i was wondering what the trick it. i've ordered 2 sets of tail light tint kits from ebay, and messed 'em both up. I can't seem to get it set smoothly where the tail light bends around the side of the car. how did you guys tint your tail lights? with the same type of kit?

 

I don't have my tail lights tinted but maybe you are suppose to hold it down and use heat gun (hair dryer?) to mold it? just a thought.

 

tried that. when i've done it, i keep getting bubbles & air pockets in the tint.

 

squeeges with some soap water (very small amont of soap)?

 

yah, ive tried all the "given" stuff out. hair dryer, soapy water & squeege -- i just can't get the damn tint to lay flat, once it curves around the corner of the car. i'm looking for tricks or suggestions above the normal or given steps.

 

I found it easier to work my way from the outside in. What kit are you using?

 

those kits off ebay. like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ACURA...23040689QQrdZ1

 

I've actually seen a pro do a bunch of these lights.

Aside from the soapy water and the squeegy you might want to consider using a steamer (any clothing steamer will do.) This will let you stretch the film around the curve without a lot of shrinkage.

The heat gun will actually dry the soapy water and make the film harder to move. If the film is dry, then it will eventually shrink under the heat, so if you're having that much trouble consider the steamer.

BTW, this is the same way Clearbras are applied.

Here're a couple shots, 1 of my TL tails and another of the more difficult curvy X-Runner tails

 

With these kits applied, does the housing still maintain any reflectability? Are the stock bulbs strong enough to put out enough brightness so it wouldnt be such a safety hazard?

I was thinking might be an alternative to use to get rid of the amber for headlights. Without the risk of leaks and related problems.

 

The light comes through very clear. I noticed after stopping behind a regular 3rd gen TL that the tails are annoyingly bright - so putting the smoke lamin-x on lessened the brightness, but not to an illegal level

Cops tail me pretty regularly around my hood and I haven't been stopped yet.

As for getting rid of the amber, the best option is to open it up and remove the peice and paint it. not sure how it'll look just covering up the yellows.

 

i just got a small roll of 50% tint, will this hold up fine for taillights or should get vinyl/3mm?

what is the material of the smoke lamin-x? where could i find that?

 

Tint defintely won't work. It will scratch easily and is much too thin to hold up well over time on the exterior of a car. Lamin-X is much thicker and is designed to be protective.

Think if it as thick tint in different shades as well as colors.

Check rockblocker.

 

Honestly, Ive bought the ebay kiits twice as well..and the answer is..ROCKBLOCKER..alot easier to put on, way better quality, looks nicer in my opinion as well. Check the black market-rockblocker has a better price for acurazine members i believe

 

^hey thanks guys; now what to do with my tint roll...hmm

 

I bought a tint kit from Mach4 on e-bay and I had no problem at all applying it .. do it in a warm but shaded area .. I didn't use heat or anything .. just soapy water and the squeegie.

 

^^ i hate you just kidding man. i'm going the "night shades" route. i just can't get the tint to lay flat, and i'm doing everything i've done before when applying tint to surfaces. so... i'm going with night shades & i'm sure i'll have better luck.

 

The only reason I never used Night Shades is I didn't want to remove the back bumper to get the lights out . I prefer to spray them horizontal to minimize the chance of running .. I had great sucess with Night Shades too.

 

good point. i was planning on leaving them in & just taping around them to prevent getting it on the car. but i never really thought about it running... i'll have to be careful of that. thanks for the heads up.

 

there is also a plastic prep I used to spray on the lights to rid them of waxes and silicones .. '

Then I heated the lense with a hair dry then immediatly after the first light coat I hit it again to set it .. then applied 2 more light coats the same way or untill your happy with the darkness.

 

You could take them to a local tint shop and let them put them on

 

I also attempted this and was unsuccessful. Does using soapy water allow you to move the peice of tint around at all while it is on the light? The problen that I was having was getting the tint lined up correctly. I am just curious. I need to get the tint on my car replaced and felt/moleskin put in anyway so I am going to have the tint shop do the tails and side markers while they are at it.

 

I installed rockblockers on my tails and side markers last week. I found that, for whatever reason, the rockblockers did NOT perfectly fit the tail light. After applying the film, I had to go back with a sheetrock knife and trim the film around the sides because I was getting overhang on some surfaces. I installed the rockblockers according to the instructions. I used a fairly generous amount of regular water on both sides of the film while I installed it. I got bubbles when I first applied the film but according to the rockblocker instructions, you are allowed to peel the film back off of the light several times to tackle and eliminate the bubbles.

So, in conclusion, I installed the rockblockers according to the instructions. I used a fair amount of regular water on both sides. I had to peel the film up (several times sometimes) to get rid of a bubble and reapply the film. Afterwards, I used a utility knife to trim up the film because it didn't fit quite perfectly. The result is a very nice looking rockblocker application with clean edge lines and only some very tiny/minor bubbling. I wasn't expecting it to be perfect so a few minescule bubbles were acceptable to me.

 

I used a fine sewing needle to take care of the bubbles. Just puncture and use some pressure to close.

 

does anyone know if the rear bumper needs to be removed to remove the tail lights?

 

^^^ yes it does