Tail Light Lenses
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 785
Likes: 1
From: Middletown PA
Tail Light Lenses
Can you get just the red tail light lense, or do you have to replace the entire light? Found some scratches last night while cleaning the car, and have no clue how they got there. It's bugging the crap outta me though now that I know they are there.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,995
Likes: 504
From: Hilton NY
The entire plastic housing is one part welded together. The lens surface can be wet sanded and polished. Start with 600 and work down to 2000 then buff using a bonnet in a drill press and polish such as Simichrome. If the scratches are deep then start over and use a coarser grit. Don't allow the plastic to heat up too much when polishing, use a slow buffer speed and light pressure. The lenses look great when the molded in letters are sanded out since they aren't there to collect wax or dirt anymore. If you want to keep the lettering then avoid sanding in that area. I did all four and they look better than new.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 785
Likes: 1
From: Middletown PA
Never noticed the scratches until last night when the light caught them just right. Must have been there when I bought the car, because I never did anything that could have caused them.
Really weird. It's like 6 or 7 scratches running diagonally across the light, perfectly parallel and evenly spaced about 1/4" apart. Only thing I can think of is those teeth on some ice scrapers that are used to break ice. Maybe somebody ran one of those over the light trying to clean ice off it.
Really weird. It's like 6 or 7 scratches running diagonally across the light, perfectly parallel and evenly spaced about 1/4" apart. Only thing I can think of is those teeth on some ice scrapers that are used to break ice. Maybe somebody ran one of those over the light trying to clean ice off it.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 46,764
Likes: 5
From: Boynton Beach Florida
St. Jude Donor '07-'12, '20
If it's only one that is damaged and your not very handy, you can order from one of our dealer supporting vendors here on the forum. 
They are not all that expensive and that option might work out for you. 
They are not all that expensive and that option might work out for you.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 785
Likes: 1
From: Middletown PA
Unless my guess is wrong, the scratches have been there going on the three years I have owned the car, and I never noticed them until now. That tells you how bad they are. It's just that I HAVE noticed them now....
My lights are in the stock recessed position, and I'm still trying to figure out how something got back in there to cause the scratches. The body around the light is fine. Unless someone had the light out working on something and that's when it got scratched.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
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The light comes as an assembly. You might try some plastic polish and see if the scratches come out.
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From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
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You'd pck up a new unit from one of the Forum vendors for about $80 + shipping if that helps your decision.