Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


Illegal Factory Fitted Windows


Matthew_McNally
 Share

Recommended Posts

Have just been stopped by the police.

My completely standard, factory fitted at manufacture, Lexus supplied front windows are too dark.

The only allow 38% of light through - they must allow 75%.

Have been given 14 days to resolve.

Which, as its the glass, not tints, means I am going to have to buy two new front windows.

If I don't - I can be prosecuted for defective parts.

How can Lexus be allowed to sell illegal equipped cars like this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 80
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

But Matt, I thought you were looking at getting tints on these windows, so surely they don't look tinted already?!

Have you got a side pic of the car? I've had a look at your pics in the thread when you got the car but can't really tell how dark they look because of the angles? Have you got a side shot?

Was their machine functioning correctly?

Have a word with Lexus as something doesn't sound right here mate, are they the green tinted windows?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But Matt, I thought you were looking at getting tints on these windows, so surely they don't look tinted already?!

the rears are darker than the front - was thinking of evening them up.

needless to say - those plans have just been filed under bin :lol:

Have you got a side pic of the car?

not a plain side on shot - may try and get one later

Was their machine functioning correctly?

dunno - he measured the front window, and that was@ 80% (but he measured quite near the top where there is a sunstrip type effect)

Have a word with Lexus as something doesn't sound right here mate, are they the green tinted windows?

needless to say, both Lexus Nottingham and Lexus GB will be hearing from me on Monday

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that sunstrip normal on these cars then?

Good luck getting it sorted mate, getting pulled over is the last thing you need at the end of the day - as a matter of interest, did they say anything about your number plate when they pulled you over?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that sunstrip normal on these cars then?

yeah.

its not a Nova sunstrip I must quickly point out - its the glass itself is a darker shade.

Good luck getting it sorted mate, getting pulled over is the last thing you need at the end of the day - as a matter of interest, did they say anything about your number plate when they pulled you over?

No :shifty:

Went to the back of the car to get details, plate etc - bottom went paaaarrrp, as I thought he would do me for that too - but he just wrote the form out, and even spaced the plate correctly :blush:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mate, - beleive it or not ... this can be very true.

A few years back, Essex Police were taking .... hmm I can't remember what company it was .... I think it was either Chrysler or Jeep to court for supplying illegally tinted front windows.

The current law however is that the front windows are to let in at least 75% light.

There is no legal limit for the back windows, however , if they are also tinted over 35% you are required to keep and maintain both of your wing mirrors.

IE : If you have NO TINTS.

And only one wing mirror, and a rear view mirror - you can not be prosecuted.

If you have REAR TINTS (over 35%)

You are required to have BOTH wing mirrors, or you can be prosecuted !

I never knew that Lexus were supplying Illegally fitted windows, if this is the case then Lexus GB can be liable for prosecution as a whole.

I would seek some proffesional Legal advice, about getting Lexus to replace your windows !

Hope this helps ......

Link to comment
Share on other sites


MATT I AM ASSUMING YOU MEAN THE FRONT SIDE WINDOWS........

well, as the car is new, it will have a COC certificate of conformity, which means that the windows if std comply with ciurrent legistation not only in the UK but also in Europe.

id me more inclined to say the testing machine was defective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MATT I AM ASSUMING YOU MEAN THE FRONT SIDE WINDOWS........

well, as the car is new, it will have a COC certificate of conformity, which means that the windows if std comply with ciurrent legistation not only in the UK but also in Europe.

id me more inclined to say the testing machine was defective.

Exactly what i was thinking.

Why would such a prestigious car co as Lexus allow a detail such as this to slip through.....?it aint going to happen.

I bet he was straight out of Hendon/nappies and had a spotty face and prolly about 17. :lol::lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MATT I AM ASSUMING YOU MEAN THE FRONT SIDE WINDOWS........

well, as the car is new, it will have a COC certificate of conformity, which means that the windows if std comply with ciurrent legistation not only in the UK but also in Europe.

id me more inclined to say the testing machine was defective.

Exactly what i was thinking.

Why would such a prestigious car co as Lexus allow a detail such as this to slip through.....?it aint going to happen.

I bet he was straight out of Hendon/nappies and had a spotty face and prolly about 17. :lol::lol:

Scorpian .... lol

If it was in the MET ... then it would have to have been a Traffic Officer .. and therefore would at least know what they were talking about ....

I'm not sure how county forces work though ...... but remember what I said in the previous post ..... A car company was once before taken to court because of illegally fitted tinted windows !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MATT I AM ASSUMING YOU MEAN THE FRONT SIDE WINDOWS........

well, as the car is new, it will have a COC certificate of conformity, which means that the windows if std comply with ciurrent legistation not only in the UK but also in Europe.

id me more inclined to say the testing machine was defective.

Exactly what i was thinking.

Why would such a prestigious car co as Lexus allow a detail such as this to slip through.....?it aint going to happen.

I bet he was straight out of Hendon/nappies and had a spotty face and prolly about 17. :lol::lol:

Scorpian .... lol

If it was in the MET ... then it would have to have been a Traffic Officer .. and therefore would at least know what they were talking about ....

I'm not sure how county forces work though ...... but remember what I said in the previous post ..... A car company was once before taken to court because of illegally fitted tinted windows !

Damn......dont go yet...

A car company was once before taken to court

Do you not think other car co's would of taken notice of this.......?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK - some pics.

This one makes the fronts look quite dark

43600013_G.sized.jpg

this one looks lighter though

43600014_G.sized.jpg

To show the effect the ambient light can have, two shots of the cars either side of mine. Both are 'old lady family cars' - completely unmodded in any way, shape or form.

43600015_G.sized.jpg

43600016_G.sized.jpg

This is the money shot though I think - front window and driver side in the same shot

43600018_G.sized.jpg

sorry - but that does not look that dark to me.

Also shows the 'sun strip' (see - its not a nova 'Kev & Bev' strip! :lol: ).

The officer measured it just below where the blue patch ends, and got an 80% reading there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


MATT I AM ASSUMING YOU MEAN THE FRONT SIDE WINDOWS........

well, as the car is new, it will have a COC certificate of conformity, which means that the windows if std comply with ciurrent legistation not only in the UK but also in Europe.

id me more inclined to say the testing machine was defective.

sorry - yes, I am referring to the front side windows.

thats interesting Matt, will be part of my armoury when I speak to Lexus.

Does each individual car have a COC, or is it the general range?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly what i was thinking.

Why would such a prestigious car co as Lexus allow a detail such as this to slip through.....?it aint going to happen.

I bet he was straight out of Hendon/nappies and had a spotty face and prolly about 17. :lol:  :lol:

Scorpian .... lol

If it was in the MET ... then it would have to have been a Traffic Officer .. and therefore would at least know what they were talking about ....

I'm not sure how county forces work though ...... but remember what I said in the previous post ..... A car company was once before taken to court because of illegally fitted tinted windows !

He was a motorcycle officer.

Was on traffic duty by Tranmere's football ground, and pulled me over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The way I read the actual statute, it applies only to

"any tint, film, other substance or material applied to specified glass or glazing or forming part of windscreens or other windows"

and not to the actual glass itself.

Also, the case about the Chrsyler that was ordered off the road was cos the guy bought the car with aftermarket tints fitted - they were not original factory windows.

I suspect that the Tint Man device was duff or the officer took the reading in the wrong place.

Whilst it's reasonable to demand that tint film (etc) is removed, it's pretty unreasonable to demand that a car is re-glazed I would have thought.

Matt - if you have the balls mate - let it go to court and see what happens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt, thats un-believeable ...

Can't believe thats happened to you ... and to think there are so many real crimes out there eing comitted, they waste there time on this - your car class looks no diferently tinted then those errr Police range rovers :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i agree with Rod, let it go to court.

matt, every car has to have a COC, if he took the reading just below the sun stripe, then he took it in the wrong place, as the tint is graduated.

personally i would not get offensive with Lexus, but get there view on the situ, then go to court.so much as to say , go to the police station to "show" that the car has been put back to "normal" state, and say............

see you in court....you'll never take me alive

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what about the GS300 they (the cops) use as a patrol car on the M4.?maybe you could use that as an arguement.

My guess is that the m/cycle cop didn't have a clue as to how the machine worked or where to take a reading from. ;)

Friggin numpty.. :D...the copper not you Matt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The way I read the actual statute, it applies only to

"any tint, film, other substance or material applied to specified glass or glazing or forming part of windscreens or other windows"

and not to the actual glass itself.

as far as I can tell - I have plain glass, there is no tint, film or other substance applied.

Pity Scarface has logged off - perhaps he can give us the benefit of his knowledge here.

The dealer certainly did not tell me about any sort of aftermarket tints when they sold me the car. Surely they would be obliged to tell me this, as I would have to decalre it to my insurance company?

I suspect that the Tint Man device was duff or the officer took the reading in the wrong place.

he took the reading in the very top right hand corner of the drivers side front window.

Again, perhaps Scarface can let us know exactly how the meter should be used?

He only tested that one window, although took a few readings, that were consistently around 38%.

Whilst it's reasonable to demand that tint film (etc) is removed, it's pretty unreasonable to demand that a car is re-glazed I would have thought.

I kept saying that.

He wasn't phased by this.

I said "So I am going to have to completely replace the two front windows", and he was not too bothered - just kept saying that if it wasn't remedied, I could be prosecuted for having defective parts.

Although - he didn't have an 'attitude' about it - he was pretty decent about it.

Matt - if you have the balls mate - let it go to court and see what happens.

hmmmmm.

early days for that sort of discussion yet mate ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If hes trying to take a reading from the top (across the sunvisor) where its tinted,the tinting is applied in between the glass so its impossible to take it out.

I bet if you ordered a new screen it would be exactly the same,so that would make most modern cars illegal then as most have the sun visor incorporated in the w/screen.

Hes talking out of his A**E.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did he say why he stopped you? Maybe he didn't like the plate then thought he'd upset you when he saw the windows ........ and forgot the plate.

Have you looked at the Lexus website to see what it says about the windows for the GS430? "Water-repellent glass on front door windows " maybe that upsets his meter? It doesm't seem to mention tints though :whistling:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

matt, every car has to have a COC, if he took the reading just below the sun stripe, then he took it in the wrong place, as the tint is graduated.

yeah - true.

But this is where he got the 80% reading, which was fine, and I don't have to do anything about that.

The drivers side front window he measured in the top right hand corner, and this is where he got a 38% reading.

personally i would not get offensive with Lexus

I am not goona get offensive with them mate - but clearly I need to speak to them, as we are talking about the legality of the windows they fit to their cars as standard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share




×
×
  • Create New...