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.

 

My guess is that the heat created by the lights heated the chemicals which you used. This hot toxic gas permanently stained the inside of the plastic lens. Is that possible?

 

It seems possible, I'm assuming thats what happened. Im hoping that it doesnt happen to the next lens I put on.

 

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.

 

Maybe use some sort of high-temp clear coat if one exists to seal the paint before you put em back together?

 

Yea I dont know what I'm going to do about painting them again, I just need some new lenses ASAP.

 

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

 

Its definitly not something on the surface, its as if someone sanded the lens with like 600grit paper. It makes no sense to me.

 

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.

 

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.

 

That should definitely help clear up any haze on the surface.

 

Yea I just went and looked for some high grit paper but I dont have any so I guess I'll get some tomorrow afternoon and give it a shot, at this point I'm open to any suggestions because they can't get any worse. What grit paper you recommend? 1000-2000?

 

2000 and above.... the higher the grit, the less buffing you will have to do

 

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.

 

Doesn´t anybody sell an aftermarket headlight, with the inner part already blacked out. It would make so much easier.

 

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!

 

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.

 

Man, I was going to do this project now I'm kind of scared.

 

just be careful to NOT TOUCH inside of the lens or anything in the housing. I did it once successufully, but got over zelious the second time and f'ed up my light. So if you get the RISK's headlight strip and yes i spelled it that way for a reason, be careful.