I want to paint my XB Tail light sall red. i need all the help i can get, where to buy the paint and everything. HELP ME!!!

there's a how to in the FAQ section. check there if i can't find the link first.

I imagine either of Utzingers (true value) or Coast to Coast, would have the solvent, paints sand paper etc. (or whatever auto part stores are in Astoria - I forget)

U dont want light to shine through? If u want them to still work but look red, u can always put a couple light coats of a pearl red on em. I did that once w/ a purple car i owned and it looked pretty cool. A body shop would also probly do it fairly cheap.

http://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60677

Search. I made a thread on how to do it right.

I'd just talk to bluebatmobile. He makes an all red vinyl overlay for your tail lights.

The overlays aren't worth the insanely inflated price he charges for them. Paint them, trust me.

The overlays aren't worth the insanely inflated price he charges for them. Paint them, trust me.

agreed.

The overlays aren't worth the insanely inflated price he charges for them. Paint them, trust me.

How are they insanely over priced??? They are only $35.

Putting on overlays and leaving yourself the option to go back to stock or change it up down the road without having to buy another set of tail lights is cheaper. Trust me.

trust you? i got 2 pairs of tails for $30 shipped to my house. everyone that gets tyc tails gets their stock tails too that they do nothing with and sell very cheap.

So you got a deal on tails, good work, you get a cookie.

The point here is that it's only $35 for overlays, thats not expensive. Then down the road if you want to remove them you can and it costs you nothing to go back to stock.

I got mine "candy coated" and love them! I don't know why, i just can't imagine doing the vinyl overlays...seems like it would fade a lot faster then paint after a while, I could be completely wrong though, so don't hold me to that...but 35 dollars for a vinyl overlay, i have to admit, that is kinda price, a sheet of that transparent vinyl is pretty cheap too...

Can you buy the candy paint somewhere or do you have to have a shop do it? I'd rather do it myself I just can't find the paint.

go to a hobby shop and get testor's candy apple red. then follow the directions in the link i posted above.

Trust me on the vinyl. I got some overlays from blue batmobile, looked at the brand on the back of the vinyl, and hit up google. It's like $35 for a 1' x 30' roll of the vinyl he sells. You're getting ripped off when you pay that much. And it's just as time-consuming to get the supplies since he doesn't have an online order system.

The vinyl overlays don't even look good. When you paint them well you get a nice clear red that you can see through. It looks OEM. When you get the vinyl ones you get red vinyl made for backlit signs cut roughly in the shape of your tail. What you end up with is a SOLID RED tail that you can't see through.

Installation is difficult, too. You have to peel it off, position it perfectly, then bust out the hairdryer to make the edges go down. It takes a long time and a lot of effort that isn't worth it.

Trust me on this, I've worked with both methods. I know what works here, and I'm telling you to paint your tails. I came up with the method because I wanted tails that look good and didn't want to waste a bunch of money. Hit up the FAQs to learn how to do it.

You can get another set of stock tails for insanely cheap these days if you want to go back to stock.

You're going to want two cans of the candy apple red.

The overlays aren't worth the insanely inflated price he charges for them. Paint them, trust me.

How are they insanely over priced??? They are only $35.

Putting on overlays and leaving yourself the option to go back to stock or change it up down the road without having to buy another set of tail lights is cheaper. Trust me.

No kidding. Some great points!

It's all about personal preference. Alot of people want to change the look of their car in time, the great thing about Vinyl, is that it allows that with relative ease.

Bat™

Trust me on the vinyl. I got some overlays from blue batmobile, looked at the brand on the back of the vinyl, and hit up google. It's like $35 for a 1' x 30' roll of the vinyl he sells. You're getting ripped off when you pay that much. And it's just as time-consuming to get the supplies since he doesn't have an online order system.

The vinyl overlays don't even look good. When you paint them well you get a nice clear red that you can see through. It looks OEM. When you get the vinyl ones you get red vinyl made for backlit signs cut roughly in the shape of your tail. What you end up with is a SOLID RED tail that you can't see through.

Installation is difficult, too. You have to peel it off, position it perfectly, then bust out the hairdryer to make the edges go down. It takes a long time and a lot of effort that isn't worth it.

Trust me on this, I've worked with both methods. I know what works here, and I'm telling you to paint your tails. I came up with the method because I wanted tails that look good and didn't want to waste a bunch of money. Hit up the FAQs to learn how to do it.

You can get another set of stock tails for insanely cheap these days if you want to go back to stock.

That's great that you painted yours. What I offer is an option to those that dont want to paint theirs. You mention cost of material, great, if people want to make their own, that's good. Again, I offer an option to those that dont want to do it themselves :wink:

Bat™

tru that, despite the cost to some, thers preference on learning to diy, or rather going with a proven finish, or its just worth their money (even if it may not be worth yours)

Trust me on the vinyl. I got some overlays from blue batmobile, looked at the brand on the back of the vinyl, and hit up google. It's like $35 for a 1' x 30' roll of the vinyl he sells. You're getting ripped off when you pay that much. And it's just as time-consuming to get the supplies since he doesn't have an online order system.

The vinyl overlays don't even look good. When you paint them well you get a nice clear red that you can see through. It looks OEM. When you get the vinyl ones you get red vinyl made for backlit signs cut roughly in the shape of your tail. What you end up with is a SOLID RED tail that you can't see through.

Installation is difficult, too. You have to peel it off, position it perfectly, then bust out the hairdryer to make the edges go down. It takes a long time and a lot of effort that isn't worth it.

Trust me on this, I've worked with both methods. I know what works here, and I'm telling you to paint your tails. I came up with the method because I wanted tails that look good and didn't want to waste a bunch of money. Hit up the FAQs to learn how to do it.

You can get another set of stock tails for insanely cheap these days if you want to go back to stock.

Trust me, it may only cost him $35 per roll, but he had to draw up the design on his computer to cut the vinyl to EXACTLY fit our tails.

Oh, and say trust me a few more times :loser:

Those overlays are made from 7-year fade resistant vinyl. They will hold up to fading better than that ____ty Testors candy paint trick will. Trust me.

tru that, despite the cost to some, thers preference on learning to diy, or rather going with a proven finish, or its just worth their money (even if it may not be worth yours)

Another good point .

Bat™

Trust me on the vinyl. I got some overlays from blue batmobile, looked at the brand on the back of the vinyl, and hit up google. It's like $35 for a 1' x 30' roll of the vinyl he sells. You're getting ripped off when you pay that much. And it's just as time-consuming to get the supplies since he doesn't have an online order system.

The vinyl overlays don't even look good. When you paint them well you get a nice clear red that you can see through. It looks OEM. When you get the vinyl ones you get red vinyl made for backlit signs cut roughly in the shape of your tail. What you end up with is a SOLID RED tail that you can't see through.

Installation is difficult, too. You have to peel it off, position it perfectly, then bust out the hairdryer to make the edges go down. It takes a long time and a lot of effort that isn't worth it.

Trust me on this, I've worked with both methods. I know what works here, and I'm telling you to paint your tails. I came up with the method because I wanted tails that look good and didn't want to waste a bunch of money. Hit up the FAQs to learn how to do it.

You can get another set of stock tails for insanely cheap these days if you want to go back to stock.

Trust me, it may only cost him $35 per roll, but he had to draw up the design on his computer to cut the vinyl to EXACTLY fit our tails.

Those overlays are made from 7-year fade resistant vinyl. They will hold up to fading better than that ____ty Testors candy paint trick will. Trust me.
I wish people here knew what they were talking about before they started spouting bull____. I'm not trying to step on any toes here. Vinyl definitely has its pluses to go with its negatives. I'm just trying to help this person get a better looking result for less money, but here you are getting all up in my business.

I'm sure it's incredibly difficult to design a vinyl overlay. By god, it must have taken at least three, maybe even four hours to perfect.

A piece of vinyl may be worth $35 to someone else, but it isn't worth it to me. I'm all for batmobile making some money, but people have a right to an informed decision.

A piece of vinyl designed for 1 dimensional application on backlit signs won't necessarily hold up for 7 years when applied to a tail light that's covered in salt for 4 months out of the year.

The smoked corner overlays for my headlights looked great for the 20 minutes between when I put them on and when I went for a drive; before they bubbled up (note to blue batmobile: next time, include directions that mention how to prevent that).

I have yet to have that problem with my tails.

I like how you think I am not informed.

I see nothing wrong with painting your tails and saving some money, the reason I am approaching it the way I am is because of your attitude.

I have used the Testors paint trick before on previous cars with less than desireable results. The paint is $5 per can so your spending $10 on the paint. Then you need to remove your tails, mask them, paint them, then sand them smooth and reinstall your tails. Sounds like alot of work to me.

I bought overlays from Blue Batmobile for my tails. I installed them without removing the tails, and did it in much less time. Well worth the $35 in my mind.

no sanding required when painting tails...

all this debating going on would possibly be worth it if the guy that started this thread actually was looking at it....

I hope you like the orange peel look because thats exactly what you'll have if you don't sand.

Do you read? I paint the inside of the tail light so the finish is absolutely perfect.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/M4x2k/Scion%20Overhaul/NewRedTails.jpg

Can you see your reflection in vinyl overlays?

whats the big deal, just buy JDM taillight spray, and paint em, add some Krylon clearcoat and your set. if you dont like it, use paint remover, its a hell of alot cheaper than vinyl, do your own work.

Do you read? I paint the inside of the tail light so the finish is absolutely perfect.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/M4x2k/Scion%20Overhaul/NewRedTails.jpg

Can you see your reflection in vinyl overlays?

That is good work, I'll give you that.

My whole point here is the vinyl overlays are so easy to put on and $35 is NOT too much money when you think about how much easier it was to do the job.