MK6 Front Tint to match factory 'Dark Tint' option

[ravun]

Old topic - but I have more questions before making my decision which way to go, in particular for the Golf R owners in Melbourne.

The privacy glass on the rear of the vehicle is at 16-20% already, which is legal since it is privacy glass, but if you were to get dark tint on the fronts to match it would be illegal. Does anyone have pics of a legal front tint and how it compares to the rear privacy glass?

Where have the Melbourne Golf R owners been going to get their front windows tinted?

[Corey_R]

Hey ravun, why do you say that the "privacy glass" on the rear of the R is 16-20%?
Volkswagen don't give a "VLT %", they just say that it's "65% light absorbing" - they also call it "dark tint" and not privacy glass. In addition, "privacy glass" still has to comply to the laws of 35%. I'm not sure of how to navigate VICROAD's site, but here is the link to the rules on the NSW RTA site. As you can see, on passenger cars, 35% is the minimum even for the rear side and rear windows...

Not only that, but one of the other members who recently had his windows tinted had the factory tint measured at 42-43%.

I actually had my windows tinted this morning. We were in a bit of a rush so we didn't measure anything.
I had it done by Rob from Hunters Hill Window Tinting Service. He's done numerous Golf R's now (both private and dealerships) and was extremely helpful and professional. He's an official Solargard dealer, which is good, because they're the product I wanted.

I initially wanted a HP Supreme 35 on the front and the Supreme 70 on the rear sides and rear window, but on his advice, used the HP Quantum 52 on the rear sides and rear instead.

The reason for the swap from the Supreme to the HP Quantum on the rear was three fold:

• Supreme has a greenish tinge to it to match privacy glass, but since we were putting this on top of privacy glass, the silverish tinge of the Quantum would help neutralise the green a bit.
• The "HP" products have much better TSER properties (Total Solar Energy Rejection... i.e. heat rejection)
• Since the "privacy" glass was so light the 70 wasn't dark enough so the 52 was used instead.

I don't have pictures yet, since it was only done this morning, but I'm really happy with the results. The rear side and rear are definitely less than 35%, but not enough to attract any unwanted attention, and the front windows having the 35% film will measure within the variation to pass inspection with the VLT measuring device the RTA/police use. The colour difference and light between the two sets of windows is also much closer than previously. It looks great.

Pepe used HP Supreme on his car too (pictures on the previous page), but used darker ratings than I, so he would have had no need to use HP Quantum on the rears to try and even the colouring. He did use a lighter version of the HP Supreme on the rears as compared to the front though, which is why the photos of his car look so good and the balance between the windows looks good.


Summary, if 35% on the front, use HP Supreme 35, and if you want the rear's a bit darker and to match nicer, use HP Quantum 52. If you're going darker, then you could probably use HP Supreme all around - but do that at your own risk.

So that's my advice on the product to use.
To find the dealer in Melbourne, a good place to start would be the Solargard Melbourne Dealer list.

[ravun]

Thanks Corey_R. I went to a tinting company and he said from looking at it that the rears were around 20% already. This was just by his eye, and no official measuring device. He then went on to say he had no product that would match well.

I appreciate your advice and will get in contact with a local Solargard dealer.

[Corey_R]

Hmm - maybe the lighting conditions were strange, or maybe there have been "different batches" of the factory tinted glass - but the tint on mine (and obviously a few others) is rather light - quite obviously lighter than the 35% VLT that was on my Polo GTI.

Good idea to contact a local Solargard dealer.
Don't forget to check out the Best Window Tint Business Thread to see whether anyone has already recommended someone good in Melbourne

[Klink1313]

Pepe used HP Supreme on his car too (pictures on the previous page), but used darker ratings than I, so he would have had no need to use HP Quantum on the rears to try and even the colouring. He did use a lighter version of the HP Supreme on the rears as compared to the front though, which is why the photos of his car look so good and the balance between the windows looks good.

Pepe, any chance that you advise the combination of tinting that you used?

[Pepe]

Pepe, any chance that you advise the combination of tinting that you used?

PM'd you with them.

[Klink1313]

PM'd you with them.

Thanks just replied via a PM, but can't find it in my sent items. Hopefully you got it

[Romp]

Hey ravun, why do you say that the "privacy glass" on the rear of the R is 16-20%?
Volkswagen don't give a "VLT %", they just say that it's "65% light absorbing" - they also call it "dark tint" and not privacy glass. In addition, "privacy glass" still has to comply to the laws of 35%. I'm not sure of how to navigate VICROAD's site, but here is the link to the rules on the NSW RTA site. As you can see, on passenger cars, 35% is the minimum even for the rear side and rear windows...

Not only that, but one of the other members who recently had his windows tinted had the factory tint measured at 42-43%.

I actually had my windows tinted this morning. We were in a bit of a rush so we didn't measure anything.
I had it done by Rob from Hunters Hill Window Tinting Service. He's done numerous Golf R's now (both private and dealerships) and was extremely helpful and professional. He's an official Solargard dealer, which is good, because they're the product I wanted.

I initially wanted a HP Supreme 35 on the front and the Supreme 70 on the rear sides and rear window, but on his advice, used the HP Quantum 52 on the rear sides and rear instead.

The reason for the swap from the Supreme to the HP Quantum on the rear was three fold:

• Supreme has a greenish tinge to it to match privacy glass, but since we were putting this on top of privacy glass, the silverish tinge of the Quantum would help neutralise the green a bit.
• The "HP" products have much better TSER properties (Total Solar Energy Rejection... i.e. heat rejection)
• Since the "privacy" glass was so light the 70 wasn't dark enough so the 52 was used instead.

I don't have pictures yet, since it was only done this morning, but I'm really happy with the results. The rear side and rear are definitely less than 35%, but not enough to attract any unwanted attention, and the front windows having the 35% film will measure within the variation to pass inspection with the VLT measuring device the RTA/police use. The colour difference and light between the two sets of windows is also much closer than previously. It looks great.

Pepe used HP Supreme on his car too (pictures on the previous page), but used darker ratings than I, so he would have had no need to use HP Quantum on the rears to try and even the colouring. He did use a lighter version of the HP Supreme on the rears as compared to the front though, which is why the photos of his car look so good and the balance between the windows looks good.


Summary, if 35% on the front, use HP Supreme 35, and if you want the rear's a bit darker and to match nicer, use HP Quantum 52. If you're going darker, then you could probably use HP Supreme all around - but do that at your own risk.

So that's my advice on the product to use.
To find the dealer in Melbourne, a good place to start would be the Solargard Melbourne Dealer list.

Hey corey i remember researching this and i found somewhere on the rta website that dark glass that came standard on the vehicle from the factory is exempt from the 35% ruling... Ill look it up when im back home from vacation but i definitely saw it on there

[ravun]

The guy I was talking to also mentioned that factory privacy glass can be darker than 35% and it is legal. But if you then decided to put a clear tint on to block out UV then it becomes illegal.

[DAL344]

Finally got mine done yesterday & used Corey_R's advise..
Only difference was I had the ultra performance 75 on the rear as I didn't want to go to dark.
The tint guy would have basically fit anything I wanted... But wanted to be reasonably responsible!
I had mine done by Trent @ TKO Tinting in Welshpool!
Just waiting for it to 'settle' but looks a good job so far & a reasonable match. Certainly better than STD privacy glass & no front tint!

[Callumgw]

I had guy at my local tint-a-car put a light meter on the windows and the rears were only 40% while the fronts measure 75%, so both ends or not 'illegal' even from factory. That's on a MY11 Golf R 5 door.

How does the supreme35 look on the front with no extra rear tint? or the with UP75 (basically clear...) on the rears?

C

[Corey_R]

The HP Supreme 35 looks good on the front... but to be honest, I didn't have it on my car long enough (as in about 15 mins) before the rear HP Quantum 52 was applied.

As you've mentioned, the rears are only measuring at around 40%, the fronts at 75% with no tint. Whilst (most? all?) tint manufacturers rate their tint "installed" (meaning, no glass is 100%, so the 35% is what you'll get after installed on "glass"), the front windows WOULD BE DARKER than the rear windows if you simply put a 35% tint there. So the rears need "something". "Clear" tint, such as the Solargard LX70 is also still not "100%" - in fact, it's only 72%. So maybe if you got your front windows with 35% and at least got a "clear tint" on the rear, that would be enough to equalise. But... I'd go with your installers advice maybe

[Callumgw]

Thanks, My local installers seem to have limited film choice and seem to only carry one level in each film, despite most having multiple levels. So I reckon I'm going to have to look a bit further a field in Melbourne.

Any recommendations always welcome

C

[Corey_R]

Maybe try the Best Window Tint Business thread and see if there is someone else recommended in your local area.

[m3103]

Sorry guys, I tried reading through all 21 pages to see if my question was already answered but after about 6 pages i've thrown in the towel.
Just wanted to know if it's legal to tint the windscreen at all?
And i mean any level of tint.
Thanks