This is a quick step by step, detailing how I went about tinting my taillights with spray tint. I kept the bulbs in when I did this, to prevent accidental over-spray or water from getting in.
I’m not saying that this is the only way to this, just my way.
I will not be held responsible if you tint them too dark and get pulled over. Check your local laws to determine if you are allowed to drive with tinted taillights
As a side note; there are electronics in your light. Try not to get water on the backs of them. Water + electricity = bad things.
Difficulty: 1/5
Materials Needed:
- Spray Bottle full of water ($1)
- Dish soap ($2-$3)
- 2000 Grit Sandpaper ($3.99 for 5 medium sheets)
- Microfiber cloth ($5 for 5)
- Your favorite polishing substance ($4.99 - $37 000, I used Meguires Ultimate Compound)
- 1 Can of your choice of spray-able tint ($10, I used VHT’s NiteShades)
- 1 Can of Clearcoat ($10, I used Krylon Automotive)
- 8mm Wrench or socket ($5 for a cheap wrench)
- Time (Priceless)
Total investment (depending on things you already have): $20 - $50
To start off, you need to determine if your taillights are worth tinting. Are they scuffed, scratched, painted, melted, and broken (like mine)? If they are, buy new taillights. I found mine for $30 for the pair on Kijiji, perfect condition.
NOTE- If you are using your existing lights, scroll down to Step Five to learn how to remove them.
Step One: Cleaning
No matter how shiny-new your lights are, they are going to require some cleaning. Use a hose, cloth, tap, or anything else you can find to clean off any visible dirt, dust, bugs, ect.
After all visible dirt has been removed, it is time to do a light wet sand. Spray some water on the lights; don’t go crazy. 3-4 sprays is enough. Depending on the condition of the lenses, it will either run off in streams, or stick to the lenses. Either is fine, as long as some water remains. Take a piece of sandpaper, and give the rough side a single spray. Put a single drop of dish soap on the sandpaper, and get to work. You will be sanding using light pressure; enough that you can hear the sandpaper scraping the clear-coat off, but not enough to tire your arm (that will come later). Going at a moderate-slow pace, it will take about 5 minutes per light. What you are looking for is the lenses to become cloudy. To properly judge the cloudy-ness of the lens, you will have to dry it off (use the microfiber!). If you still require more sanding, spray more water (don’t use more soap).
Once the sanding is complete, give it a through wipe with the microfiber, making sure ALL water is removed. Water causes the nightshade to bubble and look like garbage.
Step Two: Tinting
You have some leeway on how you are going to paint. If you have a designated painting area, use it! If you are like me and can’t afford a garage, you can paint outside. Use common sense; don’t paint in a blizzard or tornado, or even light rain. Personally, I just held the taillights from the back, and sprayed. I got some on my hands, oh well. Always spray in a well ventilated area, and wear a charcoal filter mask.
You will also need to decide how dark you want them. Personally, I would not go over 3-4 coats. Pictured below are my lights; I used 3 coats, and it is DARK. A friend of mine used 10 coats, and got pulled over by the first cop that saw him.
OK, time to start. Secure your taillights in place (either your hand, the ground, taped to your friends back, whatever). Shake your nightshades can. A lot. 3-5 minutes at least.
Now begin spraying in a smooth, moderately paced manner. For tips on spraying out of a rattle can, Google it. You want to do the edges of the lens first, then move over into the middle. The first coat should be nice and light, don’t go crazy with the shade.
Once it dries, it WILL darken
Wait at least 10 minutes in between coats (enough time for 2 smokes and a beer). If you painted outside, I would HIGHLY recommend moving it inside while it is drying, as bugs seem to be attracted to this crap. Continue on spraying as many coats as desired. As I said before, 3 looks perfect, and still lets tons of lights through. If people can’t see your taillights, you will get rear ended (durrr).
Once you have the desired shade, compare your taillights, making sure they are even. I had to do an extra light coat on my left one to even the shade out.
Step Three: Clear-coat
Wait AT LEAST 30 minutes after applying the final coat of nightshade before you start clear-coating. This seems to be the magic number. You will be applying 6-10 coats of clear-coat, depending on personal preference. Spray in the same way you applied the nightshades; around the edges, then move into the middle. Wait 2 minutes between coats, and as before, move it out of the path of bugs. I personally used 10 coats of clear-coat, and it came out perfect.
Step Four: Bringing out the shine
Once the final coat of clear is applied, wait one hour. Give it time to dry, don’t rush. DO something in the meantime; detail your engine bay, fix leaks, drink beer. After an hour, you can do a final wet sand. Use the 2000 grit sandpaper again, but NOT the same piece that you used at the beginning. No soap is needed this time, just some squirts of water. Use VERY LIGHT pressure, and only sand for 2 minutes maximum. Your only goal is to take off a small sliver of the clear-coat, to even it out and remove any imperfections. When this is done, dry the light off, removing all water.
Now for the polish. Apply a small amount to the applicator, and go to town. For exact details on polishing, use Google. Spend a MINIMUM of 1 hour on each light. Do it in front of the TV to negate boredom. If you are not happy with the shine, use more polish. There is no point doing all of this work to half ass the polishing. WHen you are done polishing, give the lenses a final wipe with a CLEAN microfiber.
Step Five: Installation
First order of business is removing the old taillights. They are held in by six 8mm bolts. To access them, you need to remove the vertical section of trunk liner that is against the bumper (inside the trunk). To remove the liner, GENTLY pull upwards on the black plastic trim. It is held in my plastic tabs that can snap if not removed carefully. I was rough, and broke some tabs.
Nest, look at the back of the taillights. You will see the 8mm nuts holding the lights in. You can use a ratchet or wrench to remove them, but again, be gentle, as the nuts are very soft, and can be rounded easily. If your taillights have been leaking, now is a good time to change the gaskets, or use foam tape, or silicone.
If the bolts are rusty, you can use some WD-40 to loosen them up. One of mine was totally screwed, and I had to use a small dremel with a cutting head to slice it off. The lights should not fall out when all of the nuts are off. Before you can remove the lights, you need to unplug the wires running to them. The passenger side will have 2 wire groups you need to disconnect, and the drivers side will have one. To disconnect them, simply push the white connectors, and pull them apart. Then, push gently on the back of the taillights, and they will slide out. Installing the new ones is the exact same, but in reverse. Make sure you tighten up the screws to prevent leaks. You can also coat the bolts in grease to stave off rust (I did).
There you go! You have gorgeous taillights! Here are mine! Keep in mind, I just drove through a dirt road, and they are very dusty right now. I will add some more pictures later!
HAPPY MODDING!
