Quote:
Originally Posted by smbsocal
I am looking to tint the windows on my M5 but want to stay legal.
Does BMW put any tint or light reduction on the windows of the US designated M5 from the factory?
NC tint laws have a 35% maximum total light reduction limit and do annual inspections (Yes I know everyone has their inspection guy you can tip to pass but I don't want to go that route).
If the M5 doesn't have any light reduction I would go with 35% tint otherwise I would go up to 40% to compensate for BMW's factory light reduction.
|
One of my first threads (if not my first) on BP was this exact question. For some reason, it seems I can’t go far back enough to post the link to it here. I had at one time placed an order for an M5. When tracking the car in MyBMW Garage, the generated image appeared to show tint on the rear glass. I posed this question to the forum.
We determined conclusively then that Dingolfing produced cars bound for the US have no factory tint on front and rear windows, nor on the rear glass, irrespective of what the generated image of the car showed. Thought not conclusive, we determined this was also likely the case for all Regensburg produced vehicles and perhaps more broadly for all Germany produced cars bound for the United States.
At the time, other owners chimed in that South Carolina produced X vehicles (at least at the time) did have equivalent to 35% tint on the rear windows. It’s also worth noting that even that reduced light transmission was embedded into the glass, and not a film overlay.
So, M5, definitely no tint. M3/M4 likely no tints. X vehicles, almost certainly rear tints.
Here is my LCI M5 Comp on the showroom floor, followed by two shots of my previous pre-LCI base on the dealer lot. As you can see, there are no tints whatsoever.
EDIT — Pre-LCI photo makes the second row appear to be darker. It’s not though; this is because I captured a still photo from a video. Rest assured, no tints on either.