Well it's finally been done, got my order in for the 2000 A41.8T

Quattro, Sport, Sport Seats, Xenon, and the convinience package...Silver with Onyx Cloth..

$27,977 (1750 over Invoice)

The car has been built and I have a VIN, but it still needs to be shipped over here so I'm looking at about another month *sigh* I WANT IT NOW!! hehe,

Anyways, I'm in the San Diego area and was wondering if anyone has dealt with a good shop down here for such things as chip mods, exhaust, upgrades, etc...

Also, how does it work out with tinting the front windows even though it's illegal down here, I see a lot of people with them tinted, but don't know what kind of problems I may run into..any comments you all would like to share?

Thanks!
-Brent

It will really affect your visibility - especially at night.

A good compromise might be to get all windows other than the windshield tinted. They should still be able to create a good dark interior which will give the impression that the front is also tinted (to the casual observer). If you really want to get extreme you could get a really dark tint - but I would avoid the windshield at all costs.

My .02,

Gordon Martin
98.5 2.8QMS (Santorin Blue)

Windshields? who said anything about windshields? hehe, I was talking about the front door windows, unless you're being sarcastic, at that point I'd be laughing :)

-Brent

You're right: it does have a negative affect on night vision clarity. It also helps reduce solar heat gain from the largest opening into the passenger compartment. When the sun shines through the windshield, it's usually baking a huge heatsink, the vinyl dash top. Here in West Palm Beach, a light windshield tint has a huge affect on the ambient temperature inside of a car. In other ares it might not be worth it.

In California, any side window tint that extends past a 90 degree line to the driver is illegal. I've actually seen some cars with partially tinted front windows. I guess the shorter you are - the closer you sit - the more you can tint.

Seriously, the last time I checked it was a fix-a-ticket. However, it's what we the legal biz calls "rolling PC" (probable cause.) If a cop wants to stop you, you've just given him a reason. That's just like driving around with a broken light, or dragging muffler (or no front plate, to hit another Audi sore point.) If you ever get stopped, roll down the window immediately. If the cops walks up to you, and sees the tinted window and can't see inside, he's just gonna assume you've got a gun, or are hiding dope, or some other evil deed. So he's already gonna be pissed when you start your lame excuse for speeding in you new car.

Actually, a tint is only illegal past a certain % of light transmission. A very light tint is legal. Wouldn't that be a better idea?

DMoore
'98 A42.8QTip
'00 S4M (week 34)

You can (in Iowa at least) get almost any % tint you want, if you get a medical slip from an optometrist. My brother did this because his contacts sometimes "flair" in bright sunlight. He's been stopped a couple times...one cop acutally chuckled that my brother went through the trouble to get the slip.

I posted the new CA law on front/side window tint a couple of weeks ago. Front/side windows can be "tinted" but the film must have 88% light transmittance, which is an extremely "mild" tint. It will keep the UV off your skin and help keep the car cooler. If you go darker than the legal limit, you can get hit with a fix-it ticket. So depending on where you do most of your driving (cop density and attitudes), you may or may not want to go beyond the 88%.

'00 1.8T
Silver / Onyx cloth
Sport Pkg
Conv Pkg
Cold Weather Pkg
Sport Seats
Xenon
Sidequard