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How to: Tail light tint

59K views 91 replies 42 participants last post by  MSEngineer 
#1 · (Edited)
NOTE: Following was done on a Euro 2011 Ford Focus Hatch MK3

**If you find that you tinted too much, you can reduce the tint by rubbing away with rubbing compound. This will slowly take off tint until you are happy!**

I used the following products:

Basic tools
1500 grit wet/dry sand paper
Paint thinner
Wax and grease remover
VHT Nite shades
Acrylic lacquer clear coat
Meguiar's ultimate compound



1a.) Remove tail lights, there are 2 wing nuts and a clip that have to be undone. The wing nuts are located here:



And they look like this:



Once the wingnuts are removed, pull the tail light sideways off the car, and the clip should come out. Look at the following picture and take note at where the clip is. Circles are the wingnut bolts, and the square is the clip.



1b.) Remove hatch light

Just unscrew the two screws indicated, and disconnect the wires at the back.



1c.) Remove the 2 lower rear reflectors. They are held in by clips which go though the rear bumper. Just stick your head under the car and use pliers to undo the clips.






2.) Wet sand the tail light with 1500 grit



3.) Wash off the debris with paint thinner and a cloth. Rub down the tail light firmly after, as it can leave a film.



4.) Apply wax and grease remover as the final prep, careful not to touch or move the tail light after this step.



5.) Apply VHT Nite shades and clear coat. I used quick fanning motions with the VHT nite shades and the clear coat. I used 3 coats of nite shades and 4 coats of clear.



6.) After spray let cure for at least 12 hours, 24 is best. Buff with rubbing compound until smooth and shiny.

Before rubbing compound:



After rubbing compound: (had to use the car, so cut the buffing process short, i'll finish it up later)



7.) Reattach lights. (Looks darker than it is, car was in a shadow.)





8.) Rubbing compound more once attached, you can really put your back into it when the lights are on the car. I also used a synthetic polish to give it a bit more shiny. This is the end product. I'm quite happy with it.

 
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#4 ·
Good write-up and the tails look great[thumb]

I would also recommend, for those concerned with reversibility, that the sanding step can be skipped pre-spray. Then, should the need arise, the spray can be removed with gasoline (or the like) with no scratching visible on the lenses.
 
#6 ·
Not a problem[thunb]

I actually shaded my tails when I did my headlights. After they cured up I went to wet-sand them smooth and accidentally burned through the shade on my D/S (I only wanted a light tint) in two spots. It took me about 30 mins with a rag, elbow grease and some gasoline, but you can't tell anywhere on my lights that they ever had been sprayed.
 
#8 ·
I wish tail lights were cheaper so that I could play around and experiment.

When I changed the lights on my GP I bought the best I could find (condition) for $37.
 
#81 ·
Yours have a nice glossy look to them. How did you go about getting that to look that way. I put three coats of nightshades and about three coats of clear cooat and they turned out pretty dull. I attempted to buff it with the compound the OP used and they still look pretty dull. I was wanting to go for the look that yours has.
 
#17 ·
Great write-up. Might want to add a note advising NOT to drop any of the wingnuts when removing them--ask me how I know how bad this is.
 
#22 ·
Because of the lines on the taillights the film is difficult, even the pre-cut. Seems I remember a thread on here somewhere about that... [scratch]

Now, if you're only tinting a section of the light, say the reverse light portion, then, yes, feasible.
 
#24 ·
The two lower rear reflectors?

You have to go underneath the rear bumper. and squeeze the two clips that hold the reflectors in place. You do not need to lift the car, there is enough clearance to just stick your head underneath. There is a picture above showing what they look like (their red)
 
#27 ·
I just tinted my tails and the experience of taking them off the sedan was a pain. My brother and I being in for the holidays at my parents got bored. Figured I would share some pics. Please excuse the mess of my parents barn.

Have to first remove the little plastic door inside the trunk. Has 3 hook tabs...you can feel one with your finger to unhook it and then give a firm pull.(Ignore my patch storage closet...trunk)


Once you remove the little door there are 2 plastic wingnuts and a clip that holds the light in place. Don't drop those =)


Once those are removed pull firmly on the light.


We took the lights out of the housing...not sure this was the best idea but if not I am sure someone will chime in.


Pulled the lid down to take a pic and was like "doh I forgot these".


This meant we had to remove the trunk liner which had 9 plastic screws.


But once you remove the screws you have to remove the clips that the screws were in. These guys.


Then had to thread the trunk release through.


Then removed the liner.


The light was secured to the trunk lid with 1 plastic wingnut and 2 clips. The plastic wingnut can be seen near the bottom left of the pic...it is black and near the end of the wire.


Pull firmly out, you will hear the clips pop out but they should be fine.


If you take the light out of the housing instead of simply unplugging it then make sure you don't lose the little blue o-ring...same goes for the larger light sections except the o-rings are black.


Then I tapped them off in order to paint them.


Overall I learned a lot but I did a really poor job painting the tails. Since I didn't do the job right the first time now I have to do it all over again. I think we had ambient temp probs since the outside temp was like 38 degrees Fahrenheit. We used VHT Nite-Shades and it went on pretty bad. Next time I will do it when it is warmer or use my garage while running the heat in there.I wanted them to be similar to Misfire's but I did a poor job and to top it off I went too dark.

Before:


After:
 
#32 ·
.


Then I tapped them off in order to paint them.


Overall I learned a lot but I did a really poor job painting the tails. Since I didn't do the job right the first time now I have to do it all over again. I think we had ambient temp probs since the outside temp was like 38 degrees Fahrenheit. We used VHT Nite-Shades and it went on pretty bad. Next time I will do it when it is warmer or use my garage while running the heat in there.I wanted them to be similar to Misfire's but I did a poor job and to top it off I went too dark.

Before:


After:
Looks good to me. Did you sand them? One of the reasons I haven't done this is I don't want to sand them and they turn dull constantly as the polishing wears off..
 
#37 ·
What are you opinions?
My opinion is that if you diminish the safety of your vehicle by modifying indicator lights for vanity's sake, you should be paying higher insurance premiums. Just saying...

Also, I wouldn't park it on the street at night if I were you. It's likely to get hit now that you've painted the reflectors black. I hope you have a streetlight to park under.
 
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