E30 Window Tint

[theox69]

Does tint really help keep the interior cooler like some people say?

[NC325iC]

Well personally, I don't like dark tint. If you do, then I guess it might suck. I have never had any problems with modding my cars. Mostly ricers get messed with. As far as owning a car in California...its the best!! Cant beat the awesome weather and year round driving. Or the sprawling open highways up the coast... Beautiful my man....

i wasnt saying just because of tint, theres tint, smog, inspections (i assume theres more than one), police hounding you for mods youve done, noticing missing parts etc...

here i just have to pay 10 bucks for a "safety inspection", 6 bucks for taxes, and however much for registration and they leave me alone.

safety inspection is just looking at the car to make sure its a car no exhaust tests at all, they look to see if theres something that resembles a cat.

i drove my black car home with no cat, and only a single glasspak and no liscense plate, passed like 3 cops, none of them gave 2 shits

[schröe30er]

i wasnt saying just because of tint, theres tint, smog, inspections (i assume theres more than one), police hounding you for mods youve done, noticing missing parts etc...

here i just have to pay 10 bucks for a "safety inspection", 6 bucks for taxes, and however much for registration and they leave me alone.

safety inspection is just looking at the car to make sure its a car no exhaust tests at all, they look to see if theres something that resembles a cat.

i drove my black car home with no cat, and only a single glasspak and no liscense plate, passed like 3 cops, none of them gave 2 shits

Smog is every two years...$50, and thank god. We have way more cars on the road here then in NC. I am an active person and because of our smog testing standards, I can actually breath. I know all about inspections. I am currently in Texas visiting my girl where they have inspections. We don't even have inspections in California. So no getting popped for missing parts or mods. Also like I said, cops only mess with ricers...

My Mercedes 300sd turbo diesel has a straight pipe exhaust, 4inch piping to 5inch tip (no muffler) and I pass cops all the time. It literally sounds like a big rig driving down the street. (I'll post pics)

I grew up in Cali. The way it normally works out here is, if you look like an idiot or do over the top mods, or a kid in a ricer... then MAYBE you will get messed with. I have been modding my cars since my first car (91 Integra) That was in 1997...never a problem since. One ticket for no front plate in my Jeep Cherokee, $20... and that's it. I only do performance and tasteful body mods though. I bought the 300sd with that exhaust. I don't think I would have gone that route....still never an issue. There are some areas outside of the cities where the cops are just plain d*cks and bored and your risk of getting stopped is higher. Still mainly if your a ricer.

If you drive brand new cars, then yea registration is the killer there... but if you buy brand new cars, you can afford it. Reg on my e30 is only $70...

Even if it is a tad more then you spend in NC, that's the price you pay to live in paradise.

back on topic...

@aTron12 > I always give a fellow Californian a heads up in case they don't know the current law. Tint is hard to hide. Its not like swapping the stock part back on to clear the ticket. Then swapping the mod back on.. If a cop see's it and wants to ticket you, they can and you will have to remove it. Obviously, you can get what ever tint you want, I see people with "illegal" tint all the time in Cali... so it can be done. Some people (like myself) don't want to risk that. Possibly having to remove it just after getting it done, screw that. I am too frugal "cheap" for that.

Pics... I know, its gold! The engine is tip top though. Its my workhorse and runs on WVO....peace

[NC325iC]

wasnt trying to be hostile, and it seems my opinion may have been misinformed. I was just stating the way it works here.

also, no front plates here. and cops cant pull you over just for having tint, that gets covered in inspection. cops cant pull you over for not having a current inspection, they can add that on after they pull you over. Just like our new law for no texting while driving. They cant pull you over for texting, but if they pull you over for another reason, and you were. they add that on.

[fiftytakedowns]

your safe with 35% in cali IMO

[z31maniac]

E30s look better without tint IMHO.

[325ix]

E30s look better without tint IMHO.

same. Or I like what came with my car factory

[kid325e]

No tint for me, just really clean glass and fresh interior!

[BeirBrennerE30]

35%... light enough where you can see out but dark enough to cut the glare and keep the interior cool. I noticed a huge improvement in the temp of the interior in the sun.

whatever you do just make sure you do all the windows the same shade... when the backs are darker than the fronts it looks freakin terrible.

[noE30]

I thought I read somewhere online that there is some 3m (i think) tint that is basically clear and still blocks uv light like normal tint. I don't like tint but I really hate having a hot ass car in the summer, my car came with some shitty blue tint so I tore that all off and now I would love to find something that still blocked the uv light.
Anyone heard of that stuff?

[kid325e]

OT I know but someday I want to be like you beirbrennere30. Sounds like you have an awesome car collection so far! (e90 m3 and 1 series!)

[will61]

my mercedes 300sd turbo diesel has a straight pipe exhaust, 4inch piping to 5inch tip (no muffler) and i pass cops all the time. It literally sounds like a big rig driving down the street. (i'll post pics)

^^^^^thats what im talkin about ^^^^

[dreamer420]

cali law is NO tint on the front windows. or 100% visibility tint....
and you are allowed i think a 6" drop on the windshield.
you wont find many tint places that will say no to tinting your front windows.

my old car had 20% all around, it was dark. you could barely see in it. i dont have a problem seeing out of limo tint though, let alone 20%

im thinking of doing my 4dr 35% all around and maybe 5% on the back windshield. and YES it helps a lot in my opinion for keeping the heat inside down, especailly if they're cracked open.

[BadCompany3]

I have 20% all around and 5% on the back windshield and front strip and am very pleased with the turnout for the most part.

I can still see at night and plenty dark for the hot days.

[browntown]

pay for the good stuff, and a high end installer. the stuff shrinks and nothing drives me nuttier than the shrink around the borders. That and I have some crappy purple tint from the PO that I need to pay a couple hundo to have removed. I think most purpling is from people using windex on tint, hopefully there is ammonia safe tint these days.