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Anyone ever tinted their headlight lens?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by mediahound, Jan 20, 2014.

  1. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    I just spoke to a car vinyl guy about smoking my tail lights and he said he also recommends doing the headlights, although certainly not super dark, just like a 70%. He said the film goes on top of the headlight lens and aside from it looking a bit cooler than stock, it also helps to protect the lens from rock chips, etc.

    He said it doesn't darken the light output of the headlights or affect the heat dissipation or anything and he has been using it on his cars for years (and swears by it, etc, etc.).

    Should I do it?
     
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  2. peterjmc

    peterjmc Ping pong in Ding Dang...

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    You could also get clear film applied to the headlight. I'd go for it if you want the tinted headlight look.
     
  3. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    Yeah, a clear bra guy told me this too. He says technically you are not supposed to put any film on headlights, but he does it all the time.

    Is it really okay in terms of heat, etc?
     
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  4. peterjmc

    peterjmc Ping pong in Ding Dang...

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    Yes, perfectly fine.
     
  5. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    Stupid mod, in my opinion.

    If it looks darker it lets out less light. Why would you want your headlights to be dimmer?
     
  6. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    Apparently, you don't even notice a difference. At leasts that's what they claim.
     
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  7. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    That's because they're probably using HID kits as well, which put out about 3 times the light of halogen bulbs.
     
  8. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    I'm already running a better bulb than stock and it is noticeably brighter than the crappy Silvania bulbs that came in the car. I sorta feel like even with a light headlight tinting, it's probably still going to be no less bright than what the car came with.
     
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  9. zhenya

    zhenya Active Member

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    Sorry, have to agree with the 'stupid mod' comment.
     
  10. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    It's up to you, but it defeats the purpose of putting in a more expensive bulb just for looks (the tint).

    Something else to consider if you tint your headlight lenses. Don't hit a pedestrian or other vehicle at night while tinted headlights are being used. The other party's lawyers will just love the fact that you darkened the output of the safety system your car was required to have.

    True story. An HPU student here in Hawaii was crossing the road at night, in a marked crosswalk at a traffic signal, and was run over by a driver in a BMW, who didn't stop and fled the scene. She died. Later, when they caught the guy and showed footage of the BMW being towed away to be processed for evidence, it was obvious that the car's headlights were darkly tinted or "smoked". The guy was probably driving impaired and speeding as well, but maybe he didn't see the poor girl till it was too late, maybe he didn't see her at all, but who knows? Anyway, if I was the lawyer for the girl's family, I certainly would point out the fact that the BMW was illegally modified with the headlight tint.
     
  11. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    A lot of cars don't even come stock with a completely clear headlight lens though. I don't think BMW, Mercedes or any of the super high end cars do. They all have a light tint on them from the factory.

    The kind of tint we're talking about here is not something you would see and say 'look at those tinted headlights'. You would not even notice it.

    Sorta like:

    [​IMG]

    Stock BMW, has slightly smoked lenses from factory.
     
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  12. zhenya

    zhenya Active Member

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    Do they actually tint their lenses? I'm not so sure - got any examples?

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Anyhow, huge difference when this is designed from the factory with specific optical goals in mind that will be tested and measured before production and just throwing some aftermarket tint on there.
     
  13. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Yes, but that is the difference, they come that way from the factory. Anything you apply to the headlight lens is a modification, even technically, a clear material. I'm not personally against light tinting of headlight and tail light lenses. I just wanted to give you something to think about.
     
  14. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    Yep, each of these is a light smoke tint.
     
  15. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    If you want to make them appear darker, the best option is to bake the headlight and spray the interior of the housing black.

    I did that on my old xB headlights. (and yes, I know that I painted part of the reflector, this was actually to combat H4 HID glare and create a cutoff before I got my shielded bi-xenons... it actually worked quite well)
    [​IMG]

    I don't have a great pic of them reassembled, but they did look quite a bit darker than stock.
    [​IMG]
     
  16. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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    Easier said than done, the Gen III Prius comes with a completely sealed headlight assembly. The only way to open it is to bake it in an oven to loosen the seal and then pry it open. Then you have to bake it again to seal it back.

    Afterwards, you may have issues with the now damaged seal.

    It's something that's possible:

    DIY: How to black-out the headlights on a 2010+ Prius | Balancing Act

    But I'm certainly not going to try.
     
  17. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Tinted headlights are probably the least of the guy's worries having killed her.
     
  18. burstaneurysm

    burstaneurysm Active Member

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    Yeah. Baking it really isn't that hard. I'm tempted to try on the Prius, but I'd certainly try to source a backup set of headlights.
    200 degrees for 15 minutes is enough to soften the adhesive enough to pull the lens. I've done half dozen or so xB units and never had a fogging problem.
     
  19. Grren4ever

    Grren4ever Active Member

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    I would leave them stock. Best not to mess around with things unless u r looking for trouble
     
  20. mediahound

    mediahound Active Member

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