Painted my tail lights last weekend and I'm not sure I like them. Maybe my car is light in color and now the lights are dark. What do you guys think?

 

Haven't finished the final stages of sanding and polishing. I tried to sand 2 days latter but paint is still wet.

 

That's a hard call with your color car.. as you are moving from one extreme to another in a similar color as the body of the car...

That would be a lot easier on a black car... like mine... ;-)

 

I think the contrast works

 

I didn't know the paint was going to be that dark. The paint was recommended on a few older threads along with a lighter paint. The thread pics were not so great, as mine. so I went with the darker paint. It's hard to photograph the transparency. I put on two coats of the red, but I think one would have been enough. Another thing, once painted the crack are more prevalent. Hopefully when I finish sanding some will go away.

 

I think if you want to go darker you should go with a smoked black or charcoal finish.

Just my .02

 

Looks like too much paint!!! The key is to use very little paint, but lots of clear coat! I've repainted two sets of these, and found that I prefer it when very little red paint is used. The heavier you go, the more opaque it becomes.

Even in the dark, my silver car has fairly bright tail lights versus the black car which has thicker paint on the lenses (3 coats I think vs. 1 even, thin coat)...

 

Here's a few pics in the sun. They look better in sun and not in the shade or night.

 

What Garrett said, too much paint. You can always sand it off and start over if you don't like it.

 

With some lacquer thinner you should be able to wipe off the old paint and start over.

Your spraying the paint on too thick. If you redo the reflectors, spray the clear in several very light coats allowing 15-20 minutes between shots and the paint will dry overnight.

 

Tinted lights work with Black.

 

Lew... Now THAT is what I'm talking about! I was thinking about doing that to mine. Just a slight tint though. My lights aren't that pink yet though... Too much garage time I suppose.

What kind of paint did you use and did you post a DIY anywhere?

 

Rick, my lights were quite bad, faded and crazed so i just cleaned them thoroughly with meths, used a can of tint with several layers of spray until i acheived the desired tint and then about 3 coats of clear lacquer. I really did not spend much time at all on this as the lights were quite bad and thought i may have to purchase new. I can have a look in the garage to see exactly which paint i used but it was nothing special. I can remember putting the clear lacquer on thicker than the tint as it gave a glossy finish.

 

I have been thinking of doing this to hide some of the cracks in my center reflector. From what I just read in this thread I guess painting doesnt hide the cracks? My reflector is not faded to badly but does have several hairline cracks. Maybe I should just save up for a new reflector? I hate to pay so much for something that shouldnt have failed in the first place.

 

Do not use laquer thinner if you decide to wipe off the paint. It will attack the plastic and make a mess of them. May not be salvageable after that.
I used carb cleaner. It's less harsh, and will not attack the plastic. Don't let it sit for any length of time. Spray it on and wipe it off. It took a few rags, but got it all off and was able to start over.

It looks good, IMO. It is a change that will take a little to get used to. Once it is completely dry, and you sand and buff it, they will look great.
I used Testors brand Candy Apple Red transparent. I looked at the Krylon, but it was a little too dark for me. One coat color, and about 4-5 coats of clear.
If interested, see HERE , for my job on the tailights.