Lamin-x Tail light Tints

[Ralliart23]

hey guys i just bought the darkest Lamin-x tali light tints (charcoal) for my ralliart. They are being shipped right now, and ill post pics once they are installed. :)

[Ralliart23]

good news, got the tints in the mail today, almost 3 weeks later :mad:

they should be on by tomorrow and pics will be posted

[geargrinder]

Cool, can't wait to see them. Take your time putting them on. I just screwed up a set I tried to put on a BMW X-5. What a pain in the ass.

[Ralliart23]

OKAY so.

the lights finally came and let me tell you, they were a total bitch to get on. it took me 2 hours to do and they turned out shit. if you look at them from afar, they appear really nice and good looking, but up close reveals serious air bubbles, creases, and other things that were total unavoidable. Lamin-x pre cut the tints, and they do fit, but the cut doesn't account for curves in the lights, and bulges like on the side of the lancer tail lights.

[Ralliart23]

as you can see, from a distance, they look pretty good, and almost as if it were a spray job. but when you look closer, you can see what a mess they are.

[Ralliart23]

so, my conclusion is this,

i bought these because i wanted a reversible option to spraying my lights. i wanted to be able to take them off if i didnt like the look, and i knew if i got them sprayed, it would be permanent. I mean, if you can deal with the bubbles you see up close, than sure go ahead, it was only 50 bucks. im just going to cut my losses, and get mine sprayed. if you are a perfectionist like i am, you wont be able to stand these covers, get your lights sprayed, its easier, and way more visually appealing.

One more thing. if you do decide to get these covers, make sure when you are installing them to use a hairdryer to heat up the film to a malleable state to stretch around bulges and curves of the lights :)

[Ralliart23]

alright i wasnt satisfied with the lamin x tints, so i went out and bought nht nightshades (if i can remember correctly) ive done half the job and it looks great, ill post pics when done

[E46byeRAhi]

i sware by laminx. i had them on my bmw tails and just applied them on my RA tails, came out perfect, no bubbles and no creases. the key is stretching the film over curved areas and cutting away the excess. and of course a heat gun (blow dryer) to make the film malleable. vht nightshades wear away with time and you need to reapply, not to mention the need for clearcoats as well if you want a lasting finish. the laminx i had for 3 years on the e46 never faded

[MTZL]

i sware by laminx. i had them on my bmw tails and just applied them on my RA tails, came out perfect, no bubbles and no creases. the key is stretching the film over curved areas and cutting away the excess. and of course a heat gun (blow dryer) to make the film malleable. vht nightshades wear away with time and you need to reapply, not to mention the need for clearcoats as well if you want a lasting finish. the laminx i had for 3 years on the e46 never faded

Any pics?? looks good on the Avatar. I was gonna do my headlights & fog lights..

[E46byeRAhi]

Any pics?? looks good on the Avatar. I was gonna do my headlights & fog lights..

http://clubralliart.com/showthread.php?t=728

i thought about headlights too, but i would rather blackout the interior chrome trim when I do TSX retrofit down the line. whenever the $ for that rolls around hah.

[RalliNurse]

damn dude...straight-up blackout...looks good but yeah those air bubble is an eye sore...

[MTZL]

I think the problem was using hair dryer.
Try heat gun. I will give this a try once I actually have money to spend.