I received the acrylic tinted overlay which darkens the turn and backup lights on the rear of the car. I purchased them through Corvette Mods (if that helps determine which version these are).

Here's my question: I am putting on the Z06 tail lights on this weekend and they are currently off of the car. Should I install these overlays before I put the tails on the car? It appears like there may be fitment issues because the tail light sits flush with the inside of the housing. I went out to the already-installed stock tail lights and it seems like these may have been designed to be installed after the tails are on the car, but there is a slight overlap with the red (brake) portion. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not. It doesn't look bad with the overlap, I just don't want to do it wrong if I don't have to.

Has anybody had any experience with these acrylic overlays? They are an affordable mod, but I need help determining if they have any "get what you paid for" fitment issues that I need to be aware of.



Thanks in advance!

 

i was thinking of these also, let me know how they turn out,

 

I have these on my car from doing them on the car but it really don't look like it makes a diff to me from doing it.

BUT WITH THAT SAID MAY BE A LITTLE BETTER DOING THEM OFF ARE OUT OF THE CAR.. Robert

 

Solar, I'll definitely update this thread with results and opinions!

Robert, I'm not sure what you're trying to say but I appreciate that ALL CAPS energy. Thanks for the positive support.

I'm definitely going to make a judgement call during the tail light install, but I'm still encouraging more user experiences and opinions!

 

Ok lets try it again here I think it would be better for sure putting them in with the lights off the car.

This is due to working the black plastic piece's into place. I mean here you being able to have the housing on a table working with both like this will be better. When you start putting them in you will se what I am talking about. With them on the car are in place on the car you can move nothing but the plastic piece's around.

 

Thanks Robert. Did you get yours from the same vendor? They seem oversized if one were to try and place them with the tails installed. Look closely in my pic, do you have any of the red portion of the tail behind the acrylic overlay like in my test fitting?

 

I installed these as well on my 2014 and really didn't find any issues. I first laid them in there to check for proper fitment with the film still attached. I then expose the tape and place them in very carefully while the tail lights were still on the vehicle. I did however purchase mine from RPI but wouldn't think that should be an issue!

 

yes same vendor that is why I said MAY be better with them out of the car. It was a little of a pain getting them in but I can understand the reason on that also so they will not come out plus to cover all of the under white color also.

But I do like them and no problems at all with them..

 

Thanks guys. You're all rockstars for sharing your experiences. I genuinely appreciate it.

 

There's a slit on the top. The acrylic slides up under the slit then fits perfectly.

 

Just wanted to give everybody an update on how these turned out:

First off, the final look is perfectly acceptable. It's a much more affordable option compared to painting the tail lights and significantly less life-shortening stress than tinting via vinyl (which I also tried). Here's the final look on the newly installed z06 tails (the car is super dirty thanks to that install):



Now here's my gripe: the acrylic pieces don't really fit. They are too large to sit up perfectly against the turn signal/backup housing. There is a gap (shown here):

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Another gripe, which is so minor that I could not even replicate it in a photo, is that the clear 3M tape provided was stuck on via 3 small squares in the middle of the acrylic piece. These are still visible upon close inspection, but not visible from a distance. It would have been better to put a long uniform strip across the top and bottom. I should have had the patience to do that myself, but after a long day of working on the car I just wanted the rear end to be complete. It's a MINOR complaint.

If you were curious about how much light shines through, I had the forethought to grab a side by side video with the installation half complete. Its in my opinion that it is a perfectly acceptable amount of light shining through, even during the day. (It is on my Instagram, so I apologize if that's a hard-to-view format. Let me know if the link below doesn't work.)


At the end of the day, I'm happy to leave them on. Ask me again in 6 months and I may have a different answer. The reason I'm not painting the new Z06 tail lights is for eventual resale, so I think these were a good $70 alternative.

 

They look good and if you're happy thats all that really matters. It sure looks like the piece that doesn't sit right might fall out. I guess if it does, the decision to take them off will be made for you!

 

brother, you didn't listen to my post before attempting. They are supposed to slide up into the slit at the top of the tail light assembly. If you do that they will fit perfectly, no gap...

 

That's the thing, I did read your post. There was no way it was fitting with the plastic tail light bezel. I tried it numerous times off of the car and it was almost like the piece was too wide and was hitting the plastic clips on the bezel. I even had a friend (who's much better at making ballsy-moves during mod-installations) take a look at it, it just wasn't happening.

Fortunately, it is secure against the tail light and they dynamic geometry helps it all blend together and make it less noticeable.

I wouldn't say I'm super happy with the end product, but definitely content. Maybe not the best attitude for the project, but If it ends up driving me mad I'll remove it and try again.

Thanks for TRYING to help! We can say all the right things, but it's up to others to listen. Don't mind me over here with my fingers in my ears

 

I was reading this as am going to order these. I just checked my car and I see what SharkGrayStingray is saying about the installation. If you gently push in on the light lens there is a space between the lens and the trim piece to slip the lens. The ideal thing would be to remove the trim, install the lense, and then reinstall the trim. That is what I will do.

 

I just went out and looked at mine. It does have the overlap (gap) that yours does, but that's because of the design of the tail lights themselves. If you look at one that doesn't have the acrylic, it is a "3D" effect. These acrylics have to be a wall type situation so that the white light can't escape from the sides, if it were the exact size of the white portion. So yes, you did them correctly, but not to your standards (understandable). I will say, I bought mine from RPI, and my tape is top and bottom the length of the piece, and can't see the tape at all. The 3 small squares shouldn't be used in my opinion. Looks good though brother, no one will see what you see.

 

So does it slip under the trim at the top or not?

 

Yes, still slips under the trim slightly. Do dry fits with the tape backing still on each piece before you do it for good to get the idea of where you want it placed. Not difficult at all. I like the look and when the lights are on you can't even tell they're tinted. Still bright