Do you like ‘privacy glass’ tints?

[Roger Irrelevant]

Richard-390a0 said:

looking like a hearse

A few people have mentioned this but I don't think I've ever seen a hearse with heavy tints - don't they usually have exactly the opposite, i.e. an oversized bit of clear glass in order that you can see the coffin?

[TurboHatchback]

I hate them, immediately puts me off buying any car which has them. The fundamental point of windows is for seeing out of and I need to see equally well out of the front and back. I once bought a car with aftermarket tints, the visibility was dreadful, at night it was like reversing a van and even in the day it was gloomy inside and looked terrible. I stripped them off and it was an immediate massive improvement.

Also what's all this guff about it being essential for children, dogs and luggage? I was a child, with a dog and I survived to adulthood without ever once wanting tints on the windows. If it's too bright then wear sunglasses which have an equal effect through all the windows not just the back ones.

[Haltamer]

By privacy tints, are we talking full limo? (5%)

If so, I think they're a bit pointless, and they tend to look rather jarring.

Lighter tints, ~30% such as those found on OEM Rear glass look fine. The light permeability is enough to easily see out, but the dark mirror effect on the outside makes it far more difficult to look in.

Furthermore, there is a very real benefit in summer when it comes to keeping the car cool! With the tinted rear windows / boot, parking with the back of the car to the sun yields a noticeably lower interior temperature.

[Mercutio]

I personally can't stand privacy glass - very similar reasons to people who have just posted.

Here's the thing that gets my goat though. The number of brands where privacy glass is a non-delete option as part of a premium specification.

Not everyone believes that their kids can't survive without tinted glass, or that everyone wants to pinch whatever is in their boot (parcel shelves clearly aren't enough these days to hide belongings).

I just want to be able to buy certain cars at a certain spec level without having to have a fight with the dealer over what it would take to get the factory to delete the privacy glass option.

Why is it the "default" now?

Because fashion. Because someone on here a while back said "I wouldn't buy a car without it as it looks less premium".

It's an image thing first I reckon, and practicality second. I have never cared whether my car might look "less premium" because I didn't spec the thing that everyone else gets papped in.

Fashion has now also clearly dictated what's in the classified, as try finding anything from Land Rover's Range Rover brand that doesn't have the bloody thing.

And I agree with a pp that the Range Rover itself looks far better without privacy than with it.

[ThunderSpook]

kambites said:

I'm with the majority on this is seems. They look appalling but they serve a purpose, especially if you have children.

Electric blinds are better but presumably considerably more expensive to implement.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 20th February 11:01

Presumably this is the majority on here which is mostly grumpy old men. Meanwhile in the real world the majority obviously like them and think they make the cars look better hence they are now fairly standard and increasingly common.

[jhoneyball]

Mercutio said:

I personally can't stand privacy glass - very similar reasons to people who have just posted.

Here's the thing that gets my goat though. The number of brands where privacy glass is a non-delete option as part of a premium specification.

Not everyone believes that their kids can't survive without tinted glass, or that everyone wants to pinch whatever is in their boot (parcel shelves clearly aren't enough these days to hide belongings).

I just want to be able to buy certain cars at a certain spec level without having to have a fight with the dealer over what it would take to get the factory to delete the privacy glass option.

Why is it the "default" now?

Because fashion. Because someone on here a while back said "I wouldn't buy a car without it as it looks less premium".

It's an image thing first I reckon, and practicality second. I have never cared whether my car might look "less premium" because I didn't spec the thing that everyone else gets papped in.

Fashion has now also clearly dictated what's in the classified, as try finding anything from Land Rover's Range Rover brand that doesn't have the bloody thing.

And I agree with a pp that the Range Rover itself looks far better without privacy than with it.

Try buying an Audi RS3 or RS6 in uk without them. Not a problem in Germany. Not possible here, it seems.

[jhoneyball]

Or an S4 Avant. Or RS5. Or S5. Or A8. Or SQ5. Or Q5. Or...

[Mercutio]

That's mad about the Audis and Germany.

Makes me think once again that it's purely a fashion thing for certain markets, that secondarily some people have found useful of course (dogs, kids etc).

Again I personally think the RS4 and RS6 look much better as an outline without privacy glass.

I really do think it's partly down to celebrities driving large SUVs with privacy glass in the last two decades. Suddenly your Range Rover looks "stock" and "less premium" if you don't have the stuff.

[DoubleD]

TurboHatchback said:

Also what's all this guff about it being essential for children, dogs and luggage? I was a child, with a dog and I survived to adulthood without ever once wanting tints on the windows. If it's too bright then wear sunglasses which have an equal effect through all the windows not just the back ones.

Have you ever tried putting sunglasses on a baby or a toddler?!

[cmvtec]

I do find it far easier to spot policemen in covert cars though, I was recently bearing down on a 5-Series Touring on the A19 when I clocked it didn't have tinted windows. Sure enough, when I did overtake it, it was plod.

[edwheels]

Always hated them until wife's new car had them as standard, now I'm merely indifferent to them.

Plus points: keeps sun and some heat out of back of car, possibly better for security when moving stuff around - especially if parcel shelf removed, quickly became used to how they look on the car - but very colour and car shape crucial... e.g look fine on a dark blue Mini 3 door but not on a silver full size Range Rover IMHO.

Minus points: would still prefer the look without them, friendly wave to car behind not seen (e.g. when someone lets you out of a junction)...

If front windows are tinted in a similar way, ilegally, after market, all the plus points above are surrended along with every last crumb of taste, obviously.

[swagmeister]

When I change car to a car thats HASNT got privacy glass its booked in that week to have them done. I dont have kids and I dont have a dog - I prefer them to all round clear glass where Im so used to tints now in a non tinted car I feel as though Im in a goldfish bowl.

[gizlaroc]

TurboHatchback said:

I hate them, immediately puts me off buying any car which has them. The fundamental point of windows is for seeing out of and I need to see equally well out of the front and back. I once bought a car with aftermarket tints, the visibility was dreadful, at night it was like reversing a van and even in the day it was gloomy inside and looked terrible. I stripped them off and it was an immediate massive improvement.

Sounds like you have only experienced some crap aftermarket film.

Normal tints look hardly any different from the front glass from the inside.

TurboHatchback said:

Also what's all this guff about it being essential for children, dogs and luggage? I was a child, with a dog and I survived to adulthood without ever once wanting tints on the windows. If it's too bright then wear sunglasses which have an equal effect through all the windows not just the back ones.

Car is so much cooler with the tints, less glare for kids so stops moaning on longer journeys, and with dogs being stolen and people worrying unnecessarily about them being left in the car, they are a godsend for dog owners.


Surely by your reasoning sunglasses will stop you seeing out of the windscreen?

[Hoofy]

My last couple of cars have had mild tints (not limo tints) on the rear and I quite like the... er... privacy if I'm just sitting in the car as I feel that you can only see me if I can see you. I must have been an ostrich in a previous life. (A wink for each part of stupid statement so no need to correct me.)

mudnomad said:

I put them on all my estate/suv cars. Can leave the dog in the car, stuff on rear seats, can remove parcel shelf and so on. They are very useful. But I don't like them on any other car type

Not so useful at night especially if parked under a street lamp or if someone shines a torch in, at least on the couple of cars I've had. :/

Edited by Hoofy on Thursday 20th February 13:41

[Alextodrive]

I usually add limousine tints to my rear windows and boot when I buy a car without them. It's about £200, adds very little to my premium and you can remove them when you come to sell if the buyer doesnt want them.

I carry stuff in my car regularly and it's a stipulation of my insurance that items have to be out of view. I also think that on the right car it can look really smart. And visibility out of my rear view mirror or blind spots isnt as good obviously, but it stops me being blinding by the various cars / idiots with full beams on or headlights that are angled too high and I just check even more carefully when I manoeuvre.

However... anyone who tints their front windows anything more than the 20-30% allowed, ought to have stickers of their face plastered over their cars. More than anything else people do to their cars I find those people who tint their front windows behave like morons on the road knowing that they can't be seen.

[Deranged Rover]

Given all this talk about cars being cooler inside with tinted windows, I have to say I'm astonished. I thought pretty much every car came with air conditioning as standard these days? I find this does a far better job of keeping the car interior cool, personally.

[John Locke]

ThunderSpook said:

Presumably this is the majority on here which is mostly grumpy old men of taste. Meanwhile in the real world slums the majority obviously like them and think they make the cars look better hence they are now fairly standard and increasingly common.

Certainly common.

[gizlaroc]

Deranged Rover said:

Given all this talk about cars being cooler inside with tinted windows, I have to say I'm astonished. I thought pretty much every car came with air conditioning as standard these days? I find this does a far better job of keeping the car interior cool, personally.

It is amazing how much difference there is between cabin temperature with a car with the tints and without.

I swapped from a 5 series with factory tints to one without last year and the difference in summer was quite remarkable, climate was always set to 20ºc on the old car, had to have it down to 18ºc on the new one on hot days and then you have the blowers getting loud.
First world problems eh.
But even more noticeable was if you leave you car for a bit and come back to it. The seats could get too hot to sit on in the new car, never even considered that on the old car.


I would have thought there is some sort of UV/heat filter in the clear glass too, but seems there is not, or not as strong anyway.

[thelostboy]

GiveItSomeWellie said:

Agreed, I don't like them. To me it's a shame to see them become standard on so many cars these days, the first gen XF Sportbrake had them as standard and you had to specifically tick a box to opt for clear glass. Even as a no cost option, I think I've only ever seen one with the clear glass.

If you could tint all the windows legally, then I wouldn't be against it. Otherwise I think it looks silly





ETA: Images

Edited by GiveItSomeWellie on Wednesday 19th February 16:19

However, I had a black RS6 which came with factory rear tints - I had no choice. I therefore had a slight tint on the front to not make it look like a van.

[bluezedd]

I associate "privacy glass" tints with wannabe hard men/drug dealers. They seem to go well with a BO55 number plate too.

It depends on the car, but I've known some great people with dark tinted rear windows, it's a stupid flawed stereotype, but I can't shake it.

Then again, I'm thinking of the range rovers, X5s etc that have it. I probably wouldn't think the same for a Honda Jazz with similar.