Tail light tinting spray - beyond.ca car forums community for automotive enthusiasts

CivicDXR

Originally posted by euro_racer
its about $7 for a can....not a expencive thing to do but there is deffinately a nice little change in the look of the car, and if done right (wetsanding and prepping) it can look like oem quality

I used 'VHT Nightshades Taillight Tint Spray' from Mopac. It changed the look of my car drastically in the rear... take your time with it, and it'll end up looking OEM like euro_racer said... just don't go completely black with it, that never looks right to me, just go with a subtle darkening... :dunno:

94SSEi

$7? I got ripped if that's true, it was $18 for me.

dieselpower91
It is more like $10 from Best buy or Mopac I think.
Autovalue charges more like $16-18 though.

94SSEi
$18...

Sucky, ah well now this guy knows.

SorrGwa
take your time, light coats, and wet sand... or u get that ghetto dull look.

MYKN
cool...the last time i checked autovalue they did not have it... i guess ill check all the place noted..thanks.

euro_racer
this will help....

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2406753

nismodrifter
I think this write up will help MORE :D

http://www.corrado-club.ca/mods/tailtints.html

euro_racer
haha yes the link to THAT write-up is on my link :poosie:

LilDrunkenSmurf
CivicDXR ya wanna do my taillights? ;)

QuasarCav
Instead of this you can use Tamiya Clear smoke for a more OEM look, I find that the VHT stuff darkens too much.

3 coats of the Tamiya and My tails look more like an OEM GTI tail.

\JCAR/
i was under the impression that it was illeagle to tint your tail lights or is this to an extent??? i want mine done now someone wanna do it for me

Originally posted by \JCAR/
i was under the impression that it was illeagle to tint your tail lights or is this to an extent??? i want mine done now someone wanna do it for me

ive done red before i can help u with black

\JCAR/
yeah sweet mine or gorange or amber whatever you call it i seen black ones they look really slick

T-Dubbs
Micheals (the art store) carrys a window tint spray that i used on my old bmw's tail lights. it was really cheap and worked great!

GTS Jeff

Originally posted by QuasarCav
Instead of this you can use Tamiya Clear smoke for a more OEM look, I find that the VHT stuff darkens too much.

3 coats of the Tamiya and My tails look more like an OEM GTI tail.

Where can this stuff be purchased?

AllGoNoShow
The Tamiya stuff can be had at local Hobby stores.

VHT nite-Shade, looks fairly good, little on the runny side. So better off doing a bunc h of really thin coats then a couple of mediocre coats. Make sure you use clear after!! After the first wash, 14 of the coating came off and they aren't NEARLY as black as they were before, time to redo for me w/ clear coat this time.

QuasarCav

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
Where can this stuff be purchased?

$3 a bottle at the hobby store on Macleod near Chinook centre. They also make a spray can for $9 but I have no experience with this.

Vypros
im gonna try this on my s12. t hanks guys:thumbsup:

turbolaser
any one know of a place in lethbridge i can get this i tried auto value micheals and cep atuo and silver auto i lost where oh where can i get this stuff any help would be great thanx

LilDrunkenSmurf

Originally posted by AllGoNoShow
The Tamiya stuff can be had at local Hobby stores.

VHT nite-Shade, looks fairly good, little on the runny side. So better off doing a bunc h of really thin coats then a couple of mediocre coats. Make sure you use clear after!! After the first wash, 14 of the coating came off and they aren't NEARLY as black as they were before, time to redo for me w/ clear coat this time.

When you do your... want to help me with mine? :angel:

AllGoNoShow
I got to redo mine so sure :)

Pick up some VHT and Clear coat and let me know :)

sparrell
Does anyone know of a good clear coat to use? Do they sell it at Canadian Tire? I have to go there to get some other supplies anyway.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

turbolaser
alas i found it the imfamous vht nite shades the last time i was at auto value the guy said no i dont have it i went in tonite and i asked another guy and he went yea sure i got that at first i didnt believe him but then it was true a lil pricey at 17 bucks a can but hell atleast i finally found it :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

MYKN
hmm mopac didnt have it...he said they discontinued it..is this true??

turbolaser
no i has not been they did change the design of the can but its still availible at all auto values or http://www.speco.com.au/vht.html check it out, later i will post pic of my lights when i get them

Lo)2enz0
sweet, i think i am going to do this tonight to my golf. than lower it soon.

QuasarCav
I'm telling you guys, VHT nightshades will look like ass. You need alot of prep and multiple coats.

The Tamiya provides an OEM like glossy finish and it's much cheaper than the spray.

Gen4Accord
ya i got mine for about 10 dollars huge difference looks stealthy kinda... it looks like in my sig i got an extra can but im from out of town...

Justin

nismodrifter
Hella mad tight pimp stylez hella glossy clear coated isht right here piece.

» Click image for larger version

QuasarCav

Originally posted by nismodrifter
Hella mad tight pimp stylez hella glossy clear coated isht right here piece.

» Click image for larger version

» Click image for larger version

Please tell me your brake lights are not under that black line.

nismodrifter
Brake lights are up top, signal lights and running lights (ones which light up when headlights are on) are tinted. European GTI tails are like this but you can't get anything like this for a Jetta. I am going to do a night shoot tonight and will take pics of what they look like once lit up.

What did I use....universal black spray paint. Wet sanded them, then put one very very very light coat of black paint on, then let them dry, didn't sand them again because the coat was so thin that it would come off, then put like 10 coats of clear on them.

QuasarCav

Originally posted by nismodrifter
Brake lights are up top, signal lights and running lights (ones which light up when headlights are on) are tinted. European GTI tails are like this but you can't get anything like this for a Jetta. I am going to do a night shoot tonight and will take pics of what they look like once lit up.

What did I use....universal black spray paint. Wet sanded them, then put one very very very light coat of black paint on, then let them dry, didn't sand them again because the coat was so thin that it would come off, then put like 10 coats of clear on them.

I would be interested to see what the signals look like from an offset angle in strong lighting conditions. This was my big worry about doing mine. Sometimes if you go too dark it makes you signals really hard to see in some conditions. If this were to lead to an accident you would be held liable because you have modified the light output. I did 2 very light coats just to simulate what an OE golf GTI tail would look like.

Driving Deerfoot southbound @ around 2-6pm would do this.

turbolaser
finally got pics here there are

Lo)2enz0
well we will see how mine turn out. if its crap i will just take it off.

nismodrifter
Night pic for those who were wondering about light output.
Quasar: I'll take a day pic sometime too, didn't have time today.

» Click image for larger version

jdm_eg6
I wanna tint mine Red, thats where its at! woot

acura_el
CivicDXR your car looks hot! :thumbsup:

i tinted a friend's lights. he was tinting his own windows and we had some film left over so i decided to black out his tail light turn signals....it turned out really well and the light doesnt have problems coming through

the best part is, if it doesnt work out, u can just peel it off

euro_racer
wont normal/film tint fall off if it is applied from the outside tho?

thats what i was told when i was doing my car first time because rain and other water like lets say carwash would cause the glue to get weak and peel off?

euro_racer
and for those of you interested for red tails, you can buy little cans in the hobby/toy section of any wallmart for $3 like it was mentioned, they have clear too:D

night shades was not discontiniued they just changed the look of the can with a purple cover now

acura_el
^yeah i think it would peel off in the car wash. his hasnt started peeling yet, i guess cuz he's only washed his car once in about a month. it won;t peel in the rain tho, cuz its rained a few times and the film is still there

we only put it on for the hell of it...there was a little left over and we just wanted to experiment how it looks

i guess spray would be your best bet though

air_mikey

Originally posted by acura_el

the best part is, if it doesnt work out, u can just peel it off

Well you could always just sand it off if you dont like it. Whenever I feel like I want to change it, I just sand it down and put on a different color/shade. Doesn't take that long either.

I currently have the VHT Nightshades on right now and am satisfied... for now at least

3Flo
How much does this method cost, all materials included?

Approximately how long does it take?

What I did last week, was took my car to Jarrod at Tinting Illusions in Calgary (where Tunerworks used to be, on 1st SE near 42nd Ave).
He tinted my tail lights, took no longer than 20 minutes, and he charged me $40. I am very pleased with the outcome, although they are a little darker than I originally wanted, they do look fabulous!

The material used is very similar to the 3M paint protection people apply to the front bumper/hood of their cars, though of course it is not transparent, it is quite dark.

Good yes?

Edit: Apologies for reviving a seriously old thread, just came across it when I was googling for tail light tinting :/

dj_rice
Yeah they are a lil too dark...:barf: if you only lightly smoked them, I think they'd look alot better, the first picture...:barf: but with your tailights on, they dont look too bad

S13_Ryan
personally i think that would look awesome if your car was black. for that dark navy i woulda went with a little less tint

Wehbeast

Originally posted by 3Flo
How much does this method cost, all materials included?

Approximately how long does it take?

What I did last week, was took my car to Jarrod at Tinting Illusions in Calgary (where Tunerworks used to be, on 1st SE near 42nd Ave).
He tinted my tail lights, took no longer than 20 minutes, and he charged me $40. I am very pleased with the outcome, although they are a little darker than I originally wanted, they do look fabulous!

The material used is very similar to the 3M paint protection people apply to the front bumper/hood of their cars, though of course it is not transparent, it is quite dark.

Good yes?

Edit: Apologies for reviving a seriously old thread, just came across it when I was googling for tail light tinting :/

Just wait till you get your ticket, mine were not even that dark and I got a ticket for it

Inzane

Originally posted by 3Flo

How can that possibly be legal? :dunno:

Those taillights don't appear to retain any reflective property whatsoever, which is a safety hazard.

GTS Jeff
Plus now your BMW looks like a Robocop Mustang. :thumbsdow

3Flo
Unfortunately there wasn't any choice in the level of tint :(

I may seek other tinting places that CAN give me a choice in the level of tint, as I only wanted a slight darkening in the first place.

Oh and Robocop rules :P

iceberg65
since this thread seems to have been revived. I might as well post my tinted tails too. Mine are prolly to dark legally speaking but im in medicine hat and the cops dont really seem to care.

in the sunlight you can still see a red tinge to them (cant really tell from the pic)
I used some stuff that just said "lens painter" and had a bunch of japanese writing on it. It was 30 bucks for a little can but it didnt take much of it and it dried level and glossy.

THE GOVERNATOR

i'm trying to decide if i should just, get the red smoked or the whole thing?

what do you guys think?

S13_Ryan
KOUKI TAILS FTW. get rid of it alll

iceberg65
well i just did a really quick photoshop for you. let you decide what you like more.

I like em both but i would say I prefer the full tint

tjblacklight
Auto Value horizon in the ne has it....like 8 dollars a can and it only needs one coat to get it pretty dark... i did it to my crx and my buddies eagle talon.

THE GOVERNATOR

Originally posted by iceberg65
well i just did a really quick photoshop for you. let you decide what you like more.

I like em both but i would say I prefer the full tint

yeah its hard to say

i like them both.

Cy2k1
There's different types of film tint for headlight/taillights. I think it ranges from charcoal (light black)/smoke gray(medium black)/smoke(dark black). If i have time this week at the shop ill smoke my taillights with the different types and shades and post some pics so you can decide how dark you want to go.

ZorroAMG
If you use VHT, you MUST clear coat or it will look mid 90's ghetto.

3Flo

Originally posted by iceberg65
since this thread seems to have been revived. I might as well post my tinted tails too. Mine are prolly to dark legally speaking but im in medicine hat and the cops dont really seem to care.

in the sunlight you can still see a red tinge to them (cant really tell from the pic)
I used some stuff that just said "lens painter" and had a bunch of japanese writing on it. It was 30 bucks for a little can but it didnt take much of it and it dried level and glossy.

That looks really nice man! The level of tint I would like on my vehicle would be just a tad lighter than what you have on your cougar.

Originally posted by Cy2k1
There's different types of film tint for headlight/taillights. I think it ranges from charcoal (light black)/smoke gray(medium black)/smoke(dark black). If i have time this week at the shop ill smoke my taillights with the different types and shades and post some pics so you can decide how dark you want to go.

Would be greatly appreciated!!

dj_rice

Originally posted by THE GOVERNATOR

yeah its hard to say

i like them both.

Instead of tinting, smoking, have you thought of an alternative like this?I did this to my old 240sx

THE GOVERNATOR
best thing is that VHT sells a clear coat in a can for $9.99 i'll be doing my tails this weekend.

Cy2k1
Here's a recent pic of one car that we threw some film on the tail lights. it's a lighter type of black called iron.

Ill try and get some pics of the other types of blacks that are available ASAP.

Kloubek
I love the look of that Cy2k1.

mrjay1987

Originally posted by Kloubek
I love the look of that Cy2k1.

+1 makes me wanna black out my tail-lights as well

Cy2k1
Thanks.

Depends on the type of car too i guess. It looks ok on the light silver Subaru's but it'll look really nice if it were the darker urban grey Subaru. If you need to buy film or want them done like that lemme know. Ill post up pics of other colored headlight films once i get time.

Cy2k1
Put some yellow on my headlights and tested iron film on my right taillight. Lemme know what you think!

AllGoNoShow
Tunerworks has some of the VHT Nite Shade in stock right now too.

3Flo
I bought a couple of cans of the VHT night shades from Mopac on 16th Ave, about $8 a can!

I have used it to coat my stock tail lights, 3 to 4 coats to make them quite dark, impressive stuff I must say!

Cy2k1 I love the look of that iron tint on both the subbie's! Where can I get that done on my car? I'd love a light tint like that once I get a new set of headlights!

CivicDXR
sorry to bump the thread, but where can I get this 'iron' film done? I was thinking of darkening my taillights on my TacoSupreme a bit, but this looks like it could do the trick...

AllGoNoShow
Refine does an awesome job with taillight tint film.

dj_rice

Originally posted by CivicDXR
sorry to bump the thread, but where can I get this 'iron' film done? I was thinking of darkening my taillights on my TacoSupreme a bit, but this looks like it could do the trick...

Refine Auto Detail Shop

Just looked at the posters profile to get that

CivicDXR

Originally posted by dj_rice

Refine Auto Detail Shop

Just looked at the posters profile to get that

Thanks...

dj_rice

Originally posted by CivicDXR

Thanks...

I like oatmeal raisin thanks...:rofl:

Cooked Rice

Originally posted by THE GOVERNATOR

yeah its hard to say

i like them both.

Origin tails FTW

http://imageinmotion.com/ORIGINLAB17-NR13-14.htm

rabbitz
hi does anyone have a specific brand/colour of spray paint that i should use to redout my taillights?

it says the colour of the paint is on the cap of the bottle, but there arent any translucent reds only opaque ones..... not sure if they will spray opaque too