pks485

Hello,

I want to get the windows of my Black Opal, C230 tinted. What percentage do you recommend. Does anyone have pictures of tinted C Classes. Thanks for your help.

davis449

Thanks for posting this one, I want to get mine done next week. This summer's going to kill me if I don't. I'm also wondering if the Mercedes dealer here can legally tint them darker than if I took it to someone else.

DougandhisC280

I would never take it to a dealer. Tinting is almost an art so don't just go to the cheapest place to get it dont. My car is on the 2nd page in the picture thread. It's tinted 30%. My favorite is 20% but that's not legal here.

sph17

I looked at a W202 with window tinting that was scratced very bad on the inside surfaces. In speaking with the MB Dealer I was told that the OEM brushes that clean the windows scratch the window tinting on the W202. The only way around this is to have your window tinter replace the brushes. The dealer quoted me a price of $800 for a tint job with the brush replacement.

In addition, I have noticed with two of my MB's with tint have problems with AM reception, when you get outside of a city. There is a lot of static and poor reception. My MB's w/o tint don't have the same problem. MB has a TSB advising window shades can cause radio reception problems. Possibly the metal in better quality tint (that keeps it from fadeing) causes this problem.

DougandhisC280

That's rediculous!!!! I payed 192 dollars to get mine tinted. I can't imagine brushes costing that much. My windows aren't scratched at all after 1.5 years of having them tinted and always riding with the windows down.

osocold707

What about the reception part? Does anyone else have problems with the radio reception after getting their car tinted like sph17?

sph17

I would rather not have tinting, so of course I didn't pay to have it done, and yes I thought $800 was a bit high.

I have read earlyer posts in this forum of others who have been told they should replace the brushes when they got their W202 windows tinted. The aftermaket brushes arn't that expensive to have done with the tinting if you stay away from the dealers.

The car I looked at was 5 years old, so maby it takes a while for the windows to scratch with the OEM brushes.

bzliteyear

i have window tinting on my 2000 E320 wagon and was wondering why the FM reception wasn't very good. the AM reception is ok on my wagon. this problem was made more clear on a 1999 C280 sport for my in-laws(w/o tint) and i noticed on our driveway how much more clarity on the FM stations. not sure if it's possible for the tint guys to "cut" around the FM reception...but just a thought. certainly wouldn't want them to mess it up, but improving the FM sure would be nice.

davis449

The brushes thing is very interesting, I've never heard of that problem. I don't have the rear window mounted antenna so I won't have a problem with radio reception. I guess I'll just take it to the same people who did my previous car.

henry47

5% F&R

henry47

I recommend you getting 35% all the way around. Right now I have difficulty making any kind of turn. Everytime I turn I have to roll down my front windows to make sure I dont hit an island/pedestrian. Backing up is also difficult.

Rincewind

lol

osocold707

henry47 is that tint job legal here in the bay or cali, you know with the driver and shotgun passenger tinted?

C230Kompressed

go as dark as you want on the 3 back.
and NO tint AT ALL in the 2 fronts and winsheild.


California state law.

DougandhisC280

Man, your tinting laws suck there. We can do as dark as 30 percent on the front two windows. What's the point as keeping the rear people shady if you can't be.

Benz Structure

The tinting law here permits 30% but, I said FUC* that and went with 20% all around. My cousin has limo tints on his 2003 Chevy Trailblazer LTZ. LOOKS REALLY GOOD than again it sux because he has to lower his windows to backup.

henry47

california says you can't have anything on the front two windows, but anything in the back

Rincewind

how do tint laws apply when u travel out of state

i live in md but i am within close proximity to DC/VA (bout 15 mins apart)

bettyboop

Hi all,
I'm a newbie Benz owner and just picked up a 99 C230 on Saturday. I was wondering if anyone has a referral for a place in the Bay Area (preferrably SF) that can tint the windows and can also add the felt so that the tint doesn't get all scratched up?

I'm looking to tint the front windows as well and on my last car, I was just told that the place had to give me the disclosure that by CA law the front windows are not supposed to be tinted but as long as I agreed that they told me they still did it for me.

Thanks in advance!

sph17

Usually equipment laws like tinting only apply to the vehicles registered in the state. If you are legal in your home state, you are legal in a state you are visiting. This is the concept of reciprosity. It would become very complicated if you had to have your vehilce conform to all the laws in every state you visit.

This does not apply to some equipment laws like studded snow tires. States that do not allow studded snow tires, usually do not allow out-of-state drivers to have them either, because they do not want their roads torn up.

The bottom line is that if you **** off the police for some reason, they probably will find something to give you a ticket for (especially in VA), so be nice and don't call attention to yourself.

HiDefDave

Many states have laws regulating how dark the tinting on the driver's door can be. My state, Florida, included.

I just have the tint guys put the darkest Florida-legal tint on all the side windows so they match and they recommended the darkest so-called "limosine" tinting on the rear window, which is close enough in darkness to the others to seem to match to the casual observer and further protects the interior.

Be sure your tinting pro knows the law. Florida state troopers actually carry a device that measures light transmission and they'll ticket you if they find your tint is ilegally dark! Understandably, it's a serious safety concern for them: if they approach a vehicle they'd like to know if someone is packing heat!

tseinsf

Hi all,
I would like to know where I can tint my window in S.F or Bay area. Any suggestion will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Spooky

what is the darkest i can get the windows tinted legally here in cali?

DougandhisC280

Percentage Numbers represent amount of light transmission.
Example : 35% means 35% light transmission.
Also known as VLT or Visible Light Transmission.
Film - Amount of light that is required to pass through window film.
Example : 35% Film means that the film must pass through at least 35% visible light.

Net - Amount of light that is required to pass both the car window and the tint film.
MPV - A vehicle such as a recreation vehicle such as a pickup truck including GMC Suburbans, Nissan Pathfinders, Extra Cab Trucks

When info is given, it is in the format of :
Windshield / Front Side Windows / Rear Side Windows / Rear-Back Window / Year Passed
Where :
NO - No Film is Allowed
ANY - Any degree of tinting is allowed
AS-1 - On the windshield, there is a mark that says "AS-1" toward the top that defines that the tint cannot go below.
UnDef - Nothing defined in the law.
FMVSS 205 - A regulation that is found in the Code of Federal Regulation. The regulation is found in 49 CFR 571.205
35 % Film - Light that is measured on the film alone
35 % Net - Light that is measured both through the film and car window


Example

4 inches / 35 % Film / 15 % Net / 5 % Net / 1994

A tint brow on the windshield cannot go no lower than 4 inches, 35% film may be applied to the front side windows, 15% light must go through the combined window film and windows for the rear side windows and 5 % light transmission is required on the rear back window and film combined. The year 1994 is the year that the law went into effect.

California
NO / NO / ANY / ANY* / 1987 ?

Note : If the rear-back window is tinted, left and right rear-view mirrors are required.

Medical exemption allows for tint or other shading material is allowed on the front side doors if it allows at least 35% of the light to go through, readily is removable and cannot be used at night.

Enforcement Note : Out-of-State cars driven in California are required to be in compliance with the CA Tint law.

HiDefDave

FYI, in Florida it's 28% for the driver's door window. (Hey, it's brighter than white down here!)