Factory fitted privacy glass tint level illegal

Factory fitted privacy glass tint level illegal

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Discussion

dublove

Original Poster:

142 posts

178 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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Got pulled this morning. £50 fine. Apparently the front windows on my Grand Cherokee have illegal 'tint' levels. Needs to let 25% more light in apparently.

Problem is there is no tint film. It's not aftermarket. They are a factory fitted privacy glass option. Its the actual glass itself that is tinted or smoked if you will.
I can't remove it, short of taking the glass out the door.

Also confused as to how Jeep/Chrysler are selling & supplying privacy glass options for their UK sold vehicles with illegal light transmission levels..? Really???

What would PH advise? :-)

73mark

774 posts

126 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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You'll have to take it up with jeep/Chrysler,but legal limit is 70% of light must pass through.

HantsRat

2,368 posts

107 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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Take it back to the garage. Get them to pay the fine as they sold you the vehicle like it.

Jobbo

12,958 posts

263 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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I didn't know factory sun protection glass ever featured on the front side windows. Doesn't look particularly dark in this pic:



Nor in any of the ones in the classifieds: http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...

paintman

7,669 posts

189 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
quotequote all
This is one that the manufacturer is going to have to answer for you.
Did you buy the vehicle new, did you specify the fitting of the windows and what - if any - advice were you given/is in the specification regarding the tint level?

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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The standard tint will not be illegal, it'll be right on the limit.

TooLateForAName

4,725 posts

183 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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I've heard of this before. A VOSA bod I know told me that a batch of minis were illegal. Dont know what the outcome was, but VOSA were talking to the bmw dealer about it.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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If you've had the car from new, and it was UK-spec and UK-supplied, then get onto Chrysler UK ASAP.
http://www.chrysler.co.uk/contact

CaptainMorgan

1,454 posts

158 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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Done alright really, they can slap you with 3 points too now

Cat

3,014 posts

268 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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CaptainMorgan said:
Done alright really, they can slap you with 3 points too now
It depends on the level of tint. If they needed to allow 25% more light through then they wouldn't have been bad enough to issue an endorseable FPN.

Cat

CaptainMorgan

1,454 posts

158 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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Cat said:
It depends on the level of tint. If they needed to allow 25% more light through then they wouldn't have been bad enough to issue an endorseable FPN.

Cat
So there's a range in which the tints are illegal but not bad enough to allow for a FPN? What is it?

Sides need to let 70% of light in, so if the OP's needed to let 25% more in that leaves them currently letting 5% in, more or less a 'limo black' tint? Unless I'm misunderstanding it.

Cat

3,014 posts

268 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
CaptainMorgan said:
So there's a range in which the tints are illegal but not bad enough to allow for a FPN? What is it?

Sides need to let 70% of light in, so if the OP's needed to let 25% more in that leaves them currently letting 5% in, more or less a 'limo black' tint? Unless I'm misunderstanding it.
The guidelines we work to are

=>70% - legal
50% to 69% - illegal. Warning
30% to 49% - illegal. Non-endorsable FPN (£50)
<30% - illegal. Endorseable FPN (3pts/£100). Vehicle can also be issued with an immediate prohibition preventing from being driven until the tints are removed and it has been re-checked.

I would guess that if the OP was told his windows needed to let through 25% more light it meant that they were only letting 45% light through.

Cat

un1corn

2,143 posts

136 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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Are you sure it's factory fitted? Did you buy the car exactly brand new? Or is it used and a previous owner has tinted it.

MidnightXR6

813 posts

168 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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My old Commander had a blueish tint all round and was easily noticed on the front glass when half open.

Was never pulled but it did have me thinking about this very issue.

ikarl

3,730 posts

198 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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About 10 years ago, window tinting was my day job! And yes, many cars did fail on our tintman device pre window tints (i.e. they would allow less than 75% from the factory)

OP - post up a pic of the car and also a close up pic of the glass dropped an inch, so we can see the top edge of the glass that's normally hidden, from that I should be able to tell if it's factory or not

eldar

21,614 posts

195 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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And the glass manufacturer marking, that should tell you if it is factory fit glass.

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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ikarl said:
About 10 years ago, window tinting was my day job! And yes, many cars did fail on our tintman device pre window tints (i.e. they would allow less than 75% from the factory)
Good job they only need to be 70% then.

ikarl

3,730 posts

198 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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Roo said:
ikarl said:
About 10 years ago, window tinting was my day job! And yes, many cars did fail on our tintman device pre window tints (i.e. they would allow less than 75% from the factory)
Good job they only need to be 70% then.
The point I was trying to make, poorly, was that all side windows were less than 75% and some were slightly less than 70%. Nothing to the extent of the op though

Sheepshanks

32,519 posts

118 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
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paintman said:
This is one that the manufacturer is going to have to answer for you.
Did you buy the vehicle new, did you specify the fitting of the windows and what - if any - advice were you given/is in the specification regarding the tint level?
If it was supplied new like this then it can't be illegal - EU whole vehicle type approval trumps everything.

Spangles

1,441 posts

184 months

Sunday 17th May 2015
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
paintman said:
This is one that the manufacturer is going to have to answer for you.
Did you buy the vehicle new, did you specify the fitting of the windows and what - if any - advice were you given/is in the specification regarding the tint level?
If it was supplied new like this then it can't be illegal - EU whole vehicle type approval trumps everything.
Manufacturers have screwed up before, IIRC Landrover with the 300TDi and too many rear indicators.