So I got pulled over this morning on the way to work and the officer told me that anything other than what came from the factory on the front windows is illegal. I checked it out online and the places that have the laws listed say 70% on the front windows. Is there anything I can do to keep the tint on the car? I don't want it to look gay with the back windows dark and the front light. Anyone else ever had this problem? Any suggestions?
yes, unfortunatly the officer was correct. usually stock cars meter out at 78% on the front side windows, you CAN tint to 70%, which is basically useless.
the only thing i can sugguest is tint to about 50% and ALWAYS ride with the windows down as much as possible anyways, see a cop-WINDOWS DOWN. and unfortunatly it doesnt matter how lucky you are, doesnt matter how long you've gone with out getting caught... your ALWAYS going to GET caught eventually. theres no way around the law unless you have extremly bad eye sight, in which case you can go down and get a doctors note and fill out the proper forms down at the DNV to get a 'get out of jail free' card, but... its very difficult to get one of these. you basically have to be blind.
the cops in iowa crack down pretty hard on the tint laws, the good news however is you CAN tint the back windows as dark as you please without any issues. i know you said it would look like crap, and i do agree, but if its your daily driver, then it just something your going to have to put up with. they even go so far as to MAKE you actually scape the tint off with a razor blade they provide if you've had enough violations, some state dicks are even so bad as to make you do it on your first offense. believe me, paying tint tickets arent fun, i had 35% on my 97Z for 2 weeks, got my first ticket, brought the car back out after that winter and was on the road for 3 days and got busted by the same cop. usually in iowa since they raised the court costs and ticket costs a tint ticket will run your around $80, which is im sad to say about the same price as actually TINTING the got damn windows in the first place.
my car has 5% tint all the way around, but mine isnt a daily driver is lucky to see 200 miles a month. i only roll with them down, never up.
ive seen 'tricks' done and even done some myself, i had manual windows in my 97z and actually had it do you could remove the cranks so you couldnt roll the windows down to get metered. i also had a friend with a silverado pickup-he bought oversized ventshades that were like 4-5inches thick and had the windows tinted to bottom line of them so the meter couldnt reach the tint. but they dont matter. you still get ticketed, they just dont use the meter and insted of one for 20% tint, its just 'use of illegal tint'.
hope that helps man.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edited Friday, July 20, 2007 12:34 PM
Im just glad Ive only been pulled over once and that was on campus and only got a warning... **KNOCKS ON WOOD**
J TO ENVY wrote:I got pulled over by an Illinois State Trooper for having my front windows tinted (35
about a month ago. The law in Illinois is that the front windows are not supposed to be tinted at all. He also pulled me over for no front license plate, rear license plate cover (it's clear, but any license plate cover is now illegal in Illinois) and loud exhaust. I have a feeling that if the other things wouldn't have been an issue he probably wouldn't have pulled me over for the tint alone. I usually do the "put the windows down" trick, but it just so happened to be pouring rain that day. I have never been bothered around where I live, but the first time I went down state is when I got busted. I ended up pleading guilty and paying the $75 ticket in order to get my license back.
I just got a "new" car and I will eventually have the front windows tinted 35% again, but I have already decided if I get ticketed twice, as much as it will drive me nuts, I will take it off the front windows because I refuse to keep forking over $75 to the state of Illinois. Once was more than enough for me.
It really pisses me off when you go somewhere "hot", like Florida for example, and people are driving around with limo tint all the way around and yet just because it doesn't get as "hot" here in the Midwest, it's illegal 
. On a side note, I have heard that the legal limit in Wisconsin is 35%. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but if it is maybe all of us from Iowa and Illinois can just move up there and enjoy our tinted windows in peace 
.
/rant
The laws are not set on how hot it gets where you live. The laws are set to protect the cops. Would you want to walk up to a car that is tinted so you cant see in and have them blow your head off. I don't think you would like that to much and would do the same thing they do. I for one have my windows tinted and always roll mine down. I have also had cops come to my car with guns pulled and told me to get out of the car and put my hands of my head. Do I care nope cause its there job and they are trying to stay safe and alive.
Disclaimer:
Dey see me Trollin' Dey hatin' for trollin dey trying to catch me ridin dirty.
Cavie Freak wrote:
The laws are not set on how hot it gets where you live. The laws are set to protect the cops. Would you want to walk up to a car that is tinted so you cant see in and have them blow your head off. I don't think you would like that to much and would do the same thing they do. I for one have my windows tinted and always roll mine down. I have also had cops come to my car with guns pulled and told me to get out of the car and put my hands of my head. Do I care nope cause its there job and they are trying to stay safe and alive.
You would think that they could pass some sort of law that requires you to roll down the window when pulled over. If nothing else they have the intercom systems that they could request that you do. If you fail to follow orders then so be it you can have a gun pulled on you and any sort of fine or whatnot the officer feels like giving you. I always roll down my windows because I feel that it is the most courteous thing to do. And like they say the cop is generally nice to you if you are nice to him.
On the other hand I didn't really feel like taking the chance of getting caught and paying an $86 fine so the windows are now clear up front. I figure when I move in the next couple of years I will just redo it all since it was purpleing anyways.
Thanks for the replys guys.
Cavie Freak wrote:The laws are not set on how hot it gets where you live. The laws are set to protect the cops. Would you want to walk up to a car that is tinted so you cant see in and have them blow your head off. I don't think you would like that to much and would do the same thing they do. I for one have my windows tinted and always roll mine down. I have also had cops come to my car with guns pulled and told me to get out of the car and put my hands of my head. Do I care nope cause its there job and they are trying to stay safe and alive.
yes, thats the truth, but its got a big hole in it. what happens when you have the back windows on a sedan tinted? roll the rears down and BOOM. dead cop. same exact thing. only its 'legal' the tint laws are retarded, if they really wanna be safe all tint on every window should be illegal.
tips to get out of a ticket:
pull over to the right as far as possible and kick out the front of your car twords the road a little bit
have all windows down
dome light on
car off
throw keys on ROOF of car
left arm outside the vehicle, right hand on TOP of the steering wheel so they can see them at all times
be polite and courteous
my 1993 Grand Prix SE I had was tinted all around the back 3 windows were 5% and the doors were 35% and I newver had a problem but it all depends o the officer as well. Some are pickier than others.
And you guys give me crap for not tinting my windows. As if I don't already fund the state dicks enough, somewhere to the tune of 2-3 tickets a year. Last year I decided to donate some to the Iowa state patrol as well.
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4 Cams...32 Valves...5 Liters...This Could Get Fun!
hey curtis, you may want to look at the dates on the thread... brought way back from the dead...
zombie posts rule!!!!!
few things about Iowa cops, they catch so many illegals and drug dealers, they always seem to call for back up. Its really is a standard on 35 or 380 to see 2 cars at every ticket.
i've been pulled over for load exhaust right after I left a muffler shop. I asked what the DB level was and was handed a ticket, the officer said "what ever "we" think is to loud" beat it in court, course I had to pay a my lawyer.
Iowa cops can be very anal, "to dark" "to loud" and my favorite ticket "rapid acceleration" WTF is rapid acceleration? not spinning them off, not speeding.
yep, the iowa state dicks love to think they have DB meters in their ears, binocular vision and my personal favorite, bravado.
Yeah I've been rounds with the State Dicks down by Ottumwa too. Tint, lighting, loud exhaust, I one of them even pulled me over because I forgot to turn my turn signal off and the cancel cam was broken in that car... They definitely have a quota to fill, and they hunt for ways to fill it.
When I get pulled over I usually have my insurance, registration, and license waiting on the dash with my dome light on and both hands on the steering wheel flattly - not gripping it. I will say that for the numbers of times I've been pulled over - 30 easy, If feel damn lucky that I've only gotten 4 total tickets, only 1 of which was a moving violation. Following too closely for the lose.
Politeness goes a long way though usually, atleast with city cops around here, if you're really nice they'll usually do a verbal warning only. A dick is always handing you something written.
@!#$s.
Vincent Morris wrote:hey curtis, you may want to look at the dates on the thread... brought way back from the dead...
What's the point, it's still a completely ridiculous law, in any state. Window tint should not be illegal. And because of the crap that some of the guys around here get for it, I'll opt to keep them clear.
And just because of the date doesn't mean it's a dead post, I mean seriously, my
Got Some New Toys thread, it dates back to November, and by the time I'm done this winter it'll be more than 6 months old.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Monday, January 07, 2008 2:19 PM
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4 Cams...32 Valves...5 Liters...This Could Get Fun!
i live in iowa and ive had 20% on my front and 2% on my back and never had a problem i know its illegal but the cops around here r cool
i bet i can beat all of u on tickets in the past year ive had 3 failure to stops 2 careless driving one speeding 1 no license plate in front one exhaust and an improper take off. two of the failure to stop and one of the careless driving were all at once (i didnt see the cop behind me when i ran a stop sign and drifted thru another)
cameron smith wrote:i bet i can beat all of u on tickets in the past year ive had 3 failure to stops 2 careless driving one speeding 1 no license plate in front one exhaust and an improper take off. two of the failure to stop and one of the careless driving were all at once (i didnt see the cop behind me when i ran a stop sign and drifted thru another)
you cant still have a driver's licence....
z yaaaa wrote:cameron smith wrote:i bet i can beat all of u on tickets in the past year ive had 3 failure to stops 2 careless driving one speeding 1 no license plate in front one exhaust and an improper take off. two of the failure to stop and one of the careless driving were all at once (i didnt see the cop behind me when i ran a stop sign and drifted thru another)
you cant still have a driver's licence....
you are one that gives cops reasons to be asses, I try to keep a clean record. every ticket you get will cost you about 60/yr in insurance. that is basedof my 34yr/married rates too. If your younger it must cost a ton.
my situations with cops have always lead to me a squad car or on the ground with guns pointed at me, i love iowa cops.
so far i have had two attempted drunken driving and i added attempted because i was sober but the cop tried to prove other wise. both times include a time spent the squad car and once on my stomach in my grandparents driveway.
i have wanted to tint my windows but i work in downtown cr around the cop shop so they are typically dicks around the home base.
ive had my license taken away i got it back now but i have to take an 8 hour driving class on the 24th
