How to unsmoke tails?

[zenkiset]

I bought my 240 back in october and the previous owner used spray tint on the tails and front turn signals. I searched the forum AND google for a solution, but only get results on how to tint them, not how to undo it.

Does anyone have some suggestions?

[ace32794]

clear nail polish works without harming anything put some on a rag and wipe it on and off a few times

[silviaks2nr]

If it's just "niteshade" use lacquer thinner. Let it soak on there for a bit and it will wipe right off. If it's legitimate clearcoat over top you will need to wetsand it off. Start with 400 grit then work all the way up to 1000 and clearcoat over it or go to 2000 then polish it with compound.

[KiLLeR2001]

Trade with someone who wants that smoked bs.

[Punished]

nail polish remover will take off niteshades tint as well.

try that first, if nothing happens, most likely have a clearcoat over top of the tint and you will need to do some sanding or trade them.

[zenkiset]

well i bought a pair of tails off someone on this forum back in November but they took my money and never shipped.

and thank you everyone else for the tips! im walking outside to try the nail polish this very second. will update you guys on the status of the tails when i get back.

[s13mikesr20]

well i bought a pair of tails off someone on this forum back in November but they took my money and never shipped.

and thank you everyone else for the tips! im walking outside to try the nail polish this very second. will update you guys on the status of the tails when i get back.

Call chuck Norris his stair can UN smoke anything

[mpapers22]

Call chuck Norris his stair can UN smoke anything

You want him to throw the tail lights down Chuck Norris's stairs?

[zenkiset]

You want him to throw the tail lights down Chuck Norris's stairs?

hahaha, *stare

*UPDATE* My mom had some pure acetone nail polish remover and it worked at first, but as i got to some spots where there was clearly more coats sprayed it wasnt affecting it at all.

So heres what ive ended up doing.
-sand lightly with a 150 grit
-apply acetone
-wipe acetone off with a wet towel
-then scrubbed with turtlewax scratch removing compound

they are coming along very nicely. i will try to post before and after pictures tomorrow when i finish bc its freezing outside haha.

[Renelovesnike]

^please tell me you mean 1500 grit?

[zenkiset]

^nope lol. 150 is what i had so its what i used. it got the job done so i really cant complain!

*EDIT* also my friend told me that paint thinner works amazing on this. anyone know if this is accurate? he claims he only had to wipe his tail lights one time to remove the tint.

[Skawski]

Paint thinner would be your first option least harmful to the plastic, then lacquer thinner/ acetone. If that doesn't work I'd try sanding as said above. I did headlights before and i wanna say it was 1500, 2000 then polishing compound.

I've also heard that premium gas on a rag will do the trick too, never tried it myself or seen the results...

[zenkiset]

Paint thinner would be your first option least harmful to the plastic,

thanks for the confirmation on the paint thinner! gonna go grab some from my friends house and try it out! :snoop:

[stuckonfresh]

Glad you figured it out. If you are looking for a finishing touch, the 3m headlight renewal kit (2 different grit sandpaper, emerycloth, and polishing compound) might work really well on the tails.

[silviaks2nr]

Don't use paint thinner. Use lacquer thinner it's the exact same as nail polish remover but cheaper. You should never sand below 400 grit either.

[jamg]

just get some used tails from someone. they should be cheap enough.

[Skawski]

Don't use paint thinner. Use lacquer thinner it's the exact same as nail polish remover but cheaper. You should never sand below 400 grit either.

I'm sorry man but you're wrong. I'm in painting / remodeling and construction and i use paint thinner / laquer thinner / acetone all the time. Nail polish remover is closest to acetone, acetone is a direct ingredient in nail polish remover also.
in the order listed above the chemicals get stronger n stronger, as they get stronger they will also get more harmful. sometimes acetone will leave a haze on certain materials(mainly plastics and paint) opposed to regular thinner.

All in all do whatever chemical you want, they all work to remove tint. some faster than others but will haze the lens possibly.

[silviaks2nr]

I'm sorry man but you're wrong. I'm in painting / remodeling and construction and i use paint thinner / laquer thinner / acetone all the time. Nail polish remover is closest to acetone, acetone is a direct ingredient in nail polish remover also.
in the order listed above the chemicals get stronger n stronger, as they get stronger they will also get more harmful. sometimes acetone will leave a haze on certain materials(mainly plastics and paint) opposed to regular thinner.

All in all do whatever chemical you want, they all work to remove tint. some faster than others but will haze the lens possibly.

Do you work a lot with automotive paint? No? I do. Paint thinner is not nearly as effective. Try cleaning clearcoat out of an hvlp gun with it, LOL. Guess what nail polish is? High solids single stage automotive paint with a built in fast catalyst. Lacquer thinner is always used to clean anything having to do with modern urethane or epoxy automotive paints.

[Skawski]

Do you work a lot with automotive paint? No? I do. Paint thinner is not nearly as effective. Try cleaning clearcoat out of an hvlp gun with it, LOL. Guess what nail polish is? High solids single stage automotive paint with a built in fast catalyst. Lacquer thinner is always used to clean anything having to do with modern urethane or epoxy automotive paints.

Well I agree with everything you said there... i wasnt saying dont use laquer thinner. I just find its a little aggressive to start with thats all.

[zenkiset]

just get some used tails from someone. they should be cheap enough.

i did from a guy off of here on zilvia but he never shipped them. (got scammed :rant:)

[1on1]

that sucks. Why don't you report him and do a review so others are aware of him.

[EDacIouSX]

if you used paypal you could do a paypal claim.

[90240sx07]

i tried paint thinner didnt work that great took a little bit on but a wet brillo pad works wonders no scratching came right off and cleaned them up real nice

[PeaceOnesxWai]

Those tint stuff are a nightmare... they dont come off especially if it has sit for a long time or if it had been clear coated. I believe the tint eventually dyes into the clear lens so theyre basically trash.

Best to just buy a new set to save you from all the hassle.

Other then that you will have to sand out the stuff and wetsand/polish from 700>1000>1500>2000>3000>clear coat>rebuff>wetsand>etc>etc>blah>pain.. i think new tail lights will be easier.



edit: also do not use aircraft paint removal or any removal crap... those chemicals will kill your lenses

[zenkiset]

that sucks. Why don't you report him and do a review so others are aware of him.
i did do this. would hate for someone else to have to deal with the same BS
if you used paypal you could do a paypal claim.

also did this. never got my money back though.

[zombiewolf513]

Those tint stuff are a nightmare... they dont come off especially if it has sit for a long time or if it had been clear coated. I believe the tint eventually dyes into the clear lens so theyre basically trash.

Best to just buy a new set to save you from all the hassle.

Other then that you will have to sand out the stuff and wetsand/polish from 700>1000>1500>2000>3000>clear coat>rebuff>wetsand>etc>etc>blah>pain.. i think new tail lights will be easier.



edit: also do not use aircraft paint removal or any removal crap... those chemicals will kill your lenses

+1. trade if you can, wet sand if you can't, buy new/used if you don't want to

[Twinkies!]

gasoline will work, just wear latex gloves or else your hands will stink like gas

[90240sx07]

or you can just use a wet brillo or sos pad and spend two hrs and have new tail lights

[zenkiset]

or you can just use a wet brillo or sos pad and spend two hrs and have new tail lights

ill give it a try man. im a senior in high school and play on our basketball team so i havent had much time to really sit down and get this small "project" done. not to mention that it has been freezing outside and i do not have a garage :picardfp:

[zombiewolf513]

A brillow might just scratch them and make them dull.

[90240sx07]

http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt11/jacobsen007/IMG_20130122_181819.jpg before and after with a wet brillo pad

[zombiewolf513]

Looks like it dulled the plastic. Might be the picture, but you should go with that + wetsanding and polish to make them look new while you're at it.

[zenkiset]

^yeah brillo just wasnt doing as good of a job, so im back to the sanding. finally have time to finish this. snowday!

[SCRmotorsports]

your def gonna wanna wetsand with something finer 150 dry i assume? is wayy to coarse for removing tint or clear or anything unless your going to prime and paint it again. get some 400 6 8 and 1000 then 15 thats what i always do, even stopping at 1000 will polish out with electric buffer and some compound. have fun! ive redone all my lights i used that crap spray can tint on and used clear with a few drops of black paint in it and put a good 5 or more layers looks better than the vinyl tint and spray can

[zenkiset]

^^yes, i went and bought up to 2000 and wet sanded. they came out really nice. they dont look brand new, but pretty damn close! whatever tint was used on them really soaked into the plastic on some spots, but i really cant complain with how they look now compared to what they were.