Hammer212

Saw this GLE 350 at my local dealer. Note the front-row tinting darkness relative to the second row... in real life, they were pretty close, if not actually, identical. For reference, look at the windshield:



I'm working on a MY25 GLE 580 build, and I would like to spec the same tinting as this vehicle received. Here's the data I've collected, some from test drives I did two days ago, and not all of it reconciles:

1. From MBWorld, posters have said the uniform tinting (exclusive of the windshield) is NOT a feature of the DC5 Acoustic Comfort Package, which I am including in my build regardless.
2. My CA said this 350 came from the factory like that.
3. He also said -- and I believe that I observed it to be true on other vehicles there, can't be 100% certain, once he pointed it out -- that tinting darkness is a function of interior color: lighter interiors get lighter tinting, darker interiors get darker tinting.
4. BUT... this 350 appears to be Twilight Blue over Macchiato... the lightest color interior on offer... and this uniform tinting is the darkest shade I observed on any vehicle there that day.

So... I'm unable to reconcile points 2, 3, and 4.

What I do know is that I would really like my 580 to come from the factory, versus using an aftermarket solution, with first row tinting to match that of the rest of the vehicle, exclusive of the windshield, for both aesthetic and functional reasons.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

Benzman33

What are you asking? All US GLE's come with the back seat glass tinted. The front windows don't come from the factory with tint. You need to go to a tinter to get that done.

Tint does become darker if the interior is darker. It's all about light that's being let in. Also if you have a black headliner the tint becomes darker. Samething if you have a pano roof vs don't. I have a panoroof, but I have a black interior. My windshield isn't tinted.

Sunroof closed in the first photo, sunroof open in the second one. Only the two front windows have been tinted by my tinter.

graffixnyc

Yeah, as far as I know, they do not come from the factory with the front windows tinted as every state has different laws on tint. I'm in NJ (North Jersey in the highlands) and tint on the front windows is illegal unless you get a medical exemption. The cops around here tend not to pull you over for tint though. They might pull you over with the tint as an excuse, but it's usually because they are checking for something else, like making sure you're not drinking and driving and won't ticket you for the tint. (A local cop told me that haha)

Rear windows are at a 15% tint, at least on the 2024 GLE. I used a meter on my factory tinted rear windows and it let in about 13.36% light.

I had my front windows done with 20% and I can notice they are lighter. (I also have a pano roof and light interior). I'm actually going tomorrow to get the 20% removed and replaced with 15% on the front windows.

taphil

Lighter interior looks makes tint look lighter.

If front and rear are equal, the front can still look lighter with incoming light from windshield and with the beige interior.

I forgot what my windows measured, but if I remember correctly 17% rear and high 80s% front (CA law says must be >88% so it may be been 88%). I told installer I want them to match. I chose the second highest ceramic offering from SunTek (the highest one was way more expensive and seemed pointless with the IR glass) that comes in 20% or 30%. Installer told me the % on the meter after the install won't match between the front and rear, said I can choose either very slightly darker or slightly lighter for the front vs the rear. I chose slightly lighter option, didn't want windows to be too dark. He also had the highest end Suntek offering came in 25% which would make a closer match according to a meter.

In real life, I can't tell the difference.

edit: my 20% or 30% vs. ideal match 25% numbers might be off, but the idea is the same.

Hammer212

@Benzman33 Thanks for your reply. Sorry if my ask wasn't clear. I am trying to sanity check what my CA told me, because I received from him inconsistent information. First he said the front row sides came darkened from the factory to match the rest of the vehicle, excluding the windshield, as shown in the original photo. Then he told me it was done by a third-party at the dealership. Based on these replies, my take away is that it was a third-party upon delivery, and not the factory (window supplier), that matched the front sides to the second row sides.

The CA also made it sound like, not that the tinting dynamically changes transmission %, rather, that the factory installs windows with different transmission percentages based on the color of the interior. That sounded squirrelly to me. In hindsight, the differences I perceived were likely due to the factors you mentioned.

@graffixnyc Thanks. That is my understanding as well... which is why the CA's initial statement that that 350 came from the factory that way didn't make sense to me. I'd hoped that was the case, but, my take away at this point is that it is not

@taphil Thanks, as always. Great stuff.

Benzman33

Yeah your CA doesn't know what they're talking about. The Front DO NOT Come tinted from the factory. Only the rear do. The tint from the factory is called privacy glass. The privacy glass is always the same %.. Tint works on light transfer. If that makes sense. So if there is a lighter color interior lets say beige, it's going to transmit more light on the inside vs a black Interior. The beige is going to make the privacy glass look lighter, it's not but it's going appear so. If I had a black headliner It would make my tint darker. If I tinted the windshield the whole car would look darker because less light is being transited to the inside.

Benzman33

I'm in NY same laws, it depends on where you are and what you're doing if the cops hassle over it. Suv's tend to get hassled less vs a car. I think NJ changed the law or was trying to, that they couldn't pull you over for tint because people claimed they where being targeted. You had to have another violation and then they could hassle you over the tint. Idk if that law ever went into practice. I just told my tinter to match the back, He matched it perfectly. I didn't ask what % it was. I know I paid more for the ceramic tint because it clearer. Which I do find. I usually have carbon tint, this is my first Ceramic, and I have to say it's very very clear.

graffixnyc

Yes, I'm aware of that. That's why I think the 20% on the front windows looks a little too light on my GLE compared to the 13.3% I measured on the back. I think it will look a lot better though going with 15%. When I look at my GLE with 20% I think "I wish it was just a tad bit darker". I know they'll still appear lighter than the back, but they will be a closer match.

I'm originally from NY. The one worse thing about tint in NY is that they will fail you for inspection if your windows are tinted. Unless, you find someone that is willing to pass it anyway. Which isn't that difficult. Some shops are pains about it, some don't care.

In NJ, they only do emissions inspections and it's not required to do a safety inspection like in NY, so they don't check/care if your windows are tinted when you go for inspection.

Hammer212

Self-admitted tinting newbie here. Only experience with it is having 3M film installed on home windows to protect floors from UV. Thank you in advance for suffering through my trying to figure this out…

So I’ve established that to get my front row to match the factory second row, it’s an aftermarket solution. Got that now.

But I’m curious about the ease with which it can be safely changed/replaced, as @graffixnyc described, without damaging the factory-installed treatments: I plan to order the DC5 Acoustic Comfort Package on my GLE 580, which is described in the DOG as “Increased Cabin Insulation, Windshield with Infrared-Reflecting film, Side Windows with Acoustic Infrared-Absorbing Film.”

Any issues with applying aftermarket tinting on top of this other films? If the tinting film ever needs to be removed, will doing so somehow damage this other film underneath, and or void factory warranty?

Benzman33

No, the tint won't damage it. Will not void the warranty

Benzman33

Yeah they'll fail you. You just need to know where to look or should I say find those who don't look

Hammer212

Thank you!

SW20S

The front glass is 70% from the factory, so there is tint. It actually says it on the stamping on the glass. So when you choose a tint % you have to factor in the factory tint. Here front glass has to be 35%, but if you get 35% it will be illegal because 70% X 35% = 24.5%. Most films also have slightly different light transmission than the number they advertise.

So if you put 20% on your front windows, the actual percentage will be around 14%.

I just had my S580 done in Sun Tek CIR 40%, which actually has 44% light transmission, so my net VLT is now 30.8, it would still fail if I got stopped.

taphil

There is no factory installed film on the outer surfaces of the windows. The IR layer is sandwiched between two layers of glass. Aftermarket tint can be applied and removed without affecting it.

Go to a reputable car window tint shop. I found mine on yelp. They’ll have options for different film types and darkness. They’ll have a meter to measure stock glass. They can place samples on the window and measure % and you can look for yourself. Besides matching tint darkness/%, the other problem is matching tone. The stock rear windows are slightly bluish. The first ceramic Suntek tint I got 7y ago on my GLC was slightly hazy and slightly greenish, but ceramic was kinda new at the time. Subsequent Suntek ceramic films I got on my newer cars are crystal clear and neutral but doesn’t exactly match the bluish rear windows. You don’t notice it unless you’re inside the car and carefully looking out both front and rear windows at the same time to compare.

One of my GLE window tints had a spec of dust in the install that I found a day after, the shop redid it for free a week later.

If you want to boggle your mind, you can research 3M films vs competitors.

Hammer212

@SW20S @taphil Thank you both! Great stuff.

wildta

Is the factory tint embedded into the glass or applied? And is the stamp you're referring to says "30E"?

taphil

I think it’s just the glass itself. It’s not 100% transmittance like a wine glass.

Benzman33

That's not considered tint though, that's just the glass itself like said above. No one is going to look at the windshield and front windows and say that's 70%.

SW20S

Its absolutely considered tint. Its embedded into the glass itself. When somebody stops you and reads your VLT on your tint, the factory tint will be factored into that as well. So like I said, if your legal limit is 35% and you put 40% tint on it thinking it will pass, it won't. Factory tint is legal, but when you add tint to it you have to take it into account.




https://www.aptinting.com/darkest-ti...s-in-maryland/

graffixnyc

I got the 20% removed and replaced with 15% on the front windows today. It for sure matches the back windows more than the 20% did. It still appears a little lighter because of my light interior and pano roof, but I expected that. It appears a tad darker than the 20% I had, which was exactly what I wanted. Every time I looked at it with 20 I thought "I wish it was just a little bit darker"

My tint guy removed it and replaced it for free which was a nice surprise as I was expecting to have to pay for it again. He took the blame for it since I originally went in asking for the front tint to match the factory tint on the back windows and he just assumed it was 20% without checking with the meter first.

Benzman33

That's transparency not tint.

SW20S

Thats the visible light transparency. That 70% means the tint is 70% tint, it lets 70% of the visible light through. Just like the 30% tint you buy lets 30% of the light through. Ask some tint shops.

When you put 30% tint on 70% factory tinted windows you wind up with windows that are 21% tint. They let 21% of light through.

taphil

The debate is over how transmission/transparency/tint (being used interchangeably here) is achieved. On factory glass, I think it's an inherent property of the glass during manufacturing, not a film that's applied to the glass.

graffixnyc

When I had the 20% installed on the front two windows and used the tint meter, it registered as 19.1 VLT. With your logic, the number should have been much less.