Ive seen quite a few IS's on here with painted taillights, and some with painted headlights. Ive done a couple searches through the forum and through google but I couldn't find any guides or writeups, only people saying they did it, and attached a photo. User @Neakers did a beautiful job on her lights, and i want to do something similar. To those that have painted your taillights, what paint did you use, and how many coats? Heavy or light? Hoping to turn this into a writeup when i get all the info I need.

 

I think its smoked plastidip? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

 

it's called VHT nightshade, i've used it on tail lights before. it takes a lot of patience to do it right. you'd have to scuff the lenses first with very fine sandpaper, clean it properly, then spray lightly, let dry, spray some more, let dry until you get the desired darkness. i suggest you test it on a piece of glass first so you know how many coats to do and how to sand and spray evenly. if done right it looks much better film tint and 10x better than plastidip.

 

Okay, Thanks, and second question, Do I tint my DRL's and headlights(foglights too?)? Im going to take the satin wrap off eventually and I think it would look pretty cool.

 

i'm not sure it's a good idea to tint your headlights, it would affect the light output. drl's and fogs you could probably get away with. just a matter of how sensitive cops are in your area/state.

 

Thats what i was thinking too, can the nightshade go on in a light coat? like not solid black but ever so slightly darker? I have no problem keeping them just the clear but If i can at least make them a little darker think it would go a long way. Ill def do the DRL's and fogs though. Cops dont havent given me a lick of trouble, which is surprising with how loud my exhuast is now. Thanks for all the help!!!

 

Painted the tail lights and DRL's last night. Tail lights came out fantastic, but the DRL's not so much. I started with 1000 grit, then 2000 grit, then 3000 grit finishing pad. Then cleaned soap and water, then rubbing alcohol. The DRL's had little lines, almost like the little ant farms you got as a kid. Took some carb cleaner and took it off. All thats needed left is to clear coat the tail lights. I also bought some tint off of amazon to do the DRL's, Front emblem, and maybe headlights.

 

you're gonna have a batman car soon

you can do lighter coats by just spraying lightly then letting it dry to see how dark it is for the headlights.

for the DRL's you might have scuffed them up too much, try sanding it more with higher sandpaper to get rid of the lines. you can also sand it after a coat or two of the nightshade to even it out, then respray.

 

That's dark, dude. you can end up taking someone's life if you pull onto a street/highway and they don't see you in time, particularly in inclement weather. then at that time you have a real problem on your hands due to gross negligence once they find out your tail lights are black. there are children, old people, pets in cars sharing the road with you. i'd be furious if someone caused a crash that involved me due to black lights. absolutely livid.

sometimes it can be hard enough to see tail lights in certain conditions in certain weather (fog/rain) as it is stock. Black would be way worse.

then you have resale value. those 4 pieces are expensive to replace and you have to factor that in now if you ever sell your car or if someone ever considers buying it.

 

The lines are symmestrical on both DRL's. Im made sure to do a good job when sanding. Evening out didnt work either.

 

The lights are stilll very visible, not only that, but there is a third light in the window. VHT Nighshade is easily removed with carb or brake cleaner. Takes 2 minutes to remove. I made sure not to go to dark with it, only doing a few coats.

 

Looks dark to me. Ii appreciate your intent on not going too dark (even though it looks black in the photos you posted) Any level of darkening tint on critical lights is unacceptable.

 

while i agree to some extent, it's still his car. calling it unacceptable is a little harsh. you would hate living in florida with all the trucks with dark tints on their tail lights.

 

"It's his car" is such a cop out. That's no excuse for doing something grossly negligent. It's his car, but it's not his road. See the point? That's why it's unacceptable.

It isn't personal but about the modification itself. Dark tinted windows sure whatever. But lights are vital to safety, child safety, pet safety. Imagine your mom/brother/dad/sister/pet on the road not being able to see a car. Especially with today with all the distractions you need every bit of help you can get.