DEAR SUN SPOTS: Are there any local places that do automobile window tinting? What is the phone number of Portland Tint near Rand Road in South Portland?

Isn’t it illegal to tint the front side windows? I’ve seen cars with dark tint on them. — Nobody from Nowhere

ANSWER: There are indeed laws limiting window tints, which are based on the amount of light they let through. If you have tinting on your windows, they must be inspected to make sure they comply with the law.

The following appears at Maine.gov:

“In order to comply with the statute, some vehicle owners may be able to obtain a tint certificate, or a certificate of compliance approved by the Bureau of the Maine State Police that states that the vehicle meets the standards for light transmittance. … Vehicle’s windows must not be composed of, covered with, or treated with any reflective material.

“Vehicle’s windshield must not have any tint that is not part of a factory-installed original equipment windshield. However, a tinted sunshield strip that extends no more than 4 inches from the top of the windshield is permissible. 

“Vehicle must not have tinted windows if the owner cannot provide a certificate of compliance with the standards for light transmittance approved by the Bureau of the Maine State Police. Any window tinting treatment or covering must be removed if it fails to meet the inspection standard. However, exempt from this rule are multipurpose vehicles (sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, and vans) equipped with tinted glass on the rear side windows and rear window.”

If you have tinted windows, you need a tint certificate.

From Portland Tint’s website, portlandtint.com: “In order to pass Maine’s motor vehicle inspection, cars with window film applied to the driver and/or passenger window must have a valid tint certificate proving that said windows measure 35 percent or higher VLT (visible light transmittance). If you have tinted windows, but no certificate, you need a tint inspection.”

Portland Tint is also a certified inspection station. It charges $15 for the tint certificate, with no charge for failed inspections. Windows measuring less than 35 percent VLT will fail the inspection. Several websites noted that window tinting on back windows can be darker, but there are limits to their reflectivity.

Portland Tint is at 174 Rand Road, 207-797-8468.

Sun Spots knows of two local possibilities. One is Berube’s Auto/Auto City, 999 Center St., Auburn, 207-783-3390. Sound Effects, 216 Center St., Auburn, 207-777-3339, may offer window tinting as well, but Sun Spots wasn’t able to reach them Wednesday afternoon.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Your column is such a great help to others. As I’m a newly returned Mainer, I’ve recently met a man in Lisbon who is quite an artist, using simple things from the attic or odds and ends.

I’m hoping that writing to you will help provide this kind man with items for his art, such as any old doors and/or doorknobs.

I would be happy to collect the things for him. Thanking you in advance. — Louella Hood, Auburn

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