Sir,
We recently purchased a used BMW form a dealership in Peoria, Illinois. This vehicle came with tinted windows and we were concerned if we would have any problems with them. We took the car to our State Police Headquarters in Germantown Hills, Illinois to have them take a look at them. The officer said that they were fine. He said it is a very light tint and that the officers are used to the German or foreign cars coming with tints now. He said there may be a chance we may be approached, but they are legal.
Today at lunch I was pulled over by a Peoria Police Officer. I told him the story but he said they are illegal and gave me a ticket with no warning.
I don’t want to do anything wrong and now I am scared to drive the vehicle. Any thoughts????
Thank you for your time!
Pam -
Peoria
Pam,
I'm sorry that it sounds like you got incorrect information from the first officer. The Illinois Vehicle Code does not allow any amount of tint on the front (driver & passenger) door windows, or on the windshield except for the band at the very top of most all windshields. Manufacturers have to comply as this is the law in many states, so any tint there was probably added at some point in the form of window film. This type of tint film should be able to be removed without too much difficulty. While a few states have a percentage of tint that is allowed, Illinois law does not allow any. The back windows can be tinted as long as there is a rear view mirror on each side of the car (almost all cars have two mirrors).
While it would have been nice of the second Officer to issue you a warning at first, it is within his authority to issue a citation if there is any tint. You might try removing the tint and document it (copy of a bill or photographs if you do it yourself) and then go to court on the court date and tell the Judge your story. He might dismiss the charge if he is satisfied that you were not aware of the violation, and took steps to correct it. Hope that information is helpful.
Randy
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