[bmwtinted]

OK Guys, I have 2 cars, a SUV and 325i

I tinted my SUV first as a experiment before I touched the BMW - and I got a great job, in terms of craftmanship, however I am not thrilled with the 3mm FX tint product the guy used.

Now, this is my first car I ever tinted, and I went 5 % - Limo.

On the BMW, I MUST go 5 % ONLY.

THE PROBLEM IS:

Seeing out of my SUV is VERY difficult. Its WAY to dark to see out of.

Therefore, I was wondering if anyone is familiar with a tint brand thats easier to see out of, while still giving you a limo exterior tint.

Thanks so much.

[musv]

why MUST you go 5% ONLY on your BMW?

I think that the difficulty seeing out of the tint is a factor of the light penetration. if you do a 5% tint, then in fact, only 5% of the light will go though. The ONLY way to be able to see more is to tint less.

[japac1]

I have 3M Carbon Fiber 35% tint. Looks good, dark, but still easy to see out of. Would look darker if I had black interior.

[BK]

Originally Posted by bmwtinted

On the BMW, I MUST go 5 % ONLY.

THE PROBLEM IS:

Seeing out of my SUV is VERY difficult. Its WAY to dark to see out of.

[Revlis]

Originally Posted by musv

why MUST you go 5% ONLY on your BMW?

I think that the difficulty seeing out of the tint is a factor of the light penetration. if you do a 5% tint, then in fact, only 5% of the light will go though. The ONLY way to be able to see more is to tint less.

Sounds like a NJ thing... Along with the big hair...

[jimi_hoffa]

I have 5% on my current car. It's just something you are going to have to get use to. If you want to make the 5% leap then just know it's going to be something you will have deal with until you are comfortable with the darkness through the windows. It wont get any better with a different brand of tint used, 5% is 5%. I love it on my car, and it looks great. I do not regret it at all on my current car ... In fact I had 5% on my Cobra before I got the SRT(current car). That said I'm going with 35% on the 335.

[BMCoupe_782]

Hey man -- not sure if you are going to tint the front two windows but I would highly advise against 5% tint! Not only can you NOT see out of the windows but it also makes you a massive target for the NJ police ..that's if you have the tint on the front two. NJ law allows you to have it on the back windows and rear window. I had 18% on my previous ride (which was black) and I got pulled over all the time. I got 3M tint all the way round...which looked amazing. Ticketed twice (once for "illegal tinting" once for "tampering with inspection" It's not worth it IMO. Sucks I had to take the front two off though. The quality of 3M tint the shop used was definitely good. Looks sick on a black car.

NJ Police LOVE to pull over cars with dark tint or illegally tinting the front two. Even when I thought I was clever by rolling down the windows whenever I'd pass a cop they a) could figure out I rolled down the windows and would in some cases ask me to roll them back up b) wasn't worth the stress and hassle of dropping the windows down everytime I passed a cop and c) looked like a complete d-bag driving with the front two windows down when it was snowing outside and 30 degrees!

So quick recap: 1) Cops 2) Tickets 3) Fail inspection (unless you do it "under the table") = not worth it.

[berm3]

You live in New Jersey and you tinted your car with 5% tint?? Good Luck!!!

[joebaggg]

i have 2% all arround and 20 % on the windshield. you cant see out of the side windows cuz the light is comming thru the front. u gotta tint the windshield and then it will make a world of diference... if u dont want to go that route then dont go less than 35 on the side windows

[evoi19]

5%, 2%...how the hell do you guys see out the windows? You must have one helluva time parallel parking.

[ejazbmw]

dude I live in NJ and have 35% which isn't that bad and I still got pulled over once he let me go but I could only imagine what 5% tints would get you. You wouldn't be able to go down the street without getting pulled over.

[Mace]

Seeing out of my SUV is VERY difficult. Its WAY to dark to see out of.

No kidding... allowing only 5% of the light though the window makes it hard to see out??? Why limit yourself to 5%? Just paint your windows over with black paint and go for 0% (or be real cool and do them all in CF! Now that would be "sick"). In all honesty you guys are absolute nuts. Stay the hell out of Florida because we already have enough blind drivers here.

[joebaggg]

Originally Posted by ejazbmw

dude I live in NJ and have 35% which isn't that bad and I still got pulled over once he let me go but I could only imagine what 5% tints would get you. You wouldn't be able to go down the street without getting pulled over.

get out of state plates no worries
btw jersey cops suck... all of them = roid abusers & drunks who take there aggresion out on their wives and enthusiastic motorists like myself

Originally Posted by Mace

No kidding... allowing only 5% of the light though the window makes it hard to see out??? Why limit yourself to 5%? Just paint your windows over with black paint and go for 0% (or be real cool and do them all in CF! Now that would be "sick"). In all honesty you guys are absolute nuts. Stay the hell out of Florida because we already have enough blind drivers here.

I'd steer clear of Boca Raton then hahah j/k
im up in jersey now lol but in all honesty my first car was an accord with 3 layers of 2% (why 3 layers you ask? haha because when ur 17 and uwant to take the 5 girls your juggling somewhere other than you house so your mom doesnt get suspicious of your sinful activities, a car is a great place to spend ur night )

anyways... back to my point. its just a matter of gettin used too.7 yrs strong and never backed into anything or been in a wreck. as for parking, just roll down the windows for a split sec to make sure u dont scuff ur pretty rims. bmw's reverse auto dropping right mirror is gods gift to cars and should be standard on all vehicles.

just my 2 cents

[aequitas330]

This was from a friend that used to be a cop:

The rule on tinting is if it's factory tint it's legal, but if it's aftermarket they can make you take it off at a certain percentage. (That part I forget, but I think under 30%)

He said it's a safety issue, the windows are designed to just shatter straight down and break into little pieces, and if you have aftermarket tint it's like a giant piece of tape holding it all together.

[Xiaofeng]

5%? 2%?? Why not just pick up a can of black spray paint and go nuts? It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper....

The only reason I see going that dark is if the car is a show car. I currently have Huper Optik 30 on mine, and I think it's just about perfect. Provides a bit of privacy, blocks out heat, yet easy to see out of, even at night. You could make a case for 20% if you want more privacy, but 2% on a street car? We already have enough morons out in the streets that drive like dumb@$$es; we don't need a bunch of blind ones doing the same.

[aequitas330]

Originally Posted by Xiaofeng

5%? 2%?? Why not just pick up a can of black spray paint and go nuts? It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper....

The only reason I see going that dark is if the car is a show car. I currently have Huper Optik 30 on mine, and I think it's just about perfect. Provides a bit of privacy, blocks out heat, yet easy to see out of, even at night. You could make a case for 20% if you want more privacy, but 2% on a street car? We already have enough morons out in the streets that drive like dumb@$$es; we don't need a bunch of blind ones doing the same.

[karliejai]

hey buddy. how about you don't ONLY tint 5%?

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by joebaggg

i have 2% all arround and 20 % on the windshield. you cant see out of the side windows cuz the light is comming thru the front. u gotta tint the windshield and then it will make a world of diference... if u dont want to go that route then dont go less than 35 on the side windows

Thats just plain assinine...! Your car should be taken off the streets, your riding around in a deathtrap. You cannot possible see out the sides of your car and this limited visibility is an accident waiting to happen.

-10





-Garrett

[DBville]

Originally Posted by Garrett

Thats just plain assinine...! Your car should be taken off the streets, your riding around in a deathtrap. You cannot possible see out the sides of your car and this limited visibility is an accident waiting to happen.

-10





-Garrett

A little harsh there, Garrett? I mean come one, just because its like he is driving around at night, all the time, with no lights at all? I am sure KITT is helping him stay on the road.

Yeah, you guys with dark tint - just go get in an accident with a half sharp lawyer around. Can you say liable for accident? Can you see negligence?

Really, they limit it to around 30% for a reason - it is just too damn dark except when the sun is shining brightly!!

[Boben5]

go with the 5% youll love it. Im glad its your car not mine.

[wrickem]

Originally Posted by Revlis

Sounds like a NJ thing... Along with the big hair...

Must be a NORTH Jersey thing because in my part of NJ, you'll get pulled over in about 2 seconds flat! Oh, and now the girls all have that wig look...straight and over-dyed. Like it's striped. Maybe we can finally replace "big Hair" as our our gift to culture

I think the OP should just paint all his windows black and leave a little peep-hole since he "needs" it really dark

[Jimmyz]

Originally Posted by aequitas330

This was from a friend that used to be a cop:

The rule on tinting is if it's factory tint it's legal, but if it's aftermarket they can make you take it off at a certain percentage. (That part I forget, but I think under 30%)

He said it's a safety issue, the windows are designed to just shatter straight down and break into little pieces, and if you have aftermarket tint it's like a giant piece of tape holding it all together.

I was told from multiple sources that the issue is actually a safety issue for the officer. If the officer can not see what is going on inside the car as he is walking up towards it, how does he know that you aren't reaching for a gun, or trying to stash your drugs. Also, when a cop comes up and sees lots of movement, that can be probable cause for him to perform a search of the car, but if all your windows are tinted, that can't happen.