Tint Issue (Semi-Long Post Alert)
 

So my car and I came from Houston. In March I had some great tint applied, 25% on the primary doors and 5% on the rest of the glass (windshield untouched). Nice and black...

Moved to MA in late April. Had my car registered and inspected in MA ealry May. When I got a state inspection the place passed my tint without question.

Recently the MA State Police stopped me to check my tint and it was (and I quote) "ridiculously illegal". I was cited and told to get something done "before I see you again".

I had the tint removed by a local shop. I also sent the citation in for a hearing.

I had no problem removing the tint, it was illegal. My issue is with the inspection station. Had they failed me then I would have removed it and the rest of the issue would never have hapenned.

Am I being a jerk by possibly getting the inspection station in trouble? I am looking out for me and trying to keep $250.00 in my pocket, not the State's.

Any similar experiences?

Thanks!

No opinions? YMBFJ!!!

I don't know, but the inspection station was most likely trying to do you a favor by looking the other way. There are people who have borderline tints that would love to go to these shops to get their sticker and be on their way.

I think you have a good chance of getting off the hook by ratting out the inspection station, but your question is ultimately a moral/ethical decision: Is the $250 worth it to become a rat bastard and one who points the finger at others for their trouble? It's really up to you.

In a perfect world, the shop would have rejected me. We don't live in one but I don't care to put out $250 to cover their butt. If it was a fix-it ticket, things would be very different.

I appreciate your reply.

Did they put a sticker on the window stating that is was MA approved?

Do the state inspection guys have a meter to measure light transmission? If not, it may be outside their checklist.

I live in NJ, and I have 5% all the way around(excluding windshield). I haven't been bother by any cops yet or for the fact of troopers either. I kinda live in a rich area of NJ and the cops have nothing better to do but to bust chops of people with nice cars. But so far so good, (knocks on wood). Good luck, I am going to just pay the fines, instead of taking the tint off and putting it back on! Have fun!

thats BS lovemy8 my sister has mirror tints too never got pulled over for tints so i say hey why not got 35%!!!!! THATS NOT BAD AT ALL!!!! LESS THEN 2 WEEKS AND I GOT A TICKET!!!!!! and you have 5% not even fair. also considering im still on my permit i have a ticket in my name... hhaha

come by my town
and yes they have a device to measure tints.it looks like a ezpass that they hang on the window, they ask you to roll it down a bit.and for a second or 2 it reads the tint.sounds crazy but I got checked before on my rx7 with NO TINTS.bored ass cops :(

Voodoo, you say in a perfect world the shop would have rejected you...my question is did you know going into the inspection that it was an illegal percentage in MA? If so it is my opinion that you would never have waited to remove it if you knew it was not legal because as you say "in a perfect world" integrity would have dictated that it be removed when you learned it was not legal. Integrity is doing what is right, ESPECIALLY when no-one else is looking.

Now, if you did not know it was illegal, then by all means raise the issue about the inspection station. If they are letting you slide with "ridiculously" illegal percent tint, then what other things are they letting go that could possibly cause grave harm to someone later on?

Again, I do not know you or the whole situation so this is merely my opinion based solely on the limited info you have provided. Not intended to be a flame at all. Best wished to you.

Yes. Passed MA State Inspection sticker w/certificate for the glovebox.

Ture, but it's on their checklist of things they "passed".

Bored is right! Yeah, he used the EZPass lookign thing. Cloudy day too. What a PITA. I just want the citation cleared...

Nope, did not know the MA percentages prior to the citation. I was leaving the inspection and determination up to the inspection shop. Maybe I assumed too much.

Thanks for the opinion and questions!

before this post I believed you knew right from wrong and shouldnt blame
the ma inspection place.
But how were you to know the tint percentage requirement of the state.so I say fight it and make them eat it.

In nj any tints are illegal but in florida upto i think 35% are legal anything
under you can get a citation.and I was shocked when I heard that but would
of never known if my friend didnt get a ticket in Valrico fl.

No...I mean a sticker the window tint place puts on the window saying it's legal. In TN, there is a sticker specifically saying the window tint is in accordance with the state law. Not the inspection sticker saying you passed inspection.

However, I would think that if the state inspection says your window tint is within the limits, you would have a case to get the ticket dismissed. However, you probably still can't use the tint if it is in fact illegal.

The inspection place not doing their job doesn't negate the validity of the law.

Tint already removed. Thanks.

I'm all for screwing the state of Taxachusettes, but give the inspection shop a break. They seriously probably tried to do you a favor, and you knew it was over the limit anyhow.

Okay, you pay the $250. Like I said earlier, if money wasn't involved then I wouldn't have an issue. Unfortunately, $250 doesn't grow on trees...

Just answering your original question, but seems your mind was made up before you asked it. In my opinion, in a perfect world you and I could go knock on Teddy Kennedy's door and get the money we're ALL screwed out of here.

Enough of the politics anyhow. Lets not get all fired up. You gonna go to the Autocross at Devens this weekend?