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How to VHT tint your tail lights

Warbeaver

Warbeaver

New member
For those of you who want to tint tail lights:

Materials: 1 can of VHT niteshades, 1 can of Duplicolor auto clear/topcoat, 2000 grit sandpaper, dry towel, small bowl (to dip sandpaper in)

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Heres a breakdown of the process:

-Clean the taillights good to remove dirt and grease.

-Wetsand the tail lights with 2000 grit sandpaper. They will turn white/grey cloudy. Then dry off

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-Spray 1 even light coat of VHT niteshades over the tail lights. it will look like you hardly sprayed any. let dry for 10-15 mins. They should be dry to the touch before wetsanding.

(top is tinted, bottom isnt)
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(now both)
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-Wetsand with 2000 grit again. Then dry off

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-Spray VHT niteshades. this time a darker/heavier coat. let dry for 10-15 mins. Should be dry to the touch

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-Wetsand with 2000 grit again. Then dry off

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-Spray final coat of VHT. Let dry for 20mins or until dry to the touch. Do not wetsand after your final coat of VHT

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-Spray first coat of clear coat. Just a "spotty" coat on first. by spotty i mean that the clear coat will look really bad on your first coat. Don't be fooled, just let it go. Let dry for 10-15 mins or until dry to touch

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(top is cleared, bottom isnt)
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(now both cleared)
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-Spray 2nd coat of clear coat. This time, do a heavier coat. This will give a nice shine if applied correctly. You want to apply enough clear to where it doesnt have a spotty texture anymore. Let dry 10-15 mins

(bottom is cleared twice, top still has spotty coat)
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-You can do another coat of clear but i usually stop at 2. I believe i did 3 or 4 on my first pair of tail lights.

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-Let the last coat dry overnight. They should be completely dry the next day and you may start wetsanding.

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wetsand lightly with 2000 grit sandpaper to smooth out the texture ("orange peel") left by spraying the clear coat. Trust me, u wont ruin the tail lights. You will think you did but they will clear up. You may still have a slight texture to the lense but that is ok, just get the majority of the texture out.

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-Take a polishing compound/polish and apply to the tail lights and rub it in good by hand. A buffer or porter cable would work with a light polish and pad also

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Then just wipe up and buff with a microfiber towel and the scratches should be gone.

(left is wax applied and removed, right is untouched)
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It may take 3 or more coats of polish until you get it all. If you have trouble getting the sand marks out, try using a heavier polish or a buffer. Meguiars cleaner wax works great too. Just keep at it until they are gone.

Then, just do 2 layers of wax and ur finished

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mine + customers

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these were all done with 3-4 coats of VHT. Just do as many coats as you see fit. The amount of coats will vary depending on how heavy you spray each one.
 
i'm still trying to figure out how to get mine that shiny. they're still too dull to make me 100% happy
 


lol :th_laugh-lol2:

it is illegal, and if they are dark enough (like mine) your car will not pass inspections (if you have them in your state). I just keep a stock pair of tails in the basement for when that time comes. They are still visible, but some shops will say it obstructs blinkers and brake lights.

I have had them 2 years with no bothers from police. I have been pulled over 3 different times and once by a state trooper with no comments on them.

and as far as me tinting them, i have done quotes for ppl and it would run $45 for me to tint and then you have to pay to ship them back and forth so its roughly like $85 depending on where you are. You might as well follow the writeup :th_thumbsup-wink: the pair on my car was my first attempt ever with no writeup whatsoever and they turned out nice. you should be able to do it :th_winking:
 
haha ill have to give it a try i gotta grab some new tail lights i dropped my sub box on the right side and cracked it a good one so it looks like shyt
 
I need to note*

do not try to tint your lights while it is humid outside. I have seen some lights come out very cloudy, dull, or hazy when applying the clear coat. You want to tint when it is 60* to 80* out at the most. little or no humidity
 
which pic are you referring to? if its the one i think it is, he just tinted the outside, but not as dark. the darker lines are the black lines on the tail lights.
 


9th post down, 3rd picture after two of the same. They are definitely not tinted, at least not all the way, it looks almost painted since the guy says its black paint. The reflector looks painted and the lines are too think to be standard.
 
i just use regular car paint on my tail lights.. i wet sand the tail lights with 2000 grit then use adhesion promoter first then i use regular black i thin it way out so i can put more coats on that are thinner and get the darkness i like.. Then use regular car clear coat... Heres a few pics i did on my tahoe..
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i used black paint on mine at the time, gave it a flat apperance, they were nice, but, redoing them probably tomarrow with vht, ive done it in the past, ive been pulled over with 3 good coats no clear, or wetsanding, and at that, ive been pulled over once in my gp for the tail lights, he said you cant see them at night from a distance, but pulling up to me he saw them. the brake lights are visable at night. DURING THE DAYLIGHT, you can not see the turn signals, tail lights, brake lights, or reverse lights at all! WITH BLACK PAINT! ive nearly been hit a few times. so redoing them... trying your method this time, will post pixx great write up
 


I did 3 coats, and had to remove it because i got pulled over 2 times. Thats the best thing about this tho, it can be removed if desired with gas, or another solvent such as brake cleaner ect. Im going to try 2 coats and see how it goes
 
I've used vht for years and never done this much work. Just did my GP last week. Had a crappy tip on the can so it sprayed terrible. I did four coats and then buffed them with finesse-it and a foam pad the next day. Turned out great. The cool, but difficult, part is if you don't clear them you can buff them and lighten them up. Just be careful to do it evenly. Never wet sanded a pair in my life.
 
Thank you for this great write up. I wanted to cover up the weathering, so i gave them three light coats and they came out perfect for me.
 
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