3 Points For Tinited Windows

[duane82]

Hey,

I got pulled over by the traffic cops and got spoken to about hard acceleration after passing the 70mph sign on the dual carriageway. Anyway after giving me a telling off an making me watch myself on the camera inside there car they decided to use there light meter on my front driver an passenger windows. Long story short the windows failed an they gave me an on the spot three points an £60 fine with no talk of when they'd like to see the car again to see the tints were off or anything and no option to go take tints off within ten days or so.

That was bad enough but when I've got my license back last week I phoned up my insurance to tell them about the extra points my insurance told me the code I had on my license was for using a mobile phone whilst drving!??

Does anyone know why this is or do I have a case for anything, any police on here?

Cheers

Duane

[Richie Cross]

What code was on your ticket?

I think that if you didn't pay your ticket (if the code is wrong) and took it to court, a decent lawyer would

get you off on a technicality....IMHO.

Unless someone has had a similar experience and can tell us differently.

Edited October 2, 2008 by Richie Cross

[buffalo]

dont know the in's and out's but if you have the fine statement thing or offence form (wehatever its called) and it doesnt tie in with the points on your liscence then i would reckon you could chgallenge it and get it quashed. they will probably try to simply change the points but i would reckon you could force a failure to agree on the conviction due to your lack of trust in the inept officer whom obviiously didnt follow protocol.

for the record if the police ever stop you and you are worried about your tints simply retract your windows as i understand it (maybe wrong) they cannot make you raise your windows. sounds stupid i know, but its the same when they try search your car if the boot locks seperate you dont need to open it.

i will probably be shot down for theses statements lol but this is the way i understand it though anytime i've been stopped by the trafffics i have simply bent over and only ever mutter thank you or sorry lol.

hope you get it sorted anyway mate

[duane82]

Hey,

Cheers sounds a bit more promising. I'm offshore just now so can't give you code. I'm def goin to go in by a lawyer when I get home and speak to them. I've already paid the fine though beacuse I knew I wasgoing to be headin out here and would have been passed date to complete ticket and prob have warrant after that I suppose. I'm I in a worse position because I paid it already? I had no idea what code stands for what when he gave me ticket.

Didn't know that about them not being able to make you open you boot! Be funny refusing to wind your windows up for them though! hahaha

[C_WRX]

Also heard that they sometimes let you off with the window tint if you pull the film off there and then - perhaps unlucky there they weren't for telling you that !

That technicality thing is definately worth a go though - can but ask.

[scouk]

for the record if the police ever stop you and you are worried about your tints simply retract your windows as i understand it (maybe wrong) they cannot make you raise your windows. sounds stupid i know, but its the same when they try search your car if the boot locks seperate you dont need to open it.

Err no... If you dont' obey they will charge you for obscruction!! May end up being a lesser penalty but rest assured they will recognise the car in future and be taggign you every chance they get.... Personally I'd rather work with the local police thatn piss them off!!

Also heard that they sometimes let you off with the window tint if you pull the film off there and then - perhaps unlucky there they weren't for telling you that !

That technicality thing is definately worth a go though - can but ask.

If you peel it off before they test it then yes as they have no evidence.. But once it's tested that's it..

I'm speaking from experience!!! 3 points, £60 fine Had a prohabition notice on my car meanign I was only allowed to drive it directly home! to have the tints removed then drive it to a MOT station to get a fresh MOT certificate (despite not requiring a test for 6 months and the MOT having sod all to do with window tints) then could only drive the car from MOT station directly to police station.. If that didn't satisfy them, the car woudl be impounded!!!

That was a complete B*&^RD!! of a week!! I know what it's like which Is why I keep pestering people NOT to have their front windows tinted or at least remove them before they got caught!

For the record, I wasn't doing anythign illegal/dangerous at the time, they simply pulled me over in an unmarked car in teh middle of town one saturday..

P.s. The code for me was CU20 - Driving dangerous/defective vehicle (or words to that effect)

P.P.s. I tried to appeal it on all sorts of grounds... Particurlarly I recently bought the car with the tints on and it's was advertised at hte garage as "privacy glass" and at no time was I informed that it was or "may" be illegal!!! But got nowhere.... Still paying the price due to higher insurance with the 3 points....

Edited October 2, 2008 by ScoUK

[martin_allen]

TBH any tint will make your car illegal. Actually a law i agree with as it is designed to stop people pulling out of junctions at night. You would drive in your shades at night would you?

That said at least warn people on a first offence. Points is a tad harsh.

5t.

[Jimmy321]

I made a thread on this ages ago when my mate got a fine and 3 penalty points for front tints and was made to remove them before he could drive the car.

I see cars every day with illegal tints, some of them really dark which are obv fitted aftermarket. So i guess it's up to the cops whether they have time or are that bothered enforcing the law on this, i haven't seen them pulling cars over for tints.

I would put it down to bad luck on getting stopped in the first place.

[martin_allen]

i haven't seen them pulling cars over for tints.

Seems to be cases like this. They pull you for one thing and it is worth them adding to the list although probably won't actually get you a pull. Central police do pull/check for it at the cruise nights though. Seen them a few times in the car park at the Tesco pulling in random cars for checks and having the window down doesn't seem to work!

It's why funny numberplates are a real bad idea as they will get you a pull at which point you can expect a ticket for loud exhaust/whatever else they can find since they've got you.

Some sort of cloaking device is the way forward.

5t.

[scouk]

Seems to be cases like this. They pull you for one thing and it is worth them adding to the list although probably won't actually get you a pull. Central police do pull/check for it at the cruise nights though. Seen them a few times in the car park at the Tesco pulling in random cars for checks and having the window down doesn't seem to work!

They puilled be directly for the window tints.. sure once they pulled me over they had a good look round the car, checking tyres, numberplates e.t.c but couln't find anything.. naturally

Just to add.. i could have possibly avoided the prohabition order by ripping the tints off there and then and getting them to retest it, but the fine and points would still be enforced as you were caught red handed! But to be honest, to do a clean job of it you need to heat up the film first so it comes off safely... And in the heat of the moment it may actualyl be possible to pull it so hard you break the glass!! And then you're in a heap of trouble!

I ended up speaking to them for a while after that discussing the whoel tinted windows thing and basically most modern cars have a certain level of manufacturers tint on them these days.. Most of which take it to just above the legal limit, so any level of tinted film applied after that is illegal to s certaing point.. Infact most people carriers (ford galaxyes in particular) are infact illegal from the point of manufacture!!!! Not quite 3 points and £60 fine terratory but they are illegal! but it's probably ignored as no one want's to piss off ford by sayign their cars are illegal in the UK!!

Bascically If it lets in less than 30% light you get the full whack of 3 points and 60quid fine! that sounds dark I know but I drove the car in teh dark and I felt I coudl see clearly out of the window.. Sure you couldn't see in clearly.. I've strong thoughts on road safety and if at any time I thought the tints were makign visibility dangerous I'd have removed them.. But rules are rules...

Now I just try reccomend to people not to go down that road. it's not worth the risk.. But as expected 99% of people ignore the warning and then they complain when they get caught..

And yeah I see cars every day with seriously dark tints (worse than what mine were).. There was even one goign around for a few months with a dark windscreen!!!

[ur.a.bus]

the law starts to get strange though and very unclear,

i got the 30% stuff on my front and got it tested by the tint fitter, it read 67% so just below the limit on the front windows,

my fitter then told me that all renault people carrier things come standard with 65% front tinted windows and thats not tinted film but the proper glass, so stright away they are 5% below the limit but it seems to be ok if its a french car?!

before the law came out i put the limo black stuff on my corrado windows (a good 10 year ago), it lasted 1 night as when pulling out of work when it was dark i had to put windows down to see if any car was coming as i could hardly see headlights and i would never have seen a motor bike, so it got ripped off the following day.

[scouk]

Did you not know front tints are illegal? Just like all these de-cats?

At the time... I didn't, or at leat it didn't feel dark enough to be illegal... Had I known it was illegal and I was risking 3 points and a fine I would have ripped them off the car from day one!

Live and learn...

Edited October 3, 2008 by ScoUK

[P1Daveyboy]

I am told that the legal tint limit to front side windows is 18 % is there a window tinting person or company on here who could confirm or deny this ?????

[scouk]

I am told that the legal tint limit to front side windows is 18 % is there a window tinting person or company on here who could confirm or deny this ?????

Local Traffic department you tell you LOL

From what I recall, there's are two cut off.. Allowing less than 30% of light through is 3 points and £60 fine.. No questions asked..

Allowing 30% to 70% light through is a fine but it "may" be possible to sweet talk them into a warnign if you remove the tints there and then... (unlikely)

70% and over is fine...

Note that as mentioned above manufactuer tints are often around the 70% mark as it is, so any additional tint will make it illegal.. All very well buyign 30% tint but that's cut of 30% from 70% manufacturers tint! which makes nealy all aftermarket tints illegal!

This is the the front side windows... I think the 18% comes from teh windscreen.. (i'e must let in 82% light) which again is probably what every windscreen is these days..

As i said above, I didn't feel like my tints were that dark.. but obviosuly they were at below 30% light, so yeah I woudl reccomend gettign them checked, but probably best to avoid getting them checked by the local traffic officer and they could book you on the stop.. effectively turning yourself in..

Oh and just incase anyone doesn't realise.. You can stick whatever the hell you want on the back end behidn the B-Pillar!

Edited October 3, 2008 by ScoUK

[sti pretender]

Did you not know front tints are illegal? Just like all these de-cats?

And loud exhausts.

[emoe]

Did you not know front tints are illegal? Just like all these de-cats?

Tinted windows pose a safety threat to people at night, as previously stated in Summer time with harsh sun they are great but as soon as the dark falls, they are deadly. Ive had many pull out on me in the bike because they just cant see!!

Loud exhausts and de-cats dont cause you to loose ability to drive.

I believe that loud exhausts as long as they are not obtrusive are not a major point the law enforcement should worry about!

Tints on front windows i do!!

also if you can remove before the window is tested then they cant do anything, but if they test it first and then you peel it off, you might find a decent cop give a bit of leniency. My friend had it on his Voyager to stop the kids from cooking in the sun, got stopped 3 weeks ago coming out of lowestoft. The cop tested the windows and when Ian pulled the film off afterwards, he said he would not give him the points, just a £30 fine.

[hosstheboss]

TBH any tint will make your car illegal. Actually a law i agree with as it is designed to stop people pulling out of junctions at night. You would drive in your shades at night would you?

That said at least warn people on a first offence. Points is a tad harsh.

5t.

I always wear my shades at night when i'm pished!

[thewelsho]

I always wear my shades at night when i'm pished!

LOL!!! Quality!

[scoobyit]

Hey,

I got pulled over by the traffic cops and got spoken to about hard acceleration after passing the 70mph sign on the dual carriageway. Anyway after giving me a telling off an making me watch myself on the camera inside there car they decided to use there light meter on my front driver an passenger windows. Long story short the windows failed an they gave me an on the spot three points an £60 fine with no talk of when they'd like to see the car again to see the tints were off or anything and no option to go take tints off within ten days or so.

That was bad enough but when I've got my license back last week I phoned up my insurance to tell them about the extra points my insurance told me the code I had on my license was for using a mobile phone whilst drving!??

Does anyone know why this is or do I have a case for anything, any police on here?

Cheers

Duane

Thought this site may help you http://forums.pepipoo.com/

[hosstheboss]

LOL!!! Quality!

Aye min, the Rayban's are quality in the dark! On a serious note i did contact a company in Aberdeen to get a quote to tint the rear windows of my RB (£450 from Subaru) and when i asked if they could do the front sides as well they said sure, how dark do you want them? Now, i understand that the legalities of this is not their concern but surely they should have some morals........................

[thefastone]

did they point out the legalities of having the fronts tinted? I'm sure that someone said before, that they have some sort of responsibility here in that they need to get you to sign a disclaimer to fit illegal tints to your car...?

Dont know if they are bound by any laws on this though...

[scouk]

did they point out the legalities of having the fronts tinted? I'm sure that someone said before, that they have some sort of responsibility here in that they need to get you to sign a disclaimer to fit illegal tints to your car...?

Dont know if they are bound by any laws on this though...

Yeah there are laws for it.. But many of these installations are done via cash so not traceable.. If anyone comes asking... "Wasn't me guv!".. Liek you say it coudl be installed legally with a disclaimer saying not for road use sort of thing.. Also I've had experience with insalling tinted and security films onto glass windows (not cars) and it's more or less the same product and if you know how to apply it it can easily be done at home without professional installations.. But most of the chav attempts turn out full of bubbles and *pop* after the first windows open and close.. LOL!

Also supply and demand comes into it.. All the neds of the day were at it for a while, and it's easy money!.. But there are places who simply wont install any tints on the front incase they get in trouble!

All this really came to light after a couple years back a biker was killed after a car pulled of a junction infront of a biker with the driver of the car claiming he never saw the bike.. THe Tinted windows on the car were to blame.. And now we have the law

... o O (Not much use that I know all this AFTER i got done.. *sigh*)

Edited October 3, 2008 by ScoUK