Blacked out rear windows.

[Cubist]

That's Fkin mint that.

Am I going colour blind? It looks red to me.....

I once had a full set of privacy glass on a Disco. Much cooler in summer, and much more secure when I wanted to park up with sporting equipment in the rear loadspace. However, the front windows were too darkly tinted, and I had to wind down the window to reverse at night. I was lucky never to get pulled!

However, the dickhead in the OP has clearly not weighed up the cost of the tinting compared with a simple hands-free kit. I rather suspect it's nothing to do with phones, it's because he's a bit of a tosser.

 

[Black Sheep]

Rear back and rear side can be pretty dark, they changed recently for the driver/passenger side to make it tighter.

Although, manufactures aren't helping it with new cars coming with insanely dark rear sets of tints. Just like fog lights, manufacters only sell them because its cool (why else would it be in the advertising blurb... "with alloys and fog lights as standard")

Some manufacturers will actually tint beyond the UK legal requirements which is a bit daft really - there are some people who will trust that the manufacturer wouldn't provide something that isn't road legal (wonder if you could claim 'not fit for purpose'

Most new cars that are coming onto the market now seem to have "privacy tinted windows" fitted to the rear of the car. It's the "in" thing i guess.
It's when the front passenger and drivers side windows that are heavily tinted it gets worrying.

Many people with young kids like the idea that the kids can see out, have some protection from the sun on a hot day and can't be seen from outside.

Rear tints - arg - a pain in the backside for other people, as you can't see through them to see the road, as you can with "normal" windows. Even worse on people carriers and urban assault vehicles becuase they're so bloody high. At least we can look over the tops of cars.

Do you try and avoid following busses / transit vans etc? if you can't see enough then drop back a bit.

Not illegal though is it? If they still allow light to pass they're better than a van. So long as its driven responsibly and legally, what's the problem? Most of my initial driving was done in vans and I now primarily use side mirrors.

I too have done my fair share of driving large vehicles, in my case mini busses and learnt to drive them based on the door mirrors.

I also had a car that only had the internal mirror, so learnt to drive looking over my shoulder to change lanes.

most tints on car windows are legal and you can see more from inside than you can from outside, there is a legal limit to the tint fitted to windscreen and front windows.

 

[gambatte]

Now I might be wrong, but I thought the insurance company always pays out third party claims. The driver would then be in trouble with their own insurance company, which would seek to recover their costs due to not being notified about the dodgy engine mods.

Probably right, but my experience of insurance has been mixed........

Both using it and for a period when I worked within the industry. I've seen people with valid claims given the run around and people who shout the loudest getting settlements they weren't covered for.

 

[John the Monkey]

Do you try and avoid following busses / transit vans etc? if you can't see enough then drop back a bit.

Yup. Not always an option when they're next to you at a junction/ahead in slow traffic though.

 

[xpc316e]

If tinted windows upset you, then you need to visit the Philippines. Last year I saw many cars with the kind of tints regularly fitted to rear windows in the UK on their WINDSCREENS for God's sake. I also saw a couple of cars with reflective mirror film fitted to all windows, including the windscreen. That is truly scary when you see one of them bowling down the road.

 

[Tynan]

people get them for the same reason they get huge 4x4s and humvees and stupid pick up trucks, because they're cool

cars overheating in this country is a problem since when ffs? you can count on one hand they days when you really need air con and most cars have that anyway

anyone that leaves valuables in their car deserves to lose them

 

[Downward]

Had our last 3 cars Tinted. Rear and back only on the family car/s(It keeps the car cool and with kids it stops them moaning about the sun.

Had it done on my Black car for looks alone, Lightest Tint on the front and medium on the rears.

 

[Wobbly John]

Is the increase in tinted rear windows because there are more ugly kids?

 

[Chrismawa]

I have had two cars with window tints all round (before the police had a massive clamp down) and tbh it never restricted my view.

Hopefully it is not a problem but it still triggers alarm bells in my head if they are 'blacked out' for instance I can't see that the driver sees me and when accompanied by pr@t plates/ noisy exhaust etc those sensors go into overload.

Just becuase someone has a loud exhuast it doesn't mean they're going to be a bad driver. Most of my cars have had an aftermarket exhaust on and people seem to think because of this my driving skills will be poor.

 

[snailracer]

I have had two cars with window tints all round (before the police had a massive clamp down) and tbh it never restricted my view...

Disagree, when it's dark, it will. I have noticed my own night vision is not as good as it was when I was younger, so I'm pretty sure blocking out light deliberately will make a difference.

...Just becuase someone has a loud exhuast it doesn't mean they're going to be a bad driver. Most of my cars have had an aftermarket exhaust on and people seem to think because of this my driving skills will be poor.

Your driving skills might not be poor, but it does make you a bad driver because you are being noisy. In the UK, there is always someone living within earshot of a noisy exhaust, and I'm sure they won't appreciate it.

 

[BenM]

Just becuase someone has a loud exhuast it doesn't mean they're going to be a bad driver

I wouldn't mind betting that nearly all car owners who fit an 'aftermarket exhaust' consider themselves to be above average drivers

B.

 

[Chrismawa]

Your driving skills might not be poor, but it does make you a bad driver because you are being noisy. In the UK, there is always someone living within earshot of a noisy exhaust, and I'm sure they won't appreciate it.

Do you have the same opinion on riders of Harley's? Or perhaps certain Supercars? Are they bad drivers too then?

And I'm sure there will be things they have done/are doing that I won't appreciate.

 

[Chrismawa]

I wouldn't mind betting that nearly all car owners who fit an 'aftermarket exhaust' consider themselves to be above average drivers

B.

No. Some maybe but I wouldn't say 'nearly all'.

 

[HLaB]

I have had two cars with window tints all round (before the police had a massive clamp down) and tbh it never restricted my view.



Just becuase someone has a loud exhuast it doesn't mean they're going to be a bad driver. Most of my cars have had an aftermarket exhaust on and people seem to think because of this my driving skills will be poor.

I've never said they will bad drivers but there is a good chance they will be and hence the alarm bells start ringing. There's a high correlation between 'blacked out' (more than tinted), illegal exhausts, prat plates and bad driving especially by would be rally drivers who think their driving is good. Its better safe than sorry.

 

[Chrismawa]

Not the group of people on the road I find to be a hazard.

How is there 'a good chance the will be' a bad driver? What are you basing this assumption on, the fact that they have a different exhaust to standard?