I have a dark green '01 Accord sedan. Currently I have Altezza tail lights that I got about 2 weeks ago, but I want to replace them and go with something more stock looking. It's a toss up right now but I do want to smoke the tail lights. I don't want them blacked out but more of a medium darkness to it. I want the lights to be visible while driving at night and I don't want anything to peel. I was wondering what the best method is and what options I have. I've seen some people who have sanded their lights and painted them with a special paint, followed by clear coat, but the lights still did not have that original shine or gloss look and I'd like to maintain that.

Here is what I have now (if anyone is interested I can sell them):

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/donpisto2/IMG_0671.jpg

And these are my two options:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/donpisto2/3800.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/donpisto2/HA9800-4-DEPO-RED.jpg

I did find these, but I think these are too dark, but not quite too sure.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/donpisto2/HA9800-4-DEPO-BLK-1.jpg

I will also be getting tints for the car as well, so it would match better, haven't decided if I want to do limo tints or a shade darker, but i'll worry about that later.

So your gonna buy brand new lights and tint them??? Why not tint the ones you have or your factory ones?

I don't like the style of the ones I have. I don't want to tint the stock ones either because I will be putting them back on when I decide to sell.

Well go for it... Just buy the ebay ones you posted, then get the spray and go crazy:D

If you want the shine and no peeling you're going to have to open them up. That's the only way to go.

Open them up and tint from the inside correct? I'm considering doing the black led ones, but I dont know if those will be too dark..any thoughts?

You could just spray the actual red parts.

I opened up my altezzas. It was really easy actually. Then sealed them up.
I posted a huge thing, just search tail light tinting on this websites search and youll see what I did.

I haven't done it myself, yet, but VHT Night Shades is what you need for the spray tint. I've seen pics on the tC forums and it looks pretty good. I think I'm going to spray mine to get a medium tint like you are looking for then get some vinal overlays.

You can also use Testors tint spray found at hobby/craft stores. It's probably cheaper than $15 Nightshades. I also used Krylon Translucent slate for mine and it looked great until it dried and turned a purplish color. I dunno if I would tint the black lights, unless it was very light.

go with the third ones.trust me.because i have them on my dark green accord and i love them....but here judge for yourself


http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee309/Shadowm2007/

pay no attention the woman...thats my wife.but yeah i think this will give you a better idea...but if you are going to tint, i would suggest going with these...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/01-02-Honda-accord-4dr-Tail-light-set-taillights-OEM_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33716QQihZ004QQitem Z140228583920QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

i forgot to mention that they are carbon fiber not black...

That carbon looks different than the ones on eBay..gonna have to think about that. For the time being, with my minimal photoshop skills I did a comparision of the red and black. Any thoughts, inputs, comments, etc would be great. Keep in mind that the red ones have the LED's already lit up.

Red:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/donpisto2/redledlimotint.jpg


Black:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/donpisto2/bothblacklimotint.jpg


Comparison:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/donpisto2/comparison.jpg

I like the black better, but what is the brown or red thing between the LED's and the license plate? It would look better without that thing in there.

ORIGINAL: falkore24

I like the black better, but what is the brown or red thing between the LED's and the license plate? It would look better without that thing in there.


there kinda like visors.i can't really explain it.but they don't light up though.mine are carbon fiber and i love them, the black one's look good.or just get the red one's and tint them.you'll have that batmobile effect:)LOL but it would look tight having it all black tinted and stepping on the brakes and all they see is red dots going across,that would look good,that was my first intentions with the one's i bought but they were too sexy to tint so i left them naked lol

hey i have a 94 accord with the depo led's http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/8/web/2384000-2384999/2384199_17_full.jpg

this is what they look like with the really dark like 15% tint on them if they are leds they shine right thru the only problem is that ur reverse light wont shine as bright.... duh on me

oH S*** YO THATS HOT!i'm feeling that!you customized it yourself or it came like that

ORIGINAL: BuntinBoy9

hey i have a 94 accord with the depo led's http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/8/web/2384000-2384999/2384199_17_full.jpg

this is what they look like with the really dark like 15% tint on them if they are leds they shine right thru the only problem is that ur reverse light wont shine as bright.... duh on me

That looks pretty cool. Can you replace the reverse halogen bulb with an LED? Maybe that will help.

Also, I've decided to go with the Red LED's and tint them since the black ones have that reflector sorta thing on the lights towards the license plate and it ruins the effect of the black IMO.

it'll look hot.i originally was going to do that but like i said i fell in love with mine and they were begging me not to tint them

If I'm going to have someone tint the lights for me, what is the proper or best way? The shop I got my suspension from says they can do it for 125 and it involves sanding them, spraying them, then buffing them for the shine. I want it to have a nice gloss like like a regular tail light would have and I don't want any scratch or swirl marks to be visible.

I plan to do mine soon. I'm planning to remove the fixtures and wash them in soap and water. Then I'm going to wipe the lens with alcohol and tape what doesn't get tinted up. Next, spray them.

I'll have before and after pics when it's done.

$125 dollars?![:-]

Why? You can buy a can of VHT NiteShades for $14 and a good Krylon clear coat for $4.
Surface prep and temperature are the most important factors when doing work like this. If you really want to make sure you do it right, browse cardomain and search for others (no matter the car type) who have blacked out there tail lights and get specific advice from them. Then use the remaining $107 for a new part, few oil changes, two tanks of gas. Just my opinion.

So I should get Krylon to put over the Nite Shades? What other prep is needed? I planned to wash the housings with soap and water and wipe them down with alcohol. What else do I need to do?

EDIT: D@mn!!!! Another "easy" project that's going to be a PITA! Oh well, I guess this way it will look that much better. Here is what I found for directions: http://www.corrado-club.ca/mods/tailtints.html

Yeah 125 is ridiculous. I have seen that many forums have been suggesting the Nightshade/clear coat method, but some of the outcomes i've seen are not what I would want. You can tell that it's not glossy enough, but maybe it's the person that did it or because of the camera and in person it looks better.

How would using tint work with the lights out of curiosity.

My main issue is finding a place that has plentiful ventilation so that I dont get any dust or anything on the lights as it dries.

I've also seen that people wet sand...would that be necessary since the lights will be brand new?

Wow, his lights look AMAZING.

There is a guy in my town with a black charger that blacked out his tail lights and look just as amazing as this guys.
When I used the NiteShades on my tail lights I didnt sand or anything, but then again I didnt put it over the actual tail lights. I could have used reg. spray paint but I had the niteshades special ordered and couldnt return it. Plus I think it lets some reflection shine through. But I did use Krylons triple thick clear coat. His info on the base of the clear coat is news to me.

Some people do clear coat the lights, and some don't. Obviously the clearcoated ones will have a much better resistance to the elements. The clear coat will have a large effect on the glossiness so be sure to get a good one. That may be why his look so shiny.

I plan in NiteShading those little running lights on the side of my car in the rear bumper cover. I will def. use this guys instructions.

So is this Krylon tripple thick clear coat that you mentioned a few times better than Duplicolor's or Alsacorp's? I'm going to look up the 3 and compare now.

EDIT: Well, after looking at the 3 products, I think I'm going to go with the Krylon. $40 a can for the AlsaCorp is just too steep, especially when I can get the Krylon at Michaels for $5 and change. I also thought about adhesion promotor, but I think I'm going to do the wet sanding method for a better final product.

Sounds good man.

Its actually called Krylon Triple-Thick Crystal Clear Glaze 0500. Have the can in front of me!
- Bright, glass like coating
- Surperior high gloss finish

But look at the other clear coats as well. When I bought this I think I compared it only to one other clear coat.
Good luck! Take it slow, and show us how it turns out!

When I tinted my tails I wetsanded each for a good thirty minutes for both 600 and 1200 grit. I then used Meguirs PlastX plastic polishing compound to buff them shiny again. Took me about 4 hours to do total. I'd take his advice on not using 1200 grit if you are tinting the outside, I did the inside so I obviously could buff the bejesus out of it. His did turn out very nice, and mine looked just like that but not as dark. Falkore and 97, when you do do it, take a full day off from driving the car and dedicate it to the lights, it will be well worth it.

Do you guys think it would look stupid if I blacked out my corner pieces next to the headlights?

Are there advantages of spraying rather than using tint from a tint shop?

ORIGINAL: donpisto

Are there advantages of spraying rather than using tint from a tint shop?


- Looks better
- Easier to do (you don't have to deal with contours)
- Durability
- Cheaper
- Most likely less work
- Film would get scratched being exposed to the elements like that

ORIGINAL: 19Accord97

Do you guys think it would look stupid if I blacked out my corner pieces next to the headlights?Â*


I've seen it done a lot of times, BUT the turn signal bulbs aren't very bright as it is and upgrading turn signals to LEDs would be a PITA.


EDIT: You could get the JDM blackhoused corners...

Film tint is meant for the inside of the window.

Is it bad to just use black paint instead of this night shade stuff? I mean th transparency won't bother me because I don't want to paint over everything. I want to try something like this image, but I'm not sure if I can just use paint or if I have to use the other thing.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb283/Scadoodly/TailightBlackout.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb283/Scadoodly/jkl.jpgI ended up doing it haha.

Looks nice!
What was the process you used?

I removed the taillight. Used spray paint. 2 coats primer, 3 coats black paint, 2 coats of clear coat and let it dry about a day

Edit: I forgot to mention that I used clear red tape to put over the parts I didnt want painted and used a razor blade to shape it.

I was never a fan of the long red piece on the coupe. I like whta you did, looks MUCH better IMO. I'll be spraying my tails once I get them. I'm also going to replace pretty much all the bulbs. Going to go with LED bulbs where I can.

As for the headlights, the projector lights I have, have a bit of blue for the circular part (like when you see BMW's from behind). My headlights are white, maybe a faint of yellow in there and I don't like that. I'd like for them to blend better. Perhaps a white/blue. I forgot where I saw it, but people recommended a certain type of bulb from Sylavnia. Is that what I should stick with or something else? If I should stick with the Sylvania, which type do I get? I've noticed there are their high performance bulbs and some other ones, so I'm not sure which one I would need.

Just a heads up ..... LED's in the reverse lights look cool, but don't put out as much light ...... might want to consider sticking with bulbs there.

Sylvania makes Silverstar and Silverstar ULTRA bulbs that are a bit whiter and brighter than regular halogens. DDMTuning also makes a relatively cheap ($150) HID kit in a range of temperatures.

ORIGINAL: falkore24

Just a heads up ..... LED's in the reverse lights look cool, but don't put out as much light ...... might want to consider sticking with bulbs there.


Hmmm, I would have thought they would put out more light. I was thinking about replacing all the tail light bulbs with LED's and also the front turn signal. In all cases would it be not as bright?

ORIGINAL: finch13

Sylvania makes Silverstar and Silverstar ULTRA bulbs that are a bit whiter and brighter than regular halogens. DDMTuning also makes a relatively cheap ($150) HID kit in a range of temperatures.


Thanks for the info. If I hadn't bought the headlights I have I probably would go with the HID kit. Just gotta get me some of the bulbs you mentioned tho.

LED's are more intense than bulbs, so they create a brighter point source of light. The total light output is less than the bulb though.

Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. I bet I'm not the only one who thought LED's were brighter

ORIGINAL: donpisto
ORIGINAL: finch13

Sylvania makes Silverstar and Silverstar ULTRA bulbs that are a bit whiter and brighter than regular halogens. DDMTuning also makes a relatively cheap ($150) HID kit in a range of temperatures.


Thanks for the info. If I hadn't bought the headlights I have I probably would go with the HID kit.Â* Just gotta get me some of the bulbs you mentioned tho.


You can still get HIDs, they have numerous bulb sizes. falkore had HIDs in his stock housing, they were legit.

ORIGINAL: falkore24

Just a heads up ..... LED's in the reverse lights look cool, but don't put out as much light ...... might want to consider sticking with bulbs there.


Even those 30 LED bulbs? If you set up an array in there it could potentially be brighter than filament.

ORIGINAL: finch13

Even those 30 LED bulbs? If you set up an array in there it could potentially be brighter than filament.


I'm just going by the things that I've read and pictures that I've seen. I think the swap on tC's is usually a 5 LED cluster, but I may be wrong. A massive array like you mentioned may be brighter, but will it fit the housing?


I thought that LED's would be brighter too and had done this research because I had planned on doing the swap as well. I think I'm going to see if I can find ceramic sockets so I can run 50W bulbs ..... I have to back into my parking spot at night and it's very dark behind me.

ORIGINAL: finch13


ORIGINAL: donpisto
ORIGINAL: finch13

Sylvania makes Silverstar and Silverstar ULTRA bulbs that are a bit whiter and brighter than regular halogens. DDMTuning also makes a relatively cheap ($150) HID kit in a range of temperatures.


Thanks for the info. If I hadn't bought the headlights I have I probably would go with the HID kit. Just gotta get me some of the bulbs you mentioned tho.


You can still get HIDs, they have numerous bulb sizes. falkore had HIDs in his stock housing, they were legit.


Not sure how to do HID's for the headlights I have. This thread mentions my situation. http://www.hondaaccordforum.com/HID%27s_for_Projectors/m_122854/tm.htm

ORIGINAL: finch13

falkore had HIDs in his stock housing, they were legit.


I had HID's in TYC housings. It was an H1 conversion.

Hmm, I gotta see what the ones I have use. They aren't TYC as far as I know (otherwise they would have been more expensive).