Does anyone know what % of light transmission there is on the factory windshield for an E60? My 2010 windshield has an AS-1 rating which means it must transmit at LEAST 70%of visibile light, but I'm not sure of the EXACT % of light transmission. I'm asking because I want to put a 70% tint on the entire windshield, but would only do so if currently there is 100% visible light transmission on the factory windshield to get to the 70% figure. Any facts or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.
That AS-1 is not a light transmission rating, it's a glass strength rating Your windshield is made of tempered glass, which is two sheets of acrylic plastic with the glass sandwiched between the layers, then heated and cooled rapidly. Not only does this give your windshield greater strength, but it's also much safer. That way, if an impact hits your windshield, the impact is transmitted through the laminate and the glass, instead of creating sharp shards that could injure or kill you. Instead of becoming sharp shards of glass, it fragments into tiny rounded pieces far less likely to cause injury. The AS-x rating is a glass strength rating. The higher the number, the stronger the glass. Most passenger vehicle glass is AS-2 or AS-3. As for the light transmission of the glass, one way to find out the percentage of tint on auto glass is to use a VLT meter, short for Visual Light Transmission meter. This handheld meter measures the amount of visible light that makes it past tinted glass. By doing this, these meters can measure the depth of tint by how much light is reaching the meter from the interior side of tinted glass. Since these meters are usually sold to police departments, auto glass and tinting shops, they're not cheap (between $180 to $200 each). I've provided a couple of websites that I thought were helpful http://www.edtm.com/usermanuals_VP1165.htm http://www.edtm.com/1_Visible_Light_Measurement.htm?1 A less expensive method to get your information is to visit a shop that specializes in auto tint. Nearly all of these shops have these tools to find out what level of tint your car has. They will probably not charge you for this measurement in the hopes of getting future business from you. Most factory tints are no more than a 10 to 15 percent tint maximum which is perfectly legal. You might want to check local laws, but most localities generally wouldn't approve of a 70 percent window tint on the entire front or rear windshield. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but 70 percent is a pretty dark tint that would allow only 30 percent of visible light to reach the interior of the car. From a visibility standpoint, it would be like driving at night all the time. From a safety standpoint, it would be very likely to attract unwanted attention from the police, both from the visibility standpoint and concerns about their own safety, since it would hinder their ability to see what passengers would be doing inside the vehicle tinted so dark. Law enforcement understandably tends to assume the vehicle owner is trying to hide contraband or illegal activity with such a dark tint. A two to four inch anti-glare tint strip can applied as an option not likely to run afoul of local laws. This is usually applied to the uppermost two to four inches of the windshield, and is meant to reduce overhead glare without reducing visibility that can be caused by pulling down your sun visor. Because of the potential safety and legal liability a tint shop would incur, a legitimate shop is probably not going to install such a dark tint on your car for you. They don't want to get sued if you get into a visibility related accident, and they certainly don't want to get their license pulled by the locality for applying an illegal tint to auto glass. Good luck.
BCWEIR: thank you. Just to clarify, by 70% tint I meant 70% light transmission so this is actually a very light tint, barely noticeable compared to no tint. I agree with you that I should get a meter put to my windshield to see what the current light transmission is. If it's 100%, then I feel OK going to a 70% very light tint.
Then what you're looking for is a 30 percent tint, not 70. 30 percent could be considered borderline in some communities. Might be best to check with local laws. I'd also recommend asking for a tint sample so that you can see what a 30 percent tint is. After a personal experience, you might consider 30 percent to be too dark, or not dark enough. Your experience may vary. Before you put down two c-notes on a light meter, see if a shop will do a free test for you. They would welcome the interest, and you would probably appreciate not having to spend $200 on something you might later decide you didn't need.
I've got 30 on my side windows and I would never recommend it for the windshield unless you will never drive at night. When you are meeting oncoming traffic on a dark street and your lights are on low, you won't be able to see things in the dark area at all.
