[iamitp]

As many BHPians would have experienced, the classic traffic cop sun film check is to roll down the windows and look for that telltale gap at the top, in the portion that slides into side window frame when fully rolled up.

I was told by my installer that this is inevitable as that 1-2 cm needs to go into the frame, and any film would come off. I think this must have been standard practice, because cops have evolved to specifically check for this.

However, I recently came across a technique of shaving/filing full-window films, i.e. applying the film to the entire surface of the window without any gaps and then filing away the top few millimetres to get an almost factory-tinted installation without any telltale gaps. The technique is illustrated in a video below, and seems to be from the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtQ9CUhcOew

If this indeed works, then it could be a game-changer for all sunfilm installations, as it would be nearly impossible to tell apart a sun film which meets the factory-tint norms.

Thoughts, please.

[Ferruccio]

Umm... how would the said tinted glass react to a cigarette lighter? A factory tint would be unaffected, a film would shrivel up and thus give up the ghost. Perhaps I am wrong, but that would be a simple way for the cops to still separate the two.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

Umm... how would the said tinted glass react to a cigarette lighter? A factory tint would be unaffected, a film would shrivel up and thus give up the ghost. Perhaps I am wrong, but that would be a simple way for the cops to still separate the two.

Will anyone here even allow a cop brandishing his cigarette lighter anywhere near our cars? I, for one, would most certainly protest.
There is a practice here in Bangalore at certain spots in the city where the cops lurk in wait and especially target cars registered in other states.
I experienced this in early 2020 on a Sunday when driving with my parents in their car (they were visiting us) when we got stopped and the cop did the fingernail-on-the-window-edge-test, but to no avail.

[deetee]

Why go through all this circus to look cool, can't we get to replace stock glass windows with tinted glass windows ?? All kinds of mods exist for cars, but I have not come across any posts where people replaced stock window glass. I think replacing stock glass with tinted glass will not be more than 30k that is required for fancy tints, like the other gentleman was flaunting in another thread.

[Raghu M]

Am sure the cops have their ears to the ground. Your thread will catch their attention soon too. They will devise a hack to find out if there is a film indeed. As long as there is a law against installation of sun films, they will continue to do their job (rather aggressively) to churn out those challans and generate revenue to the dept/govt.

[RedTerrano]

This "hack" works on the premise that the authorities undertake scientific measures to detect the presence of sun films.

In India, cops are so advanced, that they can summarise visual light transmission to be below prescribed limits just by looking at it. Similarly, they can figure out the speed too without any speed guns. I have personally experienced this. The former in Chennai and the latter in Bangalore.

Not worth the trouble in my opinion. Also it's illegal.

[BleueNinja]

Originally Posted by deetee

Why go through all this circus to look cool, can't we get to replace stock glass windows with tinted glass windows ?? All kinds of mods exist for cars, but I have not come across any posts where people replaced stock window glass. I think replacing stock glass with tinted glass will not be more than 30k that is required for fancy tints, like the other gentleman was flaunting in another thread.

AIS provides with tinted glass for cars but I think it’s available only for certain OEMs like TATA & MSIL so it would be a headache to procure the glass and then get it to perfectly fit on your car.

For instance in this video they were trying to fit a custom glass for a 1997 Civic but it became a headache and 4-5 glasses were destroyed in the process. Ultimately they had to get a glass that was sized to fit either Honda Accord or City (I don’t remember) and then shave it to fit.

https://youtu.be/vMKdrkboXPY

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

Umm... how would the said tinted glass react to a cigarette lighter?

Yes, but..

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Will anyone here even allow a cop brandishing his cigarette lighter anywhere near our cars? I, for one, would most certainly protest.

I think most car owners can definitely object to anyone brandishing a cigarette lighter at their vehicle. This might even constitute a serious enough safety violation plus it is highly unlikely most constables would risk damaging your windows so blatantly.

Originally Posted by Raghu M

Am sure the cops have their ears to the ground. Your thread will catch their attention soon too.

Sure, but if somebody is anyway installing something to protect themselves and their families from UV and heat, then might be worth asking the installer to try this method.

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

This "hack" works on the premise that the authorities undertake scientific measures to detect the presence of sun films.
Not worth the trouble in my opinion. Also it's illegal.

I am not professing this, just an open discussion on technicalities of installation. The Edge Gap test is hardly scientific but used as an easy confirmation of suspicion.

Originally Posted by deetee

Why go through all this circus to look cool, can't we get to replace stock glass windows with tinted glass windows ??

Originally Posted by BleueNinja

AIS provides with tinted glass for cars but I think it’s available only for certain OEMs like TATA & MSIL so it would be a headache to procure the glass and then get it to perfectly fit on your car.

This would be ideal. The question arises that would non UV cut glass replacement by AIS UV cut glass be a) possible b) covered under insurance

[vipul_singh]

Originally Posted by iamitp

Thoughts, please.

Just follow the Supreme Court's decision. I have no other thoughts on this matter.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by iamitp

As many BHPians would have experienced, the classic traffic cop sun film check is to roll down the windows and look for that telltale gap at the top, in the portion that slides into side window frame when fully rolled up.
.

Try to stand at a distance from the road where you can see through car's side window as they go past you, even the most untrained eye will be able to spot vehicles that have sunfilm.

Cops can spot it instantly, they just validate what they find by rolling down the window, gap or no gap, it won't go past them if they are looking for it.

[--gKrish--]

When I installed 70% tints last year, I had asked the installer to stick the film upto the tip of the glass, but he declined stating the same reason.

However, I later noticed that the top edge of the film still goes inside and rubs agains the top part of window channel. Also, the lower edge of the film is scraping against the inside beading on door pad when the windows are rolled up/down. After a year of use, there is no noticeable damage on these inexpensive 70% tints in my car.

This makes me feel that unless one rolls down the windows very very often or the channel is rough/hard, the film wont get damaged even if it is stuck till the tip. Atleast in my case, as the film is already touching the channel each time I roll up, if it were to get damaged, it should be damaged by now.

On a side note, the current 70% tints in my car despite reducing the heat to some extent, still doesn't make the drive comfortable on sunny days. In my last long drive, I almost got a sunburn on my right arm and had to hang a towel to block the sun. AC on full blast only makes the fingers and face go numb. I'll be putting 50% tints soon and this time I'm getting it stuck till the tip of the glass. Even if it gets damaged, I'll probably have to redo the tints only on the front doors.



These are almost transparent and noticeable only due to the pink/green hues that is seen in the rear windshield when viewed from some angles.

[iamitp]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Try to stand at a distance from the road where you can see through car's side window as they go past you, even the most untrained eye will be able to spot vehicles that have sunfilm.
Cops can spot it instantly, they just validate what they find by rolling down the window, gap or no gap, it won't go past them if they are looking for it.

I disagree. Go through the other sunfilm threads, many of high-visibility sunfims installed from the likes of 3M, Garware etc. are not easily noticeable. Also, considering that many OEMs are fitting UV cut glasses from factory, the edge gap validation will become the de-factor confirming factor for challans on the roads.

Originally Posted by --gKrish--

I'll be putting 50% tints soon and this time I'm getting it stuck till the tip of the glass. Even if it gets damaged, I'll probably have to redo the tints only on the front doors.

Do show this filing video to your installer, I am curious to know if this actually works. Some folks on Reddit commented that it is a bit of a 'trade secret' in the US.

[Mr. Nobody]

Originally Posted by --gKrish--

On a side note, the current 70% tints in my car despite reducing the heat to some extent, still doesn't make the drive comfortable on sunny days. In my last long drive, I almost got a sunburn on my right arm and had to hang a towel to block the sun. AC on full blast only makes the fingers and face go numb. I'll be putting 50% tints soon and this time I'm getting it stuck till the tip of the glass. Even if it gets damaged, I'll probably have to redo the tints only on the front doors.

Attachment 2421525

These are almost transparent and noticeable only due to the pink/green hues that is seen in the rear windshield when viewed from some angles.

Does the film have 99% UV blocking for all types and heat rejection? I feel a noticeable difference in driving my non tinted car vs my tinted one in the delhi sun. And mine is also the 70-75% visible types from garware.

[--gKrish--]

Originally Posted by Mr. Nobody

Does the film have 99% UV blocking for all types and heat rejection? I feel a noticeable difference in driving my non tinted car vs my tinted one in the delhi sun. And mine is also the 70-75% visible types from garware.

I also got the Garware with 70%VLT, but I'm not very sure if it has 99% UV block. It is far better than non tinted glass and blocks heat to a good extent but not as much as the 50% VLT ones. My friend and I visited an installer and got the tints done for both our cars on the same day. He picked the 50% VLT for only a few hundred rupees more but the heat rejection is more in his car. But the 50% tints are easily noticeable.

[autobahnjpr]

Wilful breaking of law by hook or crook is not a great practice or principle. Sunfilm ban is a stupid decision and courts should not have entered in this area but now that we have a ban, bypassing it through innovative methods is not recommended.

Originally Posted by iamitp

As many BHPians would have experienced, the classic traffic cop sun film check is to roll down the windows and look for that telltale gap at the top, in the portion that slides into side window frame when fully rolled up.
Thoughts, please.