[sirdaft1]

Due to the many PM's I've gotten, I decided to post up a quick little DIY on how I modified my OEM pre-lci tails to have more of an LCI/MARS style look and get rid of the outdated white inner tails. It's uber easy and can be done in 30-45 minutes. This DIY uses a permanent red spray paint, that retains a much cleaner look over the vinyl wrap approach.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage that may be done to your vehicle. This is purely information and you are doing this at your own risk.

Time: 30-45 minutes

Materials/tools needed:
- Masking tape - $3
- Krylon Red Stained Glass spray paint (can be ordered on Amazon or found at Hobby Lobby- pic below) - $12
- Razorblade

Red Krylon stained glass spray paint (it will have a red cap):


Note before starting: If you only plan to do one coat, you only need to spray the inner tails only. Do not spray the outer tails unless you plan to do two coats on the inners! One coat on inners = no coats on outers. Two coats on inners = one coat on the outers, otherwise they will not be an exact match! Muy importante!

STEPS
1) Mask off the tails with tape and use newspaper or paper towels if necessary. Be sure to mask off enough to avoid getting overspray on your car.

2) Clean off your tail lights. I just used a clean old T-shirt and wiped down the tails until they were completely clean. You can also use some kind of cleaner, but I didn't find that it was necessary. If you do, just make sure that the tails are totally dry before spray painting them.

3) Now it's time for the "hardest" part of the job: the clear reverse light section. I placed masking tape onto the tail light and used a pen to get an outline of the shape. I found it easiest to follow the contour of the tail light for the outline. Here's what my masking tape looked like for the passenger side...



4) I kept the tape on the tails and cut the outline out with the razor blade very lightly. If you mess up, you can always apply more masking tape. Once finished cutting, make sure the tape is pressed on firmly especially around the edges.

5) Now you're ready to spray paint. If you've never sprayed before, it might be a good idea to do some test sprays onto something else to practice.

Once ready, give the inner portion of the tails a spray. Give the inners a nice coat but be careful not to hit them too much or else they will drip. Once done, allow them 30 minutes to dry.

6) Once dry, remove all of the masking tape/newspaper. You may want to use a razor blade to remove the tape from the reverse lights. VOILA! You're done!

[SCMalum]

This looks great! Nice DIY - I'd 100% do this if I didn't have my blacklines

[ssdara]

Nice DIY! Are the white strips for legality reasons, I think all red would be more sick! From the pics it looks like the color matches really well, unless I'm mistaken? No clear coat or protectant on top to protect against sun damage, etc?

[Route 16]

hmm

[sirdaft1]

SCMalum
This looks great! Nice DIY - I'd 100% do this if I didn't have my blacklines

Thanks!

ssdara
Nice DIY! Are the white strips for legality reasons, I think all red would be more sick! From the pics it looks like the color matches really well, unless I'm mistaken? No clear coat or protectant on top to protect against sun damage, etc?

Much appreciated! I'm not sure of the legality of the clear reverse strips, I'd have a hard time believing that a police officer would ever ticket you for going all red even if it was illegal (don't hold me to that). I did it to mimic the LCI style tails that have that small clear strip. I'm also a fan of the contrast vs all one color and feel like they retain a nice clean OEM look. I actually got a compliment from a good buddy today who is a fellow BMW enthusiast who said that they looked 100% stock.

Route 16
hmm

Nice! Is that yours? If so did you DIY?

[Route 16]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

Thanks!
Nice! Is that yours? If so did you DIY?

Yes it's mine. I opted for the permanent route. Had a shop paint the whole thing cherry red, clear coat, and left a small bar just for the white reverse bulb. End result, superb, I didn't know it would look all red which is good. True, the cops must see a white reverse bulb so I would recommend changing the bulb to white LED. Not just for looks but safety.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by Route 16

Yes it's mine. I opted for the permanent route. Had a shop paint the whole thing cherry red, clear coat, and left a small bar just for the white reverse bulb. End result, superb, I didn't know it would look all red which is good. True, the cops must see a white reverse bulb so I would recommend changing the bulb to white LED. Not just for looks but safety.

Clean rear end! Love it!

[NightStalker]

Very nice, looks super clean compared to just making the lights darker

[jwong77]

Don't even have an e90 but wanted to chime on in the great job you did. Well done!

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by jwong77

Don't even have an e90 but wanted to chime on in the great job you did. Well done!

Thanks!

['02onthebrain]

Very slick. What method did you go with? One or two coats?

And how long have you had it on? Any lightening with sun or rain or salt?

[BOOSTHOT]

Been done since day one. I used Lamin-X though. Accidentally ordered an extra roll if any one wants it for 20 bucks shipped. Retails 30.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by '02onthebrain

Very slick. What method did you go with? One or two coats?

And how long have you had it on? Any lightening with sun or rain or salt?

Just PM'd you back, but I went with two coats on the inners, one coat on the outers. And zero issues with fading since they were done.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by BOOSTHOT

Been done since day one. I used Lamin-X though. Accidentally ordered an extra roll if any one wants it for 20 bucks shipped. Retails 30.

Nice little e85 fill up! :-)

[BOOSTHOT]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

Nice little e85 fill up! :-)

Yessir

[SoCalHarley]

Question... You did spray the entire inner tail or just the clear section. Looks great and do you recommend spraying 2 coats inner 1 outer or just the 1 inner approach. I would think it would look more consistent if both sides were sprayed. Thanks.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by SoCalHarley

Question... You did spray the entire inner tail or just the clear section. Looks great and do you recommend spraying 2 coats inner 1 outer or just the 1 inner approach. I would think it would look more consistent if both sides were sprayed. Thanks.

I've done it both ways and I would recommend only one coat to the entire inner portion and none on the outers. Painting the outers really darkens them up (unless you want that look). Otherwise just paint the entire inner portion- both the red and clear areas and it matches the stock outers almost perfectly.

[SoCalHarley]

Perfect. Thanks for the input. Paint on order.

[SoCalHarley]

One more question. I really like the all red look as shown on Route 16's car. Does the backup lights still illuminate well or do you need the clear strip for them to be effective?

[fastaction]

there is VHT red tailight tint available to do the job as well

[SoCalHarley]

Originally Posted by fastaction

there is VHT red tailight tint available to do the job as well

I did not know that was available. i would imagine it must match pretty well as it is specifically made to match the red lens of the tail light. The Krylon looks like a good match as well. Hopefully it will turn out good.

[relentlessone]

Nice job! Makes me wish I didn't sell my stock lights when I got my Depo Blacklines. It would be nice to swap back and forth.