Considering a 5% Limo Tint on My Black Superb Estate: Stylish or Straight-Up Hearse-like? 🤔🖤

[CabooseRecluse]

Hello to all my fellow Skoda Superb aficionados! As the title suggests, I'm about to venture into the mysterious realm of window tinting. I've scheduled an appointment for tomorrow, and the butterflies—or maybe they're just floating dust particles from the old Columbus head unit—are buzzing.

The Tint Plan:
I'm leaning towards a 5% limo tint on the rear side windows and something a bit less intense on the rear boot window. Because let's be honest, as much as we adore the mysterious aura that the limo tint provides, seeing out of the back window at night became its own sort of adventure last time. Plus it sure makes ad hoc dogging less dangerous.
 

Been There, Done That:
I've actually gone full limo tint on a previous Superb I owned, and let me tell you, it was great but with one glaring issue, at night when the rear-view turned into a black hole. I just couldn't really see out the back window at night. Honestly, during the day was only just bearable, but at night I couldn't see ****, thank goodness for parking sensors.
 

Style vs. Practicality:
My Superb is a black estate, and I must confess, there’s a small, nagging worry in the back of my head. Will the limo tint elevate the car's cool factor, or will it make it look like I'm chauffeuring spirits to the afterlife amping up the hearse-vibe? Perhaps I’m just reliving my Goth phase, but I’d love to hear what you all think.
 

Questions for the Hive Mind:

1. Have any of you taken the plunge and tinted your windows?
2. How did you balance style and practicality, particularly for night driving?
3. For those of you with black estates, did the tint push your car’s aesthetic into 'funeral director chic'?
4. Any suggestions for tint percentages that have worked well for you?
   
    

Your collective wisdom and shared experience would be greatly appreciated! If you've tinted your windows and your Superb still looks more like a luxury liner than a hearse, I'd love to hear about it.

Cheers to tinting, but hopefully not too much squinting! 🥂🚗

Edited 9 September, 2023 by CabooseRecluse

[Ootohere]

Be brave, go for it.

It might well look like a private ambulance / funeral directors car but fill your boots.

Night vision is no worse than driving a van and there are lots of van drivers. 

 

What is the worst that can happen, maybe a hard stop by Police Scotland officers and they shoot you dead.

[CabooseRecluse]

9 minutes ago, toot said:

Be brave, go for it.

It might well look like a private ambulance / funeral directors car but fill your boots.

Night vision is no worse than driving a van and there are lots of van drivers. 

 

What is the worst that can happen, maybe a hard stop by Police Scotland officers and they shoot you dead.

Good point about vans. I've driven plenty and never saw out the back, and that was fine. I suppose you're just used to being able to see it.

Lets hope I can avoid getting Rambo'd by the boys in blue.

[J.R.]

I've seen plenty of estate cars where the rear window is covered with an advertising mural although they might be the type with the small holes in and maybe its a French thing.

 

I know there are restrictions on tints but given the good point regarding vans do these also apply to the rear side and rear windows?

[Ootohere]

No they don't.

Driver / passenger front and windscreen only.

 

Now there is the impossible to see into front screens about though. Just horrible IMO and i have no style or taste. 

Edited 9 September, 2023 by toot

[CabooseRecluse]

Well, I went ahead with it. So, a before and after pic. I think it looks pretty good!

[CabooseRecluse]

On 09/09/2023 at 20:42, toot said:

No they don't.

Driver / passenger front and windscreen only.

 

Now there is the impossible to see into front screens about though. Just horrible IMO and i have no style or taste. 

Yeah I agree, those chameleon window tint things did not appeal to me at all. 

[J.R.]

That does look very good!

 

I am tempted myself given how much the car heats up here in the summer even when parked for even 10 minutes, but I dont have any tint at all on any windows, would it not look odd with the rears tinted and the fronts clear? Yours looks like a reasonable transition.

[CabooseRecluse]

25 minutes ago, J.R. said:

That does look very good!

 

I am tempted myself given how much the car heats up here in the summer even when parked for even 10 minutes, but I dont have any tint at all on any windows, would it not look odd with the rears tinted and the fronts clear? Yours looks like a reasonable transition.

 

That's the law I'm afraid. Your front windows and windscreen needs to allow 75% light through. The rear ones can be as dark as you like. I've gone for 5% on the sides and the back window is 15%

It really cuts down the heat to be honest. 

https://www.gov.uk/tinted-vehicle-window-rules

 

Quote

Vehicles first used on 1 April 1985 or later

The front windscreen must let at least 75% of light through and the front side windows must let at least 70% of light through.

 

[J.R.]

Thanks I was aware of the law and I'm sure its the same in Europe, what I wanted to know is would it look odd with just the rear doors and rear window tinted and the factory clear untinted glass at the front?

[CabooseRecluse]

10 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Thanks I was aware of the law and I'm sure its the same in Europe, what I wanted to know is would it look odd with just the rear doors and rear window tinted and the factory clear untinted glass at the front?

 

I mean, it looks like any other car with tinted windows in this country. So I'm not sure how odd it looks. Like if you see any car on the street with tinted windows, do you feel they look odd? If so, I suppose you'd find this looks odd.