Taillight tint

[markboris]

Have any of you taken your tinted taillights through a car wash? If so, will they stay tinted?

After following this thread, I ordered the Lamin-X kit but wanted to ask about the car wash before installing. (I probably should’ve asked this before ordering but whatever)

I've had the tint over my taillights since November. If I don't wash the car with my pressure washer at home, I go through a touchless wash which is also a pressure wash system. The tint is perfect on my taillights, all my reflectors, backup lens and third brake light. Nothing peeling or coming off and I don't expect it to.

I also had tint on my Premium, ICE Mustangs and Focus RS. Never had one issue.

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[Greymalken]

I've had the tint over my taillights since November. If I don't wash the car with my pressure washer at home, I go through a touchless wash which is also a pressure wash system. The tint is perfect on my taillights, all my reflectors, backup lens and third brake light. Nothing peeling or coming off and I don't expect it to.

I also had tint on my Premium, ICE Mustangs and Focus RS. Never had one issue.

Awesome. I’ll apply it later today.

 

[markboris]

Awesome. I’ll apply it later today.

Wait at least one week to wash your car or get the tint wet after you have applied it.

 

[FLmac]

Wait at least one week to wash your car or get the tint wet after you have applied it.

What if it rains? Do I need to wait until it will be dry for a week to do it?

 

[DevSecOps]

Have any of you taken your tinted taillights through a car wash? If so, will they stay tinted?

After following this thread, I ordered the Lamin-X kit but wanted to ask about the car wash before installing. (I probably should’ve asked this before ordering but whatever)

Good luck. I'm on my third laminate kit from them. I never go through a car wash but it bugs the shit out of me that they lift at the creases. First time, I thought it was user error, so I tried again. Second time was better, but still lifted, third time... Yup lifted again.

Maybe I should just stick to technology and go to Mark's house, an hour away, and let him do the laminate.

 

[Greymalken]

Good luck. I'm on my third laminate kit from them. I never go through a car wash but it bugs the shit out of me that they lift at the creases. First time, I thought it was user error, so I tried again. Second time was better, but still lifted, third time... Yup lifted again.

Maybe I should just stick to technology and go to Mark's house, an hour away, and let him do the laminate.

Oh man. Yeah, definitely get Mark to do it. He seems to be the resident expert.

I was looking at my car today, in the light, and I think I like how the taillights look. My GT is the white variant. But I think I’ll tint the other lights. The side markers and whatnot. So that the car is more completely black and white. Kinda looks like a Stormtrooper, to be honest.

 

[mkhuffman]

Good luck. I'm on my third laminate kit from them. I never go through a car wash but it bugs the shit out of me that they lift at the creases. First time, I thought it was user error, so I tried again. Second time was better, but still lifted, third time... Yup lifted again.

Maybe I should just stick to technology and go to Mark's house, an hour away, and let him do the laminate.

Definitely user error.

 

[scoopman]

Good luck. I'm on my third laminate kit from them. I never go through a car wash but it bugs the shit out of me that they lift at the creases. First time, I thought it was user error, so I tried again. Second time was better, but still lifted, third time... Yup lifted again.

Maybe I should just stick to technology and go to Mark's house, an hour away, and let him do the laminate.

I got tint from Amazon and cut it myself on the lights, so I had plenty of material with which to practice. I found that I needed to get a heat gun to heat up the vinyl a little bit for it to stretch and adhere properly to the curves of the upper light where you're having the problems.

I first stole my wife's hair dryer and tried that but (a) it didn't heat up fast enough and (b) she got annoyed that I took her hair dryer from the bathroom to the garage.

Try this, and after heating slightly, use a felt squeegy tool. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KW5L7PO

 

[markboris]

What if it rains? Do I need to wait until it will be dry for a week to do it?

You want the water/glue to dry between the tint and the reflectors/taillamps/etc. It is like the tint on your windows. The water/glue needs to dry.

Good luck. I'm on my third laminate kit from them. I never go through a car wash but it bugs the shit out of me that they lift at the creases. First time, I thought it was user error, so I tried again. Second time was better, but still lifted, third time... Yup lifted again.

Maybe I should just stick to technology and go to Mark's house, an hour away, and let him do the laminate.

Hey Todd, while I did tint the front and rear reflectors, backup lens and third brake lights on the last few cars, I did not tint the taillamp on the Mach-E. I had my detail guy do the tailllights when he was applying the film for the blackout section across the upper part of the liftgate.

I don't know what kind of film Anchor Room uses but that is where I get my precut tinting material from. http://www.anchor-room.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=239&product_id=1031

 

[DevSecOps]

I got tint from Amazon and cut it myself on the lights, so I had plenty of material with which to practice. I found that I needed to get a heat gun to heat up the vinyl a little bit for it to stretch and adhere properly to the curves of the upper light where you're having the problems.

I first stole my wife's hair dryer and tried that but (a) it didn't heat up fast enough and (b) she got annoyed that I took her hair dryer from the bathroom to the garage.

Try this, and after heating slightly, use a felt squeegy tool. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KW5L7PO

I used a heat gun and the squeegee. It worked well and stayed put for about a week, then it lifts.

@markboris thank you I'll probably stop being cheap and take it somewhere or I'll see if I can try one last time with the film you recommend. The Lamin-X kits i just didn't have success with.

 

[Greymalken]

Is it just regular window tint or a special exterior vinyl? I called my local tint shop, the one that did my interior windows and they said they don’t do lights. They wouldn’t even help install the kit. Maybe other places might?

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Is it just regular window tint or a special exterior vinyl? I called my local tint shop, the one that did my interior windows and they said they don’t do lights. They wouldn’t even help install the kit. Maybe other places might?

No idea what the Lamin-X stuff is. I used VVIVID headlight/taillight tint that is pretty thick pliable vinyl/plastic. Almost feels like a thinner version of what a clear plastic backpack is made of. I still believe buying tint and trimming it yourself is WAY better than a kit that you have to line up perfectly and apply just right. There just isn’t any wiggle room in a precut kit.

 

[markboris]

No idea what the Lamin-X stuff is. I used VVIVID headlight/taillight tint that is pretty thick pliable vinyl/plastic. Almost feels like a thinner version of what a clear plastic backpack is made of. I still believe buying tint and trimming it yourself is WAY better than a kit that you have to line up perfectly and apply just right. There just isn’t any wiggle room in a precut kit.

Rod, I do agree that the material I have used from Anchor Room seems thicker than a window tint material. It is also the type that you have to use water to apply it (and what activates the glue behind it) so when installing the precut pieces, the material floats on the reflector (or whatever) and you can easily move it around to position it just right before starting to squeegee the water out. I either use a felt tipped squeegee or just a microfiber rag and my finger to wipe it dry. I can see precut pieces maybe being a bit more of a pain for something more complicated like the rear tailllights with all of the angles but all the other areas I did on the car were fairly easy to do.

Todd, after 4 years of owning my RS, 2+ years my 500 and over a year with the two Mach-E's, none of the material has ever lifted and all was purchased from Anchor Room. I'm not delicate when washing around any areas that have tint and I mainly use a pressure washer to clean my cars.

 

[THXDIAL]

You have probably figured out that I just can’t leave anything alone. My car has been mostly blacked out for a while now, except those white lenses on the taillights were bothering me. If they were red, they would have gone with the black and red theme. But white??? Well I had some leftover tint from the headlights so I decided to give it a try.
I really like the results.

Left lights tinted and right not.
Before everyone gets up in arms about dimming the lights and the safety factors:

Here are the lights on. Still with left tinted and right not tinted. So with a better look and no appreciable change in the lighting, I finished tinting all the rear lights.

Does New York offer black or dark color specialty license plates?

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Does New York offer black or dark color specialty license plates?

They do not.

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