Kiwmilk

Hey guys Im new to the Cherokee forums and I just recently bought a can of VHT NITESHADE, some clear coat, and some 2000 grit sand paper. Im thinking about tinting my taillights. But the thing is I'm not sure how many coats to put on. Do you guys think one or two (possibly 3) coats of nite shade would be enough for the lights to still be visible? If anyone has tinted their tailights/turnsignals could you please post them on this thread so I could see them?
Thanks.
-AJ

Dwestonxj

I put three on mine

xjmafia

look on youtube a guy has a great video on how he did it, its very detailed.

DaddyCat

Please do not tint your tail lights. Think about it, if your tail lights/brake lights are less bright to the drivers behind you an accident is much more likely and you may be held liable for the accident.

salad

X2. Safety trumps aesthetics

mud-dog27

Keep in mind the cautions daddycat has brought up, some states/provinces have even made doing so illegal so look into it first, that said i used the VHT tint on the running lights/blinkers on my VW and 2 coats was enough to darken the lens and still be just as bright with the light on as stock. Unfortunately i dont have any pics but i did them till they matched the tinted hella tail lights that were on the car, if you want i do have pics of the hella tails to show how dark i went. Best advice would be start with one coat and go from there you can always add more but you cant remove it and keep the coats light.

all i used was rubbing alcohol to clean them, i wouldnt suggest scrubbing/sanding them or they will look like **** and you will see all the scratches as the plastic is not very hard.

IMO tinted lights on jeeps and most vehicles look like crap , only reason i did so to my VW was cause it had tinted Hella tail lights and the front blinkers/running lights were ridiculous bright orange and looked ugly with the tan paint

djb383

Tinted tail lights require blue head lights, no? LOL

tiny43

I cant speak for states other than Arkansas but state law requires there to be a red reflective quality to be built into each taillight assembly. Any alteration or cover which diminishes that property less than OEM assemblies or assemblies that are on the list of approved replacement assemblies are illegal. The other requirement is that brake lights in the taillights have to be visible in the sunlight for a distance of 500 feet. I have seen many spray tinted lights where black paint is mixed with clear coat and sprayed and they always look like crap unless they are replaced with jy or new legal assemblies. Its about a $140 ticket here but cant speak for elsewhere. The question to be answered is it worth giving the police a legal justification to stop you and write you for it any time you are on a public street for the sake of looking cool, not even to mention your own safety. One other consideration is if another driver rear ends you because to the alteration you made could it possibly be argued by an insurance company's lawyer that you contributed somewhat to the accident thereby reducing their liability for paying for your damages and even assigning some liability for their clients damages to you. Just food for thought.

FireEngineXJ

I put three coats on all of my lenses on my xj. I am a volunteer firefighter so I am around cops often at accidents and such and none of them have ever commented on the lenses being too dark.
A tip however... I have done all my lenses, the lenses on my cavalier, the lenses on my dads f150 my moms Tahoe my brothers xj and my caliber. Through trial and error I have found that using rubbing alcohol works OK but if you remove the lenses completely take them inside clean them with dish soap rinse them with water and dry them with a clean towel, all while not touching the parts of the lenses you want to tint. Then spray... this will give you the best glossy, non-matted finish. I also used VHT Nightshades.

mud-dog27

yea lens removal is the best option but depending on how old the lenses are may not be doable as the plastic is pretty brittle, however i didnt find the VHT nightshade to have a matte finish it was actually pretty glossy

A_Jeepr

I would fail your inspection for doing that.

Tom95YJ

As would I , I enjoy making younger kids cry because I fail them for saftey for having darker than legal tint, tinted tails, tinted turnsignals , Hid's if not OEM equipped or a proper retrofit .

DaddyCat

If I knew someone that told me they like to carry their cocked and loaded hand gun tucked in the front of their pants I would respectfully advise them why it's a bad idea. If they then insisted on doing it I would quitely leave the area and avoid them. I have said why tinted tails are a bad idea. I wish no one bad fortune even if they ignore my advice.
peace out

FireEngineXJ

All in all, check state and local laws before tinting. I should also include that I have replaced all of my lights with LEDs so that I am actually very visible. At night, it is next to impossible to tell I even have tinted lenses, I have parked next to my brothers XJ, before I tinted his, and they were equally as bright, so yes my lenses are dark but I used my head and I would have to say, my lights are not dangerous or the visibility of my Jeep is not diminished.

Marrero_XJ

So what if we used orange bright LEDs for the turn signals with the tint?