Is privacy glass becoming council?

[Dave Hedgehog]

Rawwr said:

Becoming?

exactly, it always has been

but some manufacturers bundle it into pacs so you have to take it

[NickCQ]

TooMany2cvs said:

How the hell did we survive childhood without either...?

Yeah, what is the point of those blinds? Do kids melt in direct sunlight these days?

[Quickmoose]

....along with black wheels, yep, totally.

[Sheepshanks]

TooMany2cvs said:

How the hell did we survive childhood without either...?

I don't think many did.


Honda's implementation on Jazz (we have two in the family) always strikes me as OTT - from the outside the rear windows are completely black.

It's much more subtle on wife's Tiguan. I think cars without it look old, even if they're not.

[RichB]

NickCQ said:

TooMany2cvs said:

How the hell did we survive childhood without either...?

Yeah, what is the point of those blinds? Do kids melt in direct sunlight these days?

Must say I was wondering this too. My dad had an Anglia then a Cortina when I was a kid and if it was hot I just opened the window a bit. I think it's because i) cars are air conditioned now and ii) kids like to watch Peppa Pig/Power Rangers in the back of the car so it cuts out glare. Last thing they'd do is talk or look out the window.

[KevinCamaroSS]

benjijames28 said:

I hate driving a car with rear window tinted, makes reversing horrible especially in the dark without parking sensors.

What is wrong with your door mirrors?

[Glassman]

I think some cars can look good with dark tints, but to have the fronts contrasting with a lighter tint can make the car look like a mini van.

The difference in how good/bad it can look can also between factory tinted and film.

[troc]

TooMany2cvs said:

How the hell did we survive childhood without either...?

When we (well, I at least) were kids, we weren't strapped practically immobile via a 5-point harness to a bucket seat. Thus we could move our heads somewhat to avoid the direct sun shining into our eyes. Without the blind on the window next to my 2 year old, his face is subjected to the full impact of the sun. Sure, he can turn away but he can't fully avoid it.

Try driving in low light without the sun visor down and see how you like it

[Rawwr]

troc said:

his face is subjected to the full impact of the sun

Gosh.

[MYOB]

TooMany2cvs said:

How the hell did we survive childhood without either...?

When we were kids, we weren't fixed rigidly in one position in car seats. We could move about to get out of strong sun rays. Kids in car seats can't do this these days, so in my opinion, privacy glass in the rear are fantastic for young kids.

[hornetrider]

TooMany2cvs said:

hornetrider said:

However, godsend if you have kids. How sad is your life if you have Peppa fking Pig blinds on the rear windows. NOT UNDER MY WATCH KIDDY.

How the hell did we survive childhood without either...?

It's not about survival. It's about improving things. Like pretty much every other invention and development of mankind since time began. It's called progress.

[Squirrelofwoe]

Yep definitely very council



In my defence mine was done from a security perspective- when carrying a few £k of DJ/lighting equipment to gigs it's nice know none of it is visible when parked up anywhere etc. Gives me the benefits of a van when I need it whilst still having the luxury of a top-spec estate car the rest of the time.

On the subject of seeing out, I would suggest that is more down to the quality of the tints surely? I have no issue seeing out of mine whatsoever, in fact from inside the car you would barely know they are tinted- despite being almost completely black from the outside.

The big thing I've noticed with regard to privacy glass is that 15 years ago it rarely appeared on cars from the factory yet was a staple of the modding scene. Fast forward to now and to me it seems to have gone the other way- every car seems to come from the factory with it, yet older modded cars- not so much.

[xRIEx]

TooMany2cvs said:

TazLondon said:

So, is privacy glass, which has become the modern version of tinted windows, becoming council?

Becoming?

It's just the factory-fitted equivalent of the pimptint film that's been kicking around since the '80s. Without the bubbles and stretchmarks.

Exactly.

"Rape windows" as they were known among my not-so-eloquent friends in the late 90s.

[Alex_225]

I think yes and no.

I have a Twingo 133 which came with privacy glass on the back, it was fitted from the factory and I like it. Makes the interior feel a bit more....well private. I'd also consider it for my E Class as having kids in the back it would make a nice difference and nicer than those stick on blinds.

All that said, some cars look quite naff with the darkest tints possible and even worse with them on the front side windows (as well as illegal). So personally, I think it's fairly subjective but it is often a 'pimp' look and option for some of the chavvier drivers out there.

[MitchT]

I think they're bloody annoying. If someone parks forwards into the parking space next to the one you're in you can't see through their rear side windows to see if anyone's coming when you're trying to drive out of your parking space. It becomes an act of blind faith.

[jamiem555]

I like it. I have it on our B Max and our Focus ST. It's also good for keeping the sunlight out of the wee ones faces. We do have the sucker blinds but the wee lads like pulling them off!

[yellowjack]

Dave Hedgehog said:

Rawwr said:

Becoming?

exactly, it always has been

but some manufacturers bundle it into pacs so you have to take it

I've got it on my car. I don't mind it to be honest, as I'm never going to be travelling in the back of my own car so it isn't going to bother me one way or t'other. It was part of an options bundle when the car was new, and I bought the car because of the other 'extras' included in that bundle. I was also buying second hand (six month old car) so when the right car in the right spec and colour became available I felt that rejecting it because it had dark rear windows was a bit 'cutting my nose off to spite my face' really.

And "becoming council"? It's amazing how things change. It started out (at least when properly factory fitted) on high spec, high end cars. Then, it was a 'desirable extra' that 'added value' and 'enhanced the ownership experience' or whatever ttwaffle the PR Muppets used at the time. As soon as low paid, low skilled 'employee types' start desiring these extras, they suddenly become "council"? Would Harvey Twoface please come to the stage to receive the International Nobel Laureate for Gross Hypocrisy...

[Rawwr]

They do appear to make already council cars like the Focus ST look entirely more council.

I guess that would be Council++

[mwstewart]

It has always been that way.

[Muddle238]

I must be the only one who doesn't mind factory privacy glass. I have no problems with it on lighter coloured cars, on darker coloured cars I do think however there can be too much "blackout". I'd always have some form of chrome window lining or other chrome-based highlight to offset against the black, can't stand all-black cars. So unimaginative.

When it comes to Barry sticking a tint to the back of his Mk4 Golf TDI with wrinkles, I do think it looks a bit st and the whole thing would look better in a scrapyard.