How To tint tail lights

Cobalt Tom

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I did not originally write this:

Alright ladies, today I’m going to teach you how to tint your friggen lights so you will stop asking how! This can be applied to tail lights, side markers or even to add eyelids to your headlights. I strongly recommend removing the lights from the car before tinting and I would not recommend this strategy for tinting your windows. Make sure you’re doing this in a well ventilated area so you do not die from the fumes.

Materials Needed:
1. Nightshades or Krylon Crystal Clear Translucent Spraypaint
2. Duplicolor Clear Coat
3. 1500-2000 Grit Sandpaper (optional)
4. 600 Grit Sandpaper
5. Paper towels
6. Painters Tape
7. Soapy sponge
8. Ventilated area.

Step 1: Using the Soapy sponge scrub the lights clean. Wipe all traces of the soap off with a damp rag. Be sure not to get the electrical components wet.

Soap.jpg


Step 2: Using the 600 grit sandpaper, evenly sand the light in the desired areas you wish to tint.

600sand.jpg


Step 3: Use the wet rag to wipe away any plastic debris removed during the sanding process.

600sand.jpg


Step 4: Tape off any areas on the lights you do not wish to be tinted. (Not applied to this specific tinting session) The use of a sharp razorblade works wonders when making precise cuts.

Step 5: Tape a paper towel or newspaper or whatever (or just jam it through the protruding plastic apparatuses such as I did) around the parts/pieces of the lights you do not wish to be painted (i.e. the back housing of the lights)

Papertowlback.jpg


Step 6: Place the lights in an area you don’t give a shit about (large cardboard box or lying newspaper down works well if you don’t want to get paint on your floor/table)

safeplace.jpg


Step 7: Shake dat shit…. Shake your tint spray for about a good minute or so to make sure the spray is evenly mixed and not pasty. Once you are done making crude gestures with the can, you may now apply the tint.

Step 8: Hold the can UPRIGHT… approximately 12-15inches away from the lights and with a steady fanning motion apply a basic coat. Don’t go too thick on the coats. After you are done with your first coat, the lights should look something like this:

FirstCoat.jpg


Step 9: wait approximately 15-20 minutes between each coat and sand with 1500-2000 grit sandpaper… if desired…. To remove any imperfections in the paint job (dust specs, shitty paint job, etc.) Apply as many coats as you wish until desired darkness is reached.

Clearcoat.jpg


Step 10: after letting the final coat of nightshades dry for 30 minutes or so, apply clear coat in the same manner as the tint spray. I’d recommend a good 2-3 coats of clear coat. Let the lights dry for a few hours after the process is complete. You may now reinstall your lights!

c5.jpg




Brake lights during they day:

BrakeLights.jpg


Brake lights and reverse lights at night:


DSCF0153Small.jpg



The clearcoat allows you to wax the lights just as if they were part of the body and adds a nice shine.


Note: tinting your taillights and side markers is most likely illegal in your state/province.
 
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Brit

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How do you get it off tho? cant pass inspection. need to remove mine... shit!
 

Brit

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i knew it was the cops descression if he wanted to give me a ticket for the tint... but i didnt think i wouldnt pass inspection on it. bc you can see my brake lights and signal lights just fine when i use them. oh well. the guy wants to be a dick.
 

06CobaltLS

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try to find a local shop out in the country a lil more..i know one up here that just takes your old papers and copies em down and then just makes sure ur blinkers turn on..thats it..my cousin got his s10 inspected and the guy just wrote his papers down from 94 lol
 

Tuner923

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i knew it was the cops descression if he wanted to give me a ticket for the tint... but i didnt think i wouldnt pass inspection on it. bc you can see my brake lights and signal lights just fine when i use them. oh well. the guy wants to be a dick.

No, the guy is covering his own ass. He has regulations to follow. If something happens down the road and the cause is found to be your tails that were not within state regulations and he was the last to have passed it on inspection, he is at fault and can incur fines or face jail time. Not every mechanic is a money grubbing hack that wants to scam you on bullshit repairs. You should feel lucky to have found a shop that is more worried about your safety rather than making the money and slapping a sticker on. "lick it and stick it" shops are dangerous to you, me and everyone on the road.
 

06CobaltLS

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^^^This..like i said in my last post about the inspector..i would never use him but hes gotten a lot more strict about things lately.
 

cobalt123

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like i said get another set of tails or buy some custom led ones. that the cover off, paint the led housings black and put the cover back on. they appear tinted cuz of the housing and the cover or lense is clear...
 

Fletch627

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Last time I did this, my lights weren't glossy. How many coats of clear coat to get a nice glossy look? I'm re-doing them right as I type this lol
 

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