[Yungsta]

Originally Posted by Gen13 F36

Did you forget that in California they just pass new law.... it is not just a fix up ticket now. You have to pay the fine and fixed it at the same time.

Damn the strictest state getting stricter? I heard the loud exhaust ticket is no longer a fine now but a fix it ticket now. Guess it's a trade off. Between the tints, exhaust, DP, and no front license plate... I'm rolling the dice everytime I drive

[Gen13 F36]

Originally Posted by Yungsta

Damn the strictest state getting stricter? I heard the loud exhaust ticket is no longer a fine now but a fix it ticket now. Guess it's a trade off. Between the tints, exhaust, DP, and no front license plate... I'm rolling the dice everytime I drive

I sometimes forget my front license plate... due to going to cars and coffee. But mine is easy install and I just install it right in front of the officer..told him forgot to put it back lol.

[mlev]

Originally Posted by Gen13 F36

Did you forget that in California they just pass new law.... it is not just a fix up ticket now. You have to pay the fine and fixed it at the same time.

Source? I don't think that applies to window tint, only emissions/exhaust related.

[FD]

i have a BMW f30 with sun protection glass option on the rear windscreen and windows.

Any one wants to swap with me for clear windows

I will cover all cost for change over and travel; I am based in Manchester City Centre, UK

Thanks

[F36GC_NYC]

Originally Posted by Yungsta

Damn the strictest state getting stricter? I heard the loud exhaust ticket is no longer a fine now but a fix it ticket now. Guess it's a trade off. Between the tints, exhaust, DP, and no front license plate... I'm rolling the dice everytime I drive

nyc isnt any better, ive gotten well over 20 tint tickets... granted i did have 5% all around, but sometimes i drive around with the windows down, they would ask me to roll them up! incredible.

and 70% ALL around is now "legal" in nyc.

[Billfitz]

70% all around is stock glass. That makes anything other than 0% illegal in New York.

[luckstr]

Originally Posted by Chaos236

Make sure to get ceramic
Also and most importantly get the windshield done!

Agree 100%. My wife is allergic to sun and we have both our cars' windshield tinted with ceramic. Really does make a huge difference.

[3002 tii]

Seems like there's always a new "must have" tint but over the years I've gone with a lot of different ones from big names like 3M, Suntek, Llumar to lesser known like Aegis.

But I have to say, the one that I liked the most was Winco IR. Even at 50% (got tired of getting pulled over by NJ cops who had nothing better to do), it blocked out more heat than any other tint I'd had before and didn't mess with my radio reception on the rear windshield.

[Wgosma]

Visiting from the F25 X3 forum....need some input re: window tint. Car was purchased used from original owner, tint is too dark - measured w/DSLR camera light meter (good approximation) shows 14% light transmission...it feels almost unsafe to drive a night.

Need comments regards going to 3M Ceramic tint film? (I have had their old 'color stable' - dye based film- on sedan and heat rejection was nil so won't ever go that route again....got what I paid for!).


Thanks/Bill
Location: Southern California...soon to be N. Nevada

[Billfitz]

Take a good look at the glass. Being an SUV the factory glass may 40% or less. Why SUVs get a pass on factory glass minimums makes no sense, but they do.

[GreyF30]

I am in SoCal and currently running 50% windshield, 15% on the front sides, and 15%-20% back (not sure; bought car with this). Looks nice and it definitely keeps the interior temp lower.

Was previously running 70% windshield, 35% sides, and the similar 15-20% at the back. This for sure will not stand out, while still giving good heat rejection (assuming ceramic). I would definitely run this at the minimum.

For both setup above I went with Rayno ceramic window tint - good value for ceramic tint with this brand. I used it in my old Mazda as well.

Speaking from experience in SoCal:

Pulled over once because of the 50% windshield tint. I was driving under the freeway and the shadow made it looked darker than it usually is. When I was pulled over (under the sun now), the officer said that he became not sure if the windshield was tinted or not. He personally said that officers usually do not care about the side tint darkness. He let me go because he couldn't tell.

Got pulled over a couple of weeks ago due to making a supposedly illegal u-turn. Made a turn at a middle left turn lane a.k.a the "island". Usually legal, but I didn't know that it became illegal in "business districts". Officer did not even mention my tint at all.

Hit me up if you have any questions!

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Take a good look at the glass. Being an SUV the factory glass may 40% or less. Why SUVs get a pass on factory glass minimums makes no sense, but they do.

Thanks Bill...but, excuse me I don't follow the meaning of your statement, can you clarify?

I'm looking to replace the existing tint (it's too dark), tint is aftermarket product installed by previous owner.....now I'm learning new things, the car has 'privacy glass', believe this is standard on all BMW cars in USA.

So maybe now I understand why the darn car is really a struggle to see out of at night when one looks rearward, thru windows for backseat doors or the rear hatch window, hmmm....so now: how to 'choose' the 'best' new tint to have applied to the car?

Ideally I want same level (cosmetic appearance..and light transmission) on ALL side and the rear hatch window.

Thoughts?

Thanks/Bill

[Gen13 F36]

The factory tint is actually useless at blocking UV... they are just good at blocking sunlight NOT UV light. You still need to run some tint to block UV and heat.

If your car comes with a factory tint...you have to run a light tint like 70% just so you have some kind of protection.

Also, I'm not a fan of tinting windshield....because there is no tint out there that don't scatter headlight and some even look like blurry...like seeing mirrage.

[Wgosma]

Thanks, I understand what you're saying. Privacy glass cuts down visible light but has no (significant) UV blocking capability.

I'm going to visit a good local tint shop to discuss all this, zero in on a quality ceramic film and see if I can achieve exterior appearance with all tinted windows having the same, or very close, 'appearance' when one views car from outside.

[Billfitz]

Where it has privacy glass and dark tint over it you could remove the dark tint and add a 70% ceramic to reduce UV without making it too dark. A shop with lots of samples might be able to shade match the front windows, but be aware that even though as dark as 20% privacy glass may be legal in the rear on an SUV it probably isn't legal in the front.

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Where it has privacy glass and dark tint over it you could remove the dark tint and add a 70% ceramic to reduce UV without making it too dark. A shop with lots of samples might be able to shade match the front windows, but be aware that even though as dark as 20% privacy glass may be legal in the rear on an SUV it probably isn't legal in the front.

Thanks, understood. I'm going to meet shop owner to discuss. If I can get the cosmetics close for all the windows that would be pleasing.

More importantly is to lighten up the rear view so I am feeling it's not a hazard to drive after dark- been driving with this situation for 2 years too long.

I ran tinted front windows in California for 15 years on my E39 sedans, got lucky I guess and never was ticketed for front tint, which is NOT allowed in California - down in SoCal tint all around is VERY common due to intense sun much of the year, I think police turn a blind eye unless one has limo tint on the driver window. I also never ran w/front license plate, never a problem - many owners of higher end cars pull front plates in California, very common, cops seem to mostly ignore that also.

[AspektUSA]

I've got 30% all round, aside from windshield, with F1 Pinnacle.

It's perfect for here in Texas.

[chiefneil]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

Visiting from the F25 X3 forum....need some input re: window tint. Car was purchased used from original owner, tint is too dark - measured w/DSLR camera light meter (good approximation) shows 14% light transmission...it feels almost unsafe to drive a night.

Need comments regards going to 3M Ceramic tint film? (I have had their old 'color stable' - dye based film- on sedan and heat rejection was nil so won't ever go that route again....got what I paid for!).

Check the options to make sure your car doesn’t have a factory tint package. Or if you can’t figure it out you can always have your installer check with a light meter once they pull the film. (make sure they check a rear window, not a front).

I have 3M Crystalline 40 (CR40) on my 335i and love it. Back in 2014 when I got it, Crystalline had the best TSER vs VLT ratio (total solar energy rejection to visible light transmission ratio). That may have changed since. Basically it blocked the most heat for a given darkness. It’s 3M’s best film (or at least it was in 2014) - not sure if it’s ceramic as 3M only describes it as “nano”.

The CR40 on my stock clear windows is on the lighter end of what I consider medium. You can tell there’s a tint, but you can still easily see the interior during the day. 30-35% is more of a darker medium, while 20% and lower is pretty dark.

As you get older your eyes get less sensitive to light. I think a 40 year old needs twice as much light as a 20 year old. All the guys on this thread with tints below 20% must be just out of their teens, lol.

My wife had an X5 tinted limo black and the damn thing was impossible to see out of at night - it was fantastically cool during the day but a serious danger at night. 40% is just about the right compromise for me between heat and nighttime safety.

Here’s a before and after photo. This particular shade of CR has a bronze look to it that’s pretty distinctive and would probably look great on your white X3.

[chiefneil]

I took a look at X3 pics on the BMW site and it looks like around 35-45% tint on the rears with the privacy glass. Assume it’s 40%, then if you stack a 70% tint you end up around 28%. There’s a CR90 which would give you 36% using the same calculation.

The CR40 I have won’t work for your fronts since the BMW privacy glass has a gray tint - you’ll want a gray front tint to match.

[Wgosma]

Chief: thanks for info and blue car pics, tinted blue car looks very nice!

Rechecked VIN details: only shows code 420: 'sun protection glazing' (i.e. privacy glass)....would a tint show as separate code?..

Will take car to tint shop for discussion, he is 3M only shop - likely go ceramic to save few bucks if tint tone and density will get me what I desire for cosmetic look and more importantly lighter rear tint density. That 3M ceramic tint is what i had in mind, but sounds like color tone wont work, darn. I'm age 68, wear contacts, night vision not exactly stellar ��. I should have gotten this tint thing redone 2+ years ago when purchased the car, it's uncomfortable/unsafe for me driving at night. Been lucky I guess, haven't backed into or hit anything yet...and no rear view camera or PDC system on this truck, ugh!

Is 'privacy glass' standard on these F30 sedans?

[chowser51]

20% on sides and rear. and a little bit on the windshield.
3M ceramic

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by chowser51

20% on sides and rear. and a little bit on the windshield.
3M ceramic

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/yxFc2hYB/AD49-E...5-C4144-B8.jpg[/img]

Looks good, nice car...tint feels like it's bit too dark for my SUV - thanks/Bill