Window tint

[alanymarce]

I go thru TJ a couple times a year and never had problems. I have a Mexican plated vehicle.

OP's vehicle is not registered in Mexico and will potentially attract attention. Any excuse for a mordida...

 

[blubullett]

I don't get upset about window tint.

And there are probably exemptions on the books for those vehicles, just like how cops and cop cars are generally exempt from seatbelt, cell phone, tint, and other laws.

But...but...I thought there were safety issues? LOL. Guess it isn't really about safety is it.

 

[MTVR]

But...but...I thought there were safety issues? LOL. Guess it isn't really about safety is it.

The danger is not to other cops- the danger of illegally tinted windows is to offenders.

 

[Jacobm]

The danger is not to other cops- the danger of illegally tinted windows is to offenders.

So cops can see through illegal tint but regular people can't? Got it.

In my state, 35% front, 20% rear, 35% to the AS-1 line on the windshield is legal. The previous owner did limo tint all the way around, and my car is black/black, so it's impossible to see inside in any conditions beyond having the lights on in the car in a very dark (i.e. country road in the middle of nowhere) environment. The windows actually look darker than the car if it's dirty at all. I wouldn't have tinted it this dark but it's what came with the car and re-tinting it would be expensive. I can see out enough to be safe except for moonless nights in the country. In those times I just roll the windows down and curse myself for being too cheap to re-tint the windows. I've never been pulled over for tint, nor have I ever had it mentioned when I've been stopped other times. Same with not having a front plate. On my car, there's not a spot for one on the factory front bumper, it requires a special bracket from the dealer. When I inquired they said absolutely don't just drill into the bumper, it'll damage the airbag sensor, and that the bracket was in backordered limbo. I just keep it in the glove box. I'm rolling probable cause, and yet I've never been issued a ticket for those offenses in the ~ 10 times I've been pulled over in my life. I suspect this is because tickets invite people to fix their issues, eliminating probable cause for further stops where real crimes get discovered and dealt with, like MTVR said. I look at a lot of driving records/background checks for work and I've never seen any indication that someone's been issued a ticket for either of those offenses, and I've seen plenty of other "fixit" tickets, so I suspect police in my area just issue warnings for those offenses.

I should add that the number of tickets I've gotten in my life and the number of times I deserved a ticket balance out, and though not every ticket has been tied to a deserving offense, in my view they make up for the things I got warnings for which could've easily justified more. I don't drive like I used to, I guess they were right when they say you grow out of it.

Back to the original topic - I'd vote pay for the expensive clear ceramic stuff - it'll pay for itself if you do get ticketed, or end up in a situation where your vehicle is deemed "un-roadworthy" in lieu of fines/bribes and impounded.

 

[MTVR]

So cops can see through illegal tint but regular people can't? Got it.

What are you talking about? I didn't say anything like that.

Tint offenders put themselves and the occupants of their vehicles in danger during a traffic stop. Blubullett appears to understand why that is, so I'm guessing he's a cop. You apparently don't understand why that is, so I'm just gonna recommend for the safety of you and yours, not to commit tint offenses.

 

[dreadlocks]

heh, even my mom who always had dark tinted windows told me when I tinted my windows, that one sure fire way to piss off a cop, have a gun pointed at you and catch an offence for just about anything they can find was to make him/her walk up on a vehicle they cant see anything inside of.

thats why I roll down all the windows, flip on my super bright LED interior lights, grab my ID and put my hands on the wheel before they even step out of their vehicle.. never got any grief for my tint.. even if its dead of winter or raining, all windows down.

 

[MTVR]

heh, even my mom who always had dark tinted windows told me when I tinted my windows, that one sure fire way to piss off a cop, have a gun pointed at you and catch an offence for just about anything they can find was to make him/her walk up on a vehicle they cant see anything inside of.

thats why I roll down all the windows, flip on my super bright LED interior lights, grab my ID and put my hands on the wheel before they even step out of their vehicle.. never got any grief for my tint.. even if its dead of winter or raining, all windows down.

You seem like a good guy, but it's NEVER a good idea to go digging for stuff without being directed to.

Keep in mind that reaching for your wallet looks exactly like reaching for a handgun to us. Now add to that, the fact that the illegal tint makes it harder for the officer to see that you're NOT pulling a gun. He may not even need to see your ID- he might be pulling you over for your safety, just to let you know that your tail lights are out.

And although you didn't mention it, this seems like an appropriate place to mention the dangers of taking the seatbelt off without being directed to do so- I have no idea why offenders do that- the only legitimate reason we can see, is if they are going to bail out to flee and/or to try to kill us. Absolute BEST case scenario, is that you're setting yourself up for a seatbelt ticket. WORST case scenario, the officer sees you reach and then a shiny metal object (the tongue of the male seatbelt buckle half) move quickly from your right hip up and across in the officer's direction, much in the manner of a gun coming up. Again, illegal tint can make it harder for the officer to see that it's not a gun. And the legal justification for the officer to use deadly physical force against an offender, does NOT require that the shiny metal thing was actually a gun.

Rolling down the windows- good.

Shutting the engine off- good.

Putting your hands on top of the steering wheel (or even putting both BOTH hands out the window with your palms facing the officer) and remaining motionless unless and until directed to do otherwise- good.

Listening to and following directions- good.

Doing stuff that you were not told to do, especially stuff that makes it look like you may be trying to kill us- bad.

 

[MTVR]

...and keep in mind that although it is customary in some parts of the country to call the offender back to the patrol car, don't EVER open your car door without being told to- in most civilized parts of the country, a good officer will instantly respond by drawing his pistol, and if you advance on him AT ALL without being directed to, even just putting one foot on the pavement, you will find yourself staring down the barrel of his weapon. It may seem harsh, but we know things that the average lay person does not, and this is really important stuff...

 

[dreadlocks]

yeah I keep my ID and all that stuff within quick grab, I'm not digging for anything once the vehicle is stopped and they got eyes on me.. I'm normally observant enough I got a good idea I'm getting pulled over long, long before the cherries and berries go off and making sure everything is squared away.

I used to rock a radar detector not so I could speed, but so I had enough warning all my weed was well stashed and yeh all couldn't sneak up on me.. at one point in time I could ID Crown Vic or Impala headlamps and tail lights from miles away because I was always holding and always paranoid, no worries now days.. but now days yeh all drive hybrids, and suvs and and all sorts of crap thats not fair heh...

The one time I got hassled the most, shoulda been an 8h overnight trip in my Jeep across Kansas.. but I left town with a burnt out tail light I was informed of about 10mins into kansas, and then every 45mins or so I got pulled over again, took over 10h to make the trip and I had 8 nice officers inform me my tail light was out between 11pm and 4am, the last one I was a bit agitated and just said "Yeah I know my tail light is out, no place is open this hour I'll fix it asap" and waved a stack of warnings I had gotten at him.. he just laughed and told me to have a good night, never looked at nothin.. the Jeep now always has 2 spare tail bulbs in the glovebox all the time.

 

[MTVR]

Hiding the weed doesn't serve any purpose- we have this new invention called a "nose". If we smell marijuana, it can lead to a DUI case, a drug case, both, or neither.

 

[dreadlocks]

shrug, almost always holding so its been working so far.. the one time I had a customs agent determined I was holding when I wasn't and they tore my car apart.. kinda wish I had a bowl or something to satisfy him before he wasted a whole day and ruined all my food.. in the end he finally found some residue on some fingernail clippers he found after he took the rear seats out and I hadda surrender em to pass.. I learned that day if customs is determined to find something they will not let up til they find something they can "Ah Hah!" over.. I always wondered if I just pulled out a crusty old bowl and a few crumbs in a bag at the beginning and gave it to em if the'd of continued on to the depths they did and the results woulda been the same.

us stoners have all sorts of airtight contraptions.. you ever checked to see if a mylar capri sun pouch floating in a cooler was not carefully resealed half ounce of vacation pot? sadly those guys hadda start putting plastic windows on the bottom of em so you could see if they gone bad and messed that all up for me.. its not like i'm rollin down the road smokin blunts, now days out on a lonely highway w/my kiddos in the back I'm only buzzed off redbull and coffee.. ye aint finding diddly on me outside Colorado anymo unless you remove my dogs, break out a toolbox and catch me being sloppy.. then congrats, you took a few grams of colorado's best of the street.. If I'm destined for a legal state I dont even carry much anymore, like to sample the local goods when feasible.. tides are turning, one day I'll travel freely without being a dirty criminal.. didnt think it'd happen before I died but seems like it might.. but then there's always my window tint, so I suppose its an outlaw's life for me.

 

[MTVR]

Well, you're one of my favorite criminals...

 

[plumber mike]

Well, you're one of my favorite criminals...

Around here we call them people.

 

[javajoe79]

I’ve had multiple cops tell me they smelled something in an effort to get consent. Largely Just another bs tactic. I’m glad states are going legal one by one. We’ve been criminalizing a beneficial plant for far too long. Meanwhile we dole out opiate prescriptions to anyone for anything

 

[MTVR]

Consent is usually most convenient for the offender, but I have no problem with impounding a vehicle and having it towed to the station pursuant to a search warrant.

I'm always very up-front with offenders, in telling them that one way or another, I'm leaving here with the dope tonight- the rest is totally up to them...