I realize this is an extremely vague Autopian Asks, but if there’s anything I’ve learned during the process of tinting my 2021 BMW i3S Rex Giga World it’s that everyone has an opinion on tint. Do you like the way it looks? How much tint is too much tint? Is ceramic worth it? Do you stay within legal limits? Do you have trouble seeing at night? Is it going to gain you appreciable EV range? Anyway, let’s get into it.
I recently got my BMW i3S tinted, and if I’m honest, I didn’t want to, I sort of had to. The truth is that driving in LA with a car that has untinted windows is true misery, and I found myself regularly having to put my left hand up near my door glass to block the sun from burning my face. (It doesn’t help that the i3’s sun visor does not telescope!). Not only that, but I had to crank on the air conditioning when it really wasn’t even that hot outside, it was just the radiative heat transfer toasting me. The result was reduced range.
Of course, AC compressors don’t really use up that much range when compared to a heater, but between the efficiency drop and the comfort compromises, it was clear to me that tintlessness was jut not gonna work. That’s a shame, because I don’t like the way tint looks on a car.
Have a look at my BMW i3S before the tint, and you’ll see that glass was a prominent element of its design. Look at how that raer window is squeezed at the rear, but expands forward into a tall second-row window, which rises up to join the front glass. There’s just so much of it, and it is a clearly well thought-out element of the car’s design:
I think, especially on the models that have body-colored roof trim, the glass looks amazing:
But tinting glass essentially removes it in the eyes of the viewer. It’s no longer glass, visually speaking.
My car’s tint is fairly modest, but you can imagine how a darker-tinted car would look no different than if you’d replaced the glass with a piece of black-painted sheetmetal:
Glass is a beautiful thing, and to essentially hide it by tinting it, I think, is actually a step backwards in some cases. I think the best example of this is cars with tall greenhouses — boxy off-road vehicles in particular. I’ve written about this before:
One example I give in that article (aside from the Wrangler shown above) is the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Look at how gorgeous it looks with its stock glass:
And look at how much of the magic has been lost by essentially turning the glass into black panels:
Anyway, this concept of “glass is beautiful” isn’t a new one in cars or in architecture, but there are practical concerns that sometimes dominate, like in my case.
I could have just slapped some ceramic on there and it likely would have still kept the heat off my face without much tint, but ceramic coating still doesn’t look the same as perfectly clear glass from the outside. What’s more, as someone who wears glasses and doesn’t plan on getting prescription sunglasses, this is a little less straining to my eyes, so I’m quite happy with my decision to go 20% in the rear and what might look like 50% up front but can’t be since it’s not legal. I reckon it protects my interior from sun-damage, as well.
Driving at night isn’t an issue with this modest tint level, I use the AC much less, I feel comfortable, and even though I love the look of glass, I think on the i3S with the black trim it looks OK. I prefer the clear, but it’s not a big deal.
Anyway, tint is a hugely contentious topic, I’ve found while reading up on which levels I should get for my car. So let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Overall, I’m a huge fan of window tint. It improves the look, helps climate control work more efficiently, and provides privacy. In my experience, 20% is the sweet spot, with 70% on the windshield (basically clear, but excellent for heat/UV)
With the styling of most modern vehicles, all around tint is almost always better looking.
The UV and heat benefits are a huge bonus, as is the privacy. I think the “fishbowl” look is ridiculous and nobody needs to see in my private property.
There are exceptions – classic cars with thin pillars tend to look better without tint.
But my biggest pet peeve is unmatched tint. Many cars come from the factory with rear “privacy” glass and clear front windows to comply with regulations. This mismatch is visually jarring and always looks shit.
As always, moderation is the key. Living in the South tint is a life saver. I don’t even go as dark as the law allows, I just need some heat deflected. I bought a new CUV a few years ago and to my dismay they tinted the front windows even though I negotiated that from the price. While it was legal, it was too dark for night driving. When turning left I would sometimes put my window down just to see better. It wound up costing me money because I paid to have it removed. The young man at the tint place thought I was nuts.
The large rear glass on my car made it a requirement to get it tinted after a summer road trip in it. even with max ac, the temperature in my car got to over 100 F in the 4 hours I drove, which was brutal for me and my dogs. so I recently, when I had the money to spare, I got 35% everywhere but my front windscreen, which the guy tinted at 50% even though I asked for no tint. I’ll probably pull that off soon.
I live in a cold, sometimes seemingly sunless place. I hate tinted windows. I even get annoyed that the rear windows in the van are tinted. There are built in sunshades! Why have the tint on top of that!
I totally understand why people in places like Florida and the Southwest rely on window tint. But around here, any opportunity to see a sunlit day is a blessing. Wear sunglasses if you need tint.
Sunglasses do nothing for heat, UV damage (to the interior and your skin), or privacy.
Tint is the first thing I do when I get a car. Good quality tint with as much heat rejection as I can get (within legal limits–35/25 here, and I tend to go with a little less tint than that, just to be safe). I also do clear on the windshield for heat rejection. My current car has a panoramic moonroof, so I did that, too, just to keep out as much heat as I can.
When I lived in the wet side of Washington, I didn’t tint. But Idaho summers get too warm and too sunny.
It’s also critical to find a good installer. A cheap tint job crappy materials, shoddy installation, or, most often, both. Quality tint that starts peeling off is worthless and a waste of good tint. Cheap tint is usually bad even before it starts peeling.
One day, around the year 2002, my co-worker came back from lunch a little late, and said that he had been pulled over for having an illegal front window tint. Note that he wasn’t pulled over for a moving violation and also cited for the tint, he was pulled over for the tint.
And that is how I learned about California’s window tinting laws! And ever since then, it has bothered me how many illegal tints I see everywhere. Obviously it bothered my friend too — there seems to be zero enforcement of that law in general, and yet some officer saw fit to pull over a vehicle for that violation. My friend swore it was only because he was driving a E39 BMW, which police and highway patrol would always chase down with a “They must be guilty of something” attitude.
Anyway, it’s for that reason that illegal tints really bother me, lol. Tinting itself is fine and necessary — it’s really sunny out here! But do it legally, otherwise you’ll look like a thug and it’ll just bug me in general.
The general reasoning for window tint laws is “officer safety” which IMO is not real/valid. I’m glad enforcement is lax.
I mean they can say that all they want, we all know they’re trying to sound intimidating. But it’s not an officer safety issue, it’s a “This stupid chav can’t see out of his own car at night” safety issue. And seriously, F those guys.
I agree, in which case the legal limits should be more reasonable. They’re currently set way too clear, which makes a mockery of the law to begin with
Unless it’s medically needed, then tint is stupid. It’s more difficult to see out of the vehicle you’re driving, for one thing. The whole “privacy” schtick is bs too.
Tint looked cool in like Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005, as if that needed to be said lmao), but in real life it’s pointless.
Want privacy? Stay at home. Don’t be in a public place then.
Although I’m operating my car on public roads, I think the expectation of privacy within my own private property isn’t far-fetched.
If people are walking up to your car at a redlight, to talk to you, trying to sell you something, things of that nature, I can understand that kind of privacy. But when traffic situations (like when trying to wave someone on) depend on seeing where other drivers are at, and what they’re doing, that’s different.
That’s why we leave the windshield untinted (or maybe a nearly clear tint for UV/heat purposes). Plus, you can wave someone on with an alternative signal like a light flash.
We might, but the general public doesn’t. I just dealt with this a couple weeks ago. Sat for like 3 minutes because they weren’t making it obvious to me what their intentions were. Only when I assumed they were parked and started going, they started moving not even a second later. When they got right behind me, I still couldn’t see them because their window was blacked out. So, they were definitely waving me on, but I couldn’t tell.
If you have kids and want to keep them from heat and glare, I can’t fault you for tinting the back windows. Hell, I’ve personally enjoyed a minor 80% (?) transmission IR/UV blocking tint on my Fit, but it still looked stock; none this all blacked out nonsense.
If I see a car with all four windows – and heaven help us, the windshield too – with limo tint, I assume you’re a garbage person who I’ll eventually see weaving between traffic at unsafe speeds or passing a stopped school bus in the opposite lane.
Modest tint or matching the factory tint on the back windows. I don’t need people looking at me when I pick my nose at a stoplight.
Count me in for the pro-tint crew. Living in the sunbelt makes it an absolute necessity especially if your car is parked outside more often than not. I also like the privacy and the way tint looks (at least on modern cars). I got the cheapest 35% tint on my last car when I bought it and 8 years later it’s held up flawlessly.
Didn’t realize ceramic tint was a thing and my interest has been piqued now. Maybe I’ll upgrade the tint on my car if the current stuff starts to bubble.
How timely. Last year I bought a used car with bubbling tint on the rear hatch glass. This past weekend I finally decided to address it and had a tint shop replace it. They asked if I wanted the same darkness as the previous tint and what’s on the side rear windows, and I said yes. I didn’t realize that the old tint was 5%, and now I find the tint on my rear window to be way too dark and I can barely see out the back when I’m wearing sunglasses. I regret my decision and will probably have it re-tinted again 🙁
I’ve tinted every car I’ve owned for the last 25 years or so – with one notable exception: The Miata doesn’t need a tint since the roof/windows are down all the time.
I learned with the first car many moons ago that a limo tint is too dark. So I get all windows tinted the same: 35% all around. IIRC, the legal limits are 35% front and 20% rear where I live, but that 20% was just too dark.
Keeping the car cooler in the summer is one benefit. But the bigger benefit I discovered – and it works especially well in the winter when it’s dark early – is reducing glare from headlights behind me. This is particularly handy since it seems like everyone on the road is driving a pickup and added extra bright lights to the front. A rear view dimmer just doesn’t cut it. And the car generally looks better.
The key is the “how dark” part. Too dark and you start to lose the benefit of improved night vision. It’s not better at keeping the car cool. The interior is too dark, and other drivers can’t see you. At the level of tint on my cars, you can still see me, the car stays cool enough, and I can see everyone around me.
I was agnostic/slightly against for a long while, then my car came with tint from the previous owner, rather dark. But on a matte white coupe with black window trim it really does make the side look fantastic, but using it is such a difference. It’s not too dark at night for me, but wow the effect it has in that cabin during the day is crazy. So much less glare, less heat, it’s really a great adjustment. Granted, I haven’t put it on any of my other cars, but I’d certainly keep it up on this one
I think another less commented evil of tinted glass is how it dehumanizes us. When driving, we tend to think of other cars as autonomous beings divorced from the fellow humans that are driving them. Tinted windows exacerbate this by making it impossible to see the people doing the driving. This also encourages irresponsible driving, as people are anonymized and therefore, invulnerable to social censure. In other words, i want to see if the idiot who cut me off looks as dumb as he is acting.
Around where i live, almost every car has tinted windows, but mine is the exception. Because of this, i get the impression people are more likely to give way. I also notice people staring at me in traffic. Maybe they’re subconsciously surprised to see another person instead of a reflective piece of glass.
I won’t tint my glass because i do a lot of driving at night, and i don’t think it’s a good idea to compromise on visibility, even if just a little. I bought a subaru partly because i like the visibility of the big windows, thin pillars and low windowsills. Tinting the glass would ruin that.
But like there’s also studies showing that when cyclists wear bright colors and helmets it dehumanizes them to drivers so like… eh?
One of the big reasons I’ve tinted cars is to remove glare at night. I see more not less.
I’m a fan of subtle tint – 50-70% seems to be a great range. Anything stronger than 35-40% is too much IMO.
Most dark tint cars in my area are beat up Altimas with a trail of weed smoke wafting behind them or clapped out W220 S classes on cheap rims.
Everyone needs to be clear whether they mean tint or percentage NOT tinted.
VLT is commonly used now, and it refers to visible light, NOT tint.
5% VLT = 95% tinted
I live in Florida. So yes I have dark ceramic tint on a 50 year old car. You get absolutely baked in the summer without it even with the good AC mine has. Oh and no I can not see out the back window at night to back up. I usually roll down a window and use the side mirror.
I’m a chauffeur, so all my cars get tint. Nothing on the windshield because I’m not a psycho. 40% for the front (legal in ma is 35%) and about 5% for the rest. I get the ceramic as it’s more durable, and i use a very good installer.
My wife has been commenting that she wants it on her mk8 gti purely for looks. I don’t really agree, but it’s her car, and i like it when she has an opinion on cars, just like she likes when i have an opinion on home decorating. I’ll probably try to get it done for summer.
There’s too much tint and it’s too dark.
As a driver I miss being able to see through the vehicle in front of me to have better awareness of the vehicles in front of them.
As a pedestrian and bicyclist want to know that a driver has seen me and acknowledges that I exist.
I live in Arizona its rare to find a car without tint but if I do buy one without it first and only modification I do is get as legally dark all around as I can.
Yes, Phoenician here, I think it’s really weird when I see any vehicle without tint. Same goes for any vehicle that has any amount of rust visible. Failing clear coat is normal and should be expected on anything 10+ years old.
My thought are, leave it stock. They have a legal amount of tint. Also, not being able to see the person inside creeps me out. (Not to mention it’s illegal in some if not all US states.)
I put tint on everything. I think it looks better, especially on dark cars, I like the interior protection, and I don’t like to be seen while driving.
My 40 year old eyes can no longer manage with limo tint at night, so I won’t be doing that anymore.
The Caddy will probably get ceramic tint, although I’ll need to look at samples to know the best percentage. I don’t want the seats damaged by UV in a car I might keep the rest of my life.
I buy and sell cars pretty often. Pulling the crappy window tint job off is usually the very first thing that I do to a car I purchase. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that the job is usually old and done with crappy tint and it’s starting to come off anyway. The second is that it’s usually way too dark and wouldn’t pass inspection if I got pulled over. On a sidenote; a clothes steamer is the best and quickest way to get that crap off. The current car I’m driving is the only exception the the rule in the over 50 cars I’ve owned. I purchased a 98 cherokee from an elderly lady that lives down the street. Before her husband died several years ago he had the front windows tinted to match the rears and it looks like he may have had the rear main window tinted as well. It’s a really well done job and the tint is holding up really well and when I’m driving it it doesn’t feel like I’m riding in a limo. It’s just dark enough to barely notice. It also isn’t extremely dark from the outside either.
My Jag is tinted DARK.. it looks nice on the car and from inside i love the 100% privacy. My own little comfort bubble fully isolated from the pleebs.. i dig some dark tint.
Now on classic cars.. thats a little harder to say, if you are looking to keep the stock look you cant have dark tint, it looks terrible on stuff made before the 90s
No tint in the front. I live in deer country and need the best visibility I can get at night.
I do like some tint in the rear though. I think it’s partly because some vehicles have no tint on the entry level trims but do tint on the higher trims. And yes, I know I’m a bad Autopian for liking higher trim levels. Me and my toasty warm fingers (thanks to my heated steering wheel) will survive your judgment though. 😛