Do tint or not to tint

Hello:
I am in GA and would like to tint my windows for the following reasons:
1. Have a baby who sits on the rear
2.Need the car to be bit cool.

1.
Is tinting is the only option? I hear that there are tinting laws which would fine the drivers for cars with tinted windows. If so what are the limits in GA. If I drive my car through some other states while visiting friends would I be charged with the local state laws for tinting or it should be OK?

2.
For GA vehicle, what are the best options for "blue color" CRV, I see there are are % of tinting for windows, what are my options. What type of film ?

3.
How much usually it costs to tint on average? Is it a good idea to have a "Strip" on front glass?

4.
If tinting has any disadvantages, what are other options for giving some comfort from sun.

Some disadvantages are poorer vision at night. As for GA law, go to your highwayman office, or your state police, and they will almost always have pamphlets telling you what tint %'s are legal. It's legal to tint your windows in most states. Some states it's illegal to tint anything darker than stock and they check to see if they can scratch it off, as for your state, I'm not sure. A lot of laws only dictate how dark the tint can be.

www.tintlaws.com

Look for your state. If you plan on driving through different states, you should be fine if they have stricter laws of tint because when they see your license plate, they will know that it's legal in that state but not in theirs.

As far as tinting advantages, at night it could reduce visibility based on how dark you go. According to your needs, I think I would recommend you put (this is based on if you have absolutely no tint on the car right now) 15 or 20% on the back side and rear and probably a 35% on the front sides (if you would like/or if it's legal in your state)

As far as putting a visor, it's your call. You could go with the darkest so you do not need to use your sun visor as much but that would also reduce visibility at night when looking at the stop lights and such...


Mine is pretty dark tint, but I guess it could give you an idea...


10-15% rear trunk and sides
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d150/rx900/Honda%20CR-V%20SE/DSC07854.jpg

Visor 4% (9" high/low)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d150/rx900/Honda%20CR-V%20SE/DSC07849.jpg


Since my fronts are now darker they are about 15-20% dark
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d150/rx900/Honda%20CR-V%20SE/DSC07853.jpg

Overcast day with the windows down you can tell the difference now with tint and without
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d150/rx900/Honda%20CR-V%20SE/DSC07860.jpg

Hope that helps. And also the lower the number % the darker the tint is

www.tintlaws.com

Look for your state. If you plan on driving through different states, you should be fine if they have stricter laws of tint because when they see your license plate, they will know that it's legal in that state but not in theirs.


Not quite, just because you installed it in your state doesn't mean it's exempt when going to another one. If you drive through a state with a law that says no tint, or yours is too dark, you will get stopped. License plate will not even be factored.

i doubt it would hold up in court, i mean visitors shouldn't have to change their vehicle just to visit or drive through.


but back on topic guys, i would go a little above you state legal limit, to prevent any false stops by the police. a shade or two above the state limit should be enough, the rear windows in my v are already rather tinted, and its from the factory. but i know what you mean, id like some more tint too.

Not quite, just because you installed it in your state doesn't mean it's exempt when going to another one. If you drive through a state with a law that says no tint, or yours is too dark, you will get stopped. License plate will not even be factored.

This is not true. If your vehicle modifications are legal in your registered county/state, then they are legal (on your specific vehicle) in all 50 states.

Because your vehicle is registered somewhere else, then they have no grounds to fine you for what is legal where you live.

This doesn't hold true for noise ordinances, but for tint, it is very true.

Heck, I went all over the South East in my VW and I had tint around 20% on my windows, I even had a tinted plate cover over my plate (which is illegal in Tennessee) and I received no trouble from any out of state police.

i doubt it would hold up in court

It's just a fix-it ticket. No court about it. It's not that big a deal. Pay $10. Not sure if anyone's been pulled over for it out of state or what they had to deal with. Anyway, the tine %'s aren't measurable by just looking at them anyway. Just don't go too dark and you'll be fine legally and vision wise.

I personally like my windows as clear as possible.

Hello:
I am in GA and would like to tint my windows for the following reasons:
1. Have a baby who sits on the rear
2.Need the car to be bit cool.

1.
Is tinting is the only option? I hear that there are tinting laws which would fine the drivers for cars with tinted windows. If so what are the limits in GA. If I drive my car through some other states while visiting friends would I be charged with the local state laws for tinting or it should be OK?

2.
For GA vehicle, what are the best options for "blue color" CRV, I see there are are % of tinting for windows, what are my options. What type of film ?

3.
How much usually it costs to tint on average? Is it a good idea to have a "Strip" on front glass?

4.
If tinting has any disadvantages, what are other options for giving some comfort from sun.

I don't have any good advices for 1, 3, and 4 so I'll leave that to others who knows better. As for 2. The best type of film are ceramic tint made by a company called huyper optiks they block a high amount of heat compared to dye and metallic tint so you can keep it as light as possible.

My crv has ceramic tint on my front doors at 45% and metal tint at the back at 5% and they do cut down a tremendous amount of heat during the summer. One way I test to feel the difference is to put my fore arm in front of the tinted window in the sun then roll down the window and feel the heat in direct sun light...it is a huge difference even with just a 45% tint. Of course if you are worried about tint tickets you can always go the safe route and put either 50% or 60% on the front door, they are light enough to be almost clear but still block enough heat to keep you cool.

We've always had tint on our cars. When I was younger, we tinted the windows very dark because we thought it was "cool." Nevermind that we couldn't see anything after dark! Ah, the wisdom of youth.

Every tint job I had before the age of about 30 was way beyond legal. Even doing most of the stupid stuff that young kids do in cars, neither my brother nor I were ever cited or questioned about the tint on any of our cars.

Now, as you suggest, the tinting has become more of a convienience/comfort item. In Colorado, if the factory tint on the rear windows exceeds a certain percentage, then you're not supposed to have any tint at all on the front windows. This law is frequently ignored. My 08 EX came with factory tint in the rear and I (illegally) tinted my front windows, too. The tint shop that did the work advised me of the laws, but said the only people they've ever heard of being hassled were gang-banger/punk kids who'd given the local police plenty of reasons to hassle them without the tint issue.

I especially like how the tint cuts the glare and seems to lower the temps and require a little less air conditioning. I'm also convinced it saves my interior from the harmful effects of UV deterioration. My 72 year-old-mother even has her windows tinted... First thing she does everytime she gets a new car!

Tint away!

Rod

... said the only people they've ever heard of being hassled were gang-banger/punk kids who'd given the local police plenty of reasons to hassle them without the tint issue.



That's exactly right. Don't do anything, or be anything wrong, and you have a 90% chance of being just fine running around with it. It's also a safety issue, Police like to see in your car before they approach you.

I still just like the idea of having at least the front 3 windows clear. There are some people who forget to switch their headlights on till after they pull out of the driveway or a parking space, etc, and you might not see them out the side and get T-boned...

My only advice is to tint for function, not for looks. Living in GA, you have a legitimate desire to keep the car cooler in the sun! But as has been mentioned, too much tint will keep you from being able to see at night - not a good idea. You should be able to get the car fairly dark on the rear & back, while keeping visibility good out front and front side. Also, I THINK most states do not care about tint % on the side rear and rears. After all, a panel van has no windows at all, and that's legal.

Oh actually, I might also add, if your concern is cooler inside temps when PARKED, a reflective sunshade is incredibly effective. It can make the inside temperature 90 degrees rather than 130. I love them.

I put tint on for functionality more than looks. I don't really like the sun beating down on my skin too much as my skin burns and I also have black leather so that really gives my A/C a hard time on really hot sunny days

if you decide to tint i found some cool kits on ebay that comes with pre cut tint sections to cover each window, give it a look. or PM me and ill send a link im thinking of getting one

You should have a shop do it. and get a waranty just in case. If you do it yourself you have no warranty so if it bubbles you will have to take it off and do it over costing you more money.

You should have a shop do it. and get a waranty just in case. If you do it yourself you have no warranty so if it bubbles you will have to take it off and do it over costing you more money.
I agree 110%

I agree. Have a shop do the tint. It will look horrible if you are a first timer trust me. There will be TON of little bubbles. I did my front license plate and it has a bunch of little bubbles in it

Question for Chris on:
> if you decide to tint i found some cool kits on ebay that comes with pre cut tint sections to cover each window, give it a look. or PM me and ill send a link im thinking of getting one

Did you try one of these eBay kits. Did it work out OK for you?

Those prices sure are amazing and reading other posts, the pros seem to recommend Baby Shampoo for application so that's pretty much free.

I'm getting a little confused on "films are not legal" and "police see if it can be scratched off." I'm guessing the DIY kits can be scratched off.

Also, people on here are talking about ceramic and steel tint. Not sure if that's a sticker type or if there's some other options.

More info would be great on all of this...

I would use a tint shop. I had the windows tinted on the 01, that I bought. The maximum tint legally allowed. You will not believe the difference in cooling down the interior. In Texas that is a big deal. Also any legal tint shop will not sell tint that is illegal to install.

Living in Florida, and now Colorado, I've always had tint 15-20% all the way around. In Florida you can do 20% on the back and 35% on the front, but I always ran 20%. I don't remember what Colorado is (I'm sure it's in this thread) but I've never been pulled over for it, but have been pulled over in 5 different vehicles on different occasions and never had a problem. 5% is blatantly dark, and I wouldn't put it on because to me it's obviously illegal, so I don't want a police officer thinking the same thing. It just looks sooo dark.

Officers are (rightfully) concerned with visibility into the car as they approach it so when I pull over, without being told I roll all the windows down, and put my hands at the top of the steering wheel. I've gotten tickets, but tint has never been mentioned.

I would go 20% all the way around, pay cash, and not worry about it.

> I would use a tint shop.
I emailed the eBay guy who gave me the same suggestion. When someone's turning away business to give advice, I usually find it more trustworthy. I could see myself buggering that job up something fierce.


As an non-lone-wolfe aside:
As usual, my wife is not interested... Looks like we'll be rollin pretty stock. It took over a month of negotiations to get permission on the body moldings. Then, right when I got the OK, I threw my freakin back out. :(

The forums are one of the few places I get to vent...

feel free to rant, rave, and vent here. all i ask if you keep it friendly and appropriate!


it really depends on what you are doing with your vehicle, if you aren't offroading or really working the RT4WD you should be able to get by every 30,000 miles, but remember you cant over do it, the more the better

When in doubt, always tint. :)

1.
Is tinting is the only option? I hear that there are tinting laws which would fine the drivers for cars with tinted windows. If so what are the limits in GA. If I drive my car through some other states while visiting friends would I be charged with the local state laws for tinting or it should be OK?

Only way to keep your car cool, for me, is to use the sunshade (of course), park under the tree, or park where a building will block the sun. i live in Oklahoma and the limit is 35% but i do not know about Georgia. if you have the legal limit for tint in Georgia and you drive to another state with a higher percentage, you should be fine. police officers is more cautious about your driving than your tint even though tint could be an issue in visibility.

2.
For GA vehicle, what are the best options for "blue color" CRV, I see there are are % of tinting for windows, what are my options. What type of film ?

i believe black tint is great for all colors. i had black 15% on my white '99 Accord and it looks nice to me. i had Llumar tint which it came with lifetime guarantee. never had any problems with them. i had them installed professionally.

3.
How much usually it costs to tint on average? Is it a good idea to have a "Strip" on front glass?

i had a great discount on my vehicle. my old '99 Accord cost me $100 installed for 15% tint w/ lifetime warranty. but my '09 CRV cost me $150 with the same tint but 20% tint w/ lifetime warranty. depends on the shop.

4.
If tinting has any disadvantages, what are other options for giving some comfort from sun.

i believe tint is a great source to block out the sun. other than that, i usually vent my windows a little bit so air would stay out.

I got a quote for 200 for all but drivers doors and windshield from TintsRUs which is a shop in San Jose with what seems like a good rep and they were great on the phone.
We'll see...

I got a quote for 200 for all but drivers doors and windshield from TintsRUs which is a shop in San Jose with what seems like a good rep and they were great on the phone.
We'll see...

If you are in the bay area check out rocky mountain window tint in livermore. They do great work, very fast, and know how deal with costumers! Not to mention for the quality the price is great. If your gonna tint get it done right the first time.

They have a lot of Rep.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rocky-mountain-windowtint-livermore-2

Site:
http://www.rockymtnwindowtint.com/home

Andrew

I see similar yelp responses to "Tints R Us" in San Jose. I was planning to use them since I'm in SJ and they will come to me which is cool. I might go to them anyway. I heard that you can get a better job if any issues come up since they can redo a piece if they're at the shop. This is their website:
http://www.tintsrus.nv.switchboard.com/
I called on the phone and they were great.