Hi Everyone, I thougt I'd post a fast DIY that will improve the looks of any 3X8 Ferrari. Lots of cars out there have taillights that are dirty but in actually really good condition. Cleaning the outside is easy using some plastic polish but the insides get dirty over time and a simple cleaning can go a long way to making the lights look new and shiny. Some people here have placed their lights in the dishwasher to clean them but that can be quite a harsh environment that can be damaging to the old plastic of the lights. Also it does not scrub the junk that accumulates over time on the inside of the light. For this DIY I cleaned the inside of the lights but how do you access the inside and scrub away all the grime? The answer is simple: use common rice to scrub the lights clean. Here are the steps: 1. Remove your lights and take out the bulbs and the holders. 2. Put a little dish soap in the lights and partially fill with warm water. This will get the main dirt out. 3. Rinse and pour some rice in the light along with some soap and bleach. 4. Shake the lights around using the rice as a scrubber to loosen any stuff inside. 5. Rinse and let the lights dry. Below is a before and after photo to show how well this works. In total I spent about 5 mins per light and they look 100% better. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Neat trick with the rice. Thanks. I've used the dishwasher trick before. Best to use a "light" cycle on plastic parts.
Great tip ! I am familiar with cleaning tough spots with salty water and ice chips but I really like the rice idea
thx, I tried the dishwasher too (saw it on whellerdealers) but the old indicator lights were worn and cracked in the white part. So I got new ones but I kept the stop lights, so I will certainly try the rice trick!!!
Any suggestions on removing the lights? Any special tool? These needle nose pliers are killing me!! Why are those threads sooo long?!?!
needle pliers will not work ! you need a hollow, tubular style extension to slide "over" those long threads" (you definitely need it to get access through that one hole in the frame on either side) once you found out how to handle it, the whole process will work out pretty fast anyway, it took me 4 hours to get all 4 out, clean the surroundings and all the contacts and put the new ones in it`s worth it...night/day difference . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for the tip! But on the inside of the rear boot mine has a glass fibre panel that covers the tail lights. It's very difficult to access the screws with that part on. Any of you has this glass fibre cover? Is very annoying...
you have to loosen the corresponding screws and take that part of...of course . Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks Michael. I know that I've to remove that part; just checking if someone has invented some trick to avoid dismantle it. Maybe drilling some holes in the exact place... I will try it.
You know i tried to remove the lens last year but they did not budge after i removed the screws. The screws was the easy part. I thought a little jiggle and they would come right off. I know there's some seal around them but I just don't know how much pressure to put on them to remove. Any procedure for that?
Great suggestion, I just removed the lights and cleaned them. Didnt realize how dirty they were. The area around the lights has always been a trouble spot to clean as well. With the lights removed, it was an easy clean up. The before and after difference is amazing. The pictures dont do the work justice, however, the bottom row are the lights that were cleaned. Thanks again for the idea.............great winter project! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Toothpaste! Before and after shot of my reverse lights (bumper-mounted), plus the reason why they got so soothy in the first place Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Guys I know I'm resurrecting a necro-thread however just came across this. Once you have the whole light our it is easy to remove the lens from the black ring. Does anyone have any photos of the lens separate from the black ring just so that I know I havent taken out anything I shouldn't! Many thanks
Though the thread is old; You cannot access the inside with a brush. The lens and black housing are bonded together, like already mentioned. I assume ultrasonic-welded. Best Regards Martin
