Window Tint for Honda Civic
kunalinforums
Member Posts: 2
I bought a new 2014 Honda Civic in South California. I was thinking of getting the car windows tinted. What is the CA regulation about window tint? Does tinting protect well? Do we get this done from Dealer or any other repair shops?, etc.
Please share your recommendations/thoughts/suggestions.
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Well, I decided to get my 2014 Accord tinted and I love it. It absolutely helps keep things in the car cool and I believe will protect my interior for years to come plus it looks outstanding. I admit, I was a novice when it came to window tinting but did my homework so I will share what I learned. I live in northern California.
First off, California has some strict laws on Window tinting which in my opinion, are unevenly enforced and sometimes not at all. There is the law and then there is the "real world" law. Others might have a different opinion but I talked to a lot of folks and read up a lot but again it is an opinion.
California law will allow tinting on the front windows of up to 70% clear. To the eyes, this will look like just about no tinting. Clear glass is somewhere between 70%-90% clear. On the back you can have as dark as you like as long as you have mirrors. Nothing can be affixed to the Windshield.
In the real world, folks take the risk and tint the front. From the people I talk to, it would be pretty rare for a cop to stop you for a 50% tint. You can see in the cabin and that is essentially what the cops want. 35%-50% tint you are pretty gutsy but unless you get stopped for something else, you probably wont get a ticket for it, which by the way is just a fix-it ticket. You quickly roll down your windows in the front if you get stopped otherwise the cop will not be able to see what you are doing and will get annoyed and write you for your tinting too. Those people with 5% on the front are just begging to get stopped. Every municipality is a bit different so check with your local tint shops to see what the cops usually enforce. I have 35% on the front and 20% rear and have driven right past the cops and they never give it a second look. They don't seem to enforce much in my area.
As far as where to get it done, yes the dealer will do it for you but they charge a lot and then they just drive it to the local tint shop and have it done. In my area the dealers are using the 3M shops because they can tell you it is warrantied. For the warranty and other reasons, I decided to go with the 3M product and an approved 3M tint shop. You won't go wrong going that route. The 3M Crystalline is the top of the line but is probably overkill. 3M color stable is what I have and is just about as good and is less then half the price.
Shop around and do your research, some of the $99 tint jobs specials are just dyed film that might last 5 years and only function as a privacy tint, with very little UV / heat reduction. I went with the 3M crystalline, paid $250 for getting 5% tint on the rear glass, 20% on the front side glass, and 5% across the top of the windshield. What I like about the Crystalline is even with the 80% tint, heat reduction is almost as good as the 5% tint, helps reduce the need for A/C significantly.