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Yeah, right... great reason for such concern. But, anyone who does inspections, especially in CA, should have the device to "read" the tint percentage. All the best with those many, many "admirers."
FYI. On Most GM vehicles the windshield and front side windows are marked Trans. 70% Min. In other words it's a 30% tint allowing 70% VLC (visible light transmission). The factory tint is sandwiched between the glass.
4 years ago this was California tinting law. It probably hasn't changed:
Windshield: None
Front side windows: Must pass 70% of light
Back side windows: No restriction
Rear window: No restriction
Must carry certificate showing amount of tinting and ID of applier
I tinted the front side windows 50% and the rear side and back windows 15% based on recommendations of other owners. Visibility is good and I like how it looks. The first time I drove it after tinting I thought the rear view mirror was stuck on night mode. ;-)
Last edited by Grand Slam; Dec 5, 2020 at 11:32 AM.
on my stingray i had 30% all around. it was dark "enough" to make a difference but not dark enough to get pulled over, and i never even ran a front plate. this is in san diego.
i also had the windshield done but you want nothing darker than 80%, 90 would be nice (it'll only help a little) but the point is, the gadget that the cops use cant possibly be used on the windshield, so no problem there. if a cop asks is that windshield tinted you just say no, its a small space inside, easy for it to look dark etcetc. screw the cops, no info for them eh.
you wanna stick with the usual big name brands and you want the fancy ceramic based tint. there are basically 3 categories and only the good ceramic stuff is worthwhile. i'd avoid anything "carbon" also, looks odd and reports of failures on tint forums after like 2 years which is laughable. 3m, llumar, whatever. as you do some reading on this you'll learn the big brands and the approximate prices. here in california though its higher, as with everything. including the windshield if you can get the whole car done for 450 or less that's pretty decent.
FYI. On Most GM vehicles the windshield and front side windows are marked Trans. 70% Min. In other words it's a 30% tint allowing 70% VLC (visible light transmission). The factory tint is sandwiched between the glass.
was just gonna say that they are marked.
70% is essentially clear glass... but if you multiply the film you put on by the other tint % you get what it is. roughly.
e.g. my truck has factory 20% rear then I have 5 over that ( .20 x .5 )= 1% , so 1 percent of light passes thru
What about the front and back windshields? California allows 70%.
Don't pick tint based on VLT alone, pick it by both VLT and IR (heat) rejection. The GM windows reject 100% UV-B, and 99% UV-A, so UV (cancer ****) is covered. Heat is not.
My biggest tint recommendation for any vehicle is applying IR rejection film on the windshield (tinted or not). It's the largest piece of glass in the car, it will keep you cool. Obviously this recommendation applies to all windows, but the question was on the windshield.
Last edited by ImpliedConsent; Dec 7, 2020 at 10:13 AM.
I recently put 5% tint on the back glass and the side little windows. 20% on the drivers and passenger side windows and did a 70% on the front windshield. Here in Texas they say 30% for the 2 side windows but I went 20%. Just roll down the window and leave it down if you get pulled over.
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Window Tinting
But, anyone who does inspections, especially in CA, should have the device to "read" the tint percentage. All the best with those many, many "admirers." 
