Vehicle Light Tinting and the Law

The worry for many drivers when considering light tinting is whether the tints that they choose will not only pass an MOT, but also be seen as road legal by the police. To pass as road legal, any car must pass all MOT rules and regulations:

-          Headlights – Once tinted, both headlights must be able to emit light of the same colour and intensity. Headlights, must continue to emit a yellow or white colour even when tinted and must remain visible from a reasonable distance.

-          Brake Lights – Your brake lights must still emit a steady read light once tinted. It is vital that at least 50% of the lamp remains visible from the rear light, and brake lights have to be visible from a safe and reasonable distance.

-          Rear Reflectors – For reflectors with light tinting, at least 50% of the reflecting surface must be seen from a safe and reasonable distance.

-          Indicators – All indicators must be able to emit amber light. As with other vehicle lights, indicators must remain to be visible from a safe and reasonable distance when light tinting is applied.

Essentially, as long as all vehicles light outputs are not substantially reduced and they continue to emit the right colour, as long as the tinting film is attached securely, there is no reason for a vehicle to fail its MOT based on light tinting.

When choosing light tinting for your vehicle, it is important to consider that not all tinting films are road legal. SPi Vision is a tinting mesh that can be applied to both headlights and rear brake lights and reflectors, creating a factory finish dark smoke effect. Whereas some means of light tinting require you to remove the light fittings from your vehicle, this is not the case with SPi Vision vinyl, which is designed and built to match most light contours and can be applied quite quickly.

Although SPi Vision is simply an adhesive film, it is extremely durable, with excellent resistance to typical road and weather conditions. When secured to your vehicle by a professional, it is completely waterproof and dust proof and remains looking great as long as you decide to keep it. Should you wish to remove light tinting from your vehicle, SPi Vision can just as easily be removed as installed, leaving very little if any residue from the adhesive, and your headlights and rear lights looking as good as new.

Should you choose SPi Vision tinting for your vehicle, it is important that you take note that this type of film is not appropriate for certain types of light bulbs. For example, if your vehicle has H.I.D or Xenon high-intensity discharge light bulbs, sustained high beam use could use to excessive heat build-up, potentially causing your tinting film to melt.

If your high beam bulbs have a silvered tip of cowling in front of them, then you should be able to safely tint them, however, your lights may have a protecting coating which is not suitable for SPi Vision. When tinting vinyl is removed, protective coating or lacquer can be damaged, so it is vital that you check your headlight configuration before opting for light tinting.

To find out more about light tinting you can visit pro-tints.co.uk or call 01794 367 088 to book your vehicle in.