Hi Scotty and friends, I'm trying to get a tint for my Toyoto Camry 2020 LE; I live in Maryland and the limit is 35% so i want to get that. I called a tint place and said I wanted the legal limit of 35% so he said he would give me 50% because there's already a factory tint and applying 35% would make it darker than 35%.
My windows don't look at all like they have any tint on them though, I'm trying to get something to lessen the light that comes in the window for my baby so i want to make sure it is at the legal allowable limit. Is what he saying legitimate or is he making some unnecessary presumptions? Thanks.
Most new cars come with tinted glass. You may just be used to it.
Yes, you would want to work the numbers and layer the correct tint over it for the legal limit. Tinters work with this stuff all the time and they have no reason to lie: the darker they make it, the thicker the film, the more expensive the job.
Ok, cool, thanks Mod_Man
You're welcome!
Your baby is the back seat, right? I thought you could tint rear windows as much as you like.
Many people use clip on or roll up shades
Thanks MountainManJoe; I wasn't aware of any such exception to make it darker for kids, not in Maryland anyways but that would be nice. We have the shade for the window but it doesn't cover the whole window, plus I gotta cover the other back windows too. It also doesn't help modern sedans seem to have odd shaped back windows not covered by many commercial shades.
that's a weird law. I have fairly dark tint on my rear windows. (and it's not even that sunny here)
British Columbia Window Tint Laws:
Windshield: Top 75mm (3 inches) may be tinted.
Front side windows: No tint allowed.
Back side windows: Any darkness can be used.
Rear window: Any darkness can be used only if vehicle has both left and right side rear view mirrors.
I'm sure that some of the responders of this thread know this already, but I'll mention it, for those that perhaps haven't understood the main purpose of the tint laws: Police safety.
Patrol officers and patrolmen will tell you that the most stressful routine activity (apart from responding to potential domestic violence situations) is the routine traffic stop. Does the driver or passenger have guns in the car? Are there other visual signs in the vehicle that might indicate a potential crime has been or might be committed?. Would an officer (or a civilian, or the cameras in a surveillance system, from a dashcam to street mounted video types) be able to identify a suspect? And so forth.
Enhancing visibility and reducing risk for police: These are the main intents of these laws, and they vary, by jurisdiction. Personally, during the nine years I was in Massachusetts, I knew several people who were issued citations/fines for driving around with tinted windows that were deemed excessive. Enforcement of this law was particularly strict in areas where there was known drug traffic, such as the southern edge of downtown Brockton, Massachusetts.
Yup. I'm aware. And that's why the windshield and front windows can't have too much tint almost everywhere. Places where the sun really beats down, the laws are more relaxed (Texas for instance).
Thanks MountainManJoe/geriscan; yeah, I totally get all that and when I was in California, my rear windows were tinted and allowed to be tinted any level but the front was basically not allowed (70% but I think someone mentioned that is already the factory tint) but then I came to Maryland and they said it was too dark and I had to take them off.
Just to clarify, the percentages discussed (35% for MA), are the amount of LIGHT that passes through.
He's offering 50% so that cuts half the light. That must mean you have 70% from the factory on there already.
(50% of 70% is 35%)
Is what he saying legitimate or is he making some unnecessary presumptions?
I can't see your windows, but yes it's entirely plausible. I can't think of a reason why he would lie to you about it. As Mod_man mentioned, there's no financial gain offering you LESS tint. A good business owner would want to stay legal.
Thanks MountainManJoe; it's funny actually, they and other tint places I queried were like just go with the 35% on the existing factory tint even though they admitted that for the window to be legal, it would have to be 40-50% but they said people take the darker tint anyways, think even one said his own car was tinted darker.
dont listen to those people, i got my tinted windows at a local place, its an independent place where the owner has their own business, he knows the darkest tint is at the back and the front are lighter but still dark. I would ask those guys because they know better about your local area. in my city, police dont care about front plates as long as I have the one in the back, so yeah, 2 years with very dark tint, no problem. new cars have very dark tint and its fine.
Oh ok, cool, thanks REDDEVIL.