Need help with a window tint ticket

Chixdigme

Chixdigme

Forum Member
A friend bought a car with very dark tint in the rear and rear side windows (not the windshield or front side windows).

He was written a ticket for them being too dark. The Michigan vehcile code section 257.709 states that any degree of tint is ok as long as it is non reflective (or less than 35% reflective). This is a dark tint, but not reflective in any way.

He fought the ticket but lost, they clearly want the money regardless of whether it is legitimate or not. Is there any recourse? We can easily prove that thei tinit is non-reflective, will the judge have the authority to ignore and impose a fine, anyway?
 
request a new hearing, bring in pictures. what hes done is not illegal, look at any limo driving around, or work vans, which dont even have windows
 
cjmatt said:
request a new hearing, bring in pictures. what hes done is not illegal, look at any limo driving around, or work vans, which dont even have windows
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x2 you can buy Ford Transits or Chevy HHRs with no rear windows.
 
It was in Farmington hills. I'll see if he has a picture.

They're pretty dark, but certainly not reflective.
 
As others have said, if it isn't on the front side windows or windshield, it is a bullshit ticket. Was it written for tint or obstructed vision? If it was tint, he could have had any officer from any municipality sign it and just mailed it in. If it was obstructed vision, you have to go to court. I'm assuming it was obstructed vision. See the following:

Michigan Vehicle Code section 257.709

MSP Traffic Law FAQ's - See Window Tint

I just went through this in Livonia a couple months back. We had just bought a used car that had 8% tint on all windows but the windshield. My wife got pulled over by Livonia's finest just for the tint (no other infraction). They wrote it up as "obstructed vision" as opposed to "Defective Equipment - Window Tint" which is a fix-it ticket. I feared they were going to try and get money out of us to plead it from the 2 point obstructed ticket to the 0 point tint ticket. I removed the tint from the front side windows and we went to an informal hearing. To my surprise, the court just wanted to verify the tint was removed. Once the bailiff did that, the killed the ticket. No plea, no fine.

Sounds like your buddy got screwed by Farmington Hills.
 
then tell them they have to remove the tint from all their police cars
and their motor carrier patrol cars

that my nephew applied
 
257.709 first states

(b) A rear window or side window to the rear of the driver composed of, covered by, or treated with a material that creates a total solar reflectance of 35% or more in the visible light range, including a silver or gold reflective film.
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but then says

(3) This section shall not apply to:

(a) The use of draperies, louvers, or other special window treatments, except those specifically designated in this section,
on the rear window, or a side window to the rear of the driver if the vehicle is equipped with 2 outside rearview mirrors, 1 on each side, adjusted so that the driver has a clear view of the highway behind the vehicle.

(b) The use of a nonreflective, smoked or tinted glass, nonreflective film, perforated window screen, or other decorative window application on the rear window or a side window to the rear of the driver.
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I would fight the ruling.
Although they may try to get you on what is bolded above
Not only based on the above law, but also if they did not measure the actual tint darkness with a meter
 
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It NOT legal to have ANY aftermarket tint on your front side windows or winshield END OF STORY! It's been this way for years and years and everyone always complains about it.
In my opionion it should be illegal..... since you can barely see when the side windows are tinted and it makes it unsafe for others on the road.
The last (2) vehicles i bought had tint on the side windows....first thing i fixed.
 
fiveohcrazy said:
It NOT legal to have ANY aftermarket tint on your front side windows or winshield END OF STORY! It's been this way for years and years and everyone always complains about it.
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He said IT WAS NOT on the front side windows? As long as the tint was not solar reflective (ie reflective/mirrored), he should not have a problem. It is well within the existing law assuming the passenger side mirror wasn't missing.
 
So, not to thread hijack, but I just bought a used truck from Illinois that has the front side windows tinted. I think I'm ok until the 30 day Illinois temp tag expires. What's the best way to remove tint? Is this something I DIY, or should I visit a tint shop to remove it?
 
Killjoy said:
So, not to thread hijack, but I just bought a used truck from Illinois that has the front side windows tinted. I think I'm ok until the 30 day Illinois temp tag expires. What's the best way to remove tint? Is this something I DIY, or should I visit a tint shop to remove it?
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It's super easy. All you need is a razor blade and a bucket of warm, soapy water. Start peeling back the tint with the razor blade, then grab it with your fingers and pull. On my car, one window the tint came off in one big piece. The other window was probably 10 pieces. You really only need the razor blade to start peeling each piece. You don't actually have to scrap the tint off. The adhesive on the other hand... Once all the tint is off, wet down the adhesive residue left behind and let it soak a few minutes. From there, you should be able to scrape the adhesive off with the razor blade pretty easily. Once all the adhesive is gone, wipe the window down with a wet rag and dry it off with a paper towel.

It took me 30 - 45 minutes total to remove it from both windows and I really took my time to make sure I got all the glue off. It's an easy job.
 
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