Many people’s cars are more than just a mode of transportation; they also represent their personalities. Tinted tail lights are becoming increasingly common as a fun and simple way to customize your car’s look but then, are tinted tail lights legal or illegal? Professionals can tint your taillights, or you can do it yourself in your garage. All you’ll need are a few basic instructions and some readily available materials from a hardware store.
What is a tint for tail lights?
Tinting is a strategy for preventing specific wavelengths of light from passing through a vehicle’s protective glass, such as windows and windshields. To some car owners, Tinting is simply another way of how to use headlights or taillights. Tinted tail lights are ordinary tail lights that have been tinted to give them a dimmed appearance.
Benefits of tail light tint
Tinted tail lights give you a more attractive appearance:
Changing your tail lights’ opacity gives your car a unique look and feel. For a more ’90s feel to your retro car or a sleeker look to your Camaro, for example, you may want to add a darker tint. Whatever your inspiration, tail light tinting improves your car’s design to match your personal style and the personality of your vehicle.
Tail lights with tinted lenses provide additional security:
Applying a tint to your headlights or taillights protects them from UV damage.
Tail lights with tinted lenses improve visibility:
When driving, car tail light tints shield the driver behind you from bright blinding car lights or harmful glares from tail lights and direct sunlight. Tail light tints, in particular, can help avoid cloudy tail lights, which can hinder visibility while driving.
Tail lights that are tinted save you from buying new tail lights:
You can avoid buying new shaded tail lights by tinting your existing ones.
Steps to tinting your tail lights properly
Remove the tail lights from your car:
To successfully tint your taillights, you will first have to remove them. Simply open your vehicle’s trunk and lift the carpet liner to the side. Both of the tail lights should be secured by two bolts, which you should be able to locate. Make use of your screwdriver to loosen the bolts. Take out the prongs that attach the bulbs to the socket to disconnect them. You can now remove the taillights after you’ve completed the task successfully. Repeat the procedure with the other tail light.
Sanding the tail light:
Since we’ll use an aerosol spray to tint your car tail lights, make sure the surface is entirely smooth before proceeding. To do so, take some 800-grit sandpaper and soak it in clean tap water before rubbing it on the tail lights’ surface. Continue until the tail light is scuffed and the paint is dull to the touch. It’s OK to use a little dishwashing soap on the area, but this is entirely optional. Repeat the same thing with the other tail light, ensure the results are promising and even; otherwise, you might be frustrated when you start spraying the surface with tint.
Wipe the tail lights clean with a clean rag or paper towels once you’re done. Allow drying for a few minutes. After that, wet some 1000-grit sandpaper and start rubbing the surface again, wiping it clean when you’re done. After that, sand your taillights with 2000-grit sandpaper in strong yet smooth strokes to give them a hazy texture. Finally, scrub the tail lights with oil, rubbing alcohol, or a few squirts of window cleaner.
Stick masking tape on your tail light:
Use masking tape to tape the tail light areas that you don’t want to paint on (or some form of adhesive that is both easy to apply and easy to remove). Due to traffic rules, the reverse lights must be clear, so use masking tape to them as well. Make clean cuts on the video, keeping in mind that applying the tape will affect the tinted area’s overall outcome.
Start spraying:
After you’ve double-checked that your tail lights are fully dry and that all necessary parts have been sealed, you can apply the spray tint. Before using the spray, please give it a good shake. Wear a mask to stop inhaling the fumes and position the tail lights on a flat surface that you don’t mind getting paint on. Begin by painting both tail lights with a small, even coat of paint. Spray all tail lights at the same time to ensure a consistent tone. Allow about 30 minutes for the first layer to dry.
Sun dry the tail lights:
After you’ve tinted your tail lights, place them on a flat, clean surface where they can be dried by the sun. Safely remove the masking tape.
Spray on some clear coat:
A clear coat protects the body of your car’s exterior from dirt and damage. If you want your tint job to look nice and last, we suggest following this step by step method of applying headlight coating and doing the same thing for your tail lights. Applying the clear coat isn’t too difficult and is close to applying the tint. Simply reposition the tail lights in your spraying area, shake the canister, and apply a thin coat of clear coat. It would be best if you allow the first coat to dry before adding another clear coat layer to make it thicker. You can add as many layers of clear coat as you want. For the best results, up to ten layers of clear coat can be added.
Put the tail light back in place:
Get some rubbing compound from your nearest auto shop before you start putting your tail lights back in order. To keep your tail lights looking fresh, apply this with a clean cloth to the tail lights. After that, you can return your vehicle’s sharp-looking tinted taillights to their proper position.
Conclusion
Tinting your tail lights and restoring oxidized lights with restoration wipes can appear to be a difficult job, but it is actually effortless. All you’ll need is the right set of lights, your favorite aerosol tail light tint, a few materials, and this DIY guide.
