Do you like ‘privacy glass’ tints?

[MitchT]

Not a fan. Don't like the way they look - make the rear half of the car look like it doesn't match the front half - in fact, makes it look like a van. Makes the vehicle owner look like a pompous twit who has delusions that their kids are the Kardashians trying not to be spotted by the paps. If a car with rear privacy glass parks forwards into the space next to mine I can't see "through" their car to pull safely out of my space, so it becomes an act of blind faith. Some of the darker tints look like they could compromise your vision through the left rear side window enough to make it difficult (particularly at night) to check for a vehicle overlapping your left rear quarter when changing lanes to your left on a motorway or dual carriageway. If I really wanted a specific car and it had rear tints I'd get the glass swapped out.

[Wills2]

Zarco said:

Sheepshanks said:

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

The car without them looks old-fashioned. Maybe that's a look some people like?

Maybe some people think having windows two different colours on one car often looks crap?

Maybe it doesn't matter either way and people buy what they like
/is in front of them when they want a new car...just a thought.

[AceKid]

I agree that when you have kids and dogs, they are invaluable....keep the interior cool, stops sun glare, it even helps calm.my dog down too.

My wife has a v40 r design, in black, black interior, black headlining and had the windows dark tinted from b pillar back, it is really dark inside, but she suffers with severe migraines and it really helps her.

So its a yes from us!

[Meridius]

Some modern cars look OK with them if they are subtle and I suppose there are some practical plus sides but in general I have never liked tints, think nice clear windows give a cleaner look to a car and definitely prefer the visibility and light when actually inside. Wouldnt spec any of my own cars with them.

[Julian Thompson]

I absolutely hate them. Makes cars look like vans. My M4 has a light tint on the rears and I keep wondering if I could buy new clear windows to fix it!!!

Edited by Julian Thompson on Wednesday 19th February 22:52

[gizlaroc]

I feel I can leave the dog in the back as no one knows she is in there with tints, can't be too careful these days.

Also, it makes the car so much cooler and much nicer for the kids whose head height means they often have the sun beating down on them, tints make it far nicer for them.

Not a fan of the van look though.

[SAS Tom]

I like them, they do make a difference to the interior of the car. The car I had without them was always much hotter than the cars without in the summer. The car I had without them had an electric rear blind. That was a pointless addition.

I find the conclusions some of you have come to completely mental. What if a car just came with them on? Does that make you some council scum protecting your kardashian kids identities?

I can’t say I’ve made a conscious decision about a car based on tinted windows or not.

[yellowbentines]

austinsmirk said:

Child grooming tints also

As fitted to any golf, Audi, bmw.

Or perhaps, potential child groomers dont like them as they cant eye up the kids in the back of cars with tints?

[Randy Winkman]

I wonder what car designers think of them? My bet is that they hate them. They go to all that trouble designing a car and then someone goes and divides it in half.

[fieldmau5]

Pistonheads in a nutshell:

People who have cars with tinted rear windows are either drug dealers or worse still, from council estates.

This view, along with the view of not being able to see right through a car in front, just like following a van, is somehow dangerous!?

They both show how truly demented and out of touch Pistonheads forum members have become.

[Julian Thompson]

Randy Winkman said:

I wonder what car designers think of them? My bet is that they hate them. They go to all that trouble designing a car and then someone goes and divides it in half.

Yep. This exactly. Great post!

[Graveworm]

Randy Winkman said:

I wonder what car designers think of them? My bet is that they hate them. They go to all that trouble designing a car and then someone goes and divides it in half.

In many models it's only the complete poverty spec that is even available without it, so I suspect they design for the tints rather than the other way round.

Edited by Graveworm on Wednesday 19th February 23:19

[gizlaroc]

Tints, well chavvy.

Owners are right up there with people who buy European cars, or people who buy Jap cars, or people who buy a car that is white, or in fact a colour, or those that buy an suv or a saloon, not to mention those that buy a coupe or estate, or black interior.

wkers the lot of them, probably peados.

[Julian Thompson]

Graveworm said:

Randy Winkman said:

I wonder what car designers think of them? My bet is that they hate them. They go to all that trouble designing a car and then someone goes and divides it in half.

In many models it's only the complete poverty spec that is even available without it, so I suspect they design for the tints rather than the other way round.

Edited by Graveworm on Wednesday 19th February 23:19

I disagree - I’d say Randy has that right - they’d either design with or without darkened glass but not half and half - It just destroys the aesthetic in a design. See the pic of my M4 also above. Looks bloody stupid.

[roadsmash]

Great for dogging.

[Mr Tidy]

I always thought they looked a bit "wannabee", especially when the 1 Series I bought in 2008 had them - I mean that is never going to be used to transport people who need to guard their privacy!

But then a relative became a Dad and needed an Estate car and the one we found had privacy glass. Which he found really useful for his new-born and that's when I realised it looked so much better than those stretchy nets.

Although I'm not sure why my BMW Z4M Coupe has "privacy glass" rear quarterlights!

[g3org3y]

I'm not bothered either way, but wife approves. As has been mentioned, better for the dog and the baby.


All the cool mumz have tintz.

crowfield said:

Drug dealer tints

Wife hasn't done any drug dealing since being on mat leave.

[Coatesy351]

I take it there is some daft law in the UK that stops you tinting the front windows?

[csd19]

I don't mind tints when they're a relatively light one, I had the B-pillar back done on my V70 as my girlfriend at the time had two dogs and it made it a lot more comfortable for them.



Limo tints, IMO, look utterly gash. I've noticed that these days they tend to appear on ropey eastern-European registered Audi A6s and mk4 Golf TDIs complete with soot stains covering the rear of the car

But each to their own.

[Grrbang]

Windshield must have over 75% light transmission. Front side windows must have at least 30% VLT. All windows behind driver can have any tint darkness.

This does actually give you some room to darken your front side windows, enough to blend in with the rear surprisingly effectively. There difference would only be noticeable on really bright days looking from certain angles.