Thinking about having the windows done, but the guy who does this takes the glass out so the job is done properly.

 

Rear side windows are bonded in, my experience of bonded glass on cars being removed and replaced is that it ain't cheap!

 

Has anyone had this done on a Z?

 

TIA

 

 

 

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Hey. you're building a true pimp-mobile !

Too right mate! I wanna be in the Pimpster hall of fame along with the Smith Meister and Big Mac Meal!!! ROFL

 

 

 

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Hi Timmy, I have wondered the same thing and my preferance would be to not take all the windows out. The cost when they start doing that also jumps up massively.

 

Theres a guy on www.mkivsupra.net/bbs who runs one of the Sextons branches and can get window tints done quiet cheap without removing the windows and without it looking like some monkey has been let loose with a craft knife (I never realised thats what the yanks call a box cutter....wierdos).

 

I can ask him if he can do them cheapio for the 300s as well if you want.

 

JB

www.mkivsupra.net

John Newcombe has had his done. Check with him.

I'd appreciate that John, cheers. I just got off the phone with LEONARDO(guy who's doing my car) and he said that it is too much hassle to take the bonded windows out so they are done in the car.

 

Are the quarter windows the same on the Soup then, bonded?

 

 

 

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Mine were done before I imported the car (over 3 years ago). They are pretty dark (illegally so) and I've been meaning to take the tints off the side windows for months now.

 

 

I like the look of it from the outside but it does make driving in the dark more difficult: it means a police car could follow you at very close range and you'd never notice (all you can see out of the rear in the dark is the headlights); you have to be very careful when going on to roundabouts; you have to wind your windows down to be able to see to reverse; you can't gesticulate/give hand signals to people as they can't see you; your friends refer to the car as 'the pimp-mobile', etc.

 

On top of that, there's the fact that it's illegal and can apparently mean that the ins. co. will refuse to pay out in the event of an accident.

 

On the upside, you don't get the feeling that people are staring in at you all the time.

 

So, before you do it, bear in mind that it can be a pain in the arse in the dark and some insurance companies will refuse to quote too. I think the legal level is about 30% on the side windows which is not enough to bother with IMHO.

 

So, if you do decide to go for it, I think it's worth going for something quite dark, but bear in mind the downsides.

 

If you aren't doing the front side windows, ignore nearly all of this!

Jap Import tint is very, very heavy and illegal. I took a Toyota Surf out with Mrs T and as you quite rightly state, you couldn't see bugger all anywhere even in daylight! Nevermind at night!

 

I don't mean that drastic, smoke tinted maybe, just a bit darker than the factory tint for more privacy and cooler on hot days etc.

 

Example of why I want tinted windows:

 

Few years ago when I had my Supra me and the Mrs T went down to Abersoch for Sunday dinner on the hottest day ever. We parked up, my car was red with tan(yuk) leather interior. By the time we had come out of the pub I opened the car door and man, I kid you not it must have been oven temperature in there. I had to start the car, put the A/C on and shut the door to cool it down. We couldn't even touch the seats let alone sit on them. Another good reason to bin the leather aswell!

 

 

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[This message has been edited by Timmy_Turbo (edited 25-04-2002).]

Hey Timmy theres a place done mine for £150. Its not that far from Leonardo's.

Doesnt take out bonded windows but the Z has a black border around the side windows anyway so you dont see any gaps. Mine is the medium Tint, it looks darker in the pic cos its parked next to a brick wall.

As for legal issues....Kiss my hairy butt

Paul

 

 

[This message has been edited by paulg (edited 25-04-2002).]

Thanks for that Paul mate, is this the guy who travels up from London to do 'em every now and then? Class job apparently.

 

Nice pic mate, looks nice having blacked out windies on a Z beast! IMHO

 

 

 

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tints look a lot better on a silver beast though

i done mine myself the sides that is,not that difficult the rear i left to the pro as they done this in one peice. the rear sides do not have to be removed as they have a big black rim around which you overlap. you must remove plastic inner trim though.

front windows were removed to do those properly.

heres a pic of mine done in light smoke. http://www.300zx.co.uk/rides/lack300/side.jpg

 

the rear quarterlight windows are very easy to remove, in fact, even easier than very easy

 

they are not bonded to the car, they come out in a complete framed section

 

my 0.02

icant see how it can be illegal to tint side windows, many moons ago lax power mag did a feature on tinted windows and from what i remember you can tint side and rears as much as u like, put it was totally illegal to do the windscreen.

Timmy, have a look at mine one day on your way passed, can get them done without taking any windows out. Will be doing a 5 day course soon so will need a few cars to practise on!!

 

Bob

Timmy let me know what you find out as I am wanting to get my side windows tinted whilst it is at Leonardos too.

My Jap Z already has the rear screen and quarter windows done.

 

ive just had my windows tinted with 35%. The guy who done it had the car for 5 hours and took all the windows out and he done a great job. Says the back window is a nightmare to do but i have no problems with the tints or the windows. cost me £200 which i thought was well worth it. My car is black and looks mean and the tints just makes it look better

 

i say go for it

 

Originally posted by scoops:

icant see how it can be illegal to tint side windows, many moons ago lax power mag did a feature on tinted windows and from what i remember you can tint side and rears as much as u like, put it was totally illegal to do the windscreen.

 

These are some excerpts from messages posted by a serving traffic officer on the uktrafficlaw mailing list about a year ago (mostly in response to my questions):

 

I have been on traffic now for 20 years and have heard it all. I joined this forum to try to explain points to clear the Urban Myths. Like all policeman are ***** or something like that. You can phone any traffic garage and they will happily explain any law you are unsure about. We are all about education in todays forces.

 

Like tinted windows (My favorite) Is illegal on the front side windows Is endorsable and makes your insurance void.

 

My rule of thumb is if you can see it it's illegal, by that I mean like at the new vauxhall's and Ford's they have the LTV (light transmission value) written on the glass. You cannot see it unless you look closely.

 

The windscreen is 75% after 1/4/85 include's the sunstrip. 70% before 1/4/85

 

It says any window through which the driver views the road when driving is included in the regulations. i.e. the front side windows. an LTV of 70% applies.

 

The rear glass or back windows has no limits on the LTV.

 

The problem for the Police was no way of enforcement. Now we have the light meter gauge called a tintman The worst thing about it now is that should you have an accident, your insurance is void. The Sun have reported several cases recently over insurance companies refusing to pay out.You are still covered minimum third party but

nothing else. Even if the RTA is not your fault. (I have spoken to some insurance compaines about this.)

 

It may not but the glass offence is endorsable. The vehicle can be prohibited from moving by a PG/9 and required to take a MOT irrespective of age before being able to be used agian on the road..

 

If it was imported with tinted windows in excess of the 70% limit then the company which sold it to you commit an offence. If the glass has the magic words AS2 on the side windows then it is an after sales tinted film. Still illegal.

 

It is clearly written on the packet of film what the LTV is and they start at 35% which is illegal to start. One company just said that they make £300 a vehicle its a good earner and they fit what the public want. They dont now. When the press spoke to them all the vehicles with film were removed from the forecourt. However pictures were taken and printed. They were told twice about it.

 

So, the tint should allow at least 70% of the light through. I'd guess that mine is nearer 20-25% but I still haven't got around to having it removed yet. If I get stuck in traffic near a police car, I tend to just wind my windows down

 

If you stick to the legal limits, I can't see the point in having it done at all really. Dark is definitely better, but illegal nevertheless.

 

[This message has been edited by Dave Marley (edited 30-04-2002).]

Don't know if it was mentioned in the rest of the thread but I saw is AutoCar I think, an article where the old bit have a gadget for measuring the density of tints.

 

basically they shine a light of know intensity through the glass and have a photosensitive reciever that they pick the light up on the other side of the glass with, if not enough light gets through, tyhen you are nicked

 

Anyone with blue tint complete with air bubbles should be hung drawn and quatered.

The rear windows on our zed are tinted. Only a slight tint in the rear window you can see perfectly well out of it just a yellowy tinge to it. The rear side windows are pretty dark though you can just see thru them. Door windows aint done and have no intention of doing them as from experience with other cars you cant see jack out of the windows and u have to drop the windows and freeze to death every junction lol!

There you go Tim,just had it done today £200 all in,The guy that fitted this is the bollocks he fits tints to brand new 60K Range Rovers,before they are registered.

 

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i tint for a living 35% is legal on front pass and drivers windows from b post back anything goes i have heard that police in the midlands do use light meters to check side windows which seems nuts when they so called brought in this rule their chief was having his car tinted.as for the question asked earlier there is no need for any glass to be removed the only tricky part is the rear window (mainly the size doing it in one piece £150 is a bloody cheap price aswell)

mac 1.... the tint is spot on matey!

Looks awesome big boy, you know where I am on that score! I'm next for that, PUKKA!

 

 

 

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Originally posted by Timmy_Turbo:

Looks awesome big boy, you know where I am on that score! I'm next for that, PUKKA!

 

Ok mate nice one .

 

 

 

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