So I heard that when I move to MD the motor vehicle inspection is private and they make you remove all tint off the windows that was not factory or you will fail the inspection?
Has anyone found a reputable shop in MD where I can avoid this stupid rule? I have tint on the rear glass only and my friend who moved there three years ago said he had a major issue with the place he took it to for inspection, they made him remove the tint from the rear hatch of his 06 and runined the defroster grid.....
Where are the old timers and the repair shops of old where you wold just give the guy $20 for the sticker and you were on your way? probably more like $50 - $100 today......

 

I lived in MD most of my life. Window tint is allowed but must allow at least 35% of the light to go through. On cars all windows including back glass and rear windows have to meet the 35% rule. If you have a truck or van the back windows can be as dark as you like. The drivers and passenger windows have to be at least 35% also. They make allowances if you have certain medical conditions but you have to submit a recommendation to the State Police from your doctor to get approval.

 

I'd like to think that 'they're damned hard to find' !!!!

 

Those days are long gone. I worked for an independent tire dealer from 82-90. The shop next door to us did MD state inspections. They only would do them for people known to them like us or people we said were cool. My buddy who worked next door and got me many an inspection got greedy. He did an inspection for someone he didn't know. He went to court and the pickup truck he did the inspection for the MD. State Police had pictures of it sitting in a field with no engine, trans, rusted out body, on blocks with no wheels or tires. He broke his own rule of doing for someone he didn't know. The shop he worked for the state police came in and went through their inspection book. He couldn't do inspections after that. We paid $40 -$80 for them. The last time I got one for my first ZR1 which had no cats. I gladly paid $150 and that was in 2003. It's not like it was and that's for darn sure. In many cases you can go with either historic or antique tags which have little to no inspection. My ZR1 now had antique tags. I don't drive it very much. It's not an everyday car let alone every week or month.

 

Everything ZRwild said is true. The good old days are long gone. Take the car for legit inspection and roll the dice. Good luck.

 

If you do end up having to remove the tint, do your self a favor and buy a clothes steamer.

I had to remove tint form the rear window of the 03 vette I bought. Using the steamer, I had the tint off in under 15 minutes, no damage. Biggest hassle was getting the all of the residual adhesive off.

 

That sucks. Being from NJ we are only allowed to tint the rear side windows and back window any tint % we want. AND....I need to have a front plate on my car! There should be a corvette exception in every state. Guess ill have to cal my congressman....

 

 

I just had my 1985 vette MD inspected last week and it passed no problem with tinted windows. When the tint was installed 25 years ago down in Key West I asked for legal only and it passed in 2020 in MD. As for the good old days they are still here, only it's more like $300 if you know where to go.

 

Where in MD did you get yours inspected?
I could tell you 5 places in Jersey where I could get you passed with $100 bucks!
3 cars tinted for years in NJ only rear windows, nothing on the front but seems like it does not matter what windows are tinted in MD they have to be 35%...

 

IDK about Maryland. The DMV should have information about state inspection and if there are exemptions such as antique plates. Had to Google. SI looks similar to other States. If you haven't dealt with inspections it maybe an eye opener. If you have kept up with maintenance it should not be too bad. It not it could be a nightmare. Window tint there is a standard and a tester to determine percentage. Depending on locality excessive tint can be PC for a chat. With a 96 as long as OBD2 functions you should get passed emissions. Having FSM can be helpful in regards to what is excessive wear. The spec in the FSM may prevent rejection. If you think you are being exploited you can appeal to the State Police. MSP will have a process for reinspection. Inspectors and stations know there is a higher chance of trouble by rejecting than passing. Owners are unlikely to complain about passing.
Buying and selling stickers is illegal and has a element of risk for all parties involved. If during a chat officer questions validity of sticker.I could be investigated on the spot. In Va now the vin and sticker number and information is in VSP database, PD has instant access to it. If sticker number doesn't match vehicle. its a bad day. I wouldn't be surprised for MD to be using same system.. I did inspections in WV and VA years ago.

 

MD requires safety inspection of vehicles only when title transfer and initial registration occur, or when an equipment violation citation is issued by a LEO. There is no safety inspection decal applied to the vehicle in MD -- there is only a certificate that is issued upon successful completion of safety inspection. That certificate must be presented to MVA before two-year registration is granted. Temporary registration is available for the purposes of getting the vehicle through the inspection process.

No inspection is required for vehicles that are registered as historic in MD, however historic registration imposes significant restrictions on how the vehicle may be legally used.

I would strongly recommend against involvement in bribery under any circumstances. There's no need to over-complicate this situation. If the tint on the car is over the limit, put the money you might have spent on the bribe toward having the tint removed, and fresh tint applied that is within limits, if you want to continue to have some tint.

Live well,

SJW