Tailight tinting

[TLMNICK]

I personally think the Gen1 tails look perfect without any type of tint applied. Maybe an extra light tint on the "clear" portion of it, but anything more than that just doesn't look right. It reminds me of those GTS headlight/tailight covers from back in the early 90's.

[ampreston85]

Personally I'm not a fan of the 'all black' approach. Looks like those euro tards wit there Jetta's lol. Don't take offense. And i just had my tails tinted yesterday. They used .017" thick PVC Film. The guy that did it for me was an artist to say the least, as he tinted the entire taillight, and FREE HAND cut out the crystal clear section himself. After looking at the lines and curved corners of the 'clear section' it looked FLAWLESS! After he was finished, let it set for a bit, and buffed it up nicely to give it that same 'stock' shine that they had to begin with.
Here is the final outcome.
BEFORE TINT


AFTER TINT




Let me know what you think. IMO it looks MUCH better then any spray, and it's not black enough to get the cops attention.

[Ruski]

That looks very clean, IMO better then using VHT spray

[ampreston85]

Ya i was very please with the outcome. $50 bucks well spent IMO. Highline Customs... Look em up if your ever in Beaverton/Portland Oregon. They do an in house warranty as well (can't legally warranty the tinting of tails and/or heads as it is illegal to tint exterior lighting).

[SolaraMan7890]

^^^ that's the look I have on my Black Lara, and I love it.

I got mine from Latin. I think he uses Spray tho. looks REALLY black, but break lights shine through it with no problem.

It's been around 2 years and not a chip or a problem with them.

Might want to have a stock set handy for those inspection swaps....

[SolaraMan7890]

AFTER TINT



Let me know what you think. IMO it looks MUCH better then any spray, and it's not black enough to get the cops attention.

Any idea how to get the LED strip tinted?

[ampreston85]

the guy offored to tint that as well, same way he did the tails, but for safety reasons, I decided against it. But that strip does come off... Held in by a screw on either side. So easily tintable. Lol

[SolaraMan7890]

^^lol what safety reasons? O.o

[99BlackSandv6]

Safety reason is that there is still one light that is at full intensity.
The third brake like is the only one that really gets
the attention of other drivers anyway. I did the same thing.

[SolaraMan7890]

lol in MA it is law that if you are rear ended, the other driver is at fault...

I think I'll keep mine un-tinted as well... for "safety" reasons lol.

[SirThomas8]

That looks REALLY nice dude. I like the look. Can't beat that for $50!

lol in MA it is law that if you are rear ended, the other driver is at fault...

I think I'll keep mine un-tinted as well... for "safety" reasons lol.

Same here in MD. I assumed thats the law in most states. Makes sense to me.

[ampreston85]

Thank you Black, that is the point i was making. That like goes from off, to bright when you hit the breaks, so i want to leave that one untinted so me breaking still catches peoples attention... The tint on my tails isn't black, but i still prefer to have my car look good AND maintain safety LOL.

Ya thats what I'm sayin! $50 bucks to have them look that clean, I couldn't come up with a better idea with better results for same price, or equal results for any less. And the accuracy to have the crystal section cut out so exact and clean, was amazing. I worried while waiting for him to finish, that the lines and curves would be uneven or not look fluid. Proved me wrong, thats for sure.

[ronb]

Guys, I just ordered a whole roll of this stuff and have some extra left to sell. Here is a copy of my post from another forum where I have been an active member for a very long time. I am new here, because I just bought my '01 Solara, but maybe some of you are interested in uncut dark smoke material?

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE BUMP FROM THE DEAD, BUT FIGURED SOMEONE ON HERE MAY BE INTERESTED TOO!
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Ok guys, I bought a whole roll of this stuff. It's the darker material for smoking your lenses. If you need some, let me know how much! If you want to do your taillights, you will need about two yards of it probably (6 feet) and you should have plenty extra to cover front sidemarkers, a third brake light, etc. I will sell you a two yard piece for $25 plus shipping or free pickup in san diego. Just want to recover some of the shipping and cost of the material. This is a lot cheaper than ordering precut pieces and you don't have to worry about being so exact with the fitment, you can just install, then trim the excess!

I think the wet sand paint method looks the best (when done right and glossy), but this is a more practical solution. You can do both your taillights and then some for $25, and you can remove the material with a hairdryer in about 5 minutes, leaving your taillights just like new (if you change your mind, get a fix it ticket, etc... no need for an extra set of tails or borrowing someone's for a police inspection!). You will need to do these as a wet application (mix water and ONE drop of soap in a sprayer), then use a hairdryer to heat and stretch, then leave on for a day or two to set, then pop any excess bubbles with a very small needle.

*DISCLAIMER*-THESE ARE NOT EASY TO INSTALL. I RECOMMEND HAVING SOMEONE EXPERIENCED IN TINT OR VINYL INSTALL THESE FOR YOU. I AM ONLY SELLING THE REST OF MY ROLL, SO IF YOU MESS UP, I AM NOT GOING TO "HOOK YOU UP FOR FREE", THE POINT IS TO SELL THIS STUFF TO YOU GUYS WHO WANT TO TINT YOUR TAILLIGHTS CHEAPER! NO, SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO TINT YOUR LIGHTS FOR YOU. INSTALL AT YOUR OWN RISK!