Tail light lens repair

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DE80q
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Tail light lens repair

Post by DE80q »

I have a pretty good crack in a tail light lens. Anyone have a good mothod of repairing this? This crack goes from top to bottom, and the only thing holding it together is the back plate. I have found some pigmented epoxy designed for tail lights, but was looking for some BTDT.

Thanks
"If you can't find one, make one"

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varia
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Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by varia »

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

project 2226
DE80q
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Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by DE80q »

It looks like that worked quite well. Do you happen to know the OP of that thread? Hi would love to see how well it looks now after some time has passed with it in the UV rays of the sun. I would hate to see it spider out from exposure.
"If you can't find one, make one"

Dallastown, PA
1991 Audi 80 quattro (20vt project)
1991 Audi Coupe Quattro (project: my first 20v)
2007 Mitsubishi Raider(Dakota in disguise)
2019 Chevy Cruze RS hatch (wife's little red sporty car)
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PRY4SNO
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Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by PRY4SNO »

I'll PM you his email.
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DE80q
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Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:25 am
Location: York PA 17403

Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by DE80q »

I tried the solvent welding, and it worked pretty well. You can still see the crack, but I could only ask so much.

ImageThis is how the panel looks after wet sanding with 2000 grit paper.
Image

Anyone have some tips on a good plastic polish to use? This will be done by hand, as I really don't want to break it again.

Thanks
Last edited by DE80q on Mon Dec 28, 2015 11:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
"If you can't find one, make one"

Dallastown, PA
1991 Audi 80 quattro (20vt project)
1991 Audi Coupe Quattro (project: my first 20v)
2007 Mitsubishi Raider(Dakota in disguise)
2019 Chevy Cruze RS hatch (wife's little red sporty car)
DE80q
Posts: 2572
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:25 am
Location: York PA 17403

Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by DE80q »

Well with some compounding and liquid polish, this is the end result. Sorry, the best lighting in my apartment is in my bathroom...
Image
Image
"If you can't find one, make one"

Dallastown, PA
1991 Audi 80 quattro (20vt project)
1991 Audi Coupe Quattro (project: my first 20v)
2007 Mitsubishi Raider(Dakota in disguise)
2019 Chevy Cruze RS hatch (wife's little red sporty car)
32vquattro
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Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:17 am

Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by 32vquattro »

DE80q wrote:Well with some compounding and liquid polish, this is the end result. Sorry, the best lighting in my apartment is in my bathroom...
Image
Image


That came out looking like new, great job restoring that lense!
DE80q
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Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by DE80q »

Thanks, but i should have posted an uodate.

Now that it has been out in the sun, rain, and dirt, the crack has popped out visably. The next try will be to grind it out and lay in some pigmented epoxy. The hard part will be to match the color.
"If you can't find one, make one"

Dallastown, PA
1991 Audi 80 quattro (20vt project)
1991 Audi Coupe Quattro (project: my first 20v)
2007 Mitsubishi Raider(Dakota in disguise)
2019 Chevy Cruze RS hatch (wife's little red sporty car)
lorge1989
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Location: Buffalo, NY

Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by lorge1989 »

Why don't you spray clear coat on it after you fix the repair?

I'm thinking, fix the crack, wetsand down to 800 or so maybe even finer, then spray an automotive clear coat then buff.
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DE80q
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Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by DE80q »

The problem was the epoxy that I used to fill in the rest of the crack has turned a milky color. It was supposed to be an outdoor UV safe clear epoxy, but I guess it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped.

I may end up pulling it and listing it for sale. I like how t looks, but not enough to try my hand at modifying a bumper.
"If you can't find one, make one"

Dallastown, PA
1991 Audi 80 quattro (20vt project)
1991 Audi Coupe Quattro (project: my first 20v)
2007 Mitsubishi Raider(Dakota in disguise)
2019 Chevy Cruze RS hatch (wife's little red sporty car)
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themagellan
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Re: Tail light lens repair

Post by themagellan »

Came out amazing nice save
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