Difficult Headlight & Tail Light Installations

We won’t lie to you, it is difficult to install film on some headlights and tail lights. We have a rating on all of our precut kits for their difficulty. The difficulty is rated from one to five squeegees: one is easy and five being large compound curved lights. When you order a kit that has a four or five squeegee rating, the installation can be tricky, and sometimes downright frustrating. We won’t lie, we have been there too. Since we have been there before, we would like to extend some tips and tricks of the trade to you.

Difficult Installations- Where to Start?

This is a good question, because starting the kit in the right spot can be absolutely crucial to having a good installation. We recommend you start on the largest curve of the lens. Dividing your installation on the largest curve will help to minimize bunching later on.

Peeling Back Even if you start the film in the right spot, you may experience bunching of the film. You can peel back the film over and over again to aid in removing the bunches of film. Be careful when pulling the film back; pull gently because pulling to hard can damage the film or lens.

Heating

On some lights it is helpful to heat the film slightly during installation. Heating the film makes the film more pliable, and helps the film to lay smoothly. A simple hair dryer will do the trick. If you don’t have a hair dryer (perhaps you ran out of hair?), try installing on a warm day.

Trimming

Trimming a kit can be just as difficult as installation on a tricky light. First, when using heat (or installing on a warm day) you should let the film cool before trimming. If the film is warm it will sometimes bunch up around the blade. After the film cools, make sure the film is laying flat on the lens. Cutting the film through fingers (in the film not on your hand) will result in a jagged edge. We recommend squeegeeing the film down directly before trimming to help eliminate any fingers, and subsequent jagged edges, in the film.

Difficult Installations- It is Possible!

We did not write this blog to discourage you from installing film; quite the opposite! Using creativity, seemingly impossible lights can still be given the Lamin-x treatment. Some methods include using relief cuts, splicing/overlapping pieces, or covering only certain portions of the light to change its overall appearance. The most important thing to remember is: we are here to help. Any questions, comments, or concerns, let us know. If you screwed up an install, give us a call. We are glad to help you in any way we can. -Your Lamin-x Team