So I had seen some people had gone with the actual film for tinting the taillights but has issues with the curves so I decided to do it with the VHT NightShade. The things your going to need are:
1 Can VHT Night Shade
1 Can gloss clear coat
1 Bottle of paint thinner
1 Roll painters tape
2000 Grit sandpaper
Needle nose pliers
10mm ratchet
Best to do this in a garage or in some place where there wont be any wind and dust flying around and then just have patience and time.
Also here is a video I watched and based all of my work off of for reference.
Good luck and let me know what you guys think!
Before
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Location of the tailight access panel and plastic clips you need to remove
[/IMG]
After you have the cover and clips out
Those are the wiring harness' you need to remove. The grey and green clip are attached to the car. the little white one is attached to the tailight housing and doesnt come off however, it still need to be unplugged.
[/IMG]
Then just go ahead and pinch the two clips to remove the bulb bracket and just place it to the side. You should look like this at this point.
[/IMG]
Next you need to remove the 4 nuts holding the tail light in. They are 10mm in size. Dont have a picture with them in the car but I have one of the tail light out of the car. I needed to move the trunk liner out or the way some to get to the one bolt.
[/IMG]
The next step is to take the tail lights in side and start to sand them down. Using the 2000 grit sand paper and some dish soap do a wet sand in the sink. You want the light to have a nice haze on them.
Left has haze. Right is untouched This is the point of no return more or less
[/IMG]
After you have it all scuffed up go over it with a rag with the paint thinner on it to clean it up and then buff rub the paint thinner off till the lights are dry and look hazy again.
I wanted to leave the reverse lights and blinker untinted so I went ahead and used the blue painters tape and cover then up. Easiest way is just do a square and then take a thin blade like and exacto knife and cut around the the outside edge.
[/IMG]
Now this is where personal preference comes in as far as darkness. I wanted to still have a little bit of read show and know light was going to get through. ( Less hassle from the police:thumbup I did 2 coats on mine.
[/IMG]
Next all you need to do is apply the clear coat. I did 2 coats of this as well. If you have the issue I had and you get an uneven spray pattern just simply go back inside and do a light wet sand again just to scratch up the clear coat. Go to hard and your scratch the Night Shade off.
Once all of that dries just go ahead and follow the steps in reverse to reinstall the tail lights. Be careful and don't drop the bolt when your trying to thread it on because it'll fall underneath the entire trunk covering. ( Couldnt find mine after. :facepalm: You might have better luck)
The end result should look something like this
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
1 Can VHT Night Shade
1 Can gloss clear coat
1 Bottle of paint thinner
1 Roll painters tape
2000 Grit sandpaper
Needle nose pliers
10mm ratchet
Best to do this in a garage or in some place where there wont be any wind and dust flying around and then just have patience and time.
Also here is a video I watched and based all of my work off of for reference.
Good luck and let me know what you guys think!
Before
[/IMG]
Location of the tailight access panel and plastic clips you need to remove
[/IMG]
After you have the cover and clips out
Those are the wiring harness' you need to remove. The grey and green clip are attached to the car. the little white one is attached to the tailight housing and doesnt come off however, it still need to be unplugged.
[/IMG]
Then just go ahead and pinch the two clips to remove the bulb bracket and just place it to the side. You should look like this at this point.
[/IMG]
Next you need to remove the 4 nuts holding the tail light in. They are 10mm in size. Dont have a picture with them in the car but I have one of the tail light out of the car. I needed to move the trunk liner out or the way some to get to the one bolt.
[/IMG]
The next step is to take the tail lights in side and start to sand them down. Using the 2000 grit sand paper and some dish soap do a wet sand in the sink. You want the light to have a nice haze on them.
Left has haze. Right is untouched This is the point of no return more or less
[/IMG]
After you have it all scuffed up go over it with a rag with the paint thinner on it to clean it up and then buff rub the paint thinner off till the lights are dry and look hazy again.
I wanted to leave the reverse lights and blinker untinted so I went ahead and used the blue painters tape and cover then up. Easiest way is just do a square and then take a thin blade like and exacto knife and cut around the the outside edge.
[/IMG]
Now this is where personal preference comes in as far as darkness. I wanted to still have a little bit of read show and know light was going to get through. ( Less hassle from the police:thumbup I did 2 coats on mine.
[/IMG]
Next all you need to do is apply the clear coat. I did 2 coats of this as well. If you have the issue I had and you get an uneven spray pattern just simply go back inside and do a light wet sand again just to scratch up the clear coat. Go to hard and your scratch the Night Shade off.
Once all of that dries just go ahead and follow the steps in reverse to reinstall the tail lights. Be careful and don't drop the bolt when your trying to thread it on because it'll fall underneath the entire trunk covering. ( Couldnt find mine after. :facepalm: You might have better luck)
The end result should look something like this
[/IMG]
[/IMG]