Tinted windshields and the cops

When I purchased my 87 back in 98 it had tinted driver and passenger windows. I was recently pulled over in PA at 4 pm eastern and had a test done (put meter on window) where the inside was only 32.7% visible. PA law requires 70%. Total fine $104. Has anyone ever won one of these cases? Could time of day or conditions like rain cause this number to be lower? Cop did not buy the line "thats how the car was when I bought it - perhaps a factory option". What is the easiest way to remove or should a professional shop do this? Thanks.

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Don't forget to tell your significant other you love them. Then work on the TC and smoke cigars.
78DJ, 87TC (daily driver), 90SC, 94F150

You do not have to have a professional shop do it on the drivers and passanger glass front and back you just have to peal it off then use a good window cleaner and a straight edge razor to clean off the glue on the back window if you have a rear defroster you have to be very careful you have to spray the the window as you are removing the tint so you do not break the rear defroster line in the glass and do not use the straight edge razor to scarape the window

I doubt seriously that you stand any chance to win. The numbers are too far off and you've had the car for five years. Call the court clerk for where the ticket was issued and see if the court cost for contesting your case is included in the fine. Some states already have the court fees included, so going to court and trying won't cost you anything other than time.

Nothing changes the % of light transmission other than tint. Most of those units are digital light meters that are very accurate. It won't matter how you bought the car, it's your responsibility to keep it legal (in their opinion).

Most people aren't aware that if your car has AC, the front driver/passenger door glass come from the factory with 10% tint embedded in the glass. Meaning if your state allows 70% and you buy 70% tint from a store/shop and they test your glass, you will only be at 60%.

As far as removing the tint, you can do the side glass easily with a razor scraper. If your rear glass is tinted than I highly recommend you taking it to a shop to have it removed. They use a chemical called "Sweat It" (not available over the counter). And don't even think of just pulling the film off thinking you can just clean the adhesive off... it doesn't work. Once you get to that stage the only thing that works is a razor blade and you'll end up cutting most of the defroster grid.

When I bought my car, it had some stupid purple tint on all the side and rear windows. I took off the front side and rear quarter window tint myself, but it took STRAIGHT ACETONE from Home Depot and alot of rubbing to get the glue off. Must have been some crazy glue. Got the tint peeled off the rear window, but I am not about to screw it up with the acetone. So I agree with Nate, if you have any on the back, take it and have it done.

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~Matt~
'89 Thunderbird SC 5-speed
[email protected]

I use a rag soaked in laquer thinner and razor. Wipe, scrape, wipe, scape. That's after peeling of course.

I got a fine but when I asked the cop if I had to check in at the station after removal he said no.
I said to the cop it's cheaper than getting skin cancer, and he agreed.
So I still have mine on, been through several road blocks too, knock on wood.

you may laugh or scoff at me but I used paint stripper on my rear window to remove the worst tint youve ever seen....2 layers of horridly bubbled tint and glue and it worked great other than burning me a few times lol......the defroster still works on mine, the window is clear except around the very edges which I'll get to eventually...after the stripper I used lacquer thinner to rub the remaining stripper off then lots of window cleaner to get it clean and clear, I dont know if I would recommend this method to anyone but it worked for me, if it came to doing it this way then be sure to cover everything around the window good, I got a few drips on the cover to the brake light and it now has a few white spots in it but if you'd seen the window before you'd understand how happy I am now, you couldnt even see through the window at all from the back seat let alone the driver seat

Jezzz you guys are a bunch of chemical TC'ers!!

I failed the window tint test at yearly state inspection a couple of years ago. It was the first time they had ever tested for that on my car. I told the guy it was "legal tint" as shown by the little sticker in the lower corner, but it was at least 15 years old. He told me as tint gets older it may fail the test. Most of the cheaper tints do fade to a purple color as they get older.

Well I'm not the type of person to believe some little zit faced punk who was basically given the authority of enforcing state laws. So I stopped by the local Department of Public Safety Office and had them test it. They had the same results, too dark according to the meter. I asked him why it had the sticker in the corner and that it didn't seem dark at all (you can easily see though it, even at night from the outside). Interestingly he told me the same thing the kid did. For some reason it can test as too dark as it gets older without actually getting any darker. They know this as a fact, but don't seem to care that it may be wrong? Why mess up the big business of giving out tickets?

I ended up just going to a different station and paying the fee again, but got the inspection sticker without a problem.

Dude after being pulled over a few and went to court all I got was a $35 court cost and had to promise I was getting it taked off. Yea I got right on that, the loosers. After 4 months I sold that nird to a guy in MI where its legal.

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Not So Stock 88 TC. 94 SHO w/5speed. (NATO Member)

Yeah, The cops around here dont care about the tint unless they are like solid black. The only hassle you will get around here is from the State troopers.