Is350 Is250 Smoked Vinyl Taillight Overlays Guide

[JimMayor007]

Purpose: IS250, IS350 have a large protuding point on its tail light, making it one of the most difficult tail light to install smoked vinyl overlays. The purpose of this guide is give you an understanding how precut smoked vinyl overlays are installed on these type of tail light.

Equipment Required for Installation:

Vinyl Squeeze

Soft Cloth Towel

Spray Bottle with soapie water

Hair Dryer

1. Clean the Tail Light Clean the surface of the Tail light with soap water to ensure all debris are removed from the surface the Light.

2. Remove the Vinyl from the protective sheet. Carefully remove the vinyl from the sheet and spray the vinyl's adhesive side with Soapie Water. The Soapie Water will prevent the Overlay's adhesive from sticking while you apply it the Tail Light

3. Spray and Apply the Overlay on the Tail Light. Carefully apply/align the vinyl on the Tail Light and smooth out as much crease as possible by using your fingers. Use the vinyl squeegee to push out all the soapie water on the front face of the Tail Light. The more soapie water you push out the less bubbling there will be. Note: Make sure the crease are evenly distributed on the Overlay, therefore you can easily smooth it out with a hair dryer and Squeeze

4. Make a cut using a scissor as shown in the picture. The cut is made at the corner tip of protruding point of the tail light.

5. Fold down one section of the flap onto the taillight. Use heat gun to soften the vinyl so it will mold onto the curvature of the taillight.

5. Fold down the second flap over the taillight. Use heat gun to soften the vinyl so it will mold onto the curvature of the taillight.

Note: Do not worry if the vinly overlap. It will be trimed off later.

6. OPTIONAL: Use a VERY SHARP RAZOR and CAREFULLY trim the excess overlaping vinyl between the two flap.

6. Tuck the edges in using squeegee and heat gun. Done!!

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[Rocco B.]

Hey I am planning on installing these on my '07 IS 250 because I think it'll look sweet. One question, where can I find a vinyl squeeze or can I use something else instead of one?

[bartkat]

The kits usually come with one.

[Rocco B.]

Well I am planning on buying mine from a guy off of EBay and this kit does not include one. Is it possible to order just the squeeze by itself? and if so how much would that cost?

[bartkat]

They probably have them at parts stores where they sell tint and stuff like that.

[Manolo1]

Do you really want to make your call less visible at night from the rear?

Doesn't sound like the right move to me...

The other day I was approaching a new Mitsu Lancer with smoked rear lights and I almost did not see him until I was just 20 yards behind...

smoked lights are cool during daytime and are a magnet for rear end collisions at night...

Just my 2 cents

[Sidney07]

Couldn't agree more with Manolo1.

Is it THAT important to make your car look cool while at the same time decreasing your visibility? Many European cars have rear fog lights, which work amazingly well in poor visibilty situations.

Having said that, the IS is no doubt a pretty safe car in a rear end collision, so darken away....

[Rocco B.]

Point taken guys. I really didn't even think of the neg. side effects, but it would look pretty sweet. I can see why it would be hard to see at night, but the IS does have the LED licence plate illuminator which is amazingly bright :)

[bAby_t]

Can't you just go buy a can of Clear Black spray paint and a clear finishing coat

1. First, clean the surface

A. take out the tail-light assembly (if ur lazy, u dont really need to take the whole thing out)

2. tape the sides thats doesnt need to be spray

3. than spray it evenly onto the break light (wait til it drys and give it another layer, a good 3 layer is good)

4. than apply or spray the finishing clear coat (a good 2~3 layers is good)

B. when dried, put the break light back

it's easy, cheap and if u made it too dark or made any mistake,

or u do not want it to look dark anymore, u can easily remove it !!

Hope this tip will help many

[Rocco B.]

Can't you just go buy a can of Clear Black spray paint and a clear finishing coat

1. First, clean the surface

A. take out the tail-light assembly (if ur lazy, u dont really need to take the whole thing out)

2. tape the sides thats doesnt need to be spray

3. than spray it evenly onto the break light (wait til it drys and give it another layer, a good 3 layer is good)

4. than apply or spray the finishing clear coat (a good 2~3 layers is good)

B. when dried, put the break light back

it's easy, cheap and if u made it too dark or made any mistake,

or u do not want it to look dark anymore, u can easily remove it !!

Hope this tip will help many

Interesting idea but I don't think that it is any less expensive or any easier than installing a vinyl. If you do make it to dark, how would you go about removing it with out damaging the taillight itself?

[bAby_t]

Can't you just go buy a can of Clear Black spray paint and a clear finishing coat

1. First, clean the surface

A. take out the tail-light assembly (if ur lazy, u dont really need to take the whole thing out)

2. tape the sides thats doesnt need to be spray

3. than spray it evenly onto the break light (wait til it drys and give it another layer, a good 3 layer is good)

4. than apply or spray the finishing clear coat (a good 2~3 layers is good)

B. when dried, put the break light back

it's easy, cheap and if u made it too dark or made any mistake,

or u do not want it to look dark anymore, u can easily remove it !!

Hope this tip will help many

Interesting idea but I don't think that it is any less expensive or any easier than installing a vinyl. If you do make it to dark, how would you go about removing it with out damaging the taillight itself?

Emm.. a can of clear black spray the one i found its only $ 1.99 or maybe less

I only see these type of paints in small bottle, but its enough for 4 and up cars

just ask around to see if any of ur fds that they're interested

than u probably don't even need to pay a penny or maybe start a little side job

And every home most likely to have a can of clear finishing spray paint in their storage or garage

even if u don't, this kind of paint is the cheapest kind & it mostly come in normal size spray can

which u can still do so much with it around your home, car, paintings..etc

And most of the cars that i see on the street with the vinyl, its mostly way too dark !

No matter if its only during the day time and some even at night... thats dangerous !

it makes the drivers behind very hard to see if ur braking, signaling or reversing

Im not saying all vinyl is like that, it looks really good !

but u just have to throw ur $ in the pond for awhile for u to search ur-self a good one

Worry about if u made it TOO DARK ?

Good question.." Take ur TIME ", check how it turn-out each layer of coat

u only need a flash light to exam, but remember to check it under the sun & in the dark

Worry about REMOVING it ?

Good question..." It's only Paint ", buy any paint remover will do

and if your worry about using the paint remover onto a Plastic surface will fog up ur lights, Use White Spirit

(this is not an advertising or a brand name, its a name for a type of paint remover, its stronger)

just damp it onto a towel or .. and gently rub it off

thats about it, hope this help

[Rocco B.]

Can't you just go buy a can of Clear Black spray paint and a clear finishing coat

1. First, clean the surface

A. take out the tail-light assembly (if ur lazy, u dont really need to take the whole thing out)

2. tape the sides thats doesnt need to be spray

3. than spray it evenly onto the break light (wait til it drys and give it another layer, a good 3 layer is good)

4. than apply or spray the finishing clear coat (a good 2~3 layers is good)

B. when dried, put the break light back

it's easy, cheap and if u made it too dark or made any mistake,

or u do not want it to look dark anymore, u can easily remove it !!

Hope this tip will help many

Interesting idea but I don't think that it is any less expensive or any easier than installing a vinyl. If you do make it to dark, how would you go about removing it with out damaging the taillight itself?

Emm.. a can of clear black spray the one i found its only $ 1.99 or maybe less

I only see these type of paints in small bottle, but its enough for 4 and up cars

just ask around to see if any of ur fds that they're interested

than u probably don't even need to pay a penny or maybe start a little side job

And every home most likely to have a can of clear finishing spray paint in their storage or garage

even if u don't, this kind of paint is the cheapest kind & it mostly come in normal size spray can

which u can still do so much with it around your home, car, paintings..etc

And most of the cars that i see on the street with the vinyl, its mostly way too dark !

No matter if its only during the day time and some even at night... thats dangerous !

it makes the drivers behind very hard to see if ur braking, signaling or reversing

Im not saying all vinyl is like that, it looks really good !

but u just have to throw ur $ in the pond for awhile for u to search ur-self a good one

Worry about if u made it TOO DARK ?

Good question.." Take ur TIME ", check how it turn-out each layer of coat

u only need a flash light to exam, but remember to check it under the sun & in the dark

Worry about REMOVING it ?

Good question..." It's only Paint ", buy any paint remover will do

and if your worry about using the paint remover onto a Plastic surface will fog up ur lights, Use White Spirit

(this is not an advertising or a brand name, its a name for a type of paint remover, its stronger)

just damp it onto a towel or .. and gently rub it off

thats about it, hope this help

Thanks a lot. I'll definitely look into painting them now instead because I agree the vinyl is dangerously dark.

Thanks again :D :D