobody ever bothered me with the 15, but after 6 months I did get stopped last week just for the tint and got a repair order. Nobody can believe I got stopped...

I had a shop I use meter it, it meters at .28. So the factory Lexus tint is 87.5% if anybody is wondering. I'm at the shop right now having it replaced with 40% which should meter legal and they will certify is legal.

Just venting, $750 down the drain...

jwong77

Wow that sucks! Sometimes you wonder if cops can better spend their time stopping other more serious crimes instead of dinging somebody for slightly illegal tint. Thats life sometimes.

LexBob2

Sorry to hear this. It sounds like you just got unlucky. The 40% with certification should do the trick (except recouping the $750). I agree that with a black interior the tinting always looks darker. Here in IL the legal limit for side and rear windows on a sedan is 35% so I always go 40% without any problems so far.

SW17LS

Such is life! I get to sit here for 3 hours too which is just what I have time to do!

Johnhav430

I never understood why at least in PA, from the factory anything goes, but aftermarket, basically you can't do anything. Then, there are people driving around with "illegal" tinting. It would seem the law makes no sense.

My wife's SUV says 19% on the rear doors. So this, in PA, is legal, because it's from the factory. But if you apply it yourself, not legal. Kinda dumb....

It's as if NJ does enforce. You will see aftermarket where the front doors are not done, but the rear and back glass are black as the night...

dang sorry to hear bro!

mmarshall

Hey, just chalk it up as a learning experience...and don't lose any sleep over it. We've all probably spent needless money on cars and equipment before. I'd like to have all the bucks back that I spent in the late 70s and early 80s on GM and Chrysler junk before I switched (at that time) to Japanese-designed vehicles.

One thing, though, puzzles me, . Unless I'm just not seeing through the situation with the tint (no pun intended), if 35% is legal in MD, how can an LS with only 28% can be legally sold in the state? DMV probably wouldn't certify its registration. Or did you add a darker tint after the car was in your hands? Or did the 87.5% refer to the actual amount of light coming through? The percentage, as I understand it (i may be wrong), refers to the percentage of light the tint allows through...the lower the number, the darker the tint.

SW17LS

For sure, I continue to have lessons to learn, unfortunately they get more and more expensive lol

I had it tinted after I got it. The factory tint is 87.5%, so the 30% (which is actually 32%) meters at 28%. The 40% is actually 42%, so it will meter at 36.75%, which should be fine.

I took it to the inspection shop I'm going to have sign off on it this morning, so I know how his tester is calibrated. Was kind of hopping he'd just say "Oh, I'll just sign off" but no luck lol

Johnhav430

Again my wife's GM SUV has 19% in the rears from the factory...PA says legal if from factory. 19% means as far as I know, 19% passes through, 81% does not.

I didn't grow up with fancy tools. So the first Porsche brake job I did I used a screwdriver to compress the pistons, and bent all 4. Bought a new caliper for over $600 discount from PAR in Yonkers, NY (I am pretty sure parts cost more back then, than today), and I'd be da***** if I knew how to bleed brakes back then. Took the car to a Mobil gas station that worked on foreign cars--I remember the tech saying lemme show you something--this is how light your caliper is (he held it up with a pinkie). Then he picked up one with his hand from a Dodge--this is how heavy a normal caliper is, and why you don't push them in with a screwdriver. $600 when you're 19 y.o. is like the world is ending. Today, it would ruin my week lol

edit out of curiosity, I looked up what a caliper would cost today: $1,032.88 list. I see some things never change (a little over the top for parts)

edit 2 oops, $765.25, there we go. The above is for ceramic brakes. So I was right, relatively speaking, $600 back then, is way way more than $765 today.

theory816

Wow, the ticket is $750 for tinted windows? Well, you totally deserve it.

SW17LS

Boy, you are a piece of work aren't you? Go troll somewhere else.

To everybody else. No ticket, the $750 is to remove the tint and redo it with 40%. The officer was super nice.

LexBob2

In my state if you have a CUV, SUV, minivan etc. with factory privacy glass on the rear windows the limit is 50% on the driver and passenger side windows. You can get some pretty good UV and heat rejection with a 50% tint these days so drivers can get the benefit from tinting if they choose.

LexBob2

Was there any charge for the inspection?

SW17LS

No, they're good folks.

bagwell

yep, I'd rather not take a chance so I stay legal.

theory816

Lol, oh I thought you got a ticket. I don't know why you're calling me a troll when it was you who got pulled over for having tints? You do know there's a reason why you shouldn't have tints, right?