08-31-2012, 06:02 PM
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Several months ago, I knocked over the hydraulic control unit for my lift, and of course it fell against the car - the brake handle (just like a brake handle on a motorcycle) punched a hole right in my taillight lens! FFFFFFudge! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/whine.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
So, I bought a taillight unit from DC Automotive and installed it. But, it wasn't the same as my original unit for some reason... it was a different color of red/amber, and it just wasn't as bright. This bugged the absolute 5h1t out of me! Aaaargh!
I was always aware of it, and to make matters worse my employee who drives the Boxster noticed it last week, so today, I just couldn't take it any more. I retrieved the original taillight unit and did the following... Here's the broken part.
So I carved out a square section in line with the general serrations in the back of the lens... using my favorite tool, the Dremel.
You have to be very careful, because the taillight unit is double-walled in this section. Behind the red lens, there's *another* clear lens about 1/8" - 1/4" inside. Here's the first cutout just to get the cracked parts out, then I expanded it quite a bit to go from bottom to centerline (where the amber part begins). I didn't get a picture of that, unfortunately.
Then, I used acetone and 3M / Loctite glass glue on the edges of the cut to make it smooth and non-white. Those materials take the opaqueness out of the plastic so it won't show through in the final repair.
Finally, I used a lens repair kit (film, not tape) and I cut an angled piece of repair film to cover the hole I'd made, plus about 1/4" all the way around. I also used an imprinted film inside the lens with the image of serrations printed on it so it looks like actual lens material, and not just a clear piece of red plastic film. I was careful to make all the edges of the repair follow natural lines in the lens.
From the photos, you can see how reflective the original lens is inside (it's installed on the driver's side), and how faded the lens I bought from DC Auto is (sitting on top of the trunk). As on the passenger side, you can actually see sunlight reflected from inside the light assembly by the cups behind the light bulbs. On the one from DC Auto, it's almost as if there's no silver left inside the unit? Or, maybe that's how some of them came,... I don't know. They both work, it's just that they weren't both the *same*.
This isn't a permanent thing, but it'll do until I can buy a new set of matching taillights. Oh, and yes, I have moved the control unit of the lift *far* away from the car.
So, I bought a taillight unit from DC Automotive and installed it. But, it wasn't the same as my original unit for some reason... it was a different color of red/amber, and it just wasn't as bright. This bugged the absolute 5h1t out of me! Aaaargh!
I was always aware of it, and to make matters worse my employee who drives the Boxster noticed it last week, so today, I just couldn't take it any more. I retrieved the original taillight unit and did the following... Here's the broken part.
So I carved out a square section in line with the general serrations in the back of the lens... using my favorite tool, the Dremel.
You have to be very careful, because the taillight unit is double-walled in this section. Behind the red lens, there's *another* clear lens about 1/8" - 1/4" inside. Here's the first cutout just to get the cracked parts out, then I expanded it quite a bit to go from bottom to centerline (where the amber part begins). I didn't get a picture of that, unfortunately.
Then, I used acetone and 3M / Loctite glass glue on the edges of the cut to make it smooth and non-white. Those materials take the opaqueness out of the plastic so it won't show through in the final repair.
Finally, I used a lens repair kit (film, not tape) and I cut an angled piece of repair film to cover the hole I'd made, plus about 1/4" all the way around. I also used an imprinted film inside the lens with the image of serrations printed on it so it looks like actual lens material, and not just a clear piece of red plastic film. I was careful to make all the edges of the repair follow natural lines in the lens.
From the photos, you can see how reflective the original lens is inside (it's installed on the driver's side), and how faded the lens I bought from DC Auto is (sitting on top of the trunk). As on the passenger side, you can actually see sunlight reflected from inside the light assembly by the cups behind the light bulbs. On the one from DC Auto, it's almost as if there's no silver left inside the unit? Or, maybe that's how some of them came,... I don't know. They both work, it's just that they weren't both the *same*.
This isn't a permanent thing, but it'll do until I can buy a new set of matching taillights. Oh, and yes, I have moved the control unit of the lift *far* away from the car.
