Mikiez06

Hey everyone,
I just bought my 2007 with the headlights crazed and cloudy inside already. My question is do you think I could make it look better with tint like headlight armor or have a shop spray tint them?
They look terrible and I want to try to improve the look without breaking the bank buying new units.
Before some of you reply that tint crazes the lights, remember mine are already fugged so Im not worried about it.
I dont want a dark tint, maybe just 50% or so,
has anyone out there done this and do you guys think a light tint will look good with a black car ?
I saw pics of completely blacked out lights on a black car and do not like it at all.
Opinions, advice welcomed.
Thanks

4SUMERZ

IMO, it's best just to buy new lenses for it and get it over with. Save your pennies until you get new ones.
Tinting will not mask the crazing, and likely will not look any better with the tint on them. I know in some jurisdiction, it's illegal to tint headlights.

You can get new lenses for $400.00 a pair or less. It is easy to remove the old ones and install new lenses. Lot's of help, PDF's, video's etc are available from numerous C6 forum members if you go that route.

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

CadVette

Check your local laws first. Around here you can't get a state inspection with any kind of tint on them. My 07 lenses were o.k. when I bought the car so i just put a clear bra over the lenses to protect them. I may paint the inside from silver to black later. I believe you can just replace the lens and not the whole assembly for about $200.00.

Husker C6

A guy I work with had his lights on his truck tinted. While they look nice during the day he hates them at night. Really affected light output.

Rapid Fred

I had the same problem. In fact, whatever the prior owner tried made them horrible!

I did not want to spend >$400 PLUS doing the oven/r&r routine for a car in great shape that will never be a show car. But, if need be, I'm ready to go there.

Anyway, Lamin-x "tint" is said to let 85% of the light through, and the fitted film cost only $59, so I felt it worth a shot. Turns out, the install was very tough so I had a pro do it for $75.

I am very happy with the result. It does NOT eliminate the problems. It greatly mitigates them however. Kinda a 5-footer at this point instead of a 20-footer. The lighting at night is now "C5" quality instead of "C6" quality, which is fine for my purposes. It passed recent inspection. For now, I'm not even remotely considering replacing the lenses...

This picture shows the "after." Too bad I do not have a "before," but the improvement is significant IMO...

Mikiez06

Thanks guys, alot of great points and info to consider.

Not So Fast

What tint is that from Lamin-X ? I have had them sittin in my garage now for 5-6 weeks, I bought the gun smoke but having second thoughts about installing them
NSF

joec

don't know why you would try and hide the problem instead of just getting them fixed..

Rapid Fred

It's called "tint" which is their lightest tint. So, you can see the crazing and such when you examine closely, but for me it was an excellent compromise.

"Gunsmoke" is one shade darker. I think it lets a bit less than 80% of th light through. I used it on my taillights -- where seeing them, and especially the brake lights, is more important than what I can see in front of me. I've had people follow me day and night and they're OK with them...

Rapid Fred

Try this: minimum $300 savings AND a bunch of labor that, knowing me, would be far from 100% likely to be lsuccessful...

I read the detailed instructions and would have tried the "correct" procedure had the result been terrible.

Not perfect, but good enough for my purposes...

sjw91

I actually had my headlights restored at Sam's Club for $25 2 years ago. They bake on a new UV coating and warranty for 5 years. You can still see crazing when the lights are on, but they look fine in daylight. Well worth $25.

Not So Fast

Uh, $300 savings ??? Me thinks you are under estimating the cost of new lenses, by quite a lot
I probably wont install mine because I had second thoughts, another poor buying decision before I thought it thru I also got the fog light film but had them in yellow already
NSF

Xtremespeed

If you decide to get new lenses, Rlsebring is the man on the forum to get them from. I just ordered another set from him recently and he is running out as his source is no longer going to supply the oem lenses, so get them soon. It's much cheaper than buying the whole assemblies and most of the lenses you see for sale are not oem. Just a little fyi. Good luck on your decision.

voodoochikin04

Mine have been tinted for almost 2years... Look great still and I have no issues with being able to see at night.



Un-edited





And they lok even better in edited photos..

j colon

I was thinking of doing this but heard that the tint makes the bulbs hotter than they already are and causes them to burn out or damage the lenses. Im not saying this will happen. Just something I read a while ago.

voodoochikin04

Unless someone has IR temp readings and proof showing that true.. It sounds ridiculous.. I don't see the tint being able to block any long wave radiation from the bulbs or enough tht it would affect cooling... Maybe if you tinted the headlights with one of those reflective space blankets... Lol...

Not So Fast

Is your tint from Lamin-X ?
Looks cool
NSF

voodoochikin04

Previous owner said 3m headlight tint.

Rapid Fred

That's the delta. Lenses only (not the whole fixture) run about $450 delivered on EBay...

Don-Vette

So you want to tint your headlights 50%? So driving at night you have 50% less light to see where you are going. Yeah that makes a lot of sense.