Smoking the lights

[Kor]

Re: Smoking the lights

Who cares if its legal.

On the other hand, I will also chime in that once you've done it once you inevitably decide that you wish you hadn't and/or never do it again.

To me this is a symptom of being bored and thinking "I need something to mod"

[turbomeyers]

Re: Smoking the lights

Pretty sure it's illegal to lower your car as well

not the case its illegal to alter the suspension in a way that can reduce the vehicles ability to maneuver in a emergency or panic situation . (so jacking up the vehicle , removing sway bars or shocks )

[Buba49211]

Re: Smoking the lights

My car taillights are currently tinted. I didn't wanna go the with vht because i wanted it to have the EXACT same look for both. I got mine tinted at shadow tint with their 3m light tint film. IMO it looks great.

[CGDoig]

Re: Smoking the lights

I used the 3m film too. Different shades available. Easily applied with a heat gun and easily removed. Looks good if you do it right too.

[Jim]

Re: Smoking the lights

I've done it a million times using VHT. I did stock mk6 tails and taped off the reverse light and did a very light coat. Just like you said, a "haze" to darken them up. They arent black at all, they are a deep cherry. It gets easier and easier to understand how the spray reacts.

If you go ahead and do it...it dries a bit darker than it looks, so if you think "one more coat"...dont.

[MechEngg]

Re: Smoking the lights

Pretty sure its also illegal to alter your headlights in any way. Even if it does produce a better light output, its no longer DOT approved. So talking about legal matter in this case is kind of pointless

I agree that legality isn't a huge factor in the aftermarket world. However the factor comes in when something is done to either enhance or decrease safety. For instance:

- Blacked out tinted taillights make it hard to see brake lights, which can lead to being rear ended.
- Lightly tinted taillights still allow you to see brake lights, therefore don't pose a risk to your safety on the road.
This can be quantitatively measured against the standard to see if it complies or not (even though it isn't approved by the DOT) and blacked out tail lights will not pass, lightly tinted ones most likely will.

- HIDs in stock headlights blind other people on the road, which can lead to unsafe conditions for other drivers.
- HIDs in projector headlights (retrofits) provide good output in a legal type fashion, however due to the cost of getting a single set certified it isn't worth it or i would get them DOT approved.
Again this can be quantitatively measured against the DOT standard for output at certain grid points above and below the focal point.

- Dual orange turn signals in your headlights is changing your headlight as well, even though the only purpose is to provide other drivers with better visibility of your actions.

All of the above are ILLEGAL, however the reason behind why they are illegal is different. In one situation they are safe and follow the specific output standards, in the other situation they have the ability to pose hazards on the road. I feel that both your headlights and mine are done well with the output standard in mind and won't create hazardous conditions on the road.

[Canadian_R]

Re: Smoking the lights

LED tails look good and don't compromise safety...

[Danaldson]

Re: Smoking the lights

unfortunately led tails on a mk4 do not look good at all. i still recommend going to jeff, its easily removable if you dont like it, and it looks good. ive said this in other threads before, but i originally had my tails tinted at shadow tint, and it was wayyyy to dark. i ripped it off, and got it redone by jeff. just a light smoke and it would look good with the theme you are looking for thor.

[Jim]

Re: Smoking the lights

I've also removed VHT before. Which is a nice thing about it. Next meet you will see my mkvi with VHT on the tails

[P Arkus]

Re: Smoking the lights

I agree that legality isn't a huge factor in the aftermarket world. However the factor comes in when something is done to either enhance or decrease safety. For instance:

- Blacked out tinted taillights make it hard to see brake lights, which can lead to being rear ended.
- Lightly tinted taillights still allow you to see brake lights, therefore don't pose a risk to your safety on the road.
This can be quantitatively measured against the standard to see if it complies or not (even though it isn't approved by the DOT) and blacked out tail lights will not pass, lightly tinted ones most likely will.

- HIDs in stock headlights blind other people on the road, which can lead to unsafe conditions for other drivers.
- HIDs in projector headlights (retrofits) provide good output in a legal type fashion, however due to the cost of getting a single set certified it isn't worth it or i would get them DOT approved.
Again this can be quantitatively measured against the DOT standard for output at certain grid points above and below the focal point.

- Dual orange turn signals in your headlights is changing your headlight as well, even though the only purpose is to provide other drivers with better visibility of your actions.

All of the above are ILLEGAL, however the reason behind why they are illegal is different. In one situation they are safe and follow the specific output standards, in the other situation they have the ability to pose hazards on the road. I feel that both your headlights and mine are done well with the output standard in mind and won't create hazardous conditions on the road.

Either way, bringing up the legal aspect of it is pointless. I fully agree that if they are too dark and you cant see sh!t through them, it poses a danger, but thats up to the OP to decide how extreme he wants to go. Most of us have something done to our cars illegally so I doubt anyone would really care about the law.

As for getting it done, I say either contact Jeff and get the 3m (awesome product) or pitch Jim a few beers and ask him to help you. I've never seen a nicer set of tails done with VHT than the ones Jim did.

[Jim]

Re: Smoking the lights

Awe Patryk, you're making me blush

I'll do it for a coffee

[Danaldson]

Re: Smoking the lights

i was about to day the same thing pat, i havent seen a better set of tail lights done with vht.

[MechEngg]

Re: Smoking the lights

Either way, bringing up the legal aspect of it is pointless. I fully agree that if they are too dark and you cant see sh!t through them, it poses a danger, but thats up to the OP to decide how extreme he wants to go. Most of us have something done to our cars illegally so I doubt anyone would really care about the law.

As for getting it done, I say either contact Jeff and get the 3m (awesome product) or pitch Jim a few beers and ask him to help you. I've never seen a nicer set of tails done with VHT than the ones Jim did.

The only reason i bring it up is so people can use the information to make an informed decision.

[Talky]

Re: Smoking the lights

Either way, bringing up the legal aspect of it is pointless. I fully agree that if they are too dark and you cant see sh!t through them, it poses a danger, but thats up to the OP to decide how extreme he wants to go. Most of us have something done to our cars illegally so I doubt anyone would really care about the law.

As for getting it done, I say either contact Jeff and get the 3m (awesome product) or pitch Jim a few beers and ask him to help you. I've never seen a nicer set of tails done with VHT than the ones Jim did.

I think in the case of safety the legality becomes quite important. If you get rear ended the other person's insurance company could find you responsible due to your tail lights. This could void your insurance as well...kind of important if you ask me

[dubwerkz]

Re: Smoking the lights

Would be interested in having my tails done with the 3m film... Who would I contact?