Tinting film rear lights

[Butcher]

Ok, i dont want to spray my lights because iv heard alot about getting streeks, i do know the people who dont end up with good qualitity end product hav'nt taken enough time when doing it so spare the coments about that, but im wanting to use film on my lights , iv done my windows and they are picture perfect, iv never done lights before have you guys heard of people using tinting film on lights on puntos? and if so can you link me to a guide or a picture of the end product, if you could post pics of your tinted lights yourselfs that would be great (sprayed or film'd)

safe

 

[colinf1]

The surface of the MK2/b rear lights is too complex to tint using tint film, believe me, ive tried.
The bugle around the indicator, then the way the bottom bends in and along with the sharp inner edge means its impossible to get the film to bend in that way. Ive found that the tint film goes all streaky when being pulled so much.

Tint spray is the way to go, as long as you take your time doing it the results are really good. I used Coloured Lacquer by Baufix (£2.50 a can from Lidl) to do mine, then 2 coats of clear to leave them shiney.

 

[Butcher]

The surface of the MK2/b rear lights is too complex to tint using tint film, believe me, ive tried.
The bugle around the indicator, then the way the bottom bends in and along with the sharp inner edge means its impossible to get the film to bend in that way. Ive found that the tint film goes all streaky when being pulled so much.

Tint spray is the way to go, as long as you take your time doing it the results are really good. I used Coloured Lacquer by Baufix (£2.50 a can from Lidl) to do mine, then 2 coats of clear to leave them shiney.

sigh :/ if it all gos wrong im going to have sht looking rear lights thats the risk i gess, i might leave it for now as iv just colour coded my wing mirrors new debadged grill debadged boot taken all decals off it looks ok i gess , just orderd some smoked side indicators aswell!

 

[sludgeguts]

Of course, one of the real joys of having tinted rear lights is when someone smashes into the back of you & claims they couldn't see your brake lights.
No matter how much you protest, that'll open up a lovely can of worms for the insurance company.

 

[Butcher]

Of course, one of the real joys of having tinted rear lights is when someone smashes into the back of you & claims they couldn't see your brake lights.
No matter how much you protest, that'll open up a lovely can of worms for the insurance company.

lol? iv told my insurance about every mod on my car and it hasnt raised price and they say everything is fine and within the legal limit and i have that documented incase i did ever crash?

 

[johnw]

Do your lights still meet the minimum standards required by the Construction and Use Regulations? If not, then your premium has been wasted. If they do meet the standards - who tested them for you and do you have that in writing?

 

[Butcher]

Do your lights still meet the minimum standards required by the Construction and Use Regulations? If not, then your premium has been wasted. If they do meet the standards - who tested them for you and do you have that in writing?

if you read then thread i say im leaving the lights for now ? whats your beef

 

[AppleSei]

if you read then thread i say im leaving the lights for now ? whats your beef

johnw is a magistrate so anything to do with the law he knows about and has dealt with in past cases

Not someone i would want on the wrong side of me as you might possibly need his help down the line

And you dont say you are leaving the lights, you say 'you might leave it for now'

 

[JustAndy]

Kinda bumping in here but what if someone did say that they couldnt see your brake lights because of tinted lights but it had just gone through the MOT and passed with them? Could you have that as proof that they are legal?

 

[AppleSei]

Kinda bumping in here but what if someone did say that they couldnt see your brake lights because of tinted lights but it had just gone through the MOT and passed with them? Could you have that as proof that they are legal?

No because whats to say the modded lights couldve been removed before the test, replaced for something standard then swapped back when got home etc and you have a new ticket for 12 months?

 

[JackFi]

Good point andy, My mk2 had spray tinted rear lights & got though 2 mots. So that shows they must of been safe to some standard.

 

[AppleSei]

If it passes a light meter fair enough, but it wont be documented on the MOT certificate only if it fails so if someone went into back of you and say they couldnt see your brake lights an MOT certificate wont be proof because there will be nothing wrote on the passed MOT certificate

Plus you can get scenarios like i suggested above - it does happen

 

[JustAndy]

Yeah its just that my car is in the garage at the moment and it will be going for it MOT with tinted lights so i was just curious if that could be used in a court or anything but i know what you mean when you say that they could be taken off for MOT then replaced

 

[sludgeguts]

As far as MOTs are concerned, I have watched many a car being put through the test (although not since 2006) and the tester simply flashed the fronts, watching for the beam hitting a far wall & then some guy stands at the back to watch for sides, reverse, indicators and brakes.
If the car has tinted lights, do the testers always break out the special equipment or do they simply say "yes, I can see them come on" (which you would inside a garage).
As far as insurance is concerned, they are always on the lookout for ways of getting out of paying & it could be argued that although the car passed an MOT, this was done in a garage under low illumination, can those lights still be seen on a bright sunny day (just like today )?

Just another thought. when you declare mods to the insurance, do they say "ok, fair enough, that'll be an extra £20" and take it on trust that the job done is to a high standard or do they send the boys round to make sure those lowered springs aren't the result of your handiwork with an angle grinder?

 

[Butcher]

As far as MOTs are concerned, I have watched many a car being put through the test (although not since 2006) and the tester simply flashed the fronts, watching for the beam hitting a far wall & then some guy stands at the back to watch for sides, reverse, indicators and brakes.
If the car has tinted lights, do the testers always break out the special equipment or do they simply say "yes, I can see them come on" (which you would inside a garage).
As far as insurance is concerned, they are always on the lookout for ways of getting out of paying & it could be argued that although the car passed an MOT, this was done in a garage under low illumination, can those lights still be seen on a bright sunny day (just like today )?

Just another thought. when you declare mods to the insurance, do they say "ok, fair enough, that'll be an extra £20" and take it on trust that the job done is to a high standard or do they send the boys round to make sure those lowered springs aren't the result of your handiwork with an angle grinder?

wasnt trying to cause argument im just saying i havnt even tuched my rear lights because i dont want to risk putting streeks in them, if i was to do them i would make sure they are legal and my insurance know , just like every other mod i have on my car, but tinted lights do look a hell of alot better than standard

and when iv told my insurance on my mods they might up it 20 quid like you say but on some things i have had to send documentation into the insurance place to prove that what i say i have had modded is what has happend to the car and not anything extra , most of my mods dont even improve proformance there just for looks

also i know your using lowering as an example but just throwing it out there they wont insure me if i get my car lowerd untill im 21 because they say im lowering it because i have means of going faster, although lowering a 1.2 engine gets you no where faster at all lol

 

[johnw]

whats your beef

You posted for advice. I gave advice.

 

[johnw]

johnw is a magistrate so anything to do with the law he knows about and has dealt with in past cases

When I respond to a post by pointing out that what somebody is proposing to do to their car will be unlawful, I don't do it to make them look stupid. I do it to save them ending up in court. This is a case from this mornings court.

A 19 year old who had modded his car without telling the insurers. Charged with stop lights not in full working order (tinted and as a result not bright enough), charged with insufficient light transmission in drivers and front passengers windows (tint film added to glass that was already at max tint) , seat belt not properly maintained ( he wasn't wearing the factory fit belt, he was wearing a racing four point harness which was secured to the seat and not a fixed point like a pillar or the floor), no insurance (voided because he hadn't bothered to tell them).

His defence was that it was all bad luck. He didn't think he would be stopped
because the car would show up as insured and he didn't think the police would know enough about cars to notice the mods.


Right now I bet he wishes somebody had posted on whatever forum he uses and told him where he was going wrong.

 

[ben]

So is that a criminal conviction he now has then?

 

[dombooth]

My view on it is if the OP wants to do it then he's going to be the one in the sh**. I nearly slammed into the back of a Corsa today because they were tinted so much I couldn't see any of his lights...

Dom

 

[johnw]

So is that a criminal conviction he now has then?

8 points for no insurance
licence endorsed (no points) lights
licence endorsed (no points) windows
licence endorsed (no points) seat belt
fined total £360
costs £45
victim surcharge £15


DVLA will revoke his licence as he only passed his test 18 months ago, will have to take both parts of the test again

his car was seized at roadside because of dangerous condition (lack of seat effective seat belt) He had to pay the towing cost of about £150 plus a couple of week storage. It was at the pound for that long because he needed to get new insurance and it took that long to find a company that would cover him and then somebody to lend him the cash.