Window tints

stealth64

stealth64

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Can you window tints done to the same quality after market as the ones that come from the factory?

will all the glass be completely covered or will there be hairline gaps etc? what are the differences?
 
I got my tints done my a really good guy in Bedford, and the job was fantastic - you'd struggle to tell it apart from factory tints.
 
yeah same here, you would never tell if they are done professionally

dont do them yourself!:)
 
TELFORD MASSIVE ! hahah
i miss those telford sunday nights at stafford park hahahahaha

theres a place in stafford called eclipse tinting which did mine and they are perfectly done
however looking back i wish i went darker on my fronts
IMG_2523.jpg
 
Lex said:
TELFORD MASSIVE ! hahah
i miss those telford sunday nights at stafford park hahahahaha

theres a place in stafford called eclipse tinting which did mine and they are perfectly done
however looking back i wish i went darker on my fronts
IMG_2523.jpg
Click to expand...

They look pretty dark already.
 
I've had tint's done on most of my cars before, all after market, if you go to someone with a few years under their belt they get it right on the line.. the only problem i've ever had was on an X5 and the film didn't seal to the rear window very well due to the size of the heating elements etc running along the edge.

One word of caution, Friend of mine just had the rather unfriendly traffic police take a plastic scouring knife to the front windows of his Mercedes on the M5 on a weekday evening... They were pretty dark tints, but still they insisted any tinting on the front and you can expect the same outcome!
 
they didnt take out the glass
they firstly put the tints on the outside to srink it to size then they amazingly put them on the inside without removing doorcards or windows

they look much light in the sun
they rarly look that dark
 
stealth64 said:
Telford massive!

where did you go bud?
Click to expand...

Oakengates massive! Nah not had my A3 done yet but had 3 previous cars done at Tintmaster in Donnington. Had them do blue merc style tints on my Yaris T sport years ago. They got a talking to from the local police about doing front windows on Telford chav mobiles so were telling everyone they dont do it anymore. Had to talk them round for a bit though, If you want the fronts done, tell them you will pay cash and dont want a receipt. Never and issue then ;)
 
was going to say that certain tint levels will cause problems with police & MOT. Being a biker too I dont appreciate tint levels that reduce visibility at junctions :slapped:

:beerchug:
 
Lee_R said:
Oakengates massive! Nah not had my A3 done yet but had 3 previous cars done at Tintmaster in Donnington. Had them do blue merc style tints on my Yaris T sport years ago. They got a talking to from the local police about doing front windows on Telford chav mobiles so were telling everyone they dont do it anymore. Had to talk them round for a bit though, If you want the fronts done, tell them you will pay cash and dont want a receipt. Never and issue then ;)
Click to expand...

You still in Oakengates? I am Wrockwardine Wood, will have to look out for you!

Tint master was where i was thinking of going tbh, so you think they do a top job? how much did they charge?
 
harrogate audi didn't have time to do my tints, so they gave me the guys name and number who they use.Had him back twice to sort out air bubbles, but now its sorted i wish i'd had the fronts done even though the coppers are really keen round here.
 
stealth64 said:
You still in Oakengates? I am Wrockwardine Wood, will have to look out for you!

Tint master was where i was thinking of going tbh, so you think they do a top job? how much did they charge?
Click to expand...

Yeah sure am! They charged me 200 for my Beetle, 180 for my Yaris.I guess the A3 would be 250 for the 5 door because theres extra work on the rear doors/quarter lights. I'd expect 3 doors to be cheaper.
 
I have just had my tints done on my A3. Got it back the other day...

Had Limo on the rear 3 and 50% on the driver(21st Century Tints) is the official tinter for Audi. Unless you get privacy glass, all the "factory tints" are done by a contractor local to the garage.

As far as legality goes:

Anything up to 100% on anything past the B pillar (This is rear windscreen and anything up to the strut on the driver/passenger door)

Maximum of 25% on the driver/passenger door.

You're car will NOT fail an MOT if you go over the 25% on the front two. This is because when tinting came around, it was deemed too expensive to get light detectors to over 10,000 centres and would increase MOT time. This however does not apply to the Police. If a cop pulls you over and is not the happiest of chaps he can call a traffic officer to bring a light detector to test. You will not get points or a fine he will just ask you to take them off before you move away. Eeek.

Best way is to offer cash. I got mine done for £140, he normally charges £220. But he is a friend of a friend. if you get Audi to use him they will charge between £300 - £400.

Hope it helps!
 
I was stopped by a very bored traffic cop in Nth Wales earlier this year...
He got the machine out to check the tints...the front ones were to dark which I knew anyway...I got breathalised and a £30 fine for the tints...He then told me it's upto me if I want to take them off or not..then let me go....I live in Surrey and the amount of cars I see with darker tints than mine driving around plus I've been spot checked twice since having the windows done and not once have the police said anything to me....Maybe I'm lucky....I've also never been pulled over for my tints ( Apart from Wales )
 
I know it's 70% of light should be let in through the front windows. Mine was actually showing 32% light coming in on his machine..but he never told me to take them off, I've seen on tv where one guy had to scrape his front tints off but they were proper dark.
 
Last edited:
Not to fussed about the fronts to be honest will just get a light tint, but want the back windows and boot fairly dark, what kind of percentage is dark but not black? dont want he drug dealer effects! (got my bmw for that!)
 
stealth64 said:
Not to fussed about the fronts to be honest will just get a light tint, but want the back windows and boot fairly dark, what kind of percentage is dark but not black? dont want he drug dealer effects! (got my bmw for that!)
Click to expand...

I went for dark on the back windows and boot - and left the fronts alone. Pics of this are in my garage. The dark wasn't quite limo black but not far off... looks similar to the factory tints which is what I wanted.
 
As you can see the front are abit darker than they should be, but never had a problem with the police apart that one time in Wales

DSC00525.jpg
 
Hello, Bin along time since ive posted on here, but hope i can help..

In reply to the Posted Question:

Can you window tints done to the same quality after market as the ones that come from the factory?

Yes, you can get Window Tints done to a standard better than Factory Privacy Glass.
Factory Privacy Glass is a dye in the glass, so the only true benifits are looks.
With Film, you will get the looks, plus loads of added benifits, Added safety and seurity, will cut heat and glare, and 99.9 of UVA and UB Rays, so in return will keep your interior in pristine condition, without any sun damage.

How thats only with a Hige Performance Film, and with a Qualified experiance window film installer.


will all the glass be completely covered or will there be hairline gaps etc? what are the differences?

Again, the glass should be completly covered, this CAN be done by leaving the window in situee, which is the best way of doing this. There should be no gaps with a professional job.

I do this for a living, profession and job, Window Film is my life, sounds gay, but it puts bread on the table, and fuel in the car, and clothes on my back.
Theres some good installers up by you, so pick wisely. Life Time Warranty, Metalized High Quality Film, and dont always go for the cheapest, cos its not always the best!!

If you want any advice, just chuck me an email @ tom@solar-shades.eu or pm me on here.

www.windowtintingdorset.com (for any advice)

And as for front windows, any film on the fronts is ILLEGAL in the UK. Most installers will still fit this, but i wouldnt go any darker than 40% personally.

:rulez:
 
Cruiser89 said:
I have just had my tints done on my A3. Got it back the other day...

Had Limo on the rear 3 and 50% on the driver(21st Century Tints) is the official tinter for Audi. Unless you get privacy glass, all the "factory tints" are done by a contractor local to the garage.

As far as legality goes:

Anything up to 100% on anything past the B pillar (This is rear windscreen and anything up to the strut on the driver/passenger door)

Maximum of 25% on the driver/passenger door.

You're car will NOT fail an MOT if you go over the 25% on the front two. This is because when tinting came around, it was deemed too expensive to get light detectors to over 10,000 centres and would increase MOT time. This however does not apply to the Police. If a cop pulls you over and is not the happiest of chaps he can call a traffic officer to bring a light detector to test. You will not get points or a fine he will just ask you to take them off before you move away. Eeek.

Best way is to offer cash. I got mine done for £140, he normally charges £220. But he is a friend of a friend. if you get Audi to use him they will charge between £300 - £400.

Hope it helps!
Click to expand...

My mate recently got a £30 fine and 3 points for his tints, i think he got a reading of 28%. Its a recent change to the law as several months before this he was stopped and only issued a £30 fine and told to remove them. Just a warning to anyone running dark tints on the front windows,

Davie
 
Last edited:
I guess when getting tints, you have to add what the factory tint is to what your adding for a true value.
 
I have had many cars tinted after market and i have had a few that are factory tinted.
I must say that the factory looks different ( better ) as with the aftermarket tinting it never quite covers the dot matrix ( small dotted line all round the edge of original window) If any one has managed to have aftermarket windows tinted with out some dot matrix showing i will highly surprised. When you look at a factory tinted window it is tinted completely. I challenge anyone to get a factory look tint with a aftermarket film.

Yes there is added security with films as mentioned..

Also where are the Mods ?

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T11OM F said:
Hello, Bin along time since ive posted on here, but hope i can help..

In reply to the Posted Question:

Can you window tints done to the same quality after market as the ones that come from the factory?

Yes, you can get Window Tints done to a standard better than Factory Privacy Glass.
Factory Privacy Glass is a dye in the glass, so the only true benifits are looks.
With Film, you will get the looks, plus loads of added benifits, Added safety and seurity, will cut heat and glare, and 99.9 of UVA and UB Rays, so in return will keep your interior in pristine condition, without any sun damage.

How thats only with a Hige Performance Film, and with a Qualified experiance window film installer.


will all the glass be completely covered or will there be hairline gaps etc? what are the differences?

Again, the glass should be completly covered, this CAN be done by leaving the window in situee, which is the best way of doing this. There should be no gaps with a professional job.

I do this for a living, profession and job, Window Film is my life, sounds gay, but it puts bread on the table, and fuel in the car, and clothes on my back.
Theres some good installers up by you, so pick wisely. Life Time Warranty, Metalized High Quality Film, and dont always go for the cheapest, cos its not always the best!!

If you want any advice, just chuck me an email @ tom@solar-shades.eu or pm me on here.

www.windowtintingdorset.com (for any advice)

And as for front windows, any film on the fronts is ILLEGAL in the UK. Most installers will still fit this, but i wouldnt go any darker than 40% personally.

:rulez:
Click to expand...
 
david_phillips95 said:
My mate recently got a £30 fine and 3 points for his tints, i think he got a reading of 28%. Its a recent change to the law as several months before this he was stopped and only issued a £30 fine and told to remove them. Just a warning to anyone running dark tints on the front windows,

Davie
Click to expand...

Could the reason he got the points be because he failed to remove them second time round and it was kept on record?

This is the first time i have heard of points being issued...

Note - "See a cop car, put your windows down" hehe
 
Cruiser89 said:
Could the reason he got the points be because he failed to remove them second time round and it was kept on record?

This is the first time i have heard of points being issued...

Note - "See a cop car, put your windows down" hehe
Click to expand...

It was different officers plus i have known people in the past to be fined several times and never had points issued, its definately a change in the law as he phoned up to dispiute it with his local police station and they read the new regulations to him. Might be worthwhile to phone up your local station and find out if your running dark tints.

Davie
 
Any sprint blue owners have their back 3 windows tinted?

Slightly tempted to get this done even though I have been anti-tint for a long time but I somehow think it would not suit the SB colour!???
 
Mine are tinted and it suits fine. But then whether or not you like tints is another matter. On phone so don't have access to pics at the mo.
 
audi upgrades
Just read this thread regarding tints as i have both audi's done but am considering lighteniing the rear window tints on the rs.

What does concern me though is people giving out company names of tinters that will take cash,Being in business myself i am pretty sure these people would not appreciate it. Atleast pm someone if you want to give them the nod :think:
 
Any Film fitted to the front windows, unless clear safety film is ILLEGAL. PERIOD...

As for the dot matrix, Yes, some times it lifts up, sometimes it doesnt, there are ways of getting it to sit down nicely, and therefore you will not tell the differance between factory and after market. And i would happly step up to the challenge!
 
T11OM F said:
Any Film fitted to the front windows, unless clear safety film is ILLEGAL. PERIOD...
Click to expand...

Can you back that up? The VOSA pdf I posted makes no mention of films and doesn't differentiate between tinting methods. I would have thought it would have done.
 
to those who say you can put tinted film on the front,try ringing your insurance company. Your insurance will be void. This means that if you knock me off my bike and kill me, you WILL go to prison. Think bike!!, don't be an ****!
 
ghouseman said:
to those who say you can put tinted film on the front,try ringing your insurance company. Your insurance will be void. This means that if you knock me off my bike and kill me, you WILL go to prison. Think bike!!, don't be an ****!
Click to expand...


Not sure there's any need for that outburst :uhm:

You CAN tint your front windows but as with all mods you should declare them to your insurance company. No one here has suggested otherwise.
 
ghouseman said:
to those who say you can put tinted film on the front,try ringing your insurance company. Your insurance will be void. This means that if you knock me off my bike and kill me, you WILL go to prison. Think bike!!, don't be an ****!
Click to expand...

Point 1 - You can put them on the front windows provided the they have the right level of light transfer.

Point 2 - Plenty of household named car insurers will insure your car with window tints.

Point 3 - Isn't it about time bikers looked where they are going for a change!!
 
Staz said:
Can you back that up? The VOSA pdf I posted makes no mention of films and doesn't differentiate between tinting methods. I would have thought it would have done.
Click to expand...

Have a friend who's a Traffic Officer who says they would stop someone with front tints and they would peel off as not allowed......
 
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