[Fizzle]

how much would i be looking to pay to get all the windows tinted as much as legally possible?

do the prices vary much for quality or is there not much in it?

and finally is the dealer likely to be quite reasonable or should i try elsewhere first?

thanks in advance for any input.

[stereo144]

MINI Center here in San Antonio is going to charge me $215 for window tint when my car comes in. I haven't checked with any other places so I can't really compare but I really like the tint the dealer puts on. It looks really nice in my opinion. I didn't ask what % tint it was but it looks pretty dark to me.

[Sharpingtons]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fizzle

how much would i be looking to pay to get all the windows tinted as much as legally possible?

I was told by dealer that the tint that Mini offers in their options list isn't, as far as they were aware, legal!!
I have a mate that had them factory fitted, and if he was to be pulled over the police could ask for the car to undergo a sort of MOT/safety certificate test for vision. Whether they would ask for it to be removed is anyones guess. (Same situation with number plates and letters being shoved up to make words!)

I can say that the factory fit option on new cars is excellent, although it looks a bit odd because the boot lid glass and rear glass are darker then the front doors as the windows are already pre tinted anyway. Good for hot summers and cooler car though.

And as for me.......

..........mine's on order without!

Hope this helps!

[dietcokeplease]

It should cost no more than about £250 to fully tint all windows to the legal limit. Some places such as Pentagon GlassTech use laminated tints which are more expensive.

And your dealer is talking utter nonsense regarding the factory option tints. The factory option tints are a medium tint at most. As long as your car has two door mirrors then you could legally paint the rear and rear-side windows with 15 coats of emulsion if you so wished.

The front windows can only be tinted to block 33% of light (or is it the other way round? allow 70% light transmittance) Roughly this translates to a medium tint. You won't be able to use dark or limo tints on the front windows.

Best recommendation is to ask people with tints for details of the company that did them. Then visit the company and make sure that they have an oven to bake dry the front window tints. Some Aussies laugh at us because they don't remove n' bake, but we Brits don't have regular 40c sunshine. The reason for baking is to ensure that the tint sticks to the glass well, especially on a MINI where the window lip rubs against the rubber seal.

[spod]

If you have the dealer fit the tints they will be legal limit unless otherwise stated, if you do want darker you may be asked to sign something saying you have asked for this and they are not at fault if the police pull you over .. or even worse you have an accident and they can blame it on you as your windows were too dark.

Be safe, just get legal limit - looks decent. We payed £300 for the dealer to do. Also means they were on the car when you bought from the dealer so they are not an aftermarket mod so insurance cannot be funny about it. Check my Gallery for legal limit tints on my Mrs' car.

[snarl]

It is always important to be within your local legal limit on tint %. As far as price I was going to get my 325i done in Germany for about 200 USD. The MINI looks like a fairly easy vehicle to tint. I'll most likely get something in the spring.

[Kurtster]

I just got mine done for $175, all "medium" (35% tint)

[Ottawa Guy]

Got mine done for $200Cdn.

I think it was 32% all round - I hate it when the rear windows are darker than the fronts.

I had it done at Ziebart (an auto glass and rustproofing chain) which is where the dealer takes it. It looks good and was $100 less than the dealer wanted. It is guaranteed for life.

Tony