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Aftermarket window tinting is ricer-baloney . . .


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

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One of the best things about '02s in particular, and E28/E30/E24/E23 and earlier BMWs is the tremendous visibility for the driver out the wealth of windows. My '69 1600-2 had no factory tinting at all and my '74 Golf has the factory tint. Afermarket tinting ruins visibility out the windows in the daylight, let alone at night. If your car is sitting around in the sun it should be covered for sun protection as the tinting does nothing for preserving your paint. Stop destroying the visibility out your '02s! Besides, it looks crappy after a few years. If you want a panel truck get one.

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Guest Anonymous

dislike tinting as it cuts light transmission. I actually was thinking of your car when I made the post as I knew it might disturb you a bit. Now functionally, the tinting does keep the car cooler and maybe keeps prying-eyes confused a bit, but if you keep your car 30 years it's not going to last, and eventually it's going to look bad. Visibility is reduced, and as I said before that has always been one of the main joys of '02ship, you can see everything about the car, and that is a major asset in traffic and helps you see problems on the road around you.

I have to say your car is one fine machine. Back in the fall of 1973 I helped my brother find and get an Inka '72 1/2 -- 3200 with 20k miles on it. He's been through a pile of 3-series since 1977 and I really hate his '94 E36 325is (he bought it new and now it has 270k) as it's got worse visability from the driver's seat than my buddy's Audi TT. My '83 533i has good visibility, not quite like a '70s car though. I ride around in my buddy Bill's '73 3.0 CS and it has the same airy feeling of the '02. The tints are also not optical quality coatings, and not only cut light but add distortion too. At night looking for police lights behind the car could be compromised. Probably the best thing would be an optical quality coating that changes light transmission capabilities as do some sunglasses so at night they windows would be clear. I really hate being behind tinted window cars as the view of the road ahead is heavily distorted through their windows.

Is your car an actual Alpina or just added equipment? Dig those wheels too. In fact the newer pics you posted do justice to your car more so than the front shot you usually post. I wasn't so jealous before these latest pics, although Inka is still second behind Golf in the color competition I believe.

Jay

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Guest Anonymous

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I actually agree with you about the virtues of the visibility of an 02 : i love driving my Sahara( non tinted) for this reason. BUT, The Inka was built by Bill Arnold in 1988 for his good friend Nick. It was built to EXCEED Alpina A4 specifications( hence the roll bar, QR box, and some other goodies( 2.2L Metric Mechanic engine), etc. The car was built for use in Montana, and Nick wanted it to stay as cool as possible in the summer . He also wanted the roll bar to be "obscured" from prying eyes- did not want to advertise " fast 2002" immediately to just any onlooker. When I first met this car, in 1991, it still had the tint, and all the subsequent owners have liked it for the UV protection and the prying eyes protection. I thought it added a "mean machine" look to the car, which, given its performance, is appropriate. As to the first batch of pictures, they were taken on a very bright day with a disposeable camera and I note on my Fototime site that the color is distorted because of the lighting and the camera quality. I have been trying to photograph the car on an overcast day to convey the deep Inka color and the beautiful chrome condition... still trying to get the good set of pics. History: Only 12 Alpina built A4 2002s were brought over to the USA.They were all square light with chrome bumpers. My appraiser has #6 of the original 12.I think Bob Murphy may have another one of these cars. The other A4s were built by Independent BMW shops, from Max Hoffman's shop in New Jersey, to Hardy and Beck's shop , known as "Alpina West" in the day. Bill Arnold was among the few BMW Independent Mechanics who had the ability and the parts to build a spec. A4, in the USA. Fortunately, except for 1 owner in the late 90s, the car has not been "molested" ( he put nearly 35k miles on the car in 18 months and probably was the driver who spun the engine and dented the pistons and created the main bearing weakness). All the goodies are still on the car. Oh ya, the second owner, after the car was made into an A4, had Ray Korman do the suspension and re-flow the pump for a Schrick 292. Ray also did some other things, like the exhaust system( i just found that out), etc. I need to correspond with Ray and try to obtain his records for the work he did to this car in the mid 90s. So, how does one deal with a rear window that one cannot see out of during the night?.....standard.jpg add a 60 watt back-up light on an independent switch for use against tail-gaiters too! Granted, it also may "detract" from the classic 2002 looks, but this car ventured from "classic" to "modified" land years ago. The back-up light was added by the builder and first owner too: it was taken off by the owner before me( a great guy and friend), but I could not see a thing when I had to exit my parking garage, so I put it back on. I will send you a Fototime invite to all the pictures so that you can see the Inka in better light conditions. (pictured: Inka with my friend and Magazine writer Nick Pon)

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Guest Anonymous

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i will maintain the tint in perfect condition. The car has always been parked indoors, thus the tint has lasted pretty well. I agree, hard to see stuff in back of me at night, but i check my mirrors all the time and rarely miss any upcoming action. As to being behind my car, well, it is smaller than any SUV or van without rear door windows: it is small enough to get an idea of what is going on ahead of the car: as oposed to being stuck behind the road predominant SUV/TRUCK which is impossible to see through/around/over ( maybe under). If i could find a "smart" tint that worked like glass lenses, that would be ideal and i would put it on. If you know of any- please link me to it. And on the "bright" side, of a "dark" subject, at least the boys did not go for the total tint: ala bad-boy car/ desert car: now that would be too much- even for me( well, maybe not- I drove full tint cars in Florida for years). Oh ya: the wheels- I have always liked these wheels ever since they were made by the second owner. He had custom center caps made for these Rota wheels thatare clones of the Hartge wheel. A friend with the Hartge wheels like these just shakes his head because Hartge provided really chinsy plastic center caps that do not lock and that fall off on any hard turn. He just keeps the center caps in his garage for the next owner of the wheels to deal with. he does not want to research how to have the custom caps made and probably does not want to pop for the cost. I think they "fit" the "look" of the car: aggressive 2002.

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Guest Anonymous

I have owned my 1974 2002 since new and have had tint on the windows well before it became popular with the ricer's. Pretty much necessary in the southeast, West Texas, the front range of Colorado and all the other neat places the Army has assigned me. Have never had a problem, and it still looks great. Curious, how do you feel about sunglasses?

Earl

74 2002Lux

72 Volvo 1800ES

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Guest Anonymous

Oil, & Paint. But, it does look good if you have a back seat that is starting to fade and crack, It may give it years.

I prefer to think the Rice Racers are copying the '02's.

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Guest Anonymous

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To each their own I guess. I never really had an opinion on the matter. For concours 2002s then tinting is out but for drivers in places like texas (I was there last week and it is hot!) then it is probably a requirement.

Personally I hate bottle cap wheels on 2002s but it is not my mandate to let the whole 02 world know or to make those with bottle caps feel inadequate. : )

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Guest Anonymous

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URL: http://www.winnsecurity.com/norcal02

Opinions are like ass holes, everybody has one and most of them stink.

Personal preference, man. Owners should be able to do whatever they want to their own cars; I was thinking about in the end, eventually possibly tinting my rear 3 windows, slightly. That is my decision that I have to make.

This is a pretty bogus topic because some 2002s look really good tinted, oh but woops, they dont to you. Ok, you're entitled to that. A better topic, which is still full of opinions is whether to use a tii (if you have one ready to use), or a square light or a round light shell for an M20 or S14 swap. At that point there is a little ground to stand on because there weren't that many Tiis that came here. Window tinting doesnt harm the car, and its entirely the choice of the owner--not somebody griping about it on a message board.

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Guest Anonymous

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I agree that sometimes the car looks better without it, more classic. But it looks good with as well, and not to mention its a necessity here in phoenix, even though if my car is parked for a while its either in the garage, under my covered parking, or has the cover on. Plus if its done right, itll last for a long time. My tint was put on by my dad back in the late 70's when he moved back to texas, and that was way before ricers owners were even being born. Plus without the tint, not only does it get incredibly hot, but without the tint it ruins your interior. Seats will crack and fade, dashes will get even worse than normal. steering wheels will fade. All things not good just because tint is to ricey

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Guest Anonymous

DIY application varieties - I've seen poorly done DIY applications using cheap material that looked hideous within a couple of months, and pro jobs using good stuff that were virtually undectable after several years of use.

A pro glass shop put a very light gray tint (20% reduction) on all my '02s windows (other than the windshield) including the door/vent wing glass over 2 years ago - it was done as much to provide some UV protection for the interior as anything. When the Agave car gets new seals it'll get bronze tint for the same reasons.

With all the windows tinted the same shade it's difficult to tell they're tinted, none of it has lifted or scratched despite weekly cleaning, and I've never had the police bother me over it.

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Guest Anonymous

feel inadequate...than I would think they have deeper issues to deal with! I personally try (but don't always succeed, thus displaying my own issues!) not to let people's criticisms of my car (2.5 S14 in a GASP! 1973 tii) get to me too much...This is particularly easy to rise above as I'm power drifting it through a corner :)

Coop

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Guest Anonymous

in G15 tint! The portion of Los Angeles I live in is just like West Texas, yesterday it was 108 here. I've always used car-covers to protect the paint and interior vs. tinting. I still have an uncracked dash, rear-seat, parcel-shelf or anything including the original coco-mats. I didn't get my '02 new, but I did take my best-friend to buy it new, rode in it for 16-years and then bought it from him, so it's just like I owned it since new.

Jay

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Guest Anonymous

but I believe the car is best protected by car-covers vs. tinting. Frankly, I hate bottlecaps myself, but I did get a set of six of 'em from a friend for 100 bucks so for now they are on the heap. Tinting does not really reduce the cockpit temp of an '02 much here, and again does not protect original paint like mine.

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Guest Anonymous

how tinting reduces visibility and adds distortion. Some prefer to look at '02s vs. driving them, and tinting reduces the driving experience.

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