Two traffic citations in 1 1/2 months for Window Tint, California

[ck-GT86]

Originally Posted by forzajuve

So I realize tinting my windows to 20% is asking for attention in California but I nonetheless wanted to briefly share my experiences in the past two months.

July 27, 2013 - Pulled over by a CHP. Given a traffic citation because my tint was too dark @ 20%. I asked the officer how long to expect the court order in the mail and he said about 3-5 weeks. I received my court order in the mail at the end of August, which gave me options on how I can deal with the ticket. It also stated that I have to deal with the ticket by October 20, 2013 (no later).

September 13, 2013 - Still have not fixed my tint because of the October 20, 2013 deadline plus I have more important expenses to deal with (understandable I think). Anyways, I was pulled over again by a CHP because my tint was too dark @ 20%. He told me why I was pulled over, tint. I said to him, Officer I was actually already pulled over a little over a month ago for the same exact reason and I have until October 20th to fix the tint. I handed him the ticket and his response was, "I need your license and registration and I will be right back." He came back with a second traffic citation for me to fix my window tint despite the initial ticket and his attitude kind of sucked.

Anyways, this is my brief experience which I feel is somewhat unreasonable. The part that is unreasonable? Receiving an unfortunate second traffic citation within the window of opportunity the court order already gave me to deal with my first ticket and the tint laws in general (but that is probably another thread to which will result in never-ending complaining). Again, I understand California's tint "laws" and I got 20% tint despite the laws, but the fact that this guy gave me a second citation after physically seeing my first one is kind of ridiculous. I was respectful and courteous as I always am with police officers. Completely contrary to public policy...

At the moment I think tint is obviously more trouble than it is worth (at least in CA). Most likely I will buy a cheap steamer, and remove the tint which is far cheaper than paying TWO $220 tickets, which would close both cases.

Please respond and share if you have had any similar unjust experiences. No flaming please.

ugh, crap. I just got all my windows tinted. Which part of the Bay Area were you cited at?

.ck

[forzajuve]

First stop, was on S. Bascom and Union. Right next to the Lunardi's Market parking lot. In fact, I was going to Lunardis to grocery shop when the CHP pulled me over into the parking lot literally like 20 feet away from the lot before I was going to park...

Second stop, September 13, 2013, was on my way to Lake Tahoe. I got pulled over in Amador County driving on Highway 88 towards Tahoe. The crappy thing about the second ticket was that I was on a 2 lane highway at around 5pm when CHP's are changing shifts and we were heading towards each other in opposite directions. He saw that I didn't have a front plate and then wrote me for tint on top of that.

All I can say is be watchful for motorcycle cops since they are harder to spot. More than likely a CHP will ticket you rather than a SJPD or whatever. CHP make their bread and butter off traffic citations.

Since then I removed my tint completely and got a grimmspeed front plate mount... :[

[BRZChix]

Originally Posted by ck-GT86

ugh, crap. I just got all my windows tinted. Which part of the Bay Area were you cited at?

.ck

hmm... should i tint my windows now? its way hot inside without the tint... but i have having to go to DMV for those fix-it tix...

[BRZChix]

Originally Posted by forzajuve

First stop, was on S. Bascom and Union. Right next to the Lunardi's Market parking lot. In fact, I was going to Lunardis to grocery shop when the CHP pulled me over into the parking lot literally like 20 feet away from the lot before I was going to park...

Second stop, September 13, 2013, was on my way to Lake Tahoe. I got pulled over in Amador County driving on Highway 88 towards Tahoe. The crappy thing about the second ticket was that I was on a 2 lane highway at around 5pm when CHP's are changing shifts and we were heading towards each other in opposite directions. He saw that I didn't have a front plate and then wrote me for tint on top of that.

All I can say is be watchful for motorcycle cops since they are harder to spot. More than likely a CHP will ticket you rather than a SJPD or whatever. CHP make their bread and butter off traffic citations.

Since then I removed my tint completely and got a grimmspeed front plate mount... :[

Sorry you have such bad luck with cops >.< that's a lot of pull over for a month and a half. My car has no plate yet so I dont have to worry about front plate as of right now... but im gonna just not put it and then if I get a fix it ticket, i'll just zip tie my plate to get it signed of at DMV

kinda reconsider my tint just cos i dont mind not having it, but at the same time, i really really really want it...

[ck-GT86]

Originally Posted by forzajuve

First stop, was on S. Bascom and Union. Right next to the Lunardi's Market parking lot. In fact, I was going to Lunardis to grocery shop when the CHP pulled me over into the parking lot literally like 20 feet away from the lot before I was going to park...

Second stop, September 13, 2013, was on my way to Lake Tahoe. I got pulled over in Amador County driving on Highway 88 towards Tahoe. The crappy thing about the second ticket was that I was on a 2 lane highway at around 5pm when CHP's are changing shifts and we were heading towards each other in opposite directions. He saw that I didn't have a front plate and then wrote me for tint on top of that.

All I can say is be watchful for motorcycle cops since they are harder to spot. More than likely a CHP will ticket you rather than a SJPD or whatever. CHP make their bread and butter off traffic citations.

Since then I removed my tint completely and got a grimmspeed front plate mount... :[

Dealer put on a tow-hook license plate for the front, so I'm okay on that part. As for tint, I've always been cautious about rolling down my windows whenever a cop is around. I have a Valentine One, it'll go off whenever CHP is running radar. I really hope luck is on my side for the new tint.

.ck

[milhouse]

Just to chime in, tint laws have absolutely nothing to do with officer safety and everything to do with DWB. Otherwise, why allow any tint at all? You can go as dark as you want in the back and rear, and some anti-government nut or terrorist can ambush a cop from there even easier than from the driver position. Likewise, cops have their PA and can also order you to roll down the windows before they even leave their car.

[forzajuve]

Yeah bad luck indeed! I think if you go 40% or 50% tint you will have a better time and will be less likely to get pulled over. I am not sure if they have those percents but when mine used to be 20% you could barely see inside from the outside, which is why I got it that dark to begin with lol.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by forzajuve

Yeah bad luck indeed! I think if you go 40% or 50% tint you will have a better time and will be less likely to get pulled over. I am not sure if they have those percents but when mine used to be 20% you could barely see inside from the outside, which is why I got it that dark to begin with lol.

Yup why i went to 50% tint on the front. Got popped 2 days after getting 35% on the front. I still have 20% in the rear.

[forzajuve]

Nice. Likewise, I kept the 20% in the rear window and the little mini triangles behind the two main driver/passenger side windows. Sucks, you got popped for 35% !??! My buddy has had 20% front and 5% back on his Lexus is350 and for 5 years has never been pulled over.

[cplabaunza]

The Tint law applies even to vehicles from out of state even those that allow front tint...it's not like a no front plate tix which only applies to CA registered Vehicles...

I was once pulled over twice for no front plate within 2 weeks...second time cop let me go because I was within the 21day time frame to have it fixed...

I've had CHP give my GF a no front plate ticket on my then new Camaro and he sharpie'd off the part where you can get it signed off by an officer for proof of correction...Took it to multiple LEA's and even CHP and none would sign it off. I went to court and showed it to the deputy and he signed it off. Deputy told me the CHP was a d*ck and likely a rookie for doing that and the judge would have probably scolded the officer. I had another CHP pull me over in the same Camaro for 85 in a 65 on 280 and let me go because I'm a former Marine and he was too and we spent 30mins talking about the Corps on the side of the road. Some cops are cool and others not so much.

[Muskokan]

Shitty buzz... I've been running 5% and got no problems. It looks so obliviously illegal haha, yay Canada. Isn't 35% legal in the states? That's our cutoff point.

[DoomsdayJesus]

Originally Posted by milhouse

Just to chime in, tint laws have absolutely nothing to do with officer safety and everything to do with DWB.

I just wanted to say this is one of the dumbest and most uninformed things I've ever read on this forum. It's simply about visibility. It has nothing to do with race. Not to mention, what you can see around you at night with 20% leaves a LOT to be desired, and drastically increases your chances of hitting something while merging. That's the biggest reason I didn't even want 20% on my doors. You can't see **** at night spare the rear view mirrors.

Originally Posted by Muskokan

Shitty buzz... I've been running 5% and got no problems. It looks so obliviously illegal haha, yay Canada. Isn't 35% legal in the states? That's our cutoff point.

It varies state to state. Te place I got my tine done had all the state laws on one print-out. I got the legal 35% up front in WA, 20% in the rear.

[CamryDS]

my safe combo is always 35 fronts / 5 rears

no problems as long as you don't drive like a jackass in front of cops.

[milhouse]

Originally Posted by DoomsdayJesus

I just wanted to say this is one of the dumbest and most uninformed things I've ever read on this forum. It's simply about visibility. It has nothing to do with race.

Funny then that it's the cops, not insurance companies or AAA, lobbying for tint laws. 20 may be a night hazard - I couldn't tell you. But 50 or 75 aren't and are not allowed in most states that have laws. They ban all tint (NY, NJ for instance). And last I checked there was no prohibition on sunglasses when it's dark. Seems like that would more dangerous than all the others.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk