same with me I have no idea how a damn fly got in my tails! Bad way to go . . .

 

so you took yours apart i presume then?

 

^^ WOW that looks really good.

skier... picture doesnt work

 

Yeah I cut mine apart.

 

where did you cut it any pics

 

details.. details.. i've been wanting to do this mod since the first time you guys were talking about months ago. I just didnt want to mess them up and have to replace them

 

NY - sorry about the pic heres where i would paint

 

that actually might look really good as long as it doesnt drip all over it

 

Well, I know what I am doing all of Sunday

 

if you do give this a try just take it easy the lens does crack pretty easily and dont heat the clear plastic it will cause it to bubble heat the grey plastic behind it, and then use a screwdriver (with the female side of some velcro on the tip) to gently pry the lense loose. if it doesnt want to loosen dont keep heating it take a break and let it cool for a little bit then reheat it... it will come loose easier this way... this is at least how i did it if anyone can think of a better way let me know b/c it totally destroyed one of the lights doing this.

 

I would like to try this.

 

ok so i have been working on the drivers side light for the last few hours and been taking it really easy. but i have found a little bit easier way of opening the light using this 3m product that i bought a walmart to remove the adhesive when i debaged my car its called 3m Adhesive and wax remover heres a pic of what it looks like



what you do i spray some in a coke cap and then with one of those small straws you use to stir coffee put some of it in the groove between the clear lense and the lip on the grey plastic

 

so are you still using heat in addition to this adhesive remover?
Let us know how that goes

 

well last night i started out using the heat gun but its an old one and it started shooting flames so i stoped using that not wanting to start a fire... then my buddy came up with the brillant idea to use this 3M stuff which seems to work pretty well i havent fully opened the light yet but i will take pics and let you guys know how it goes once i get it open...

 

You know, now that i seen this post...i just remember that there is a maxima with LED tail lights where I live they are nothing i've seen before, something real custom it looks wicked! i will try getting the info to see who made the custom work.

PS: I know this is not the topic...

Playero

 

i was actually thinking about doing an LED set up with these but i have no experience with electrical work so i would need alot of help...

 

That means I would have to take them off the car. I will try to show you off my 2000 SE's.

 

i just got a Dremmel today and was going to try to cut the light b/c having used the heat and adhesive remover i have gotten 2 small cracks in the lens and dont want anymore... so my question is for those who have cut these where did you cut them?

 

Nice job Derek, hope you can figure these tails out. My roomate wants to do open a set and do LEDs but we really haven't had time to try to open them up.

BTW Playero what ever happened to your LED project?? I know you had a set opened up and had LEDs all wired. What happened??? I've had this thread bookmarked forever haha.

 

I had taken about 7 pics on where I cut. Give me your e-mail and I will send them. I don't want to sit a upload all of them. Basically there's a lip that goes all the way around the light. I cut around that and followed the part where you would see if you opened the trunk. I used tape in the pics to get the idea.

 

E-mail them to me. bdua@bucknell.edu

I will host so everybody can see them.

 

send the pics to skierxx5556@yahoo.com

 

uhm...i lost my focus with the summer and then i just had them in the laundry room for like ever...is too much work...and just to know that i was almost done... When i get the info from this guy that has custom tails I will let you guys know they are real nice!

Playero

 

Pics are sent.

 

Yup. Here ya go:

 

 

I am not responsible for messing up the lights. The ones on the car now are the second set I bought.

 

so wait what are we looking at? the tape?

 

That's where I cut. There's a lip all the way around the light besides the flat lip which I just followed as best as I could. Take out your light and you will see.

 

So did anyone else try this????

I tried it and just cracked the corners of the lens and deformed the housing...what the hell.

 

yeah it is really dificult to open them with heat i destroyed my passenger side light! the drivers side i started to open with the heat gun and got 3 small cracks then i decided to give the dremel a try and opened it by cutting it... i know thats not the way i said i did it in the begining but it really seemed like the only way to do it without cracking it...

 

I think it's safe to say that, for now, the thread title should be changed to "You cannot open 02/03 tails." Sorry to say it, but it still sounds too risky.

 

I thought you opened them with the heat gun?

Why did you tell me to:

 

sorry dude i didnt mean to mislead you... they can be opend with a heat gun it is just a lot more time consuming and delicate when you try this way you have to becareful not to over heat them and not to pry to hard with the screw driver... i did partially open my drivers side with the heat gun (until it began shooting flames) then i saw how people had opend them with a dremel and finished the job with that... i feel bad i didnt mean to mislead you like that sorry about your lights man

 

polak, did you read this part?
he said he destroyed his tail lights. so its not totally his fault..

 

I didn't destroy my lights....I cracked the edges...(hardly noticable but looks like butt).

I didn't see the part where he switched from the heating gun to the dremmel.
I thought he messed one up heating it, and then got the other one open with heating and no damage.