What To Do With The Side Markers?

[R8Spyderman]

We have amber up front and red behind the rear wheels and many have complained that they are an eyesore, but what are my choices? What's the easiest and least costly means of darkening them? What do we need them for, anyway?
Can I just paint them black? If so, do I have to paint them from inside or can I paint them outside? And, isn't it hard to paint plastic so it stays and doesn't peel? All suggestions and advice are welcome!

[wickedrsr]

I had mine tinted dark, which matches the phantom black in the daytime, and when at night, you can see the lights shine through when needed. Cheap mod.

[R8Spyderman]

How does one go about tinting them? I first have to figure out how to remove them. I assume you didn't do it yourself since you said, "I had mine tinted", so who did it for you and how much should I expect to pay?

[NVRL8R8]

Just had mine painted body color with all the other little mods I had done. I'd have tinted them if I had a dark colored car myself.

[R8Spyderman]

Just had mine painted body color with all the other little mods I had done. I'd have tinted them if I had a dark colored car myself.

Tinting (or smoking) sounds expensive because it means having to remove them and then reinstall them and that's gotta be labor-intensive and thus, expensive. What do we need them for, if at all?

[NVRL8R8]

Tinting (or smoking) sounds expensive because it means having to remove them and then reinstall them and that's gotta be labor-intensive and thus, expensive. What do we need them for, if at all?

Jeff, if you'd like, I can buy some OEM ones for ya, and have my guys tint them for you if you'd like. Depending on what the OEM parts cost, I'm sure I can have the rest done for you relatively cheap.
Just throwin it out there....
and then just send them your way.

http://thesaylors.net/files/FrontSideMarker.pdf
http://thesaylors.net/files/RearSideMarker.pdf

[R8Spyderman]

Thanks, Rich (sorry, I couldn't resist!), but I ordered some glossy black film which I'll apply over top of them to see how it looks and use the remainder of the film to cover up the ugly stickers in the door jambs. For all of $7.95 I'll kill 2 birds with one stone and nothing will be permanently affected.
(For the benefit of others, my calling him "Rich" is an inside joke) :-D

[sapien]

I bought painted ones from OEMPlus and replaced them. I recommend it.

Close up you can tell they're painted but from far away it makes the car look very clean.

[wickedrsr]

You can easily take them out yourself. Kartoyz in San Jose, lightly sanded the letters off to have them 100% flat, then they tint them with a special translucent paint, then after they dry, they are then polished. Process took a day, and they do this for 300 for the front and back if you send it in, or 550 if you want to have new tinted lights from Audi sent to you. The installation was very easy if you have small hands, as all you need to do is remove a few torx 30 under the fender lining and push the lights out.

[KfabR8]

When I tinted the signals on my last car, I just used a shading "tape" - basically an adhesive backed tint. Put it on, take an Exacto knife with a #11 blade (the pointy one) and then run around the perimeter of the signal. It's quick, easy and came out looking very slick. And best of all, no removal of anything to do it.

I think the stuff was called Night Shade. You can probably get it from any tuner shop that does tinting.