[PapaBravo]

Excellent stuff KartikK. Very well narrated. Kudos for handling it all alone. Five stars indeed.

In case you are think Punto tail-lamps have a crease which makes it difficult. Just imagine doing it on a BRIO.

Photo for reference only :

[vvb8530]

Originally Posted by canonball

Hey vvb, count me in if it is the aqua,blue I see on some KL cars not the dark blue, but the light blue green seen on pete's modded Ertiga. Thx

Hey Canonball,

Even i am looking out for the light aqua blue and not the deep blue. I got the inspiration to get it done on my ride after seeing the pics of the KL cars myself. This guy that i have ordered from told me that there is only one shade of blue that he can get, i have told him that i will only use it if its light blue. I shall keep you posted and if right then i can share his details with you.

VVB

[canonball]

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[Abhi_abarth]

@karthik
And I was thinking this was the only thing pending in your car.

The main concern on this modification is on the visibility during night. Also, is this allowed ? I mean do the Traffic or RTA cops fine you ?

[W.A.G.7]

Hey! That's a cool DIY, that we can try at home. Brilliant! It's nice to learn that you don't have to spend a fortune to get the lamps smoked; and also it can be done on a Sunday @ home, without taking the car anywhere outside. Thanks for sharing this nice tutorial+FAQ. Another good addition to an already hot looking hatch.

[mkpiyengar]

Hey Karthik,
The car looks wonderful brother. Congrats !!

As I saw the photo from the front after the smoking effect i wondered Oh MY GOD what did you do here ?

Luckily in the very next step you removed it...Hats off to your efforts, even though you spend so much time/money, if it did not suit the car you had the courage to remove it !! A True Car Fan !!

The rear looks stunning now with a clean sweep with amazing tints !! Hope you can roam around without being harassed by cops.. You see the film rule is applicable only for Cars and not for bus/taxi/cabs etc !!

Cheers
MKP

[ImprezaFan]

Karthik, that is one awesome DIY, so is the description on how it was done. I understand you have "tons of patience" as mentioned, since you managed to do all this alone AND take pics/videos at every step. Good decision to peel off the headlamp tint.

For the lazy ones among us (including myself ), the bubbles around creases may be removed by poking on the bubble just enough to let the air out. I've seen this being done for matt black stickers (on my bumper) and the hole is not visible after 1 month. However, the effect of this technique on Tints is unknown.

[Fullrevs]

Grear DIY review Karthikk! Have followed the link you have given and ordered a pair for my CRV. Will put up pics of the job done once i receive the tint (which I think will be here tomorrow). Hoping to get off work early and get it installed if its delivered tommorrow.

Hoping to get halo rims for the front with a blackened housing. This should help solve my problem for blackened headlamps.

[Nuract123]

Hi KKarthik,
The rear looks good. Good you realized the front didn't work. What about the safety aspect from the rear? I drive the same car (June '12
Punto sport) and the brakes are pretty good - remember atleast couple of times when somebody would have rear-ended me when I had braked hard! If a lax driver is behind you, especially in rain/fog, brake light intensity does matter! One more point - that ABARTH sticker on the front bumper - you should cut the front trim line along the fog lamps - the vertical end is an eyesore!

So when the actual ABARTH is out, we wont be able to differentiate your car from the ABARTH (atleast from the rear)

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[S.MJet]

Hey Karthik, excellent job there.

Hats off to your DIY skills & equally well narrated thread.

Appreciate your concern for safety. After giving so much of time (& money), decision to immediately strip-off headlamp tints would have been a tough one for you.

Cheers

[sukhoi30]

Isn't this dangerous? I mean, in Indian roads/conditions, these tints can mask the visibility of the car. For e.g. during heavy rains and in foggy conditions, people cannot make out the rear lights clearly. Note that in addition to the brake light, the reflector in the rear acts as kind of warning to following cars. As for the front lights, it is already hard for us to see the markings at night ... it will become even more difficult with a tint.
Well, every one have their own taste, but I will definitely refrain from adding tints to my car lights.
But, the DIY was well written and explained so kudos to that.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

Isn't this dangerous? I mean, in Indian roads/conditions, these tints can mask the visibility of the car. For e.g. during heavy rains and in foggy conditions, people cannot make out the rear lights clearly.

If the tints are dark enough to allow the lamps to go unnoticed in bright sunlight, yes. If not, it doesn't make a difference. There was probably a ~10% loss of tail lamp light strength after the tinting, which is negligible. Here's a picture of the stop lamps and brake lights on. Brake lights are tinted, stop lamp is not.

For laymen behind my car, the difference of tinting vis-a-vis otherwise is not even perceptible .

I leave the choice entirely to individuals. It may depend on individual liking and even on the usage pattern of the vehicle. For me, the Punto is primarily used in choc-a-bloc traffic, so the 10% negligible loss in taillamp brightness is acceptable to me. Others may feel otherwise, I respect that. Either way, I wouldn't generalize. I'd pointed out the cons in the FAQ section, the rest is left to individuals' discretion.

Note that in addition to the brake light, the reflector in the rear acts as kind of warning to following cars.

The reflectors in the Punto are not part of the tail lamp cluster. They are horizontal strips at the bottom of the rear bumper. Tinting reflector lamps would be a stupid move, inviting trouble when the car is parked on dark, unlit roads. That's something I would never venture towards doing.

As for the front lights, it is already hard for us to see the markings at night ... it will become even more difficult with a tint.

True. Front tints weren't too practical even for me, which was why I stripped them off the very same day. Lighter tints would be okay for people who value the cosmetic enhancement.

But, the DIY was well written and explained so kudos to that.

Thanks a lot for the wishes, glad you liked it.

[balenopower]

Very nicely put up thread Karthikk, nice enough to make me order a roll for myself and a friend. I guess Munish Gupta from Ebay will be thankful to you for the sudden sale of smoked films.

[salbin]

Nice write-up KarthikK.
The outcome is excellent.
2 years back, I had chosen the irreversible way to smoke the tail lamps - VHT Niteshade spray and DuPont Clear coat over it.
I had put the details in my Chevy Beat ownership thread. Here is the link:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2347141

[balenopower]

Well my procedure dint go as smooth. I forgot to take into consideration that the City's tail light isn't as simple as the punto's and goes from the rear to the side. The fold is simply not managable with the film and its thickness doesent help either. So after a lot of fidgeting just put it on a certain section of the tail lamp :(