Black outs/ Tinted lights.

[d_m_kolb]

Here is what you'll need:VHT Night Shades Tint (Part #SP-999)Clear Coat600, 1000 & 1500 Grit Wet Sand Paper3M Hand Glaze (optional)Rubbing Alcohol Remove the part you want to tint.Using the 600 grit sandpaper, carefully wet-sand to remove the letters stamped into the lens (they usually indicate DOT certification, part number, etc.).Wet sand the entire part with the 1000 and 1500 grit sandpaper until you get a nice, smooth result.Clean the part with alcohol, and place it where you intend to paint it. Try not to touch the surfaces to be painted, as you risk leaving an oily film behind.Apply the spray tint in broad, even strokes. Do not stop half way across the part, or else you will end up with an uneven and blotchy result. You want to coat the entire surface in one light coat, if possible.Continue coating the part with light coats of the tint until you achieve the desired darkness. It may be wise to tint the part, leave it to dry for a few hours, and then test it on the vehicle to ensure that its not *too* dark.If you find that the part is too dark, you can use 1000 grit paper to sand off some of the tint spray, however, use extreme caution, because uneven sanding will result in "bright spots" in the lens when illuminated.When you are satisfied with the results, allow the lens to dry overnight.After drying overnight, lightly wet-sand the part with 1500 grit sandpaper, and apply a thick coat of clear coat. This will give the part the gloss it had before, and make it look more smooth and even (the tint tends to appear blotchy).Allow the clear-coated part to dry for several hours. If you find the clearcoat is not perfect, you can wetsand it with 1500 grit sandpaper, followed by 3M Hand Glaze to restore its shine. Generally, however, this will be unnecessary.Reinstall and enjoy!

[shadowGT]

Ok....stupid question but Why on earth would you want to do something like that especially when you bashed someone for wanting to turn offf his daytime running lights?! It really doesn't make any sense to me to "tint" something that is helping you see and be seen.

[d_m_kolb]

If you tint your brake lights you can still see them unlike totally turning off DRLs. Plus I want a black Vibe and having the brake lights darkened will blend in with the body color and look sweet.The brake lights will still show through. If they don't it's against the law and you will get a ticket for it. If you get in a accident because a person can't see your brake lights you can be sued and your insurance will probably drop you, leaving you to foot the bill.You can control how much to tint the lens.

[LocDog]

What exactly is being sanded and tinted?The clear plastic that covers the speedometer got scratched cause my mom decided it would be a good idea to clean the dust off of it with a rough napkin when i let me dad borrow my car.... so yea now i got swirls and its pissin me off, can i buff em out?

[LocDog]

Yupp.. Isn't it great, its killin my moral

[ullbergm]

Cool, I've been thinking about doing this, got any pictures of how it turned out?Any idea how much a extra set is? In case i screw it up?

[Sub-Vibe-R]

That's what I did on my Montana but I didn't sand the part number. Works great.Be carefull to let it dry enough before putting more then 3 coats. I put 4 coat an the tail light and it s very dark. This paint come darker while drying.

[Frosty]

This sounds cool, but I am worried about the visibility factor too.Aren't there high output bulbs that you could use to brighten things up after?Have you seen anyone "white-out" their lights on a white car? Edit: Never mind. Apparently it only comes in black see http://www.pjhbrands.com/vht/nightshades.htm Thanks.

[DopeVibeGT]

Doesnt the 'DOT' HAVE to be on the lights?? Unless you live in an inspection free state, which is kinda unsafe.

[LocDog]

i spent like 600 to fix it last time... I dont have the cash the fix it all now

[LocDog]

What? you're gonna rag on me cause i did my parents a favor?

[Lorin]

quote:....Unless you live in an inspection free state, which is kinda unsafe.I used to live in Indiana where there was no state inspection program. It got voted out many years ago because people got tired of being extorted for unnecessary repairs every year. Brake shops, Pep Boys etc. now offer free brake and safety inspections. Yeh, people still take a risk of being sold a phoney repair, but at least it is voluntary. I don't know what it is about these east-coasters (for example, the guys at work) that think people are too stupid to keep their car repaired without legislation. Maybe people are not as smart out here as they were in Indiana! LOLHere in PA I walked into the busy waiting room at Pep Boys and over heard the tech telling the service guy "Yeh, his front brakes have 60% left on the pads, but I'm going to try to sell him anyway." I HATE the state inspection system. I wonder how they would react to blacked out lights?

[DopeVibeGT]

That why you take your car to someone you know wont rip you off. I trust my dealer. I've been taking my GA to them since new, and only twice did it need anything, and they were brakes, which GA's are known to eat up. (Unless you get crossdrilled/slotted and carbon metallic pads. ) I wouldnt trust Slow Boys to check my tire pressure. Bad experience with them. It all comes down to if you want some POS that could fall apart in front of you, or they have no brakes and hits you, or a family member, or has so many rust holes, you could paint it yellow and call it Swiss Cheese. Without inspections, any heap can be cruising the roads. So it costs me $20 a year to ensure I'm driving something safe. Thats cheap to pay for someone life.

[Lorin]

Finding somebody you trust to work on the car takes a while when your new to the area. The local Pep Boys was recommended by a co-worker! hahaha But, for $10, they inspect the thing, tell me what doesn't pass, if anything, then I take it home and do the work myself. They reinspect for free within 5 days. Last time I just showed them the dirty box with the old brake shoe cores and the guy signed the papers! Sometime when I feel onery I start a thread about State mandated inspections in one of the off topic forums!