Headlight Armor - DIY Install - Smoked Taillights - MINI Cooper / Cooper S

You can click all to photos to enlarge to 900 x 675 px

The following is a step by step tutorial for the application of our Headlight Armor Smoked Taillight Kit for the Second Generation MINI. Although the taillights are small they have a bulbous contour around the entire perimeter of the lens. This necessitates a different application process than a typical taillight.

Step 1: Clean the lenses. Clean your hands. Make sure there are no residues from the cleaning process remaining on the lenses or your hands. Without removing the lens cover from the backing paper hold it up to the lens and make sure you have the correct one / orientation (i.e. Slightly ovoid lenses). If it is cool - below 65 degrees F gently warming the lens with a hair dryer will help things along. Wet down one lens with water - a clean spray bottle / plant mister works great.
Step 2: If it is cool - below 65 degrees F gently warming the material with a hair dryer will help things along. Carefully remove the cover from the backing paper - handling the adhesive as little as possible - Use handling tabs when possible. Mist down the adhesive side and gently place on the lens. Handling the edges align the piece, making sure the edge tolerance around the perimeter is as even as possible. The piece will be 'floating' on the beads of water on the lens. Be gentle the adhesive is pressure sensitive.
Step 3: Squeegee the center of the kit along the ridge line of the lens as shown. Stay 1-2" away from the edges of the kit.
Step 4: Next re-wet the adhesive side of the kit around the entire perimeter. From the center section you just squeegeed, squeegee to the lower inside corner - just to the profile change. With your thumbs, push and conform the material down the profile and into the very corner as shown. Push an additional 1" or so down on both sides of the corner.
Step 5: Repeat Step 4 at the opposite lower corner as shown.
Step 6: Repeat Step 4 at the one of the top corners as shown.
Step 7: Repeat Step 4 at the other top corner as shown.
Step 8: Now that the main surface and all four corners of the taillight kit as set, you will set the edges between them. NOTE: This kit was installed with ambient air temps ~90 degrees F. If it is cool out the use of a hair dryer on low will be necessary for steps 8-10. Do not overheat the film, you just want to warm to about 90 degrees F. Squeegee in .5 inch increments from top to bottom to distribute the film - do not squeegee all the way to the edge in one area all at once.
Step 9:  Continue squeegeeing in small increments toward the edge of the kit.
Step 10: Continue squeegeeing in small increments toward the edge of the kit until all film has laid down on this side of the kit.
Step 11: Repeat steps 8-10 at the bottom of the kit as shown.
Step 12: Steps 12-14 repeat 8-10 on the opposite long side. Squeegee in .5 inch increments from top to bottom to distribute the film - do not squeegee all the way to the edge in one area all at once.
Step 13: Continue squeegeeing in small increments toward the edge of the kit.
Step 14: Continue squeegeeing in small increments toward the edge of the kit until all film has laid down on this side of the kit.
Step 15: As with Step 11, squeegee the last remaining section at the top of the kit down in short increments as shown.
Step 16: With a sharp razor knife carefully trim off the material handling tabs at the top and bottom of the kit. Go over the edges with heat from a hair dryer on low and firm pressure from the squeegee wrapped in a suede detail cloth / paper towel to make sure the edge is fully set.   If any areas want to lift warm them with a hairdryer, push them down with the squeegee and hold firm pressure until set.
Now you are done, stand back and enjoy! The Light Smoke (50%) covers shown in this tutorial will turn the bright red tails to a darker red while taking the edge off the chrome portions. If you are looking for something darker you can select Smoke (30%) or the Stealth Smoke (20%). With our Smoked taillight covers you will be able to change to look of your vehicle - while still allowing your brake lights and running lights to function as intended. You can remove these at some point in the future if you are so inclined - though they can only be used once.