What is Up With Windshield Tint?

We get a lot of questions about tint on the windshield.  Let’s break it down.

Most windshields are made up of one of three colors:  Blue, Green or Clear.

If you look at your windshield (unless it’s a Jeep Wrangler) you will see that it is tinted slightly.  If you look at the top six inches or so, you will probably see a darker strip of tint.  That is to block the direct sun rays.  Sometimes this tint can be bronze, green or blue.

Did you know it depends on the upholstery in your car?  That is why you might hear your auto glass shop or third party network ask you if you remember the color of your tint at the top or what color your upholstery is.

We get this question almost every day, “Will I get my tint back?”.  This is a great question but it’s a loaded question. Please, keep in mind when we speak to you over the phone, we cannot see your car.

See the tint strip? This is from the factory.

See the tint strip? This is from the factory.

Scenario 1:    If you are talking about the tint at the top, most of the time, the answer is yes, you can!  There are, however, exceptions to every rule.  If your car was made before 1990, the windshield could be more difficult to find.   

Scenario 2:  If you want no darker shade at the top it may not be available.  Sometimes there manufacturer only makes one kind of windshield, so that is all we can buy.

Scenario 3:  Aftermarket tint.  Sometimes people like a darker band at the top.  This was done at a tint shop.  We do not do that, unfortunately.  We can help you get to a tint shop and work out details.  This is tough for a lot of people to understand as they often buy the car used and do not realize this was an aftermarket product.

Now you are a lot smarter!    Let us know if we can answer any questions.  We are here to help!

 

 

 

28 Comments

  1. Carol Stephen on June 2, 2015 at 11:16 pm

    I never knew that about the upholstery and the tint at the top of the glass. You learn something new every day!

    • adventureautoglass on June 3, 2015 at 2:17 pm

      This happens with Lexus, BMW and Mercedes. It is an interesting thing. And when the bronze is not available, it’s never a good thing.

  2. Adam Fout on August 20, 2015 at 2:53 pm

    I’m like Carol—no clue the tint was matched to the upholstery! Do people ever ask you to tint the whole windshield really dark? I feel like that would come up from time to time.

    • adventureautoglass on August 20, 2015 at 4:15 pm

      Adam, yes! We get asked that almost daily. We often get approval from the insurance company for the customers to tint their glass. Great question! 🙂

  3. Bobby on October 14, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    My tint fuy said I can’t tint my front windshield because it has blue tint and it will cause glass to make the chemicals form together and mess up the glass?

    • adventureautoglass on October 23, 2015 at 11:39 pm

      Bobby,
      Chemicals will not “mix”. You may not be able to tint your windshield due to laws set by your local enforcement. But the chemicals do not mix to mess up your glass. ROCK ON!

  4. Jasper on June 17, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    Is there waterproof windshields?

    • adventureautoglass on June 20, 2016 at 7:23 pm

      Hey Jasper. Thanks for stopping by. There are sealants that auto glass professionals use that make your windshield waterproof from direct rain and car washes. If your windshield leaks, you need to take it back to the last person who fixed it. If leaks occur after you have had your windshield replace, the shop should warranty the work unless there was previous damage to the body of your car. Let us know if this helped. 🙂

  5. Joe on June 26, 2016 at 11:20 pm

    This is not entirely correct as I have a 97 4runner and the three options blue, green, or bronze is right but exception is its talking about the entire windshield being tinted a bronze on the bronze and the blue and green are tinted at the top. Best way to know if you have bronze just roll down your front windows a little if the tint is brownish/bronze then you need a bronze windshield to match.

    • adventureautoglass on July 21, 2016 at 10:50 pm

      Holy cats batman you are RIGHT! Bronze on the 4Runner is my fav! Thanks for pointing it out!!

  6. Kit on December 28, 2016 at 5:26 am

    Thank you for this article. Is it only in reference to the “shade”? I’m looking for a windshield for a ’69 Datsun truck and I see options for “green tint with blue shade” or “blue tint” but it’s hard to know what this means. I have noticed on a lot of late ’90s Mercedes that all the windows seem to have a noticeable blue tint to them. I’d guess this may help with brightness and visibility? I like those windshields. Is this what the “blue tint” would refer to?

    • adventureautoglass on January 5, 2017 at 11:12 pm

      Hey Kit – it’s crazy – who knew that auto glass color and shading was do difficult to decipher. . . . most automotive glass is “tinted”. That means the entire piece of glass has a blue or green tint to it. The shade refers to the 6 or so inches at the very top to keep the sun out of your eyes – hence why it’s called shade. Depending on your interior or who the auto maker is getting their glass made from (what vendor) depends on the color of shade. For my Jeep, I get clear glass. No matter how much I like the blue – they don’t make it. To throw in another curve for you, Lexus has a grey tint with grey shade! I would LOVE that in my Jeep but I would have to buy a Lexus to get it and if it breaks, I’m probably gonna have to get blue. Hope that helps. It’s good times!!!

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  13. Maria on May 7, 2019 at 5:30 pm

    I have a 2012 Nissan juke…there is no tint at all..I would like it blue.. Can I have this done somewhere? And how much does it cost?

    • Adventure Autoglass on May 8, 2019 at 10:44 am

      Hi Maria,

      It sounds like you want your windshield tinted. Unfortunately, we do not handle auto glass tinting at our shop but I am sure there are several local tint shops around town. However, I am not sure how legal it is to tint the entire front windshield, but it might be good to check. However, if you have any auto glass repair or replacement needs, we will be happy to help! Thanks for your question, Maria!

  14. Jay on July 29, 2019 at 3:32 pm

    I have a 99 Nissan Pathfinder that had had clear glass. I needed it teplaced becuase of a crack but was told they only comes with the green tint at the top or with an antenna line going down the middle. The new windshiled i chose has green tnt at the top but it seems like the whole window has a bit of a tint to it? Does ths seem right or am i just not use to the Top part being tinted. Thanks for your time, love to hear your thoughts!

    • Adventure Autoglass on July 31, 2019 at 10:49 am

      Hey Jay,

      All automotive windshields, with a few exceptions, are tinted either green or blue throughout. The darker shading (of green or blue) at the top is meant to help deflect sun away from your eyes while driving. However, even though windshields are tinted, not all have that neat shade band at the top. So really, you got a cool upgrade! We think it’s really cool they were able to find that for you. Hope that answers your question and we are happy to answer any more you may have. Thanks!

      Beth & Ben

  15. Jay Tsuchiya on September 14, 2019 at 11:09 pm

    It’s nearly impossible to find educated people in this particular subject, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks

    • Rob on December 6, 2019 at 8:18 pm

      When was the blue shade at the top of the windshield first introduced to american cars?

      • Adventure Autoglass on December 9, 2019 at 11:13 am

        That is an excellent question that we can’t seem to find the answer to! Our guess is that the tint strip at the top of your windshield (which can be other colors like green, yellow, grey, tan, etc.) was introduced when laminated windshields were mass adopted (roughly the 1950s). In our system to order windshields, it says that windshields for some 1950s Chevy come with a shade band. However, that could be a modern remake and not original to the vehicle. We will do more research, call some of our people, and see what we can find. We want to know now too!

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