Hey guys, so I got ticketed for having Factory Privacy glass in the Rear and I can't find my window sticker which states that the glass is from factory and meets the 50 States Inspection phrase.

Where can I pull up this information so I don't need to pay this ticket?

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EDIT: *Best answer HERE. --Tomas

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Wow man, this sucks. This is the first time I hear about this. What state are you in? Have you tried talking to a dealer?

 

Fight the ticket. Unless the cop had a tint meter on him and actually used it on your car, he's got no case. If he DID use a tint meter, go to a local tint store, ask them to use a tint meter and have them write something up for you saying that it's within the legal limit.

Cops can't write you up based on their own observation, 's why they can't call you drunk without a breathalizer test of some kind or say you're speeding without a radar/laser, write you up for loud exhausts without a decibel meter (but they CAN write you up for aftermarket exhaust).

 

Yes fight it. Do you have a Scion dealership near you? Go take some pics of the 2012 xB's there. Bring them into the judge and explain that these are new cars from the factory that came tinted like that.
Take a pic of your door plate that says it was made in Japan and says it is Fed compliant. This shows the car was imported into the USA by Toyota and was subjected to an inspection(or at least one of that years xB's was)

Fed law trumps state law when it comes to cars and commerce things. This is something they remind states all the time.

I think the tint is inside the glass so you would have to replace the window to get rid of the tint. But you would have to find somebody that can make the glass since they don't exist in clear.

Most state laws ether regulate applied tinting with strict guidelines or ban it out and out. In which case this does not apply to you since it was created at the factory. Aftermarket tinting places apply tint. If it comes from the factory it is built in

You might want to contact Toyota USA and have them give you documentation saying the tint meets US DOT specs. It is their butt on the line also if you are getting fined for non complaint tint they built into the glass and they have to rectify it.

It probably is that the cop was low on his ticket quota.

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I thought you could go as dark as you wanted on the rear windows anyways?

 

^This. Usually the front doors have a limit, the rest of the rear windows are whatever you'd like. As previously mentioned, which state are you in, or car registered.

 

Yeah, don't see how you could get ticketed for the factory tinted glass in the rear. As long as you didn't tint over it.

I Googled tint laws and found this site...FL's is accurate, hope all the others are too:

http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/

That doesn't really help you much, but thought it would be a good reference if someone needed it.

 

I am in NJ, but got a ticket in NY. They used a tint meter in the rear. Since it's tinted from factory (all of our xBs have the same glass), it read like 20 or 30% (forgot the value). Thanks for the suggestions!

 

Although I don't have a 2012, you think this might help?

http://www.scion.com/assets/pdf/xb_12_brochure.pdf

Under the standard features section, it shows "Privacy Glass on Rear Window"

Edit:

I called up Scion, 866-707-2466 and they were able to e-mail me a copy of the standard equipment from my vehicle.

 

Yea go to court and fight t

 

sorry to tell ya but thought i would give you some information. i am in NY as well and have been ticketed several times for tint. NYS law says that windows, front or rear have to allow 75% light through. factory or not it is illegal here in NY and if you fight it just expect it to happen again. since he used a tint meter there really isnt anything you can do and some of the judges i have been up against will tell you that you cant fight it even if it is factory. bottom line is it is illegal in NYS and you will have to pay the fines or change the glass in your windows you will be told. you might get lucky with the judge this time and get it dropped but like i said it will happen again. plus NYS no longer does fix it tickets for certain things like tint. the fine is $50 for first offense and can go all the way up to $150 per offense so sorry to tell you but be prepared to pay. gotta love NYS and how stupid they are with laws.

 

oh by the way to add a little humor to it. i got pulled over for mine a couple weeks ago at 3am. i asked why i was being pulled over and was told my windows were dark. i laughed a little and said it is pitch black out and you were driving past me on the highway doing 65 or so. how could you possibly see that my windows are to dark? he didnt like that and pulled out the tint meter and did his dumb test. after the test he asked if i knew the law and how much is legal in NY and what mine were at. i told him yes and gave him the numbers and he said oh ok. he then said he would give me 3 options. 1) ticket and fine 2) tell him i would get the tint removed and actually do it or 3) tell him i would get the tint removed and not do it, he then said he would catch me later if i did that though haha.

 

so wait....they can ticket you for something that comes from the factory?

Seems a bit ridiculous.

 

yep they can if they really want too. like i said NYS doesnt allow anything that doesnt allow 75% light through it. i asked a long time ago when i got my first one why a lot of vehicles come with tint or privacy glass on the vehicle. i was told normally they would leave those vehicles alone but they dont have too because it is police officer saftey and the tint doesnt allow them to see what people in the car are doing. i find now when i get pulled over if i turn all interior lights on it helps and they leave me alone most of the time. NYS rules!

 

The police officer safety statement I find to be kind of invalid as other states allow darker tint. I stay in TX and it's 35% front windows, the rears are not limited.

 

thats why NY sucks. NY doesnt care what other states do and run things their own way. NY is by far one of the most strict states to live in with laws that they have that other states dont. i actually just found out from my best friend that is a cop that they are changing exhaust laws in NY again. certain counties have already adopted a policy that if an officer drives by your car with their windows up and can hear your exhaust it is now illegal. they apparently dont need a decible meter or anything anymore.

 

^Reminds me of another state, off on the west coast lol. That sucks about the exhaust law change up.

Is the car REGISTERED in NJ or NY? They shouldn't ticket you for it if it's registered in NJ.

 

I believe the factory (OEM) tint on both generations of xB is 30-35% (it varies slightly due to manufacturing tolerances).

This should be a legal tint level for windows behind the "B" pillar in all states, and is legal under federal regulations.

If you are only running factory tint, I suspect the officer's meter or his reading of the meter was off. Perhaps asking how the meters are calibrated and the last time HIS was calibrated might be valid. Also, it might be worthwhile to have the officer explain in detail how he used the meter on your vehicle.

Not too sure how much value this might have, but opticians often have example lenses for sunglasses with specific tint percentages. If one could borrow one or two of those from a friendly optician, it might be interesting to see how the officer's cheapo meter stands up against industry standards.

(BTW, was you window a little bit dirty when he measured? That cuts down transmission considerably...)

Good luck!

 

haha hmm are you talking about california. i feel their pain now haha.

unfortunately both last comments are incorrect though except for the fact that the tint is legal by federal standards. however each state has individual laws and regulations. the laws for NYS are below

NYS tint laws as written:

New York State's window tint statute is found in § 375 (12-a) of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. Subsection 12-a, which discusses window tinting or "light transmittance" at length, was last amended in 1991, increasing the required light transmittance percentage from 35 percent to 70 percent. This 70 percent is the highest required light transmittance percentage by any state, also shared in California and Pennsylvania.

now if you want the exact law for rear and side windows as well for NY it is as followed:

Front and Back Side Windows
The § 375 (12-a)(b)(2) of the Vehicle and Traffic Law requires that side windows, both front and back, cannot be covered by a window tint film that allows "light transmittance" of less than 70 percent. This means that some degree of aftermarket window tinting is permitted. As long as the window tint film allows 70 percent of visible light to pass through the film and the window glass, your windows do not violate the law.
If you choose to tint your windows, New York State does not ban any tint color; however, the tint cannot reflective light or appear metallic or mirrored. Additionally, if you bring your vehicle to a company who performs aftermarket tinting work, under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 375 (12-a)(d), there must be a sticker affixed to the window, between the glass and the tinted film, identifying that the tint film is of a legal percentage for New York State.


Windshield and Rear Window
Under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 375 (12-a)(b)(1) states that a vehicle's front windshield can only be tinted on the top 6 inches. Like the side windows, that window tint must allow for a "light transmittance" of 70 percent. Additionally, if the top 6 inches of the windshield are covered with a tinted film, the film cannot be reflective.
As for the rear window, § 375 (12-a)(b)(4) allows for the rear window to be tinted to any darkness. However, if the rear window is tinted darker than the allowable 70 percent "light transmittance," the vehicle must have two side mirrors, allowing the driver to see the road and any traffic conditions behind him.
If, however, a vehicle only has one side mirror, § 375 (12-a)(b)(4) states that the rear window can only be tinted as dark as the side windows of the vehicle, allowing for 70 percent of visible light to pass through the window glass and the tint film.

and if you read farther down into the laws of NYS you will find this information:

New York has one of the toughest traffic accident window tint laws in the nation, many states have found it hard to keep cars with dark windows off the streets. People may sometimes be confused by window tint laws, because there are federal standards for window tint laws, and there are usually individual state standards as well.
Also, due to the different state window tinting laws, a legal tint in Maryland, for instance, could get a ticket while being driven through New York.

 

sorry if the comment sounds like i was being a dick. not how i mean it at all but just trying to inform and help the guy out as per NY laws. being a federal law enforcement contracted person in NYS i had to dig out my info on the actual laws per state as it is written to code. i hope this helps to anyone looking for info on this as it pertains to NYS