[honeybee]

I believe most manufacturers provide tinted glasses already. Please remember they too cannot exceed some limits.

[Sawyer]

Yes, almost no one gives glass that is 100% see through. And the limits are specified in the rules, and I believe they can go down to 70% in front or something on those lines.

But tint doesn't necessarily mean UV rejection. A 99% UV rejection glass can be close to no tint too, on the other hand.

And I see no reason why glass that changes tint intensity according to light levels can't be given. With their volumes, car makers can influence driving down of costs of these. The technology to do this at least 30 years old.

[Sawyer]

The rules allow as low as 70% light transmission on front and rear, and 50% on side glass. So there is a lot that manufacturers can legally do, if they choose to do so to keep us comfortable/safe. While reducing AC load and fuel consumption at the same time.
PS: Which should again allow us to see how sensible the SC ruling really is. Having given this leeway in the rules a long long time ago, the logical assumption is that for any car that has 70% light transmission glass, fixing any film in the after market will reduce the light transmission to below 70%. Hence, no film is legal. Even for a car that has plain glass just for argument's sake, light transmission cannot be 100%, so the 70% films can never be legal in front/rear.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

That may not be correct, the luxury car makers are probably doing something about this already, though I can't be sure.

Most luxury cars were already coming with tinted glasses and were not affected by the supreme-court ruling.

T Bhp also has a role it can play if it chooses to, by highlighting this as a feature in the official test reports and how well the glass works, with less focus on things like chrome and cup holders.

I believe, TBHP is already doing this. The following are quotes from Baleno official review:

The Maruti Baleno has been launched in India at a price of between Rs. 4.99 - 8.11 lakhs (ex-Delhi).

What you'll like:

• ...
• Loaded with features such as UV-cut glass ....

The Smaller yet Significant Things:

The Baleno comes with 'UV Cut Glasses' which Maruti claims cut UV rays by up to 85%. To their credit, I didn't feel the sun sting my right arm while driving around the city on a hot day. UV cut glass provided on the side windows & quarter glasses. In this sunfilm-less era, such solutions from the factory are a godsend. We hope other manufacturers follow suit..

[Sawyer]

Excellent, good correction. If the reviews educate buyers, it will slowly drive the manufacturers to do what is an essential for Indian conditions - appropriate glass.

[Rahulk76]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Excellent, good correction. If the reviews educate buyers, it will slowly drive the manufacturers to do what is an essential for Indian conditions - appropriate glass.

Exactly my thoughts. While browsing came across windshield experts solar AIS glass http://www.windshieldexperts.com/val...-control-glass
Seems like worthy replacement whenever one can make a switch.

[Divyendu Sharma]

Even I am fed up of continuos sunlight hitting me and giving me migraine attacks and sun burns.Doctors have strongly advised me to stay away from sun.The other unfortunate thing is I live in Chandigarh and the cops here take the traffic rules very seriously which is a good thing.I remember last year I was travelling with my friend in his 5 series and the rear windshield curtain was up.We were stopped by the cops for this and we tried explaining him that this is company fitted and stuff but he gave a very valid reason.He told us even High beams are factory fitted that does not mean we can use it in the city limits.Rules are rules.The only solution I see is to buy a pre owned VW Touareg which comes with very dark factory tinted glass particulary pre 2010 models.

[Sawyer]

India would be a much better place for all of us to live in if cops everywhere policed us as the ones in Chandigarh seem to, based on the above experience. All of us are busy trying to figure out how to bend/break the law, with educated Indians leading the charge. We also respond only to policing: witness the much better behaved Indians when they are in places like Singapore. There we are more scared than people from other places.

One can understand this behaviour from an uneducated Indian, but often they are better behaved.

[straight6]

I was thinking of putting slight (30%) tints as the SX4 windows are big and its really annoying on long drives plus my 3 year old daughter also gets very troubled.

I see quite a few cars with tints these days.

[shyn]

I don't know if this has been posted before, but sharing it anyways since I don't think a product like this has ever been on the market, atleast not at this price point!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ic-car-tinting
The campaign has sadly ended a few days back but I am sure they will sell it outside of Kickstarter too. If they are successful in making it, that is. Because electromagnetic car tint for four windows plus front and back glass that changes from 5% to 95% tint at the flick of a button for AUD100(roughly Rs 4800) sounds game changing to me!
The only concerns I have about the campaign is the really poor demonstration video and typos and poor grammar in their official description. And ofcourse the fact that not every campaign on Kickstarter, even though it has the highest success rate in the cround funding game, gets to fruition despite successful funding.
What do you guys think? Is it possible to make this product at this price point? That too by a start-up with a handful of orders and not a full fledged OEM supplying to a multiple car companies?

[nitnab]

There is a new movement by a group of MP's to again legislate for allowing tinted films. Can all think how to give strength to support this movement?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...w/51300402.cms

[Piyush46]

There is a new movement by a group of MP's to again legislate for allowing tinted films. Can all think how to give strength to support this movement?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...w/51300402.cms

I think this is a good initiative, keeping in mind the trouble faced by almost all of us especially during summers, we should definitely support it.

I also unterstand the motive of the ban and what I personally think is that they should lift the ban with certain restrictions which are similar to current rule like the the VLT in front and rear glasses to be 70% and rest to be at least 50%. This will at least help in reducing the heat inside the car when they are parked in open and will also help in reducing that irritating sunburns. The government can further be a bit strict and advise people to obtain certain certificate or something from the film makers certifying its VLT.

These are just my personal opinions and I do realise the reason behind such bans are very serious. I am not saying that such bans are not necessary but I am suggesting a bit of modifications so that it creates a win-win situation for all.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Piyush46

they should lift the ban with certain restrictions which are similar to current rule like the the VLT in front and rear glasses to be 70% and rest to be at least 50%.

Are you suggesting that a effective VLT of 49% for front and rear glass after market film should be legal?
Manufacturers are today allowed to install glass with a VLT of 70% for front/rear. Adding a film with VLT of 70% makes for the effective 49% VLT I am referring to.
For side glasses, the effective VLT would then be 25%.

[Piyush46]

Are you suggesting that a effective VLT of 49% for front and rear glass after market film should be legal?
Manufacturers are today allowed to install glass with a VLT of 70% for front/rear. Adding a film with VLT of 70% makes for the effective 49% VLT I am referring to.
For side glasses, the effective VLT would then be 25%.

Hi Sawyer,
I ,by no means, am suggesting 49% or 50%. I think i am being misunderstood here. I didn't know the maths to do all this. Thanks for doing it sir. I am suggesting that the law should be made a bit flexible so that those irritating sunlights and other issues are taken care of.

I understand that manufacturers are today allowed to install glass with a VLT of 70% for front/rear but not all of them are doing so and thus general public is suffering. I am just suggesting that something should be done to take care of it either by the car manufacturers or the government by allowing a bit of flexibility after proper calculations of course.

[Sawyer]

It isn't easy to frame regulations on a car by car, model by model basis, based on what VLT glass is being provided by the manufacturer.

Most are putting glass with some level of tint, no one installs 100% VLT glass these days - I suspect that most are installing 70%. I agree though that no one is installing 50% VLT glass for the side windows. As far as I know.

The simplest approach is to buy cars that have the maximum permitted tinted glass in them. Doing that will slowly force all manufacturers to do this.