I'd like to do a light tint on my tail lights. Does anyone know if this is this legal? I've heard different things. And if it isn't has anyone ever been harassed? Thanks.
Hell, VW used to do it from the factory...it all depends on the shade of tint and how you go about tinting it. I've used in the past, VHT tint spray. I got it from Summit Racing, IIRC, and it worked out perfect!! Tints the light just right, but when the lights are on, you can't tell they are tinted. definitely something worth looking into!
Fair enough. But while this holds very true about police officers, scotty is an avid Public Enemy fan. So, I cut him a little slack in the respect that he probably just couldn't resist kickin' out tha jams in such a manner. But I'm gonna beat him o'er da head with my OEM shifter when next I see him, since a kartboy that came today will be sitting in it's place.
Your concern about this modification should not be about the legality of the issue, rather, it needs to be focused on the "safety" concerns. The 20% tinted tailights which some of our members wear proudly IMO are not "Safe". With that said however, you can still see the taillights relatively clearly at night on the road. While this is good, it isnt the nighttime visibility that concerns me with this type of modification. The time period that view as most crucial is twilight time. It is at this time that even stock taillights that are dirty become hard to see. If you would like to play it safe I would suggest only purchasing film that is 35% (the legal limit for our windows). That is what is on my taillights currently. I have never received 1 complaint from any police officers about it. My only concern with it is that it significantly dims your reverse lights. Considering your tails are LEDs, I doubt this will impact their brightness that much anyways. With that said, go forth young man and tint those things!
Thanks Alex! Like I said I was thinking a "light" smoke, just to tone down the brightness of the tails a little bit, so I imagine 35% would be more than enough for the effect I'm going for. And what's the news on my hot new 10th street jdm alcantara interior pieces? I got my Kartboy installed and she's naked. Shift boot needed, yo. I love you, Alex. And thanks again.
Waiting on material to arrive, once it does they'll be done. Did you decide on a stitching color yet (blk, gray, etc)? Also, what exactly did your dad want done to his 911?
http://www.autotoys.com/x/catalog/VHT_NITE_SHADES_LENS_SP999_p_1990.html This is the stuff that I used on my taillights years ago. It worked great, and you can always go super light and darken them up....just can't go the opposite way with them.
What type of film do you use? I would like to get mine tinted as well. I'm gonna have to find someone to do mine though, never been any good with that kinda stuff (tint, stickers, etc).
I've been considering doing this for quite some time (just a light tint), and now that I'm black on black I'm thinking even more. My only concern is that I've seen a number of cars with tinted tails that no longer look shiny. There's no gloss to them anymore. Is this just because some people do it cheaply? Or is the haziness just an inevitable thing (obviously a couple years down the road)?
I had 5% on my tails and the cops didn't like it, but they didn't say it was illegal. The tinted tag cover I had was illegal but a throw away ticket in court if it is removed. Murdered out FTW!
uuhhh tinted tails look stoopid. dontcallitarex, if anything put red tint on those 08 tails, not black
I have to agree. Black tinted tails look great on a Black car, decent on a white car, but aweful on Blue. I had Tinted tails that I picked up from a member on my car for maybe a month or 2 but hated them, so I swapped with another member that had a White WRX that looked really good with them.
How exactly does one go about making the tails red? Is it like a paint or do they make like a film for it? Because I agree that they would look great with the WR blue, but I don't know how to go aboot it.
I think that tinted tails give the car a cheap, boy racer look. The darker the tint, the worse it looks IMO. The lighter the color of the car, the worse it looks. So the best application (IMO) is a light tint on a dark car. I think people tint the tails trying to give them a subtle/blended look or to draw attention away from them, but it really just brings attention to them and makes them stick out...fail. Here is one of the more tastefully done taillight tint jobs ive seen (from recent thread on nasioc): Notice how the tails are still more 'red' than 'black'...when you tint them to the extent that they are pretty much all black it reminds me of some kids neon in a high school parking lot.
I have seen some people just put a light tint on the reverse lights on their WRX... I think that looks pretty good!
Thanks, took your advice. Hope to hear back from them soon! They are so close to me too. Wait, that might actually be bad news, because i'm itching for mods.
you know anyone that paints? they put a light coat of candy red on them with some clear, would look awesome! Also if you just want to tint them, they can do a black basecoat and it can be wetsanded down to where you want it.
I have had tinted tails on my car for 3 years and had to drive from 75 to 41 on Barrett pawrkway at least once a day for two years and never once got pulled over for it or a complaint. I think the looks very depending on the color of the car. If I had my way, I'd get an 08 STI in DGM and see if 10th street can pull them apart and paint all the silver DGM. If not I will sacrifice my reverse light and tint again. Just my $.02
I'm back :-D Just got me a 08 5door and saw this post, so wondering Since mine is Dark grey mecha what kind of tint i should go for?? I was wondering greyish type of tint, then i like deep blue tint but would that cause any problems? Need your feedback.
While I'm still not a big fan of the 08s. That really does improve the overall look of the rear-end. DO EET!!! Edit: Wow, Alex, you posted twice in the time it took me to post this one. :bowdown: