Tinted windows?

[dragonfly]

Hi there i just have a quick question i'm from P.A i was pulled over today due to my windows being tinted i've passed every inspection and bought my car this way the tint is not so dark that you cant see inside .I was told i had 10 day's to remove the tint this was a verbal warning .I really do not understand why this officer really pulled me over what if i do not do as he says can i get in trouble this is factory tint that came with the car he also said if he wanted to he could fine me 500 dollars for each window !should i take it to the dealership and ask them i dont know what to do

[Citicop]

If the tint is too dark, then you must remove it to make it in compliance with your state's laws.

It doesn't matter if that's how you bought it. It's your job to ensure that it is legal. Maybe the dealership will take it off for you, and maybe they'll charge you for it. Only one way to find out...

-Citicop.

[dragonfly]

I understand that but then why did it pass state inspections all these years and i'd never been pulled over for that before by any police officer i did not want to argue with him but this just doesnt seem right to me is there a way to measure the tint that is legal? i'm thinking because of all the salt on my car from the salt trucks it looked darker to him then it really is

[Citicop]

You always have the opportunity to plead "not guilty" to the charge.

If you believe it is within whatever limit was set by your state, then fight the charge.

-Citicop.

[dragonfly]

oh no citicop this was only a verbal warning no ticket or anything not a written warning and i live 45 minutes away from where he pulled me over i'm just worried about it now and if he can follow up he did not take any info or anything as far as i know he was a city cop not a state trooper

[acreature]

First off, where are you located (State)? Differing States have differing Laws regarding tint.

Second, factory tint cannot be removed without replacing the windows. Are you calling them factory because you bought the car like that (after-market tint)? Did you buy the vehicle new or used?

[greg72982]

Hi there i just have a quick question i'm from P.A i was pulled over today due to my windows being tinted i've passed every inspection and bought my car this way the tint is not so dark that you cant see inside .I was told i had 10 day's to remove the tint this was a verbal warning .I really do not understand why this officer really pulled me over what if i do not do as he says can i get in trouble this is factory tint that came with the car he also said if he wanted to he could fine me 500 dollars for each window !should i take it to the dealership and ask them i dont know what to do

Not all officers have the time or motivation to stop every tint violation they see. The state decided some time ago that you can't fail a vehicle for inspection due to tint and they would leave it up to the police to enforce the tint laws.

On a passenger car you need to have at least 70% light transmittance (30% tint). Bear in mind factory "clear windows" will already register about 72% light transmittance meaning you can only go about 2% darker.

The tint law in PA isn't half as complicated as people make it. The only vehicles that have factory tint are SUV's. They can have tint on any of the rear windows but NOT the driver side, passenger side, or windshield.

Honestly if the warning was verbal and you don't live near there or frequent there I wouldn't worry about it.

[Officer20]

i'm thinking because of all the salt on my car from the salt trucks it looked darker to him then it really is

Whether the problem is tint or dirt, the window needs to be able to be seen through to a certain degree. In Ohio we have a tint law to cover that side of it and we have a law requiring an unobstructed view. If you have an obstructed view, whether it be from a salt/tint combo, boxes piled up in the car, frosted or snow covered windows, etc.., the charge would fit. I'd be surprised if there wasn't a similar law in PA.

The officer obviously saw a problem with your vehicle and relayed that to you. If you allowed your car to accrue excessive dirt as you indicated, it sounds like a trip to the car wash might take care of the problem.

The bottom line on this, though, is that the officer gave you a warning and asked you to fix the problem. If your tint is factory, call your dealer and find out what the percentage is. If you installed it or had it installed, and it is more than 30% as indicated by Greg, you need to fix it.

[greg72982]

didn't work n/m

[dragonfly]

thank-you for your replys ,I guess to avoid being stoped ever again first a trip to the car wash lol then a trip to the dealership .there has got to be a way they could see if it is too much tint or not there .although i'm rather annoyed they could have sold it to me in the first place if it's not legal .It was a used car when i bought it so possibly the previous owner had this done and I was wrong i assumed it was factory done .Before yesterday i did not even know there WAS a tint law in PA better to be safe then sorry in these tough economic times who can pay 500 per window thats insain all of my windows have some tint on them side ,rear and just above my windshield .I seriously thought he just made up an excuse to pull me over because i was lost and did not know the area so was driving very slow trying to read street names and he may have thought i was up to no good or something my daughter thinks my car looks like a kids car it's a pretty sporty looking car and the officer did look a bit confused for a second when he saw an older women roll down the window to ask why she was pulled over .I guess we all get a little paranoid when we are unaware of something see those flashing lights lets face it flashing lights means $$$$$$ thanks again i will get it checked out and thanks for taking your time to answer my question

[greg72982]

thank-you for your replys ,I guess to avoid being stoped ever again first a trip to the car wash lol then a trip to the dealership .there has got to be a way they could see if it is too much tint or not there .although i'm rather annoyed they could have sold it to me in the first place if it's not legal .It was a used car when i bought it so possibly the previous owner had this done and I was wrong i assumed it was factory done .Before yesterday i did not even know there WAS a tint law in PA better to be safe then sorry in these tough economic times who can pay 500 per window thats insain all of my windows have some tint on them side ,rear and just above my windshield .I seriously thought he just made up an excuse to pull me over because i was lost and did not know the area so was driving very slow trying to read street names and he may have thought i was up to no good or something my daughter thinks my car looks like a kids car it's a pretty sporty looking car and the officer did look a bit confused for a second when he saw an older women roll down the window to ask why she was pulled over .I guess we all get a little paranoid when we are unaware of something see those flashing lights lets face it flashing lights means $$$$$$ thanks again i will get it checked out and thanks for taking your time to answer my question

He didn't make an excuse to pull you over, tint is illegal in PA (over 30%, which is pretty much any tint you add). The only error I see is him telling you it's a $500 fine. The fine is $25.00 plus costs and each window counts as a separate violation. My guess is he meant around $500.00 in all.

I hear this alot, "Well if it was illegal they wouldn't have been able to put it on." There are alot of things in PA that can be sold legally but possession or use of them can be illegal. Glass bowls for "tobacco" and fireworks are good examples of this.

[acreature]

Hi there i just have a quick question i'm from P.A i was pulled over today due to my windows being tinted i've passed every inspection and bought my car this way the tint is not so dark that you cant see inside .I was told i had 10 day's to remove the tint this was a verbal warning .I really do not understand why this officer really pulled me over what if i do not do as he says can i get in trouble this is factory tint that came with the car he also said if he wanted to he could fine me 500 dollars for each window !should i take it to the dealership and ask them i dont know what to do

First off, where are you located (State)? Differing States have differing Laws regarding tint.

I would like to apologize for posting my probing question before I broke out my "E-Guidebook on how to decipher a question that lacks proper Sentence Structuring".

Had I done so, I would have observed clues, via the improper sentence structure; capitalization and punctuation, run-on sentences, etc etc... that would have led me to posting a proper response, or not posting at all.

Carry on.

[dragonfly]

are you kidding me signal lol look at the way i write not exacly top in my english class (snicker) anyway thank you all again stay safe

[dragonfly]

oooh you were talking about me well now i'm leaving in a huff signal i'm insulted

[acreature]

oooh you were talking about me well now i'm leaving in a huff signal i'm insulted

Have a Blessed rest of your life