new uk laws??????

[Guest fimmo]

recently I've heard of a few customers getting 3 points and a sixty pound fine for having dark tint on the fronts!

turns out I tinted them both years ago before the law changed but what gets me is the police now seem more 'eager' to give out points and a fine rather than give them the 10 days to remove the tint.

I'm'hearing' rumours that their is a new law coming in?but as I know,'rumours' have a tendency to be hearsay and I haven't heard anything official.

I did a bit more investigating and turns out both my customers had 35% on the fronts,so fair play, nowadays thats over the limits but previously the police had been a bit more giving.

[Guest potzy]

All I know is that the police are cracking down this summer, heard this on radio 1 this week so its getting national coverage now, as for 3 points its news to me, seems a bit drastic though. Ive tested a few windows in the past and MK5 golfs/ polos, clios measure 62% with standard class so will they get 3 dots to, ?

[Guest Tintim]

de-tinted a car today (not one of ours) where VOSA had stopped and given a rectification notice - no points or fine. At least smoke. back section limo.

Later on did a Bentley conty GT convertible customer said he wanted a tint all around that was legal. Told him nothing is legal on fronts - but he may get away with a light smoke above 45% - did the car, once done he was not happy too light.

I explained police were having a crackdown, customer said they would not pull him as he was in a GTC I said I would not put anything darker on fronts.

Personally I welcome it - I hope they shut some of these tint shops down, fine them, or better still lock em up - its screwing things up for the rest of us. Yesterady I saw an ML parking up with Midnight on fronts tinted by a company called Tint UR ride or something with a sticker in back screen at least the police won't have any problem finding out who tinted it .

Felt like going up to the driver and having a word - effectively his car insurance is invalid. I hear there is a case going through court at the moment where the insurance company of driver at fault (ie he caused the accident no question) is refusing to pay out to the other party involved because the other partys car had tinted front windows. Can you believe it? If Upheld that'll kill front side window tinting in an instant.

I think we should police this ourselves - if we want to have an industry we should tell any driver we see who has overly dark front windows and just get em off the road.

[Guest Diamond Tints]

Tim, I wouldnt go as far as saying I welcome the tint laws, but if tint on the front drops would void an insurance claim, well so could a light smoke tint you just described as well on the bentley.

The way the tinting is in glasgow its pretty much if you wont do front drops I will go to someone who will so what do you do????

I thought there was some kind of law out (someone said it was a president law or some crap ) if more than x amount of people beat this in court then this tint law got overturned

[Guest Tintim]

Hey Davie,

Your right the light tint could also void the insurance - if this case goes through. But I think common sense does prevail here. In fact I have a rectification notice which states it in black and white and a vosa officer who has stated it verbally that they are not bothered about tint levels above 45% VLT.

Point is there is scientific research carried out by Loughborough University on this subject along with a prof in South Australia which found that below 30% does interfere with periferal vision ( corner of your eye vision) - its all out there on google.

These people putting midnight and darker on front drops - for me are dodgy,dangerous and need to be shut down. How would you feel if one of your family were killed in a car accident and darkened front windows were held up as the cause.

The thing that pees me off is these jobs are done by people who have experience in tinting so they now what they are doing.

I've lost count of the amount of times been asked for midnight on front drops and I've never ever done it - lost business over it. Now its going back to 2004/5 situation they'll be a massive clampdown which will affect everyone. They'll talk about front window tinting in the media people won't really listen and think they mean the whole car - business will slow down again.

[uncle bob]

As I understand it its

After the application of window tint if below 30% 3 points and a ?60 fine, between 30 and 45% no points but a ?30 fine, above 45% no action taken (concerns any window forward of the B post)

This has been the case since January 2004.

Bob

[lambchop13]

I could be wrong but....

as I uderstand it the says:- under the constrution ans use act 1986 the legal limit is 75% for the front screen and 70% front two drops...if it don't meet this then it's illegal

as the fitter I don't want a multi thousand pound law suit against me so I don't do the front drops

my 2p's worth

[pro_tinter]

Is there a way for all us tinters to get together and actually try and push this limit of 70% Visible Light Transmission to say 45-50%?

I do front drops for customers with big cars like mercs, bmw's etc but not small hatches (boy racer magnets) because they are less likely to be pulled over by traffic police. This new law is seriously hurting business and I'd say 8 of 10 customers would like front drops tinted but are hesitant because of the restrictions...yet half of them still demand it!

[Guest coolrides]

I got pulled with 20% on the fronts about a year or so ago, got a £30 fine and told to rip it off on the spot. he measured it and the reading was 18 or something, the window must not of had much natural tint in it. or maybe his reading was wrong.

what is the lightest film you can get even for uv blocking and security?

I would sign a protest about easing the law a bit to 45-50 but prob wouldnt do anything.

[Guest Key West]

Is there a way for all us tinters to get together and actually try and push this limit of 70% Visible Light Transmission to say 45-50%?

I do front drops for customers with big cars like mercs, bmw's etc but not small hatches (boy racer magnets) because they are less likely to be pulled over by traffic police. This new law is seriously hurting business and I'd say 8 of 10 customers would like front drops tinted but are hesitant because of the restrictions...yet half of them still demand it!

You could TRY and form a voting bloc. I don't know if having your custys sign a petition, and forwarding it to your local representative would help. I'd applaud your efforts tho. Over here, the industry is to fragmented, no cohesion to band together. We just let them stick it to us, and we lay down and enjoy it.

Now ya'll know what we go thru over here. Over 90% of all my custys want it darker than what is currently legal. Not "Midnite" (5% I assume) but 20%. How is it that over 90% of the people want darker, yet the elected officials say Are they trying to say that 90% of the voting public are criminals?