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Tinting your own tail lights


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I have tinted my own tail lights using transparent Black paint and clear coating after the three coats I applied dried and I am amazed at the results. I will post a few pictures, but if you want to save a lot of money and are not afraid to do it yourself then for about $15.00 in material you can tint your own lights. I got the tip from a custom shop here that tints tail lights and emblems and they use different transparent paints but the funny thing is that it is Testers Model Paint they use, I walked into their shop and watched how they did it. It is really easy and you can add coats to make as dark or light as you want too. If you mess up it is easy to come off as well, took me twice to get it right since I had a run in the paint the first time, but that was my fault trying to rush it.

If you have any questions feel free to write, but they also use the Transparent Red to make tail lights more red, but Testers Has a lot of transparent paint and this is what is used on the lights so the tail lights can still shine thru.

 

Lee

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This subject will indeed be interesting to me, as I HATE the garish chrome in the taillites.

I posted in another tint posting and was asked to remove it because it is a posting on his business, but I thought you can add positive and negative postings, I guess when you share information about how tinting tail lights or head lights and emblems it upsets people who do it. Here is the picture of my rear tail light with 3 passes on it and it can go completely black but my state law is 35% so 65% light must be able to be seen when brakes are applied. I have LED bulbs so they are brighter then the stock. I think the tint I have is perfect.

2008_Ford_Edge_Tail_Light_Tint.doc

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As stated if you do not feel like you can do the job, I will do it for you, just send your tail lights to me, with return shipping paid for and I can do it and have it back in 24 hours... I will only charge $75.00 not including shipping and if you want to have them back ASAP then pay for overnight both ways and have them back in about 3 days. I will make them as dark or light as you want and can do your emblems as well.

But since I like to save money I would honestly do it yourself, one can of Testers Transparent Black is $4.99 and it will take 3 cans and 1 can of clear coat and that is the same price. So approximately $20.00 in material, pull the light off so no masking needs to be done and it is easy. I messed up first time trying to rush, so use light coats to do it, let me know when someone else does it and how they think about it.

 

Lee

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photo is too blurry.... but the results seem good. can you take a better shot?

 

yeah, you would not want to post up in someone's thread that is selling them for his business... starting your own thread is cool and acceptable no doubt, but taking food off a guys plate in his own thread is not to cool.

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Will try and get clearer pics of the tail lights best my cheap digital camera did at the time will have to break out the super slicer dicer camera. But for $20.00 and a few hours of your own time it is worth it and it turns out really nice. Just remember that the prep and having a dust free area when painting helps in the finish. Any questions hollar and let me know..

 

Lee

 

The only easy day was yesterday (Buds class 118)

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Well I washed the tail lights with soap and water then rinsed off then used rubbing alcohol to the lens and wiped off as well. For the other person who posted on here, they look good, glad you shared what you used. It takes approximately 3 coats to turn aroound 35% and then a few more and it will be totally black. I used the testers brand, but any translusent black paint will work, it is all in the prep and having a dust free zone and laying the paint on it good, overlay it only 50% per swipe and always start the can before you have it on the lens just in case it spits out like any spray paint might do.

You can use high end automotive paint from a store that can put it into a can for you as well, but here it is $20.00 per can.

I showed my results and like them, like I said I screwed up the first time by trying to rush it. If you did not like the testers paint, try the other one that is listed on here and see if it works better, but as for any paint job the prep work is where the paint job is at. I have painted my wife's Edge lights, my neighbors Nissan and also painted a custom chopper tail light with great results. Also remember after you get the black right, clear coat it, it will look foggy at first and then when dries will be protected, but if not then probably will do it again in a year or so.

 

Lee

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  • 3 weeks later...

I tinted the tail lights on my Mazda 6 and in about 2 months the shade of the tint (VHT Niteshades) turned green. About 8 months later the tint job on my tails looked like "wrinkle paint". I don't know if other people have had the same results over time but my experience was very bad.

 

I washed my lights with soap and water, sanded them lightly, applied tint in multiple light coats until desired tint achieved, sanded again, applied clear coat, wet sanded until like glass again, and finished with a plastic polishing compound. When it was first done it looked absolutely amazing, factory look, but the look gradually deteriorated.

 

Just thought I would throw out my pervious experience. It would have been nice if Ford was off the chrome bandwagon. My Black AWD Limited is covered with chorme items including the fake a$$ 20" wheels. Chrome blows but I don't want to ruin items trying to tint again since my previous experience was unsatisfactory when the element of time was introduced.

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  • 2 months later...
I have tinted my own tail lights using transparent Black paint and clear coating after the three coats I applied dried and I am amazed at the results. I will post a few pictures, but if you want to save a lot of money and are not afraid to do it yourself then for about $15.00 in material you can tint your own lights. I got the tip from a custom shop here that tints tail lights and emblems and they use different transparent paints but the funny thing is that it is Testers Model Paint they use, I walked into their shop and watched how they did it. It is really easy and you can add coats to make as dark or light as you want too. If you mess up it is easy to come off as well, took me twice to get it right since I had a run in the paint the first time, but that was my fault trying to rush it.

If you have any questions feel free to write, but they also use the Transparent Red to make tail lights more red, but Testers Has a lot of transparent paint and this is what is used on the lights so the tail lights can still shine thru.

 

Lee

Just had my tail lights tinted using the paint process. Had a shop do it. You can do various shades and they had a clear coat to protect. Posted pics. Having a shop do it cost me $110.

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