Anchor room vs. Dennis tail tints.

Hey guys, last night I fitted the Anchor Room red vinyl tint to Sally's behind.
Frankly, I'm a little disappointed at the fit.
The templates aren't the exact shape of the actual tails and some if the edges aren't radiused correctly eg. There are rounded edges that are squared off where the transition from round to straight occurs.
Also, the tint is quite dark, so the indicator loses a heap of its brightness. Some would argue that the indicators are insanely bright in the first place but I'm not entirely comfortable that I'm not going to cause chaos on the roads.
Don't get me wrong, they look just fine from a distance, but up close the majority of us wouldn't be happy with the fitment.
Has anybody fitted the Dennis kit? Or better yet, has anybody tried BOTH?
Does the Dennis template actually fit the tail lights precisely or is it just a waste of time?
Is there a difference in the opacity of the tints?
Yes, I'm being fussy. Sally deserves it!
Im not a fan of the white/clear tails but the fit of this kit is bad enough that I'd actually prefer them over this vinyl option.
I've included pics for those who want to see what they're getting themselves into.

Looks fine from 2 metres away...

I've got Dennis' tints in transit now, but actually not sure if I will install them at all - I quite like the white taillights and got used to them by now

Quite surprising to hear the anchorroom doesnt fit right, I have their rear reflector and headlight corner tints from them applied and they fit perfectly... I guess these are a lot smaller parts though

knaps said:

I've got Dennis' tints in transit now, but actually not sure if I will install them at all - I quite like the white taillights and got used to them by now

Quite surprising to hear the anchorroom doesnt fit right, I have their rear reflector and headlight corner tints from them applied and they fit perfectly... I guess these are a lot smaller parts though

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Yeah I know right? Using the pic as an example, you'd have to pull the vinyl further to the right of the screen to prevent the overhand on the left, but all that's gonna do is make that top left corner gap even BIGGER than it already is.
There's literally not a thing you can do about it.
Every single one was off in some way.....
Even if you get it to fit "kinda", the straight edge that wraps under the light can't run parallel to the light itself...
Bizarre.

My kit from Dennis will be getting installed as soon as my car is delivered. Which looks to be late this week! Will upload photos soon after. However there are a few people in the EU section who ended up switching from the AR kit to Dennis'. Seems his may be to a higher standard and a better colour match.

davidhes said:

My kit from Dennis will be getting installed as soon as my car is delivered. Which looks to be late this week! Will upload photos soon after. However there are a few people in the EU section who ended up switching from the AR kit to Dennis'. Seems his may be to a higher standard and a better colour match.

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Thanks David, much appreciated.
If nothing else, it was worth the experiment.
I guess the main things are:
Qualiry of fitment
Effect on indicators

For those who're considering doing this my tips are:

Thoroughly was the car and maybe even give the tails a polish prior to commencement.

Wash your hands thoroughly, TWICE, before you start.

You WILL need some heat. Whether hair dryer or heat gun.

Do it in the daylight hours when you're not pushed for time.
I did them in the garage at night, less than ideal.

Your car looks good either way mate, Im so used to the clear tails now, I think the reds look out of place

IngoStang said:

Your car looks good either way mate, Im so used to the clear tails now, I think the reds look out of place

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No way! The reds are how it should be in my books. Clear look ok on some colours but awful on others. I find the red looks good on any of the colours and sticks with how it should be. But each to their own.

Sorry, let me rephrase. I don't think the Reds look bad in anyway. They just look different to me now as I'm so used to the clears. I certainly don't knock anyone's decisions on their mods. Paint the thing pink with black polka dots for all I care

I tried the Anchor Rooms, Burkey and threw the lot into the bin after fitting just the outer one. As you have said, the fit is crap, they do not match the outer countour of the lens, and no matter how much you move them about, a bit of the clear below is still exposed. You cant see it to look at it, but soon as you put the light or indicator on, you can see the clear bit at parts of the edge. The alternative was to position it over the edge of the lens and them cut the contour with a sharp knife. I wasnt prepared to cut into the lens.

I did think the indicator looked ok though, it appeared to be a better shade of amber than stock and the red appeared more red. If the Dennis version is a better fit, I would have a try at them.

I hate the clear tails with a passion...it is the only dissapointment I have with the car.

Bobsp12 said:

I tried the Anchor Rooms, Burkey and threw the lot into the bin after fitting just the outer one. As you have said, the fit is crap, they do not match the outer countour of the lens, and no matter how much you move them about, a bit of the clear below is still exposed. You cant see it to look at it, but soon as you put the light or indicator on, you can see the clear bit at parts of the edge. The alternative was to position it over the edge of the lens and them cut the contour with a sharp knife. I wasnt prepared to cut into the lens.

I did think the indicator looked ok though, it appeared to be a better shade of amber than stock and the red appeared more red. If the Dennis version is a better fit, I would have a try at them.

I hate the clear tails with a passion...it is the only dissapointment I have with the car.

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Same Bob. Not a fan of clear on Magnetic, but I think the lighter colours pull it off "ok".
At the end of the day, I'd rather have clear tails than some poorly fitting vinyl. Some might be able to live with the compromise but the OCD in me says NO.
I'm living with it temporarily just to see if I can get over it but I don't think it's gonna work.

Hi guys - where do you buy the Dennis vinyls from?

I was originally going to tint mine but since doing the silver stripe on the DiB the clear tailights really match in well now, im going to leave them and I'm happy about that, especially after reading this and the annoying issues

noddy said:

Hi guys - where do you buy the Dennis vinyls from?

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Wow the forum deleted my message. Not cool but anyway. Pm me mate if you want info.

You guys in Australia have white / clear tail lights Oem?