SW17LS

As some may remember, when I got my 17 LS460L I tinted the windows with 30% Formula One Stratos tint. Legal limit in MD is 35%. I was going to do 40%, but went with the 30 which I had on my 15 LS460.

Well, then 15 was nebula with a grey interior, the 17 is liquid platinum with a black interior, long story short it looks way darker on the 17. Still though, doesn't look super dark. Nobody ever bothered me with the 15, but after 6 months I did get stopped last week just for the tint and got a repair order. Nobody can believe I got stopped...

I had a shop I use meter it, it meters at .28. So the factory Lexus tint is 87.5% if anybody is wondering. I'm at the shop right now having it replaced with 40% which should meter legal and they will certify is legal.

Just venting, $750 down the drain...

tofuprod

I've been there, it definitely is a bummer. I have 35% all the way around here (legal limit for IL - or 5% rear but clear in the front), plus 50% on front windshield (not legal but it's hardly noticeable) with full ceramic/heat rejection by Formula One Stratos as well (great film by the way, you get what you pay for).

I had a similar setup years ago too on a different vehicle before the law was passed allowing such tint and that was money down the drain when I got pulled over, the funny (not) story to it all was less than a month later, the bill was passed. Talk about my lividness when it all happened during and after.

SW17LS

So frustrating! I'm happy at least that I can do 40 and don't have to go to 50...my shop doesn't stock the 35 because the actual VLT of that film is 39 and its so close to the 40.

The Stratos is great film. I'm temped by the 50 on the windshield too, how did that turn out for you? How did they handle all the dot matrix stuff at the edges and all?

comotiger

Hi Steve,
Sorry to hear you got "ticketed" for the tint level. I can't believe the cops catch people for this, especially since yours is borderline legal, and hard to spot easily. Did the cop have a meter to test your tint level?

SW17LS

No, no meter. He just stopped me because it "looked dark" and gave me a repair order to have it tested by a MD inspection station...

Most annoying is I was deciding between the 40 and 30, and the shop kinda talked me into the 30 and now I'm paying them a ton to take it off and do the 40. Oh well!

tofuprod

I agree, Stratos is indeed a great quality product.
To be honest with you I'm not too sure what "tricks" if any my guy uses, but just like the back window he did, the front windshield has pretty much none of that dot-matrix lift that you commonly see. Not sure if he used some sort of adhesion promoter or whatnot, but it works.

I don't have any clear pics or at least of anything that is up close on the front but this is the "best" I have currently.

SW17LS

Looks great!

DarKnight

iTrader: (3)

Move to FL Steve. Limits are a little lower and I think tints are a secondary offense, I think.

SW17LS

But then I have to live in FL

SW17LS

All done! Looks pretty much the same...I actually like it better. Not as much as I liked my $800 but it is what it is.

DerrickM

Ugh, that's the worst. I lived in fear for years with my old car which was tinted super dark. Anytime I saw a patrol car I'd roll down my windows.

SW17LS

Oh. My. God.

So...took the car with the new tint over to the inspection station to get the repair order signed off on. I had him meter the old tint on Tuesday before I went and had it replaced. So, that was 30% (actual film VLT is 32%) and it metered at 28%. So, mathematically the factory tint is 87.5%. New tint is 42%, and the spec'ed VLT from Formula One/Llumar is 42%. So, mathematically the tint should meter 36.8%.

Took it to the same shop I had taken it to Tuesday, same meter, same guy. It measures 34.7% and he wouldn't pass it.

WTF?!?!?

Called the shop and they are dumbfounded. They're going to call llumar with the serial number of the film and make sure there hasn't been some change in their makeup or sent them the wrong film. Llumar also makes a 35% that has a VLT of 39%, and thats my concerns thats what I got. If you do the math on that one it would meter like 34.XX%...

Shop promises to make me whole if it was a film error but I just don't have 4 damn hours to sit over there again, plus the trauma to the defroster lines in the window, etc.

So frustrated...

tofuprod

SW17LS

So I'm going to try and take it someplace else and get it to pass. A less nice place lol.

Talked to the shop and they're dumbfounded. They of course will take it off and replace it and not charge me but Id rather not do that..

comotiger

WTF, indeed!! Haven't they heard of rounding? Do they take multiple measurements in different locations and average? This is really silly....