996 Headlight tint modification

I got this idea a few months ago and finally executed it this past weekend, its not for the impatient...LOL bought a roll of vinyl tint, cleaned the headlight thoroughly and installed the tint like you would any vinyl decal, spray bottle with water and a pit of soap and a heat gun. About 30 min per side. Then carefully (surgical precision) cut the circle section with a brand new razor blade. DONE. I am very happy with it but will likely re-do this modification again with a slightly lighter/less foggy vinyl tint. Enjoy.

'Almost' looks like a 997. You did a nice job.

I like it! Still says 996 but gives it a 997 feel to it. I wonder what it would look like on a different colored car since yours just blends in perfectly.

i put lamin-x "tint" on this past April. definitely changed the appearance.

I always thought the front of my C4S needed something, I tend to take pics of the back of it more because she has such a pretty ***... but now with this 996/997 feel to it I like it much better. Like I said I might re-do it in a slighty lighter shade later, but for now I am happy with this look very much. BTW this film is basically Lamin-x in a roll. I bought some from 4 different sellers on ebay , very inexpensive, like $15 for a 24"x48" roll. And they sell it in many colors, yellow, blue , red, green etc. so no matter what color your car is, Im sure you could achieve a similar look.

Looks great, but I think it lends itself to darker colored cars. Not sure how well it would work with silver or red.

I like that the detail of the turbo lights is not lost... but muted. Very cool. I do wish the fogs were not hidden though. I also like the "dunkelchrome" look of the washers. Thanks for sharing a good looking mod that is reversible as well!

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I'll post up a pic after work.

I have done something similar. I had this done with the 3M tinted stone guard. I also tinted the taillights.

Someone had it on a silver one that looked really nice. These look nice too. JKC

This is the "tint" color name from lamin-x on a seal grey metallic.

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I'd love to see a silver one. link?

Is it an overlay or spray on? Nick

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Looks Great ! Now I have another item to add to the list this winter.

I did cut a smaller opening on mine, very happy with it but the pressure car wash are pulling a bit the edges so I'll remove it soon

Very ingenious on your part Heima. Do you think I can get the lumin-x in a midnight blue to match my C4S? Philooo, your car looks amazing...nice touch making the cut smaller.

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Lamin-x has 4 color options, if you go to their web you can check them out. They do have a blue.

damn Phil - your car looks great!

BAd news after removing the tinted film from my headlight, because they started to peel a bit from the side. I see that the film must have had a bad interaction with the headlight lens and accelerated the wear. I had the film everywhere except the center of the main projector, and I can see a clear difference of wear between the two. Strangely it is not the usual fogged lens type of damage but instead mini cracks. I wonder if those will buff right out... doesn't look like it any input on what to do next ?

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You could come with me Phil and bang your head against this wall. It may help...... God dammit. That sucks.

I don't get the try to hide the head light thing. I think it's ugly. Do a front end conversion if you want 60's lights.

Oh damn...that sucks dude. Maybe one of those headlight polishing places can buff that down to clearer plastic.

That definitely sucks. I would try polishing a small spot with some fine polish and a dremel buffer (just a small test area) to see if the defects are removable. Keep us updated and good luck!

Are you sure those micro cracks aren't adhesive remnants?

Almost looks like it froze overnight w/ crystals - but not likely in Miami...they might polish right out.

Was that caused by Laminex headlight film, or was it another brand?

I bought my tinted headlight film on ..ebay.. yes I know ... So I don't know the brand of the film. The headlight plastic is soft to the touch, even where the scratch appear, so it seems a bit deep in the plastic. I'll try some buffing but I don't think it will come off.

I would try the 3M lens polishing kit (can find them online also walmart carries) - to see if they come out. Spend a little more time with the early grit polishes. I would remove the headlights from car to make it easier - good luck.

could it be that those cracks are from the heat used to apply the tint??? i had body work done on the fender of another car i owned and the shop did not remove the headlight when baking on the new paint and it look very similar to this.

That's some very interesting pattern, especially the longer ones in pix 1 & 3. Years ago I applied some temporary low tack adhesive film to the leading edge of the bumper on my car before installing the removable vinyl bra, the intent was to prevent scuffing between the underside of the vinyle bra and the paint on the hood. Within two years the film deterioated to the point it dried out and fused into the clearcoat of the paint....., I had to have the hood repainted. It's possible the eBay tint film you used reacted with the plastic of the headlight housing, before you give up on them, it's possible some good old fashion elbow grease with multiple grade of sandpaper can remove enough of that mess before polishing the surface to as-new condition. I guess we've got to remember the tint film is usually attached to glass surface which is pretty inert and will not react chemically with the adhesive. If you do sand and polish, then you should use Xpel or Lamin-X film to protect the surface from UV yellowing, although it would be tough to get the same look you had before, unless you either apply two layers (clear than tint), or apply the clear, mask it, and then use one of the spray tint to get the same effect.

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+1 Sorry, I'm not feeling it......

I might be wrong, but looking at your pics, it looks like the same scratches appear on the surface which didn't have the tint on, the difference is the unscratched part is really clean and shiny and the scratches are filled with adheshive. Have you tried using a pin to see if you can scratch it out of one of the scratches to see if it is just adhesive or definitely cracked? I think you'll be able to polish it out, but the deeper scratches you'll need something to remove the residue. Worth a shot...Good luck! I think it would be cool btw if someone started making GT40 style headlights to fit in the headlight space, same shape, but more world sportscar looking, i.e. clear shaped lense, normal headlight and indicator behind, no silvery rippled or flat reflector underneath like it is at the moment; that bit of the headlight would look so much better a flat silver, or black, it can't be hard for someone to bring this to market as a deposit swap changing the internals of the existing housing (i.e. they upgrade returned lamps and resell). I think a lower tech look with perspex cover would look good....even with screws around the edges would look retro cool.... I might have a go at this when I have more time at home. Update - Thinking about it, a carbon fibre shaped insert (replacing the whole exising reflector part) housing a HID projector, with an indicator of a similar shape, staggered, with the existing lens, but with a gap between the lense of said insert (i.e. not pressed against as at present) would look pretty cool, kind of TVR/World sports car combo, instantly making the cars look better and cooler still than other VW eyed alternatives. (I actually thought the 996 was a special edition, or top of the range, because of it's lights, I prefered them to the traditional ones, the front looks much more cohesive and smooth/modern). I like the retro/more basic world sports car look though, if achievable.

This is what I was thinking :-) (not very well drawn I know)

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Bump to an old thread. Had anyone ever tinted the outside housing of a MkII headlight of a car that isn't black or gray? Or can the headlight be dissembled and the interior chrome be plasti-dipped?

there are a couple of people out there who removed the lens (put it in your oven to melt the glue a bit), and then painted the interior chrome parts. I actually bought a set of headlight to try it out one day but I never had the time to do it. check this thread http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...light-diy.html

Exactly what I was looking for. I spent hours last night searching for this.

PHILOOO: did your headlights buff out ok?

I did not try to buff them out but it looks cracked pretty deep. I actually bought a set of used headlights I will use to replace my lens, because I doubt mine will buff out.

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You may have tried already, but if it is just the left over adhesive have you tried Goo Gone or some rubbing alcohol ?

Much easier way. I posted this in another thread, but bring them to your body shop (or do them yourself) and use tinted clear paint. You can mix it to any darkness and if you don't like it, it will sand/buff right off. We 'smoke' tail lights and headlights all the time at our shop.

^^ Looks really convincing but seems like it's lacking something to make it complete anyone do this mod with adding front turn signals ?

Anyone got a downloadable template for mk2? thinking of trying vinyl or maybe spray-painting

Tinted just the round light erea, shading the blinker and fog but allowing their functionality. Covered the washer cap with tint seperately to maintain its functionality. Used Knifeless cutting tape under the tint. Pick and pull it to cut out the center circle. Celebrates the round light and embraces the 996 lamps too. One done, one to go. Good way to see the differeence. the befrore shot

Which film you guys recommend? The Thread Starter looks like dark gray colour. There are dark gray and light(smoke) gray Oracal films.

So ,, this may have been hit before,, but is the back half of the 997 light the same as the 996? Was wondering if a 997 bucket would fit, so I can use the space left over for a inlet duct. (Similar to the one on the early cars.. ) Like 69-72 sorta.. Random thought lookign at too many parts lists..

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very tastefully done....looks great!

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They look great ! Where can I purchase these light covers?