*Trip*

I just received my rear black out( light bronze color) ... Upon test fitting, seems there is 3/16 of air between the tail light and cover.... Is this the norm? They are curved, but I was expecting more curve to fit closer......seems like allot of water/grime is gonna collect there, that can never be cleaned....I don't drive in the rain allot, but it's not a garage queen either... And the area around the tails collect more than any other spot on the car.... Plus this edge of the acrylic is visible, which I'm afraid may bug the he'll out of me...

Some real world feedback from people that have installed these is what I need before I install... And I'm also concerned that the clear tape will be visible since it not on the edge of the cover.... It's four small pieces around the center (and mine is the light bronze not the black out which may make it easy to see trapped dirt that the full black out would hide).... The tape near the center of the lens leaves the edge where you will be able to flex it in when washing, putting pressure on the tape which may release it over time.... Kind of like a teeter totter, high/touching in the middle, 3/16 higher on the edges...

Maybe I'm over thinking all this... And I know tons of forum members have installed these and want to make sure that this is the norm and not a defective set that isn't curved correctly.... And I also wondered how many have used the seals that are available and how well they work and look.....

BearZ06

I once had those and one came off and was lost. So i bought an extra set of lights off the forum and had them sprayed with a mix of clear and black. They looked much better too. If you do that, sand the letters off of the lenses before painting.

wayback

Same here. Now I have tinted LED taillights.

*Trip*

I thought about spraying, but wanted it reversible in case I don't like it.....
So, I guess my original question still stands.... Is the 3/16 height normal.... And did the grime build up inside....

*Trip*

Ideally, I would like new tinted halo tails, but I haven't been a fan of the dotted line look of the eagle eyes led lights... I keep hoping someone will develop the plasma look halo tails...

But, back to my questions...... Is the 3/16" height floating above the factory lens normal?..... And how much grime gets in.....

wayback

Get some 3/16 or 1/4 open cell foam weatherstripping and wrap it around the gap between the cover and taillights. Will compress easily to fit and keep out any water or dirt.

Companies sell some pre cut strips if you feel like paying 1000% markup.

MARSC6

I have a set packed away somewhere in my basement because I didn't like the fit. Picked up a set of taillights and side markers from ebay then used vht nite-shades and clearcoat for much nicer results.

5knives

The gap is normal. Although I can't comment on the visibility of the bronze color, on the black the clear tape is only visible when the lights are on and even then you can barely see it if you're close, say within 10 feet. Whatever water gets in between the light and lense drains out. There will be some residual moisture left which can attract dirt. None of this is an issue or visible with black but again, I can't speak for bronze. A word of caution. Be gentle when washing/waxing. Since there is a gap and particles do have the potential of getting trapped in there, too much pressure will cause swirl marks and scratches on the lense and cover. You'd also be rubbing plastic against plastic. None of this will be a problem until you remove the covers though. As for the strength of the tape. It was a PITA trying to get the covers off when I switched to Eagle Eyes and that was after 7+ years and who knows how many washes and triple digit runs. So as long as the surface is cleaned and prepped prior to install, I don't foresee a problem.

Obviously tinted lenses are better quality but unless you're close, you can't tell the difference. Actually I take that back. Most of the tint jobs I've seen have a satin almost flat finish which I don't care for. The shine of the covers, especially after waxing, looks much better IMO.

z06clif

ive had them on my car and I cant add or subtract anything that was posted above. but isn't there a Lens sealer for around the circumference of the lens. I think corvette Central has it. This will prevent the dirt from building up. After about 4 years I removed mine(lenses) . I didn't care for the look any more. One more thing. They will scratch the the bottom of the light cove.

Clif

Never-Enough

Lamin-X tint

*Trip*

With the hundreds of people on this site that have covers, I still never got any answer to the original question..... "Should the edge of the cover be floating 3/16" above the factory lens while the center is almost touching the lens?" Is this normal Or have I gotten a defective set that are not curved enough....

5knives

Unless there is some strange deformity where yours are almost completely straight, it sounds normal to me. You cant tell once they're on the car.

5knives

There are tail light seals that many vendors sell. They do help reduce some of the water pooling up.