How remove paint from pianted taillights?

[exSedan]

so the previous owner of my car tried to be cool and spraypainted the taillights black. i had been wanting to restore them back to original because i dont like the look but havent had time. but a couple days ago i got a fix-it ticket and now im obligated to fix them. does anyone know how to restore them back to the original finish? any help will be appreciated.

 

[Deezy]

Are they tinted on the inside, or out??

 

[exSedan]

im pretty sure its on the outside

 

[r0nin]

hmmmmm. without damaging the lights? only thing i can think of would be try to buff it with a coarser cloth and see if you can rub the paint off without scratching the lenses. provided the previous owner didnt scratch the lights to make the paint stick.

could also try soaking something on it first to try and loosen the paint graffiti remover?

i've heard thru the interdwebz something called paint for plastic primers or close to it makes it start to flake with some scrubbing.

good luck

 

[Deezy]

Wet sand.. Start with around 1000 grit, and work you way to 2000...

 

[exSedan]

can i just sand the paint down with a high grit sandpaper and then use a rubbing compound? would that damage them?

 

[crash!]

My buddy said he used nail polish remover. I think it was acetone based, but he's a guy and doesn't know about that stuff(:

But he tinted his tails using tint paint, not like actual spraypaint.

 

[ItsDetox]

nail polish remover and a wash cloth.. ive done it and it works.

 

[Keithsjr]

if worst comes to worst just buy new ones you can get some nice ones for like $80

 

[SGGilmo]

same thing happen with my old prelude. the guy i bought the car from had painted the tail lights black to the point that you could barley see the lights at night. i ended up taking aircraft remover to them. it kinda melted the lights though. i didnt care. the driver side one was cracked and needed to be replaced anyway.

 

[exSedan]

i was thinkin about using that aircraft remover stuff but i was afraid that would happen.

 

[ghost_xero]

omg this is so easy

u can use acetone based nail polish remover, pb blaster, brake fluid or carb cleaner...no matter which u use, wash the surface afterwards.....

 

[1993DX]

I've used brake fluid and paper towel.. With the lights OFF the car of course. Brake fluid can damage surfaces if you leave it on a long time. But it removes the paint fast, and if you clean it well afterwards there aren't any issues. Then wet sand and buff with plastic rubbing compound or with regular car wax.

Worked great for me, and most people have an old bottle of brake fluid and car polish somewhere.

The lights are clean and smooth, and have held up great without fogging or distortion for years.

 

[purple_eg6]

i have put gas on a rag befor and rubbed it on it always worked for me

 

[1993DX]

i have put gas on a rag befor and rubbed it on it always worked for me

Ah, yes.. Gasoline, the universal cleaner.

 

[ffrroger_01]

I had to strip the black paint off of my tail lights last night as it did not pass inspection. I used brake part cleaner and 320gr sand paper until I got all the paint off the 400gr 600gr 800gr then 1500 gr sand paper to get all the scratches out. I then used the headlight restoration kit on the tail lights and when I brought the car back for inspection the guys there thought I hap purchased new lights. The hardest part was getting the black off the lights after that it went by quickly. To speed up the paint removal you could use a coarser grit paper however it will increase the time sanding to get the deeper scratches out.