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Tail light restoration

2K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  StanTheMan 
#1 ·
Just wondering if the tail lights are worth restoring? If so, what do i have to do to make the tail lights like new again?
 
#4 ·
It is surface damage only. The rav was parked outside and hadnt moved for a while so it was direct sunlight for like almost a year and half. I was thinking of sanding it and then put clear coat but i know if i do that im still not gonna get the results i want. Try clicking the image and zooming in.
 
#5 ·
You can and it down with 1000, 2000 but those "cracks" in the headlight might be deeper into the headlight.
Whatever you do, you need to seal the headlights. Othewise, the sun will wreck havok again.

You could use clearcoat spray. Some have used a mixture of mineral spirit and spar urethane with great success.

ITT: I teach you how to restore your headlights for 2+ years. [srs] [pics] - Bodybuilding.com Forums

Note: if you decide to polish or make the headlight smoother than 2000, your sealant will peel off.
 
#6 ·
Interesting. What product can i use to seal it back? One of my friends told me to smoke them but honestly im not a big fan of smoked tail lights. I passed my nail on the surface and it got stuck around the areas that are most faded. They have no moisture so i assume the cracks arent deep enough where id have to make special arrangements to fix it.
 
#8 ·
If mine looked like that I would spend the $140 to get new ones.
The down side to spending a lot of time fixing up the outside, is that that inside is often in bad shape also.

On mine I have replaced all the lights except the taillights. Got them all through 1aauto.com and I have been very happy with the parts.
 
#10 ·
Thats what i was thinking about doing because i have to buy the lights from the back bumper. The two oval ones i was also going to buy the right side blinker housing as well since it looks cracked and what not. Ill probably just keep using the ones i have for now until i can afford to buy all of them at once.

I went to the link found all the lights i needed. They are at a pretty good price considering they are new and come in pairs. With everything i needed plus shipping and handling thats a total of 240.61
 
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