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Who has a tinted windshield?

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19K views 77 replies 42 participants last post by  91RS  
#1 ·
Im curious to know this because of a recent issue ive had. I may not elaborate on what ive encountered just yet.

I had my whole windshield tinted with 70% tint along with 35% on the doors and 20% on the rear glass. I love the combination. The shop originally wanted to tint the windshield with 50% but cutting off half of the incoming light didnt sit well with me. I felt that 70% was just enough to help with glare during the day, and our HID headlights would be bright enough to help at night.

But... I was always worried about water damage during the install. I trusted the shop that did it to do the job right as Ive had three other cars done by them over the years with great results. However, this was the first tinted windshield ive had done.

Has anyone else with a tinted windshield experienced any issues at all?
 
#6 ·
So I guess you only drive during the day ?

Kinda a poor topic to bring up.


Looking forward to this thread getting locked in 3 2 1
 
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#7 ·
CB, Ppants... geez settle down. It’s a forum. Let the guy ask a question. If you haven’t noticed traffic on the forum has died down considerably recently. Frankly, some folks may be afraid to post because of the fear of being chastised like this. If you don’t like the topic then click/swipe out. No need to show your brilliance by denegrating someone.

MichaelSS, we just put UV film on the windshield on the wife’s X5 and she absolutely loves it. States she doesn’t even have to wear sunglasses anymore. No issues. Yet ?
 
#8 ·
CB, Ppants... geez settle down. It’s a forum. Let the guy ask a question.
He didn’t ask a question. He said he had a problem but doesn’t want to “elaborate.”
 
#9 · (Edited)
Me...:biggrin:
If I recall correctly, it's 20% as measured by how much light passes through. Either way, it's noticeably dark and I like it. I have no problem with viewing the HUD or night driving. As for potential water damage; they laid towels on the dash and applied the film. My previous car was done with 30% and it was considerably less noticeable, and the clarity was a tad better. When my windshield requires replacement I will likely switch back to 30%
 

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#12 ·
How about if we have nothing productive to add to the thread, we don’t dilute the thread.

I have windshield tint at 50%. Everything works fine, HUD, wiper sensors, etc. Reduced glare is much appreciated. I did have a problem with the initial install where there was a blurry spot on the passengers side, directly in my wife’s line of sight. It was unnoticeable to me until I slumped in my seat, so it passed initial QA. The shop had to completely redo the entire thing, which sucks for them, but... yeah...

There is a simple reason the OP may not want to say: to prevent confirmation bias. And come to think of it, there is one phenomenon that I have previously considered my tint as a possible catalyst; sometimes the wiper sensors are a little erratic. *Ocassionally* I get ghost wipes, and sometimes the rain sensor doesn’t kick in right away (I tweak the sensitivity and then everything works). I’m not crazy about the level of granularity afforded by the sensor range, but it gets the job done. Problems are rare enough that I’m fine with it, even if they are induced or exacerbated by the tinting. I live in the PacNW, so she sees more rain than most.
 
#13 ·
Polarized sunglasses can cause chromatic aberration through a tinted window. In some states, tinted windows can also get you pulled over and cited.
I have two pair of supposedly identical RayBans, one from factory, one prescription. Both have brown lens, polarized, with blue mirroring. With factory lens I can see HUD fine and no distortion through tinted side windows. Prescription lenses make HUD almost invisible and really distort colors through side windows. Eye doc had the prescription lenses redone with polarization rotated 90deg, HUD is more visible, but still have to strain to see the blue HUD projection. He's mystified.

Tinted windshield sounded like a good idea for all of about four seconds, until I thought about potential problems. It's the most important information delivery part on the entire vehicle, not about to do anything to filter that information, I need it all. And for the same reason I went ahead and installed my front plate, windshield tint can force me to make time to have roadside conversations I'd prefer to avoid.

Quite frankly, I think it's obvious why OP chose not to state the problem, hope I'm wrong.
 
#14 ·
Oh boy, this turned out to be a touchy subject I guess.

I pretty much ignore anything CB750 has to say, so im not bothered.

HUD works just fine.

Night time visibility is also not a problem at all.

It would seem some have not read my post completely and are posting rude comments just because. This was not meant to be a debate on whether or not you think tinting a windshield is a good idea. I asked if anyone else had done it and if any problems were encountered. I have not had any problems at all in 3 1/2 years.

My vehicle is at the dealer right now and has been for two full days already. They seem to be having trouble with the diagnosis and its got me thinking. Im probably just being paranoid, but I wanted to see if I could track down a trend with others who have tinted windshields.

If this is going to be a thread full of people who have no first hand experience bashing on those who have chosen to modify THIER car in a helpful way, then perhaps the Mods should just close it.
 
#16 ·
If this is going to be a thread full of people who have no first hand experience bashing on those who have chosen to modify THIER car in a helpful way, then perhaps the Mods should just close it.
Lighten up. Let's say someone walks into a room, says they have a problem with their vision, but won't say what the problem is or give any clue, yet asks people for their diagnosis. Then they get torqued when some of the answers aren't helpful?
You gotta help folks help you.
 
#15 ·
I have 80% clear 3M Crystaline (sp?) on mine. Not noticeable except for with my polarized sunglasses. Just wanted help with heat and uv rays. The installer made mention of a bulletin he’d received to wrap a specific wiring harness under the dash to protect from water on our car.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I have a tinted windshield. I think it's 35% and the other windows are 20%.

Image


Can't see **** at night. Daytime is fine.

I had super dark tint before so it's not annoying anymore.
Haven't been pulled over yet. I know it's coming.

Edit* Everything works fine, no leaks, i do drive at night all the time and it's fine. Seeing hazards on the road is really the only issue. I won't be driving this car in the winter either.
Edit2* I do look like a drug dealer, which is perfect since i live in Detroit and fit right in. You can't see anything inside the car from the outside even in broad daylight.
 

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#27 ·
I know a “guy” who has his windshield tinted 50% and his windows are 40%. “He” says that day time is great no issues with any sensors or HUD. Night time can get a little dark. “he” also says that he should’ve gone darker in the side windows, 40% isn’t dark enough. ;)
 
#29 ·
I had mine tinted with 3M Crystaline 50% very shortly after buying the car, it's been 2 years and I've had no issues. I don't have any issues at night from the windshield. All the other windows are 15% and I wish I had done 25% because I do have to roll the passenger window down to see to back into the garage at night but no issues driving at night. I've had the windshield tinted in multiple vehicles and didn't have any issues, fixing to get another done.
 
#30 ·
My windshield is tinted and I have an issue after having it done. I’m not telling what the issue is either. :)
 
#49 ·
Trying to wade through the clutter...

Do you think there was water dripped during the install?

Curious as I would like to get an almost clear UV protection to keep the heat down in the car and off the dash. After install, there shouldn't be any mechanical issues related to the tint on the windshield?

The car's windshield seems to provide some barrier already. Our previous VW wagon felt like it amplified the sun's heat...
 
#32 ·
I have 3M Crystalline (70 or 80%, I can't recall) and I have no issues with the HUD. Towels were used during the install to limit the water on the dash. No visibility issues with the film, though there are a few situations where there is a slight halo effect. Its not distracting, nor does it bother me (or maybe its just me getting old...). Oh, and I still use a sunshade if parked out in the sun.
 
#33 ·
I had my windshield tinted 20% only the top 7-8 " seamed in 2 pieces near the eyesight contraption and it looks pretty good. It look really good on the outside. on the inside I find its a bit "abrupt" on my line of sight and has more "bow" to it. I do not know how much water Guillermo used to set the film, I dont know what brand or type..... rest of car got 35%. there was some window cleaning detail to do on the inside after 4-5 days but I did not find any after effects front the application of the film. IE, no water spots, no rips, tears, cuts, scratches, dents. the car worked the same afterwards, only it looks about 100000000xs better and its a bit cooler inside during sunny summer days. I think the climate control has an easier time to actually maintain a reasonable temp. Vision at night is OK. I'm still occasionally bothered by Hemorrhoids.... hope that's NOT your problem .

( BTW - I would recommend Romeos Tint in Clarendon Hills Il. )
 
#35 ·
So do those with tinted windshields have headlights that stay on all the time? In my state the inspection sticker has always been placed in the lower center of the windshield. If it's more than a little cloudy, my headlights can't decide if they should be on or off. I know I likely need to clean the goo out of my sensor, but I haven't found the time to give that a try. I'm sure if I ran tint on the windshield they lights would stay on most of the time.
 
#36 · (Edited)
I have 70% 3M Crystalline on the windshield, 35% 3M Colorstable on the front passenger/driver, and 20% Colorstable on the rear half. Can't really tell there's tint on the windshield and the HUD has 0 issues but is a more clear because the tint takes away some of the glare. The tint doesn't look too dark from the inside but looking in from the outside, it's nice and dark.

I was going to get 20% all around except for the windshield but the shop I took it took told me that it would be a little too dark and could possibly get bugged by the police for my tint but if I went a shade lighter, the difference between the front and rears would be enough to "pass" a quick glance. Made sense to me at the time and looks dang good, I like that the fronts are a little bit lighter. No regrets.


 
#39 ·
I bought my car used and it had tint on the front when I bought it. It is a very light tint, you really can't tell it is tinted unless I have my sunscreen up. Hud is fine, Auto lights are fine. I can see perfectly day and night. My radar detector suction cups don't like it, I have to re-stick them once a week. (Daily Driver).