Window Tints (quiky)

[AdamRoutley]

Got my car booked in on tuesday, just curious wether...

if my car had dark'ish tints on the front...say 40% (i know its illegal) would i actually fail an MOT over it?

 

[edmong]

Got my car booked in on tuesday, just curious wether...

if my car had dark'ish tints on the front...say 40% (i know its illegal) would i actually fail an MOT over it?

No it wont fail its MOT but its now classed as 'fitment of dangerous parts' which can occur 3 points per window. You also run the risk of your insurance company not insuring you once there fitted.

Also I can prohibit you from driving on any public highway untill there removed. I use a device called a Tint Man which police forces also have to verify the windows are illegal.

The legal requirement is 25% black out which you'll find yours are, or close to without the tint.

 

[Willie]

Good question, I have never heard someone say they failed their MOT for this, hmmmm
If its illegal you'd think they would test it??

 

[edmong]

Good question, I have never heard someone say they failed their MOT for this, hmmmm
If its illegal you'd think they would test it??

We dont include it in the MOT because not everyone has them fitted to there vehicle. If we did include it in the routine then every MOT garage would have to incur the exspence of purchasing the Tint Man, extra time would go onto each test carried out which would then lead to the fee being increased whih everone will not want.

All this just for a few people who have it fitted would be silly so its down to us and the local police to sort out the problem.

Hope this helps

 

[AdamRoutley]

cause what i was thinking was...an MOT is to check to see if your car WORKs properly, but i suppose that if there past the legal limit, then there not gona b safe therefore could incur a fail...looks like i aint tinting the fronts then just going to light smoke the backs and a sunstrip

 

[edmong]

cause what i was thinking was...an MOT is to check to see if your car WORKs properly, but i suppose that if there past the legal limit, then there not gona b safe therefore could incur a fail...looks like i aint tinting the fronts then just going to light smoke the backs and a sunstrip

check this out buddy.

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/rep...ted+windows&pr=CORP&order=r&cq=&id=4749137b10

Watch out for the sunstrip too. As long as your wipers do not touch any part of it you'll be fine at test.

Sorry to be a downer for you.

 

[Guinness]

more limits to car owners

 

[AdamRoutley]

nah its alright dude, i apreciate your help..the sunstrip is actually on the inside, n its not too deep so thats still a positive..i just wanted a bit of privacy in my car, and if the backs are tinted, the fronts will appear tinted as there will be less light in the car

 

[oldman]

i think a lot is common sense.
where your sunglasses at night and can you see anything? - didn't think so.
same principle with tints, your vision is restricted in poor light conditions.

I would expect an MOT site to possibly pass on a recommendation that your breaking the law, but knowing that he can't do anything.

Common sense should rule the day really.

P.S - anybody want flu?

 

[slick]

Oh the laws of tints..... cant remember the amount of times I've stripped front tints off... best one thou was the policeman excuse was that they cant identify the driver with tinted glass, so when a guy was pulled at the same time as me for his tints, he pulled them off, then jumped in the car pulled over a balaclava and sun shades shouted "against the law to wear one of these i guess now" and drove off, never laughed so much in my life!

 

[Mitchy]

No it wont fail its MOT but its now classed as 'fitment of dangerous parts' which can occur 3 points per window. You also run the risk of your insurance company not insuring you once there fitted.

Also I can prohibit you from driving on any public highway untill there removed. I use a device called a Tint Man which police forces also have to verify the windows are illegal.

Its now a 6 pointer for having tinted windows?

Since when?

I've had tints fitted on my last 3 cars for the past 5 years and never once have i been stopped. In that time ive been pulled twice for speeding, tints were not even mentioned.

I honestly couldn't count how many police cars/vans ive passed in the last 5 years, but its been a considerable amount and not once have i had any bother.

As to insurance....I wrote off my car a few years ago, pitch black of the night, tints were not even declared, still received a healthy £12k insurance cheque

A lot of scare mongering goes on in internet car forums, i know front tints are 'illegal' but so is having a decat or doing 71 in a 70

99% of police cars do not have the tintmaster installed in their cars, you would have to be EXTREMELY unlucky to come across a car that did. I doubt very much you would induce points, it would be a simple...''Please rectify this in 7 days'' or, rip them off there and then.

To the O.P...No its not an MOT fail and do as you please, dont let people put you off with ''rules and regulations''

 

[Mitchy]

Would a policeman from a legal perspective be able to force you to put up your windows anyway? If you refused what could he possibly charge you with? Its not illegal to drive with windows down!

This subject gets on my tits really.

 

[slick]

No, the law, can raise your windows, i read that somewhere on a governement pages, it under searching the cars rules..
I've hardly been pulled for then, what it is i think is the fact that its common sense, most will get away with "light" tint on the front but dont be stupid and limo tint the front, your asking for it then!
and also, i know the points system is 3 points for all the windows, NOT EACH WINDOW!

 

[Havok316]

Its now a 6 pointer for having tinted windows?

Since when?

I've had tints fitted on my last 3 cars for the past 5 years and never once have i been stopped. In that time ive been pulled twice for speeding, tints were not even mentioned.

I honestly couldn't count how many police cars/vans ive passed in the last 5 years, but its been a considerable amount and not once have i had any bother.

As to insurance....I wrote off my car a few years ago, pitch black of the night, tints were not even declared, still received a healthy £12k insurance cheque

A lot of scare mongering goes on in internet car forums, i know front tints are 'illegal' but so is having a decat or doing 71 in a 70

99% of police cars do not have the tintmaster installed in their cars, you would have to be EXTREMELY unlucky to come across a car that did. I doubt very much you would induce points, it would be a simple...''Please rectify this in 7 days'' or, rip them off there and then.

To the O.P...No its not an MOT fail and do as you please, dont let people put you off with ''rules and regulations''

Nah ive been pulled over once for tints but that was 80% all around the copper told me (after i proved i could see out of the glass clear as day) that he would let me get away with a £30 fixed penalty and I had to remove them and if he saw me again he would take it further BUT i still had them on a year later lol and the coppers dont always stay in a certain county they all seem to randomly move about bearing in mind the coppers who stopped me were the ones in the focuses lol the Merc ones are bastids they are the road police lol so watch out! Ive also herd that MOT centres although allowing your vehicle to pass they can refuse to let you drive it if being stupid like limo tints etc and can call the police. Its been talked about soo many times but theres NO WAY it will ever fail and MOT!

 

[edmong]

Would a policeman from a legal perspective be able to force you to put up your windows anyway? If you refused what could he possibly charge you with? Its not illegal to drive with windows down!

This subject gets on my tits really.

The subject gets on my tits when all im doing is trying to help people with the legal bits. I like to advise people, thats my job. If you want to put tints on your front windows go ahead, not only are you drawing attention to yourself its ILLEGAL!

Also the Tint Man is not a piece of equipment you install into a car its a hand held device that is easily carried around.

I know that D&C police force have purchased numerous tint mans and these guys look like they have.

http://www.staffordshire.police.uk/news/2007/06_jun/18_tintman.html

http://www.tayside.police.uk/newsarchiveitem.php?id=496&mon=5&year=2006

If you where to repeat the offence then we (VOSA) will prosecute.

I thought that police that found vehicles with tints could put 3 points on for each window under the fitment of dangerous parts.

How much does tinting cost? then we come along and get you to take it off, waste of money aint it? You may aswell go and p**s it up against a wall, at least thats legal!

 

[kez]

pi$$ing up a wall's legal? not in Leeds, it's not!

 

[RikH]

apparently it is kez.........and in aberdeen

 

[kez]

he said it was legal. i'm saying it's not *ahem*

 

[Wheely]

There's "letter of the law" and there's a policeman's own discretion (thank god).

I ride a bike and in the summer I wear a dark visor -- it has been proved to much safer, however as the weather can change or night can come along - its been deemed illegal to use them. However 90% of sports bikers I know wear them during decent days. And I've never know any of my mates get done or even asked to remove them. However I've heard stories of some jobs-worth coppers confiscating them etc.

Much the same with side window tints I would imagine. Only downside is you dont take these off at night and thus your side vision is definately restricted. Thus if you have a little motorbike (with 6v lights) or bicycle approaching you at a side road, you could easily miss them and pull out on them. But its down to how dark is dark ??.. and if you take the piss then you should be expected to be pulled for it (and rightly so). But if they are subtle tints, then this is why you'll get away with it for years until you meet Mr PC Jobsworth.

Not sure about the points - certainly dont for dark visors IIRC

 

[Wheely]

he said it was legal. i'm saying it's not *ahem*

Not in Plymouth either to be honest.