"refurbishing taillights"

[AmznAzn]

Whats up people, im on spring break and have a tone of spare time so i wanted to clean up my tail lights. I got them all to work (finally) and one side is a lot dimmer then the other, the brightness of the bulbs are the same so cant be that. Its the tail light from the inside, all the water that keeps going in it got it dirty so I wanted to open it, clean it up, reseal it.
Do I just put the tail light assembly in the oven then pry the lens off? 300* F?
Can i just use silicone caulk to reseal? ( can I do it with the headlights too?)
what would i do to remove the cloudiness?
THanks!

[JaberCB7]

You can open the tails lights with heat gun or using an oven ( dont actually put them in the oven, search around for black housing diy) Once open clean up the cover and reseal it. You can find more info on repair taillight if you search.


below is a link for a restoration kit
headlight restoration kit

[Type_Mo™]

You're at higher risk of melting the tail lights if you use the same process as the glass headlight housings (plastic). The rear aren't as forgiving -- I would limit the level of heat. I'm sure some people here have gotten the process down to a science. I don't think you even need 300 degree temp.

[Type_Mo™]

Can i just use silicone caulk to reseal? ( can I do it with the headlights too?)
what would i do to remove the cloudiness?

The clear silicone stuff?? Yes. That's what I used for my black housing. Came out fine If you use some restoration kit -- it's probably for plastic. Won't work on the glass head lights.

[AmznAzn]

You can open the tails lights with heat gun or using an oven ( dont actually put them in the oven, search around for black housing diy) Once open clean up the cover and reseal it. You can find more info on repair taillight if you search.


below is a link for a restoration kit
headlight restoration kit

What do you mean "dont actually put them in the oven"?
I checked the diy and it said to put the headlights in the oven.
Thanks!

You're at higher risk of melting the tail lights if you use the same process as the glass headlight housings (plastic). The rear aren't as forgiving -- I would limit the level of heat. I'm sure some people here have gotten the process down to a science. I don't think you even need 300 degree temp.

What do you think is a suitable temp? 200?
Would i be able to just pull the lens apart? Should i pry it open?
Thanks!

[Shadow1992]

I think maybe he means for you to operate the oven with the door open and the lenses placed just on the door or just barely peeking inside. That way they are exposed to higher heat but not too much. That way you can give them just enough heat to melt the sealant but not the lense by moving them further or closer to the inside. Easier and safer then trying to figure out if 300 degrees for 15 minutes is too much, or is 10 minutes better, or 15 minutes at 250, 20 minutes at 250...etc.

Dont pry it apart cold. Ever. Trying to pull apart plastic pieces that are sealed together without softening the sealant is asking for trouble. You might get them apart, but most likely in the process you are going to dick up the lenses or housings, or outright break off a piece. Then your newly cleaned and shiny lense has a very pretty nick and gouge for you to show off.

[stretch JDM]

i would use a heat gun and a razor blade. it will pay off if you take your time and be aware of the safety precautions ... slow and steady with the heat gun but starting with a corner , toward the center method ,( back and forth , heat corner well!) while keeping the corner warm as you can. Next take the straight edge of the razor and cut the sealant .work the rest out in same order.

[HATCHing]

It's best with a heat gun so you wont melt the plastic away.

[AmznAzn]

Do you guys think i can use a hair dryer?
I dont own a heat gun

[Shadow1992]

Probably. It'll just take a lot longer, and you might have to hold it closer to the tailight. Heatguns are basically hairdryers that get hotter (way hotter mind you) but basically the same.

[AmznAzn]

Alright thanks everyone, i think ill do the oven door trick to see if it works then ill try the hair dryer.

One more thing: What do you guys think of blacked out tail lights? not all the way black but like a shade.


a friend of mine got the lens spray from advanced auto and did it on his integra. It looks pretty good

[EJX_Michael]

Nah, the paint is hard to get even and wears off rather quickly IMO.

I think 90-91 red clears would look SICK though.

[91dxblades]

Yea the red clears would look great with your car especially since you have clear corners.

[AmznAzn]

So do you guys think I should black house the headlights or would it just look off.

[wherm]

So do you guys think I should black house the headlights or would it just look off.

I like the way they look in your sig, I say leave them alone.

If you wanna see some smoked tail lights, check out my MR page 4.