Vynil Tail Light Covers

[JPMX6GT]

This modification is really very simple to do. It only takes a couple of minutes to do and the results are very good. As you might know, I previously had a 240SX, and I couldn't find any companies that made a tail light cover for that car. So I made my out of some window tint. That was rather easy to do as the entire back tail light section was flat. With the MX6, it's a little different. The outer edges curve in so it makes this a little time consuming. So here you go.

ITEMS NEEDED
-Philips head screw driver
-Razor sharp blade
-Spray bottle with soap water
-Plastic squeegee
-Desired colored vinyl strip


NOTE: You can get the vinyl from any sticker or sign shop in your area. They should sell them in a roll by the foot and the shop that I got them from priced them at $5 per foot , the roll being about 18" wide. Just look in the yellow pages for "Stricker" or "Sign" shop or store.

[JPMX6GT]

First, obviously remove the taillight. This is done by opening the trunk and exposing the ONE philips screw on the inside edge of the light. Once that screw is removed, it's just a matter of PULLING the tail light out. They are held in by 4 plastic fasteners (Don't worry, just pull, it will come out).

Next, roughly measure the size of the light. Give it about 1 to 1.5" excess on all sides, just in case. Once you have the roughly measured strip, what I did, was cut some small strips on the one end that curves (I tried making it out of one piece and no matter how much I tried, it still would come out wrinkled). So I made 3 small strips and one big one as you see in the picture and double checked to see if the size was correct.

[JPMX6GT]

Next comes the fun part. if you ever put tints on a car window, then you might know what I'm talking about. This, on the other hand, is no car window. The main reason this is a PITA is because the edges are round and the one end is curved in.

So now, carefully start with the large section. The trick is to use a LOT of water. The reason that a spray bottle is helpful is because when you spray the water, the entire area of the light and strip is covered with the water mist. Once you have both the light and the vinyl strip drenched in water, carefully place the strip on the light and start squeegee the water out from the middle towards the outside. Do this very careful as you don't want any air bubbles or wrinkles to appear. Once you have the bigger strip in place, again make sure that you squeegee the air bubbles and any excess water out, go on tom the smaller strips.

Now, even these small strips are small, they may take you as long if not longer to do than the bigger piece. The reason again is because of the curve. So just lay down the small strip overlapping the bigger one (you will cut it after) and proceed with the squeegeeing. Follow this procedure until you finish the entire tail light.

If you managed to do this and have a smooth flat surface with no air bubbles and no wrinkles, then you are home free. Now all you have to do is tuck in the excess film all around the light, making sure that none of the light is exposed. then simply and carefully cut the pieces that you overlapped in the curved area with the razor blade as to have the two pieces come together just right. Then trip off the excess vinyl around the edges of the tail light. once you do this, it should look like the picture.

[JPMX6GT]

After cutting off the excess vinyl, the next step is to cut out the holes for the reverse light, turn signal and brake light. Now here is where you can get creative. You can basically cut out any shape you want. Circles, squares, whatever tickles your tummy. I opted to use the outline of the holes that are already there in order to make it look somewhat stock and to alleviate any hassles of not cutting both the same size. If you are doing what I did, simply place the blade on the groove and just follow the groove all around and then remove the excess vinyl.

Now, for the center hole, for the brake light, there is no grove. You are basically going to have to do it either by sight or create your own design. Again I decided to follow the rectangle that is already in the light if not it will look awkward (trust me, I tried it). To do this, you are going to have to shine some light on the inside of the brake light holes (where the light bulbs go) so that you can see the outline of the rectangle. Then simply, and very carefully, cut out the shape and remove the excess vinyl.

Once you are finished cutting out the holes, see if you can get rid of any excess water or trapped air bubbles by punching a hole on the bubble itself with the razor or a pin or needle and squeegee it out.

The last thing to do is to go back to your car and re-install the tail light and tighten the philips head screw.

[JPMX6GT]

- AND NOW VOILA, THE FINISHED PRODUCT !!! -