Permanent Headlight Fogging
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Permanent Headlight Fogging
To make the story short, a few months ago I took my headlights apart to blacken out the housing, everything went fine. A few days later it looked like there was some moisture, I'm like oh well I'll reseal them when I get a chance. It gets a little worse and then stays at that point for 2 months. I just got my smoked strips in the mail this week and decided to reseal and put the strips in today. I get the first light apart and its definitly not moisture. The surface is real rough now and I dont know what happened but it looks like crap. What do you think happened? Pictures below.
I posted an ad in the classifieds for new lights but anyone know where else I can get some lights without trading an arm, I just need the lenses really.
Sorry about the crappy pics, camera phone, but its only in the area where I had painted the plastic piece that sits under it. If you look at the your lights you will see what I mean. I dont know if fumes from the paint ate into the lens? I left everything to dry a day before I put them back together.
And I tried everything to try and clean them, its definitly not something on the surface, it ate into the lens.
I posted an ad in the classifieds for new lights but anyone know where else I can get some lights without trading an arm, I just need the lenses really.
Sorry about the crappy pics, camera phone, but its only in the area where I had painted the plastic piece that sits under it. If you look at the your lights you will see what I mean. I dont know if fumes from the paint ate into the lens? I left everything to dry a day before I put them back together.
And I tried everything to try and clean them, its definitly not something on the surface, it ate into the lens.
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Originally Posted by sponsorsthisway
What paint did you use so i know not to use that stuff??
I used "Dupli-color" from autozone, it was like touch up spray paint that matched my car.
I dont know if I should repaint with a high-temp stuff or just leave it the way it is, and hope it doesnt happen again. What did everyone else use for paint, high0temp or cheap stuff?
I also found out that the bottle of spray that I used to clean the lens before I put them back together was a mix of water and rubbing alcohol. I used it on the entire inside though, so I dont know if that caused the problem. The parts I painte look great, just the lenses are trashed.
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try "goo gone" or "goof off", they are made to remove adhesives and the like... and let me know if you find a source for lenses... https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....highlight=lens
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Originally Posted by dirtroad
try "goo gone" or "goof off", they are made to remove adhesives
#10
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i painted headlights for IS300's before and when the lense has moisture on it for an extended period of time (or sunbaked), the inner coating gets eaten away, creating this rough texture. The lense can be salvaged by wetsanding the whole INNER lense with wetsand paper until that "inner coating" is completely off, then rebuff with your hands or a porter cable machine with meguiar's plastic polish X. The lense will never be as clear as before... perhaps you should just buy a new set of housing.
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that seems to be exactly what happened. im currently looking for some new lenses, but Ill try that while I wait to find something to buy, im stuck with nothing here right now.
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Excellent advice!
Originally Posted by aznmojo
i painted headlights for IS300's before and when the lense has moisture on it for an extended period of time (or sunbaked), the inner coating gets eaten away, creating this rough texture. The lense can be salvaged by wetsanding the whole INNER lense with wetsand paper until that "inner coating" is completely off, then rebuff with your hands or a porter cable machine with meguiar's plastic polish X. The lense will never be as clear as before... perhaps you should just buy a new set of housing.
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Originally Posted by frankmusic
That should definitely help clear up any haze on the surface.
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Originally Posted by bmxox
To make the story short, a few months ago I took my headlights apart to blacken out the housing, everything went fine. A few days later it looked like there was some moisture, I'm like oh well I'll reseal them when I get a chance. It gets a little worse and then stays at that point for 2 months. I just got my smoked strips in the mail this week and decided to reseal and put the strips in today. I get the first light apart and its definitly not moisture. The surface is real rough now and I dont know what happened but it looks like crap. What do you think happened? Pictures below.
I posted an ad in the classifieds for new lights but anyone know where else I can get some lights without trading an arm, I just need the lenses really.
Sorry about the crappy pics, camera phone, but its only in the area where I had painted the plastic piece that sits under it. If you look at the your lights you will see what I mean. I dont know if fumes from the paint ate into the lens? I left everything to dry a day before I put them back together.
And I tried everything to try and clean them, its definitly not something on the surface, it ate into the lens.
I posted an ad in the classifieds for new lights but anyone know where else I can get some lights without trading an arm, I just need the lenses really.
Sorry about the crappy pics, camera phone, but its only in the area where I had painted the plastic piece that sits under it. If you look at the your lights you will see what I mean. I dont know if fumes from the paint ate into the lens? I left everything to dry a day before I put them back together.
And I tried everything to try and clean them, its definitly not something on the surface, it ate into the lens.
Damn, this is exatcly what happened to me!! i just bought the 06 lights and now trying to dig around on how to wire them up as its a little different.
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I have the same prob lil moisture in the bottom left head light and i went into the body shop today to get my nismo bumper painted, and the guy was like you got a lil fog going on in your head light. I was like yeah blah blah and he said if it stains the head light he said to use house hold bleach and swirl it around and should come right out. So i havent tried it yet but going to this weekend so we'll see what happens!
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Paint in the headlight area is very bad. Never do that again. That bulb gets way too hot for any paint to withstand. It's not like painting parts on your motor (like a red valve cover for type R looking Honda). I used some blue high temp paint for my 1990 Accord LX high beams, and man it looked so cool. Then I turned my high beams on for about 15 seconds and noticed they were getting brighter and brighter. Eventually all the paint burned off.
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Originally Posted by angelzhope720
Man, I was going to do this project now I'm kind of scared.