So i've recieved a new pair of tail light lenses and after putting them on i've had issues with the tail lights almost falling off..
It can come off very easily just lightly pulling on them, so i'm aware that i'm going to have to re-glue them to the housings.. But I figure if i'm doing this I might as well take apart the lense to clean entirely.
My general question after cleaning the tail lights is that once i'm finished, what should I use to glue the parts back together, and should I completely seal every opening? Or should I have some spots open to let "breathe"?
Thanks
Jeff
when i did mine, i took everything completely apart and cleaned it. then i took the tail light panel (not the lens or reflective part) and repainted it. be careful, it is hard to get out and can crack.
as far as putting it back together, i used strip caulk all the way around (like factory) and silicone in the corners to help the bonding. its been about a year now and no problems. they look and hold great.
So did you seal the lense completely, or leave spaces in between the caulking & silocone to let a little bit of airflow in..?
I'm thinking to just seal it completely to prevent rain and dust from getting in
i ran a continuous bead of strip caulk around the lens. the silicone in all the corners was just there to help hold it together better. it should be sealed pretty well, it is sturdy and won't be coming apart. there probably is some airflow. it wasnt like i ran a huge glob of silicone continously around it and then put it back together which would create no airflow.
idk if airflow is needed though. i just did it like the factory did with a little bit of structural reinforcement.
If you look at the bottom of the lights you will see several triangular notches that should be left open.
Gotcha.
Well I tried to clean them.. But I couldn't get the inside pieces out. Is there a certain way of doing it..? I don't want to bend the pieces and have them snap in half, how great that'd be.
Is there some tool someone who's maybe done this could recommend using so that I don't snap my pieces while trying to do this?
Thanks in advance
Jeff
yea i had the same problem they are glued around the corners
best suggestion i can give you is a heat gun, screwdriver, and be careful
When I did mine I kind of took a screwdriver and broke the glue loose then they came right out. But it is nerve wrecking, you think they are going to break and I guess they could. Mine ended up OK.
I'll give it a go with my old pair of tail lights and see what happens..
By glue do you mean like superglue type of stuff that you can't really see?
Yes,
The glue that holds the black louvered trim in side etc. is almost clear and very hard to spot.
As you get it loose it will let out with a loud CRACK and you will be sure you broke something, but as mentioned by someone else already, I managed to get mine apart without breaking anything.