Factory Tinted glass on the Forester >????

[ZZ]

Does anyone know if Subaru offers factory tinted glass? I see is
listed as option on many other vehicles, but see no mention whatsover
about tinted glass as an option on the corporate website.
Is it standard and not mentioned, or just not available????
TIA

 

[WRXtreme]

according to my subie dealer it is not an option. You're probably going to
get a less expensive tint done in the aftermarket anyways.

 

[Edward Hayes]

I think my Forester cam with a tint but, not the privacy dark tint.

 

[Spinifex]

Which country are you talking about???

Here in Australia, my MY01 Liberty (Legacy) came with factory maximum
tinted glass......

But I don't know what the maximum ratings are overseas..... you may look
at my windows and assume they are not tinted at all, if your maximum
rating is darker than ours.

THIS IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF WHY I SUGGESTED LAST WEEK THAT POSTERS
ADVISE WHICH COUNTRY THEY ARE IN / REFERRING TO

Spinifex

91 Liberty (Australian Legacy) RS Turbo AWD Manual 2.0 T
85 Leone FWD 1.8 NA
01 Liberty AWD 2.0 NA

 

[Ignignokt]

Which country are you talking about???

Here in Australia, my MY01 Liberty (Legacy) came with factory maximum
tinted glass......

But I don't know what the maximum ratings are overseas..... you may
look at my windows and assume they are not tinted at all, if your
maximum rating is darker than ours.

THIS IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF WHY I SUGGESTED LAST WEEK THAT POSTERS
ADVISE WHICH COUNTRY THEY ARE IN / REFERRING TO

Then we'd also better specify our state -- because tint laws vary from one
state to the next.

- Greg Reed, who still thinks it's unnecessary.

 

[Spinifex]

AUSTRALIA

well Greg.... no offence, but you are obviously one of those classic
American's who think they own the internet, and the entire world.....
well guess what...... NOT ALL POSTERS / READERS ARE FROM U.S.A.

what possible harm can there be in expressing your identity by country
(and yes, state if the thread requires it).... you Americans are always
SOOOOO patriotic, and yet you find it unnecessary to identify yourself
as American in these posts ???????

What is the point in asking the entire world a question, the answer for
which is VERY likely to be dependent on your location, if you are not
going to SPECIFY your location. There's not much point in UK or
Australian or New Zealand or Asian or European posters replying to your
questions, if they don't know the applicable details for USA

And like I have stated before.... MOST of the questions regarding
problems (as opposed to general requests for information) come from USA.
Not a very good indicator of the quality of the vehicles the
American's are manufacturing...... Don't hear too many Aussie posters
complaining about dud alternators or oil leaks !!!


Spinifex

 

[H]

Canadian eh.
So howz it goin eh.

Item 1:
I originally went to by a new Legacy GT Wagon (my third Subaru) but after
testing the Forester I had a decision to make.... Forester-Japanese build,
Legacy-US build, That clinched it. An 04 Forester XS it was.

Item 2: The Forester came with a minimal factory tint, here rated in the
amount of light it lets through I believe it's 50% In Canada you can have
the aft, sorry, rear five windows tinted up to 5%, that's almost blacked out
when viewed from the outside-in. I had mine done 20% after market at a auto
glass shop - $175 CDN, just a film applied.
The common ratings are 5% (black), 20% (security tint) and 35% (pale
sunglasses like).

Hope that helps eh.

Canadian eh. So howz it goin eh.

 

[John O]

US (SW Lower Michigan) We're Number 1!

I originally went to by a new Legacy GT Wagon (my third Subaru) but after
testing the Forester I had a decision to make.... Forester-Japanese build,
Legacy-US build, That clinched it. An 04 Forester XS it was.

But, but, we're number 1!

Item 2: The Forester came with a minimal factory tint, here rated in the
amount of light it lets through I believe it's 50% In Canada you can have
the aft, sorry, rear five windows tinted up to 5%, that's almost blacked out
when viewed from the outside-in.

I think we can have that, too. I see lots of factory-stock vehicles with the
back windows tinted darkly...my Villager's rear windows are very dark. Yet
virtually all the Subies look like fishbowls. What's it cost to have the
rear of my Outback wagon tinted professionally? How well does the stuff I
can install myself work...does it last?

Here in Michigan, they have a law about tinted windows, but the morons
forgot to specify *how much* in the law. So, if you get a ticket you go back
and tell them to forget about it, since they can't say how much is too much.

We're Number 1!

-John O

 

[null]

To have a forester professionally tinted would run about $150-200 US. A
good shop will use a quality tint
such as Madico brand and it can be expected to last the life of the car.
Madico tint can't be purchased
in stores and is a premium quality commericial tint. When you look through
it you see clearly, with no
aberrations (when properly applied). Its not like those .99 cent tint jobs
where the car's windows look
purple and cloudy. I had my sedan done 2.5 years ago and it's fantastic.

Consult you local police about tint laws. Some states allow all the back
windows to be basically painted
opaque other only allow the 30% which comes from the factory. The Subaru
windows are tinted 30% which is too
light to tell, it's not like the 'privacy' glass you see on domestic SUV.
Also, the vehicle class can determine
what can be tinted. In NY if it's a station wagon, SUV, or truck the back
windows can be tinted but if its a car on
the rear most window can legally be tinted. But most jurisdictions ignore
this.

If you go with a quality shop that uses a quality tint you'll be happy.

 

[y_p_w]

US (SW Lower Michigan) We're Number 1!




But, but, we're number 1!





I think we can have that, too. I see lots of factory-stock vehicles with the
back windows tinted darkly...my Villager's rear windows are very dark. Yet
virtually all the Subies look like fishbowls. What's it cost to have the
rear of my Outback wagon tinted professionally? How well does the stuff I
can install myself work...does it last?

Here in Michigan, they have a law about tinted windows, but the morons
forgot to specify *how much* in the law. So, if you get a ticket you go back
and tell them to forget about it, since they can't say how much is too much.

However - I believe that Subaru of America now classifies the Forester
in the "light-truck" category. Beside allowing for lower CAFE (fuel
economy) requirements, I believe it also allows for tinted or even
no windows. You can find SUVs, minivans, or other vehicles in the
light-truck category with darkly tinted windows sold from the factory.
Most delivery vans/minivans don't even have rear windows.

Personally - I don't feel that a heavily tinted window is a wise
decision. As a driver, I feel that following a vehicle with dark
windows doesn't help me with evaluating if that car in front of me
is tailgating.

 

[John O]

Here in Michigan, they have a law about tinted windows, but the morons

much.

However - I believe that Subaru of America now classifies the Forester
in the "light-truck" category. Beside allowing for lower CAFE (fuel
economy) requirements, I believe it also allows for tinted or even
no windows. You can find SUVs, minivans, or other vehicles in the
light-truck category with darkly tinted windows sold from the factory.
Most delivery vans/minivans don't even have rear windows.

Good point, many of the DOT (USA) rules don't apply to trucks.

-John O

 

[JW]

what possible harm can there be in expressing your identity by country
(and yes, state if the thread requires it).... you Americans are always
SOOOOO patriotic, and yet you find it unnecessary to identify yourself
as American in these posts ???????

To which Americans are you refering? Canadian, Brazillian, Mexican,
Peruvian, Cuban or what? You DO understand do you not that there is some
20 odd countries in America and that I personally have never seen an
American flag if there even is such a thing? Maybe I'll paint it on the
hood of my Subie!

 

[Ignignokt]

Spinifex, who appears proud to reside within the Commonwealth of Australia
but whose allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen of England is unknown, opined:

well Greg.... no offence, but you are obviously one of those classic
American's who think they own the internet, and the entire world.....
well guess what...... NOT ALL POSTERS / READERS ARE FROM U.S.A.

How exactly was I supposed to read that without taking offense? I'm not a
jingoist, and I challenge you to find a single word ever typed or penned by
me -- anywhere, Internet or otherwise -- indicating that I think Americans
"own the internet" or "the entire world."

Your own prejudice about me is just flat wrong. It's quite a leap to go
from "I don't think it's necessary to always state our country of origin in
a car enthusiast forum" to "I'm a jingoistic selfish obscene American who is
wholly insensitive to the rest of the world and who wishes to expunge all
traces of non-American culture from the face of the earth and particularly
from the Internet." What I wrote was the former. What you seem to have
heard was the latter.

what possible harm can there be in expressing your identity by country
(and yes, state if the thread requires it)

None at all. Find where I wrote that there would be any. And if one's
state (or province, which you neglected to mention -- are you insensitive to
my neighbors to the north?) should only be mentioned "if the thread requires
it" then why not also the country? This is all that I've suggested: That
it's unnecessary to *always* mention one's location -- that it only need be
mentioned "if the thread requires it." Personally, I don't really give a
ratt's butt *what* you put in your messages. This is *your* little party,
not mine. I was perfectly content to leave it be -- right up until you
decided to insult me for being so bold as to state my disagreement when
asked.

.... you Americans are
always SOOOOO patriotic,

.... but of course nobody outside the United States is ever condescending or
prejudicial about us ...

and yet you find it unnecessary to identify
yourself as American in these posts ???????

For the record, what I find unnecessary is *always* identifying oneself as
American (or Canadian or Australian or Finnish or Venezuelan ...) regardless
of the content or context of one's message. I don't think that's a
particularly ridiculous opinion, and I don't think it indicates excessive
hubris on my part. That you feel compelled to hurl insults at me for it
indicates far more about you than about me.

And like I have stated before.... MOST of the questions regarding
problems (as opposed to general requests for information) come from
USA. Not a very good indicator of the quality of the vehicles the
American's are manufacturing...... Don't hear too many Aussie posters
complaining about dud alternators or oil leaks !!!

<shrug> You're welcome to include whatever information you want in your
posts -- as I'm pretty sure I already intimated. And you're entitled to
your opinion of American workmanship. I've no shame about the fertilis
Americana, when taken as a whole. I suppose it's worth noting that in
addition to a reduced incidence of dud alternators and oil leaks you Aussies
have also never had a space shuttle accident. And then there was that whole
ARPANet thing. I don't think anything good ever came from that, either.

You know, before I stumbled across this, I had just finished typing a post
about laws mandating the use of safety equipment. In that post, I indicated
both my country and state -- because it was pertinent information. In other
posts I've submitted, I didn't include this information, because it wasn't
pertinent. See how that works? You write what you want to write and I
write what I want to write. And everybody -- except you, apparently -- is
happy.

And remember that you *asked* for opinions about your idea. If you only
wanted those that conveyed agreement, you should have indicated as much up
front and saved both of us a lot of trouble. And I thought I was pretty
cordial in expressing my disagreement -- or at least I refrained from
hemorrhaging vitriol of the type exhibited in the message to which I'm now
replying.

G'day, Spinifex (or, as we'd say in my German class, "guten abend"),

- Greg Reed (who so loathes the world outside his country's borders that
he's taking German)

 

[Ignignokt]

To have a forester professionally tinted would run about $150-200 US.
A good shop will use a quality tint
such as Madico brand and it can be expected to last the life of the
car. Madico tint can't be purchased
in stores and is a premium quality commericial tint. When you look
through it you see clearly, with no
aberrations (when properly applied). Its not like those .99 cent tint
jobs where the car's windows look
purple and cloudy. I had my sedan done 2.5 years ago and it's
fantastic.

I learned that the purple color of many window tint films is the result of
using ammonia-based window cleaners on them. This might only apply to
cheaper tint films, but I'm now in the habit of avoiding ammonia-based
window cleaners when cleaning *any* tinted windows -- even those with
factory tint. (Better safe than stupid-looking purple windows. Or
something like that.)

Consult you local police about tint laws.

Might be helpful, might not. I've known police to just tell people "you
can't do that" when asked, either because they (the cops) personally dislike
the thing being asked about or because they're too lazy to find out the
correct answer. As with any profession, the ranks of the local constabulary
contain people with both extremes of the ambition and knowledge scales. A
better solution IMHO is to look up the laws yourself on the Internet. And
maybe even print them out and stick them in your glove box, for the day when
one of the less-informed members of your local police department attempts to
"serve and protect" you with a citation for perfectly legal window tint.

- Greg Reed

 

[Ignignokt]

To which Americans are you refering? Canadian, Brazillian, Mexican,
Peruvian, Cuban or what? You DO understand do you not that there is
some 20 odd countries in America and that I personally have never
seen an American flag if there even is such a thing? Maybe I'll
paint it on the hood of my Subie!

I've occasionally been troubled by the apparent hijacking of our entire
continent by citizens of the United States of America in describing our
nationality. I'm given a tiny bit of solace by the fact that there really
isn't any other good word for describing us -- USians? Unionites? Our
country's full name just doesn't lend itself well to forming such a word.
(Much the same problem afflicts residents of my home state of Michigan. I
think we've informally settled on "Michiganders," though I've heard some use
"Michiganians." But neither of these flows as well as "Californians" or
"New Yorkers" or "Kansans" or even "Floridians." Are people from Indiana
"Indians?" And I have no idea what people in New Jersey call themselves...)

Citizens of all the other American countries you mention have good words to
describe their nationality -- you used them in fact to name them off. If
anybody can come up with a better word than "American" to describe my own
nationality, I'm open to suggestions. But the pragmatist in me recognizes
that, for better or worse, pretty much the entire world has come to
understand that "Americans" are from that one North American country called
the "United States of America." So I use the word -- not out of a lack of
respect or appreciation for all the other nations that inhabit the American
continent(s) (I don't want to get into a semantic argument about whether
North, Central, and South America are one continent, or two, or even three),
but rather because it seems to be working for its intended purpose of
effectively communicating the notion of citizenship in the United States of
America.

Or maybe because I'm a self-centered jingoist American bigot. It's
apparently hard to say for sure.

- Greg Reed

 

[Spinifex]

To which Americans are you refering? Canadian, Brazillian, Mexican,
Peruvian, Cuban or what? You DO understand do you not that there is
some 20 odd countries in America and that I personally have never seen
an American flag if there even is such a thing? Maybe I'll paint it on
the hood of my Subie!

AUSTRALIA

In the context of the discussion, I was referring to NORTH Americans....
residents of the U.S. of A.

So, what you are implying is... that in the general sense of the word,
as understood worldwide, a Cuban, Mexican, Brazilian, Peruvian or
Canadian person will identify themselves as being "American" ???

I think not...... They would identify themselves as specifically from
their OWN countrt.... OR generally being SOUTH American, or Canadian, as
the case may be....

I respect your right to post here and to hold your own opinions... but
please, don't try to detract from the original meaning and intention of
my post by going off on tangents.

My intention was thus... NOT all posters / readers are from USA,
therefore, ANY poster from ANY country should not assume that EVERYONE
reading will understand the details.... not all models are available in
every country... therefore, not everyone will understand pricing,
equipment levels, model names or structures.

Therefore... a quick notation in the subject line, or first line of a
post, identifying country (or state if necessary) will enable foreign
readers to select the posts they wish to read.... or will dispel their
confusion if details within the post are foreign to their own local
specifics.

I also respect other posters rights to disagree on my thoughts of this
being necessary or polite.

Spinifex
AUSTRALIA

 

[Spinifex]

Dear Mr Reed

I apologise wholeheartedly and agree totally with everything you have
just responded.

You are absolutely right - I jumped to the wrong conclusion about your
good self, and should not have written what I did....

My only excuse, and a poor one at that, is that I had a bad day at work,
and I took personal offense to someone disagreeing with my opinion.

I agree with you.... country & locality should be included where
necessary, and I agree that not ALL posts will require this.

I just find it annoying that I read posts which are describing models,
pricing, equipment levels etc, etc, that are unheard of in Australia.
If I had known at the beginning of thread that this was a US specific,
or Canadian specific, or Venezuelan specific thread, I would most likely
have bypassed it, unless I was particularly interested due to accurate
subject headings.

My apologies again for my childish display... I meant no personal
offense, it was just a generic vitriolic response... I do not mean to
stereotype ALL Americans as being as I described.

I respect your right to disagree with my opinion, and to hold your own
opinions.

Spinifex
AUSTRALIA

PS: In terms of my allegiance to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II,
Sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
and Commonwealth Countries..... as a child (late 70's / early 80's),
with no understanding of politics, etc, I had a general liking for the
Royal Family as my Grandparents (being of that generation, having GREAT
allegiance to the Royals) had a large part in my upbringing.

However now, as an adult, the world has changed. I see no particular
reason for Australia to continue having a foreign figurehead. Again, I
don't know much about, and have very little interest in, politics of any
persuasion, so I don't have a definitive opinion on this matter.

 

[Byron]

(Much the same problem afflicts residents of my home state of Michigan. I

think we've informally settled on "Michiganders," though I've heard some use
"Michiganians." But neither of these flows as well as "Californians" or
"New Yorkers" or "Kansans" or even "Floridians." Are people from Indiana
"Indians?" And I have no idea what people in New Jersey call themselves...)

People from surrounding states often call native Massachusetts drivers
'Massholes"
Apparently we drive too aggressively for them. But if you're not
aggressive _and_ safe, Boston rush hour is even more disastrous.

It's probably why New Hampshire has put signs on its major Massachusetts
entrances that read "Please drive with courtesy, that's the New
Hampshire Way" I haven't seen those signs on the NH borders with any
other state... but I haven't traveled all of them

 

[Ignignokt]

Dear Mr Reed

I apologise wholeheartedly and agree totally with everything you have
just responded.

<snip>

I have to credit Spinifex for this response. It was not what I expected,
and it is appreciated. Now that the air is clear, we can move on to much
more important issues, such as "Massholes" irritating drivers in New
Hampshire, or better words than "American" for collectively describing the
various citizens of these United States ...

- Greg Reed