Most people who want to install window tint on a car want the darkest legal tint, but are ignorant of the risks involved in getting the job done by less than professional installers. You need to be very careful when installing the darkest legal tint, as Brad Maquire from Precision Window Tint Perth recently explained…

In all States and Territories of Australia, the darkest legal tint legally allowed on a vehicle is one with a VLT (visible light transmission) level of 35%, on all vehicle windows (excluding the front windscreen, which cannot have any window film except for a visor strip across the top). The northern Territory and Western Australia are the only exceptions. In the Northern Territory you are legally allowed a minimum VLT of 15% for windows behind the driver; and in WA you are allowed 20% VLT on windows behind the driver.

But when installing window film you need to consider that most cars already have a slight tint in the glass in the front windows, and if the factory installed windows on your car already block 30% of light, when a film with the “darkest legal tint” of 35% is added to this glass, it will emit only 35% of light into a window that is already only emitting 70% of light, so the end VLT will be much higher.

This needs to be taken into consideration when selecting the after-market film to install, because if a driver by mistake fails to comply with tinting laws, the result can be an un-roadworthy vehicle and a fine. But even worse, if the vehicle is deemed un-roadworthy, the driver wont be able to drive the car again until it has been put through roadworthy testing, in which case the illegal tint will have to be stripped off the windows so the roadworthy can be issued.

There are also a series of potential legal ramifications with darker than legal tint. If your vehicle is involved in an accident and its illegally dark windows are considered by the court to be a contributing factor, this could mean the nulling of your insurance policy, leaving you exposed to the full financial implications of the accident. And if that’s not bad enough, criminal charges could apply if property is damaged or people are hurt.

That’s why the combined VLT of both the glass and film really should be considered when you’re selecting an appropriate window tint. Make sure you use a quality installer that has the expertise and equipment to be able to offer you the best solution for your circumstances, and you will avoid all the potential problems.