Hi, does anyone know the % of the factory privacy glass on a mk7? It's a December 2011 build if that makes any difference

Even Ford won't know.  Just tell Admiral it's below 30%.  They've been making this mistake for over a decade now.  There's no legal limit for rear tints but Admiral's advisers are just ticking boxes without a good understanding of cars or UK road regs.

If you really want to be sure, any windscreen fitters should have a tint checker.  Traffic cops do as well, but probably not worth wasting their time.

7 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Even Ford won't know.  Just tell Admiral it's below 30%.  They've been making this mistake for over a decade now.  There's no legal limit for rear tints but Admiral's advisers are just ticking boxes without a good understanding of cars or UK road regs.

If you really want to be sure, any windscreen fitters should have a tint checker.  Traffic cops do as well, but probably not worth wasting their time.

Cheers, I'll just say below 30. I reckon it's 20% but as you say nobody seems to know for sure.

Yeah their advisers are ***** useless. If you try and make a new quote now it says factory options don't need to be declared. I've submitted a complaint hopefully someone who actually knows will get back to me

Is this just an Admiral thing? Goodness knows how many cars I've had with factory tinted glass, but I can't recall ever seeing or being asked a question about it.

Afaik Admiral are also the only insurer who ask about (and charge more for) having attended speed awareness courses, which I'm sure a few of us have.

16 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Is this just an Admiral thing? Goodness knows how many cars I've had with factory tinted glass, but I can't recall ever seeing or being asked a question about it.

Afaik Admiral are also the only insurer who ask about (and charge more for) having attended speed awareness courses, which I'm sure a few of us have.

I think it is yeah. Hastings specifically say that factory options don't need to be declared. Direct Line says they do, but when I phoned them the adviser said they don't.

I did attend a speed awareness course in 2019 if i recall correctly but I haven't seen an option on their online form to tell them about it. Honestly tempted to switch to Hastings, sick of Admiral messing about.

Edit: apparently Admiral used to ask about speed awareness courses but they changed their policy on the 4/9/2018

7 minutes ago, jr795 said:

I did attended a speed awareness course in 2019 if i recall correctly but I haven't seen an option on their online form to tell them about it. Honestly tempted to switch to Hastings, sick of Admiral messing about

I've never bothered getting a quote from Admiral after being warned off (ahem!) by the instructors on a course. Also a lady on the course was with them and she had already been hit with an increase when she told them, which was apparently a requirement in the small print of the policy documents.

I've also seen a few  forum posts like the following, which suggests they only hit you with the question as you're just about to click the payment button, when you might spot it too late:

"Just about to purchase car insurance with Admiral for first time ever as never been insured with them before, but on the very last page just before I click the payment button it says that if I've been on a speed awareness course I must ring them to let them know.

Just wished Admiral were more transparent about their policy to the point that if I did inform them and they increased the quoted premium I'd probably go somewhere else just out of spite!!"

6 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

I've never bothered getting a quote from Admiral after being warned off (ahem!) by the instructors on a course. Also a lady on the course was with them and she had already been hit with an increase when she told them, which was apparently a requirement in the small print of the policy documents.

I've also seen a few  forum posts like the following, which suggests they only hit you with the question as you're just about to click the payment button, when you might spot it too late:

"Just about to purchase car insurance with Admiral for first time ever as never been insured with them before, but on the very last page just before I click the payment button it says that if I've been on a speed awareness course I must ring them to let them know.

Just wished Admiral were more transparent about their policy to the point that if I did inform them and they increased the quoted premium I'd probably go somewhere else just out of spite!!"

This is the only thing I can find on it: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5819643/speed-awareness-course-admiral/p3

I'll double check my policy documents but it seems they changed their policy on them thankfully

57 minutes ago, jr795 said:

Cheers, I'll just say below 30. I reckon it's 20% but as you say nobody seems to know for sure.

Yeah their advisers are ***** useless. If you try and make a new quote now it says factory options don't need to be declared. I've submitted a complaint hopefully someone who actually knows will get back to me

Just to be clear, the percentage refers to the amount of light that passes.  So a 20% tint is darker than a 30% tint.

1 minute ago, TomsFocus said:

Just to be clear, the percentage refers to the amount of light that passes.  So a 20% tint is darker than a 30% tint.

My mistake. It is quite confusing really, when they say below 30 do they mean a lower number (e.g. 20%) or a lower degree of tint, therefore allowing more light through, which would actually be a higher percentage. I'm not sure

35 minutes ago, jr795 said:

This is the only thing I can find on it: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5819643/speed-awareness-course-admiral/p3

I'll double check my policy documents but it seems they changed their policy on them thankfully

Interesting - my course was before the change mentioned in that thread. Some of the later posters on there though say their current questionnaire is still open to different interpretations. 

Plenty of alternatives around though if you don't fancy it.

I just asked their live chat bot:

16 minutes ago, jr795 said:

My mistake. It is quite confusing really, when they say below 30 do they mean a lower number (e.g. 20%) or a lower degree of tint, therefore allowing more light through, which would actually be a higher percentage. I'm not sure

Just tell them whichever they want to hear.

They'll only cover tint lighter than 30%.  So it will depend on the exact phrasing as to whether that's above or below I suppose.

27 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Just tell them whichever they want to hear.

They'll only cover tint lighter than 30%.  So it will depend on the exact phrasing as to whether that's above or below I suppose.

I think it depends whether it's optional extra or a modification. When I was guessing on the phone I ended up going with 'more than 30%', which I assume means more tinted. They didn't seem to have an issue with it other than saying they will only cover factory optional extras not modifications. I assume by 'cover' they mean they will pay out for factory privacy glass but not aftermarket tint film

The problem when you run two threads asking the same question is that answers get posted in different places.

Yesterday I posted the answer to your question and said that the tint was less than 30% and the rear and back side windows could be anything and it didn't matter. Here is the UK governments statement, and since Ford have to comply with the law when building the car then the factory tint has to be legal.

On 11/11/2023 at 4:50 PM, unofix said:

Less than 30% on the windscreen and the two front door windows, which is all that matters for an insurance company. Ford only build UK/European 'Legal' cars.

The back door windows and rear screen could be 100% black and it would not be of any interest to the insurance company.

https://www.gov.uk/tinted-vehicle-window-rules

10 minutes ago, unofix said:

The problem when you run two threads asking the same question is that answers get posted in different places.

Yesterday I posted the answer to your question and said that the tint was less than 30% and the rear and back side windows could be anything and it didn't matter. Here is the UK governments statement, and since Ford have to comply with the law when building the car then the factory tint has to be legal.

https://www.gov.uk/tinted-vehicle-window-rules

You said 'The back door windows and rear screen could be 100% black and it would not be of any interest to the insurance company'. That is:

a.) the exact opposite of what the Admiral adviser told me on the phone, hence me asking this question here, and my original question on the other thread

b.) not actually an answer to the question I have asked here

I started this thread because the answers to the first did not help me. Here I am asking a different question. Irrespective of what you believe to be the case about insurers, I was explicitly told by Admiral on the phone that it did matter. Their website says different when you go to create a new quote. I have since submitted a complaint in the hope that someone more senior can read it and actually tell me what is the right answer

1 minute ago, jr795 said:

a.) the exact opposite of what the Admiral adviser told me on the phone, hence me asking this question here, and my original question on the other thread

Refer Admiral to the UK governments website https://www.gov.uk/tinted-vehicle-window-rules It's simple enough that even they should be able to understand. Many vehicles don't even have a rear window or windows in the side at the back, normally they get called a van !!

Only the front windscreen and the two front door windows have to comply with the law, which is the tint has to be 30% or less. At the risk of repeating, Ford have to build vehicles that comply with the law.

10 minutes ago, unofix said:

Refer Admiral to the UK governments website https://www.gov.uk/tinted-vehicle-window-rules It's simple enough that even they should be able to understand. Many vehicles don't even have a rear window or windows in the side at the back, normally they get called a van !!

Only the front windscreen and the two front door windows have to comply with the law, which is the tint has to be 30% or less. At the risk of repeating, Ford have to build vehicles that comply with the law.

I don't dispute the law but that's not really what they're asking. They want to know if the vehicle is 'modified'. As far as the person on the phone said (even though their web form contradicts this), optional extras are considered modifications by Admiral, although they are added to the policy as optional extras specifically I believe.

Therefore my factory rear privacy glass has been added as an optional extra. The problem with that is they want to know whether it's more or less than 30%. I don't know what it is and judging by the responses I've got here nobody does know. When I speak to them I'll just make the point that not even Ford knows the answer and it's ridiculous to expect me to source a tint checking device to ascertain the level of tint on my 11 year old car. I would understand if it was aftermarket tint because then you can choose the tint percentage when you have it done but this is not.

Even more baffling is the person I spoke to said that if I make a claim they'll ask me for proof that the declared items were factory fit optional extras. They said every car has a document stating what options the car is fitted with. No car I have ever owned has had that, as far as I know you only really get that with brand new cars you buy first hand

1 hour ago, jr795 said:

I think it depends whether it's optional extra or a modification. When I was guessing on the phone I ended up going with 'more than 30%', which I assume means more tinted. They didn't seem to have an issue with it other than saying they will only cover factory optional extras not modifications. I assume by 'cover' they mean they will pay out for factory privacy glass but not aftermarket tint film

Fair enough.

I had this debate over 10 years ago on another forum. At the time they wouldn't cover dark rear tint...which my used car came with.  As well as not covering more than 30mm lowering.  How was I meant to know how low it was?  Went with a different insurer in the end.

There may be a claim aspect here.  Perhaps people with limo tint reverse into more things?

Have to say, not the only mod issue I had with them in later years.  First they wouldn't insure a remap - but would insure a chip!  (Again, with a percentage limit).  But worse than that, I enquired about fitting an upgraded intercooler.  Said it was fine, just tell them when I'd done it.  Called a couple of weeks later and was told they don't cover them!  Just spent the remainder of the cover with it undeclared and then went elsewhere.  (Wasn't left with much choice!)

They are cheap, but I certainly wouldn't want to have to claim through them.

42 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

They are cheap, but I certainly wouldn't want to have to claim through them.

I'm starting to lean this way tbh, this debacle has really soured my view of them. Might be time to look elsewhere at renewal...

Can I ask who you're insured with? I've heard good things about Direct Line but they make you pay for it 😂

I now use Flow:   https://www.flowinsurance.co.uk/

Which is actually just the budget division of Liverpool & Victoria (LV insurance).

 

15 hours ago, jr795 said:

I'm starting to lean this way tbh, this debacle has really soured my view of them. Might be time to look elsewhere at renewal...

Can I ask who you're insured with? I've heard good things about Direct Line but they make you pay for it 😂

I've been with QuoteMeHappy for the last few years.  But I'm old now and the car's totally standard. 

Admiral is like the Ryanair of insurance tbh.
 

And if the front glass can’t be more than 30% tint then privacy glass is going to be over 30% tint. 

14 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

And if the front glass can’t be more than 30% tint then privacy glass is going to be over 30% tint. 

Front glass can't legally be more than 70%, and windscreen not more than 75%.

Less than 30% is considered 'extreme' and gets you an immediate prohibition notice. 

But between 30-70% is a £60 fine and a removal order.  A cynic could suggest that seems like a good money spinner for the traffic cops... 🤔

18 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

Admiral is like the Ryanair of insurance tbh.
 

And if the front glass can’t be more than 30% tint then privacy glass is going to be over 30% tint. 

Agreed, I'd be changing right now if it wouldn't cause me to lose a years no claims 🙃

Yeah I reckon it's 20%, looks quite dark. Admittedly I've only looked at it in my garage since they asked the question so haven't seen it in proper daylight

You need to be clear if it is 30% tint, or 30% light.

Cars front glass has to allow 70% light through, therefore it is a 30% tint.

So privacy glass, is more than 30% tint, less than 70% light pass.

I would expect insurance to want to know the tint %, not the light %, but you'd need to clarify with them