Girlfriend got a ticket for illegal tint?

Nitrous115 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 09:00 PM

My girlfriend got a ticket for illegal tint in the m3. The officer told her that the tint has to be removed then the car needs to be taken to the police station so they can see that the tint has been removed. My question is, can't we just send them a picture of the car with the tint removed*cough*cough*? This is in indiana. Does anyone know what the law states about this? Also does anyone know what happens if you get caught a second time with illegal tint. The officer told her that the car would be taken if the tint is not removed? That sounds like b.s. And i know that most cops don't know what the exact laws are(since i have called them out a few times). The cop used a light meter thing and it said that 3% of light could pass through.

BeArs · #2 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 09:04 PM

Car taken away for tints being too dark....

At least here they just fine you a bit and that's rare unless you attract attention to yourself. Have someone verify this for you. Oh and one more thing how dark are they % wise ?

Scho · #3 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 09:28 PM

I paid the fine and left mine on. Screw taking it up there.

Nitrous115 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-28-2003, 09:42 PM

They are 5% but they cops little light meter thing read 3%. There was no fine so it can't just be paid. It was a fix-it ticket. Im thinking, if I can get them to allow us to send a picture then we can just take a picture of another 95 cosmos black m3 and send it in. But it might be hard to find a cosmos black m3 with no tint on it in the next 9 day(since thats how long they said we have to "remove the tint" and take it to them to prove the tint has been removed). If they require the picture to show the license plate then we are ****ed. Unless they allow digital pictures.

Nitrous115 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 07:06 AM

**** i just called the police station and they said i cannot send them a picture. I have to physicaly go to the police station with the car. So I said that I have to work alot and I won't have time in the next 10 days. They said don't worry we have someone here 24 hours a day. So I asked what would happen if I didn't bring the car in? They said I would either have to pay a fine or go to court. They said it would depend on the ticket. How can I tell if I would have to pay the fine or go to court?

eMed_out · #6 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 07:33 AM

Dont show up...pay the fine

LitttleBlueBMW · #7 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 07:41 AM

I had this problem, twice, except that they never used a light meter. I was lucky in that I had a friend's Dad, who was a detective sign off the ticket. He said the ticket was total BS.

I think that you may have to increase the amount of light that passes through, not remove the tint all together. But I would just pay the fix-it fine since it is probably not too much and since removing the tint will cost more than the ticket fine, at least in California it does.

My question is, did she get pulled over for just the tint or was there something else?

Nitrous115 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 08:10 AM

It was just for tint. Which is total b.s. but thats how the cops are here. But if they try to make us go to court then we would have to pay court fees. Do you think that they would make us go to court? They cop told her that they would make her go to court if she didn't pay the ticket. And when I called the police station, they said that they would either mail a ticket or a court summon if the tint wasn't fixed. The tint is a little ****ed up so, it might just be better to take it off and then have it retinted.

LitttleBlueBMW · #9 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 08:58 AM

When this happened I had my slightly riced (engine mods mainly)integra. So my Dad was driving the car and when the cop pulled him over my Dad said that the cop must have been thinking about nabbing a drug dealer but instead got him. So the ticket was for tinting and "illegal" exhaust. The irony being that we bought the car from the CHP recovery unit as is, inlcuding the tinting and exhaust.
Stupid cops in my town have nothing better to do than pull over for this stuff. But now that tint and rice is quite common, I think my old car would have been fine if only that geo storm didn't hit it. But I did end up with my bimmer, but I do miss my rice too.

sullyz · #10 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 09:59 AM

I got two tickets in a month for tinted windows. The first was a fix-it ticket and the second was a regular ticket since I already got the fix-it ticket before and hadn't corrected it. There was no way I was going to remove the tint.... shoot it's only 37% to begin with, so I got an optometrist to write me a letter saying I need tinted windows due to my condition of photophobia (visual sensitivity to sunlight). I had to go to traffic court, but they dropped both of them and I saved myself about $200 in fines. Now I probably won't get pulled over for tint again, but if I do I can tell the officer to pack sand.

J Clark · #11 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 10:25 AM

I kno the guy who did my tint and a couple of friends. whenever we get pulled over for illegal tint, we get the tinter to print us up a receipt for "tint removal". we show that to the po-po, and badda-bing, no fine.

give that a try. see if a local tint shop will do it for ya.

robfrmny21 · #12 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 12:48 PM

since i moved back upstate for school i got pulled over 5 times for my tints, but i spoke very clearly to him and stated im a total moron to state laws and i am willing to do anythng he wanted so my car could comply with the laws. got off with all warning, but i kept all my illegel shit on the car. oh yeah in ny state if you get a fix it ticket it has to be done within 24hrs of the ticket being issued so you lucky you get 10days. oh yeah be ready to wait for the slow ass cop to come and look at the car. p.s all of you guys with loud exhaust, just tell him your going to a shop cuz you exhaust bearing just blew out and it is whats making the car so loud, he will look at you like what the ****, and promptly send you on your way

IanBMW · #13 (**permalink**) 10-29-2003, 01:59 PM

You are just lucky your not in Texas. Down here in south texas most of the cops i know carry a razor in their car and if they think your tint is too dark they scrap off like 75% of the tint right there on the spot. So in the end you really have to get the tint removed or look like a total jackass. BUT, there is a catch I found some years ago........you see there is a eye condition that texas state law will allow you to have tint on all windows including front windshield. Sadly I forgot where the form was and who to send it too but that could always be something to check out in the future.