How to Glue a Taillight Lens

Reviewed by Jason Shackelford

Last Updated: November 30, 2023 References

Ignoring even a small crack in a taillight lens can cause plenty of trouble for you in the future. Besides the obvious problem of perhaps receiving a ticket for the broken lens, a less obvious problem is water damage. Water can creep into the smallest opening, and if left unchecked, it can fog your taillight assembly interior and eventually short the taillight out. You can repair taillight lenses for much less money than buying a new assembly from the auto parts store, and it only takes minutes to do.

Steps

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Do not allow any liquid to get inside the housing.
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Remove the lens from the housing using the appropriate screwdriver. If the lens is glued to the housing, do not try to pry it off as that will likely break it. Instead, remove the entire taillight assembly and follow these directions to remove the lens from the housing without damaging it.^{[1]
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- Heat a kitchen oven to 200�F (99.3�C), and position oven rack in lowest position.
- Line a baking sheet large enough to hold the assembly with foil, and place the assembly on the baking sheet with the plastic lens facing up. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.^{[2]
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- Remove the baking sheet and assembly using oven mitts and carefully, using a flat edged screwdriver, pry the plastic lens from the housing. Remove the soft strings of glue from the edges of the lens while it is still warm using a sharp box cutter.
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Apply a fine line of plastic glue along the crack, holding the pieces together with your hands for a minute to allow the glue to set up. If necessary, apply a second line of glue when the first one dries. You want the crack to be totally filled and even with the surface of the lens. If you apply too much glue, sand off the excess using #200 fine grit sandpaper.^{[4]
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Community Q&A

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Question

What kind of glue can I use to cover the cracks?

Uglymug18

Community Answer

Gorilla Glue works best for the cracks. Be sure to get the clear glue, otherwise you will have yellow all over the lens.

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Tips

A heavy duty hair dryer might work to loosen the adhesive on the lens rather than using the oven.

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You can buy special adhesive made for gluing plastic lenses at an auto parts store, or you can use the old fashioned glue used for plastic models, usually found behind the counter in hobby shops.

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Warnings

Make sure the kitchen is well ventilated before placing plastic parts in the oven.

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Do not use a cyanoacrylate based adhesive to glue plastic taillights, as it will eventually eat through the plastic.

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