Noob Needs Help with Tail Lights
 

Hey there everyone, I just bought the 99 spec tail lamps and inside the lamp is quite dirty and the lens is scratched up. I was wondering if anyone was from the bay area and could give me a hand to first clean inside and then swap the lens for me ( from the original to the 99) Last time I tried to take off my old lens I cracked it cuz i guess i didnt heat it hot enough. Yes i know I am a noob and I am in need of your help :D Thanks
-Jon

how bad are the scratches...you might be able to use some rubbing compound to get rid of the scratches.

They are not that bad...it does seem like it can be rubbed off..but then again I want to open the lens from the lamp because inside is really dirty..ull notice it too if u saw... thanks tho ttb maybe Ill see u around here sometime.

The inside lense shouldn't be scratched unless it was opened and converted to 99 spec poorly. You need a heat gun from Home Depot to open up the light assembly. Use a screw driver to open up the silicon sealing.

Be careful if you use a screwdriver too. I used a screwdriver on a set a LONG time ago once, and it actually cracked a piece off of the light (don't worry, it wasn't a customer set ;) ). Haven't used one since, and haven't cracked any since either.

If the lights are dirty, the only real way I could see to clean them would be to take them apart like others have said. It's odd to see dirt get all the way inside the lights. Are the scratches on the outside lense, or the inner red and yellow lenses?

the scratches are on the outside lens, but it also looks to be taken apart because there is a lot of dust,dirt within the outside lens to the red and yellow lenses..pardon my terrible grammar

Last time I use 3M hand liquid wax. Its work great for me. You may try it.:cool:

If you are wanting to get the dust from inside the lens you will need to get a good heat gun...First unscrew 8 screws (I think it's 8) on the back of the light assembly then heat it up nicely to get the guey/glue stuff soft. it will take some time with a hot heat gun....be sure not to hold the heat gun too close to the plastic or in one place too long or it will melt the plastic...Once you have it heated up nicely pull from the side which goes towards the center of the car...not the rounded edge. It's much easier to pull from the not rounded part...

Good luck!

to get rid of the scratches you need to first apply aluminum polish follow with a coat of clear plastic polish. The aluminum polish is a lil rougher and the plastic polish will smooth out any imperfection. As for the dirt and stuff inside the lens, I would first try rinsing it with some sort of solvent or cleaning solutions, opening it just to to have it cleaned is a little unecessary IMO.

Thanks for all your help fellas. I really appreciated it :biggrin:

who the hell did you buy the lights from? id recommend sending them back to him to clean the dirt out from inside of them and take out the scratches himself.

dirt inside the lenses is not a normal part of the bootleg 99-spec conversion, no matter how ricey people might tell you it is to be buying fake jdm taillights...

they came from used from hong kong i think. I helped |aFk| LiMiTz install the 99jspecs at my house. John sounds like another project for us haha. Ill help you out with it.

hmm damned ebay....but its so damn addicting to buy stuff there..got no clue why...well the seller had 55 postives, no neutrals and no negatives..so it seemed pretty cool..well I dunno anymore