[sdshakal]

I just got my tail lights on my f10 550 done and the film is pretty dark. I did not touch the front ones yet because I am not sure what to do. The guy who did the tail lights said he doesn't recommend going this dark as it will trap too much heat and ruin the headlights, but i love the look of blacked out lights.
What are my options?


Here is pic of the tail lights.



This is the look I'm going for in the front:

[remmib]

Nah, too dark if you ask me, I've seen F10 with a very light tint on the headlights and that looked good.

[493263]

I usually like the look of blacked out head lights in pictures. In person, they look retarded to me most of the time unless the car is freshly detailed. Functionally, it's a stupid idea.

[Blkthght]

Looks ridiculous. Why reduce the visibility...i.e. attractiveness.....of the daytime LED halos?

[pdrf10]

Unless you want to greatly increase the probability of getting pulled over here in California, I wouldn't recommend putting tint on either your headlights or taillights.

Not only is it illegal (several sections of the Vehicle Code apply, such as 26101-A), but a simple traffic stop for a "fix-it ticket" (or non-moving violation) can potentially escalate to a much more serious offense and/or arrest. IMHO, best to fly low and avoid the radar, as opposed to unnecessarily drawing law enforcement attention by way of a mod that effectively reduces the visibility of your lighting systems. And, given the unfortunate circumstance of being rear-ended by another vehicle, the fact that your taillights were covered could potentially increase your culpability (from 0% with unmodified taillights, as the striking party who rear-ends another almost always assumes full responsibility, to 25% or more if you diminish the visibility of your illuminated brake lights). So, a $10K insurance claim with zero out-of-pocket costs to repair your vehicle turns into you having to cough up $2500 (or more) due to a $50 mod to your taillights. Unfortunately, this is how insurance companies operate nowadays, so be cautious my friend.

Some things to consider...

[Das Johnson]

Blecch, I don't like tints in general unless they are mild/whiteline, the teensy bits of dark red remind me of the terrible, terrible ricer bimmers I see around my little town. Also the quad ring LEDs are Iconic to BMW and to hide them would make it look like those big wavey asian sedans.

Thats what I think.

[Noggie]

I had a 6% tint on my M3's headlamps for about two years, no problem what so ever.
Got it from lamin-x.
I like a supple tint just to tone things down a bit, not a fan of dark tint.

There are som pictures in this thread on a different forum.

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=406243

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by Das Johnson

Also the quad ring LEDs are Iconic to BMW and to hide them would make it look like those big wavey asian sedans.

Thats what I think.

Are you saying if you turn off your halo lights, your 535i will look like a Toyota?

[RSBro]

I have my rears tinted and it's a PITA to get an inspection done. I had to go find a small shop in the not awesome part of Houston for someone to do it. But the car came with it, and it looks awesome so I'm not changing it.
I wouldn't touch the fronts though.

[The Beast]

Not sure what it's called but in the UK you can get a film to tint lights that has loads of small holes in it. Apparently it does not greatly reduce light output whilst still providing that tinted look.

Might be worth asking some shops about ththis product.

[The Beast]

Here's a link that will give you an ides of what it looks like

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00C...=AC_SX230_QL60

I'm not recommending this particular product as I have not used it, just wanted to give you a visualisation of what I was talking about. I know some of these products pass UK yearly inspections on light output but not sure about the US, you will need to check that out.

[Pimpsy]

If you were to get in an accident there could be very serious legal ramifications for even slightly tinting either the headlights or taillights from both your insurance company, or (God forbid) in the event of a lawsuit.

Something to carefully consider...

[ezmaass]

Don't do it - looks silly, begs for a ticket, hurts your visibility at night, etc.

[493263]

Originally Posted by The Beast

Not sure what it's called but in the UK you can get a film to tint lights that has loads of small holes in it. Apparently it does not greatly reduce light output whilst still providing that tinted look.

Might be worth asking some shops about ththis product.

Gimmick. If it blocks light, it blocks light.

[The Beast]

Originally Posted by 493263

Gimmick. If it blocks light, it blocks light.

Tbh I don't disagree. As I said I have not installed on my, neither would I because I love intricate detail of the xenon lights with the led repeaters and BMW badges.

They have to block some light but the question is how much and does it leave your car legal... my friend has them installed on his front and rear and they certainly don't dull the lights like some films can. They claim to be UK MOT (yearly safety check) legal, but again not sure if this stacksup but friend has had no issues and I appreciate US laws maybe different.