I mouthed off to a police man when I was 16, and learned my lesson. Since then, I've gotten out of a few tickets (inlcuding one in the E55) by being very nice, rolling down the windows, and having the license, registration and hands in plain view. Just common sense I think.

 

i have no suggestion about the tint, but with the license plate...you could get those 90 degree brackets they sell at home depot. drill into the bumper from the bottom and fix it in place there. attache the license plate to the bracket with two screws and it's set. take it off after the pic and then you'll never know there was anything mounted on the bumper.

or...use two sided velcro tape. i have friends who used this method to get licence plate tickets written off here in california.

good luck.

 

i got 3 speeding tickets within the year, 2 in one day. 80mph, 97mph, 114mph. as you can see, i dont learn my lesson.

 

Has any enterprising engineering or handy type figured out how to mold a removable plate holder? Alternatively, is there a small black plug/grommet/molly that could be engineered so that the plate holder could be removed with only the two small plugs showing?

 

is there any way you can take a side view picture of someone else's car with the same color that doesn't have tints and show that to the judge? also for your license plate, just do what i believe iluvs500 suggested, use double sided tape to attach it andtake the picture and then take it back off. thats of course if only you really dont want to remove your tint and plates.

 

the plugs you speak of are available at most aftermarket car parts retailers. not sure what they're called though.

you won't need any of this if you use the home depot method i mentioned above. once you remove the brackets you can see nothing unless you're lying on the ground with your head directly under the front bumper.

 

I decided to go the legal route (as I see this cop all the time on the way to work so I'm sure he'll be looking for me) and had the front plates put on yesterday....looks ugly as hell! :p Had the dealer do it because they had the mounting bracket still at the dealership. Painfull to see them drill the holes in the front bumper. Looks like the front plates are on forever....unless I get the Brabus front fascia down the road.

 

thats gotta hurt sooo bad, the front plate it too ugly. I saw about 20 cars yesterday within a half hour that didnt have front plates, but they didnt stand out the way your car does. IL cops are @$$es towards the people who have nice cars.

 

My co-worker just walked in this morning and said you wouldn't believe what happened this morning. A cop pulled me over this morning on the way to work for also Tinted Windows....LOL. Same town as the cop who pulled me over. My Co-Worker said the tint came from factory. Cop didn't believe him so my co-worker said, "Are you a window Tinter?" The cop wasn't happy with that comment. His Lexus tinted window was smoked into the glass from factory(first time I've heard of it), the cop couldn't do anything because he couldn't find the film and let him go.

 

I have to agree with Steve. Dark tinted front windows pose a risk to cops -- no question about it. Personally, when I pull up next to a vehicle with dark tinted front windows, I find it offensive. They can see into my car, why shouldn't I be able to see into theirs? What about when you're walkint past such a car in a parking lot, how do you know what the person inside is up to? I think it just sends a negative message to everyone around the vehicle.

Regarding plugging up the screw holes in the front bumper -- you should go to www.bumperplugs.com. Eric makes them in all automotive colors. His product quality is excellent. I had him paint my black Porsche bumperettes to match the color of the car and they turned out superb.

 

I am sure you have made the correct decision. In countries where front number plates are obligeratory, cars that do not have a front number plate look 'odd'.

The Police Officer presents a good case for his occupation, but I still maintain that that 'tint' regulations are there as a road safety issue.

IF, it were as the policeman states, then having the rear windows darkened allows the 'drunken' driver to swop seats with the 'sober' passenger. Or in the mind set of your policeman, the occupants can reach for their guns, bazooka's etc without the approaching person being able to see.

Good luck with your future driving and I for one hope you do not get stopped again.

Regards,
John

 

Wow--talk about sparking debate.

Being an immigrant, I came across plenty of profiling in at least two of the counties where I have lived. I used to get pulled over once every few months. Can't say I have much sympathy for THOSE guys.

Steve--why would you be banned man? You said your piece, and it was fairly well put. This is a forum about people who love their cars. If we should ban anyone, we should ban all those BMW fanboys who tout the fuglay new 5. Hell, even they get to say their piece in peace.

Just kidding about banning the bimmer fans, of course

 

first off, I share your concern with the tint issue. A few years ago, I got into that same discussion with a couple of friends of mine that are city cops in california. They had the same concerns you do. So I decided to do some researching to support my argument, which is states like nevada and arizona have no tint laws, with people blacking out the side & rear windows and 75% of the windshield. I argued that if their theory was correct, that those states would have a higher number of officer shootings during traffic stops. After alot of research, I concluded that there is so little difference in states, that it has NOTHING to do with tinted windows, and more to do with location and the population in a given area. And as far as your advice to roll windows down during a stop, I tried that as well, and first thing the Highway patrol officer said was "You dont have to roll your windows down, I already saw that tint and Ill be citing you for that as well". Now, maybe every officer isnt like this, but this one was. Interestingly enough, he pulled me over originally for no front plate. This was a few years ago in a Chevy Tahoe, not my mercedes. I belive its just like everything else in life, some cops are just plain jerks, and others tend to enforce the more important laws. In fact, your statement right there about the 20 mph over is a good indicator your the kind of cop that isnt going to break someones ***** over 5mph over, but like you said, if they are 20 over, they probably know it and accept the fact they deserve the ticket. I remember when the speed limit went from 55 on my local highway, to 65 and the CHP issued a statement in the newspaper that said they were going to actively ticket anyone 3mph over the stated limit. They seemed to have a issue with the speed limit being raised. I thought that was ridiculous.

 

I am interested in the bumper plugs but that web site didin;t work. Can you give me Erics contact info? Thanks

 

www.bumperplugs.com
~or~
www.geocities.com/esklut/plugs.html

 

I won't tint mine dark because, I want everyone to see ME in my MB

 

Well sorry to hear about that. I dont know about your states, but here in California, if you have all your window tinted including the front windsheild, the cops can impound your car at the spot. Boy that would suck...

 

Show me your data that proves your statement that dark windows lead to more officer related assaults than non-tinted windows. Do you find it offensive that I have my blinds closed in my house and you cant see in when you drive by? Or how about you? Can I drive by your house and look inside to see what your doing? If I cant, I should be offended right?

I dont think it sends a negative message to anyone. For one thing, it protects from UV damage, for another, maybe I dont WANT you to see what Im doing in my own car. And if your scared walking through a parking lot where cars have tinted windows maybe you should be in a different neighborhood.

 

Thats B.S. Where did you hear this? Window tinting is a INFRACTION, which means you cant be arrested for it, and they sure as hell cant impound your car. You can be ticketed and pay the fine, but they are not going to take your car away.

 

WOW, that does not look like 35%!! I am surprised that he got you for that. I have 35% on my car and it looks much darker from the same distance that you shot this pic from. I assume that you said Woodfield that you mean Schaumburg PD? I had a tint issue there many moons ago. I was under the assumption that 35% was OK and anything darker was an offense. I am in KS now and we can have 35% and we do not have front plates....Beautiful car by the way, and it is truly unfortunate that you have to alter the front end with a plate. Good luck...

 

Gbrandon,

I didn’t say “dark windows lead to more officer related assaults than non-tinted windows.” I said I agree with Steve that dark tinted windows pose a risk to cops. It’s a risk because the person behind the dark tinted windows can easily shoot the cop through the window, which would be much more difficult to pull off if he were fully visible.

As for as your analogy between closed house blinds and dark car window tinted, it’s a very poor one. One has a certain expectation of, and right to, privacy in one’s home. One does not ordinarily have an expectation of privacy inside the front party of a car on a public highway. If you drive by my house and my blinds are closed, you should only be offended if you’re a peeping Tom.

As far as negative messages, dark tinted windows say “drug dealer inside” to me. And what exactly is it that YOU do inside your car in public places anyway that you don’t want us to see?

 

Can you please explain why Arizona and Nevada both permit full blackened out windows as well as 75% of the windshield? You would think cops would be getting killed constantly in those states, or at the very least be scared out of thier wits. BUT THEY ARE NOT. You would also think that if cops were that scared of tinted windows, there would be a greater need for job openings for law enforcement in both those states at a higher rate than say, other states that have tinting laws. AND THAT IS NOT THE CASE.

Also, if you read california law (as well as other states) I do believe (although I could be wrong) your car is indeed a private place that you have a expected right for privacy. That has been proven in the courts. (if anyone knows for sure please feel free to post your reference material)

Lastly, tinted windows have nothing to do with drug dealing. I live in Humboldt County, California which is known througout the world as the pot growing capital. I have friends that grow, and the LAST thing they would do would be to have tinted windows and give the police a reason to pull them over. As far as my reasons for having tinted windows.
1) UV protection from the sun damaging my cars interior.

2) Keeping the interior heat level down during the summer. (I have charcoal interior)

3) Aesthetics. It looks appealing to me. My car is black and it blends well and makes my car stand out.

4) I have a friend that has his 215 card and can legaly smoke marijauna to relieve his pain. In this case, maybe some redneck cop might not see him smoking in my car and want to pull me over to hassle us.

5) Maybe my girlfriend might want to give me a B.J. while Im driving. I could care less if someone driving by wanted to watch, but I think its good that somebody's kids in the back seat cant see in my car to see whats going on.

Is that enough reasons for you?

 

Well here we go again, gbrandon after reading your post I get the feeling that you feel that certain laws should not apply to you. If you don't like them then you shouldn't have to follow them? The point is that in certain states it is illegal. If you don't like have your elected officials change it, otherwise don't complain. I am not afraid of tinted windows but they are going to make me react differently to the situation. I gave a scenario about feeling unconfortable walking towards with tinted windows. That is my problem. I could deal with it by getting on the PA and having you turn off the car, then rolling down all your windows, sticking your hands out the window or making you walk out of the car. I could also walk up to your car with my gun out of my holster instead of a routine stop where it would be in the holster with my hand on it. Yet you might be one of the people who would have a problem with that because you were inconvenienced.

 

I dont have a problem with rolling down my windows or sticking my hands out the windows. I have a problem with cops telling me the reason they are illegal is because of officer safety, yet there is not ONE shred of evidence showing that. The law is a income generator, simple as that. People are going to tint there windows and some are going to get pulled over. If fix it tickets like window tinting didnt generate so much revenue for the state they would have become legal a long time ago. Kind of funny how you can cross a imaginary line from california to arizona or nevada and now all the sudden its gone from dangerous to acceptable. THATS what I have a problem with. Either make the law the same for all 50 states or make it legal. They did it with drinking, so why not tinted windows?

 

What don't you get about " It's illegal ". Just because you don't like, it does it make it right. If you follow your logic, then why not make the legal speed limit 110 MPH. I'm sure you feel 55 MPH is too slow. Why not start drinking when you are 12? Why pay taxes? There are things that I don't agree with but as long as it's the law I have to obey them. States are allow to make some of their own laws. If you don't like them, find a state that agrees with you, move there and stop complaining. Then you can go and hang out with your friend that has his 215 card and he can legaly smoke marijauna with you in the car.