Reflective silver covering in headlights Q:

[festyxfi]

Hi gurus,

One of the headlights has rust inside where the sliver painted coating once was (that throws the beam forward) now it's dim (almost too dim.) Just because I'm cheap, and I like to fix things if at all possible, has anyone ever found a way to repaint the inside covering. I haven't looked at it too hard, but it appears the only way inside is thru the bulb opening?

Thanks,
FX

[Jimmy812]

Remove the headlight from the car. Remove as much as you possibly can, so it's just the lens and the reflector assembly. Don't bake the mounting plate, adjuster screws, or retaining spring.

Bake the lens/reflector assembly in your oven at 225-250 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it because the part where the bulb goes in is plastic and will melt at some point - you want to pull it out before then.

After it's baked for 10-15 mintues, pull it out of the oven (careful it's hot! - welding gloves are helpful here) and try to pry the glass lens from the back. It takes some effort and a couple of flat bladed screw drivers to pry it apart. Start at one corner, when it starts to pry loose, take the second screwdriver and start prying a few inches away from the corner. Work your way around in this manner until it's all broken loose.

It is also possible to break the lens trying, so if it just won't budge, bake it a little longer. You have to exercise some judgement here, it's a fine line between hot enough to melt the bulb socket and cool enough that the lens will break before the glue gives way.

Once you get it open and it's had some time to cool down to room temperature, you can repaint with silver paint, or maybe even glue some aluminum foil in there and polish it if you want to get really tricky about it.

Remove all the remnants of the old glue that held the lens in. The new glue won't stick to the old, hard, baked glue very well, and the reason you have rust is probably because the old glue leaked somewhere anyway and rain water got into the housing.

Glue back togther with clear RTV silicone or that black tar-like stuff they use to seal windshields into newer cars. You may also need to bend the edge of the housing back around because it will get a little bent during all the prying.

I've successfully pulled three Festiva headlights apart and broken one, so I'd say if you go slow and don't pry too hard, you have a 75% chance of pulling it off and 25% chance you'll just have to buy a new headlight anyway - that's assuming you don't give up before either getting it loose or breaking the lens.


You probably will want to leave your oven open for a while after pulling the headlight out. The oil and paint and such that will inevitably be on the headlight will smoke a little during the baking process - airing that stuff out before you try to cook again would be a very good idea.


Good luck - let us know how it goes.

[festyxfi]

Jimmy, This is great!!! What a helpfull bunch we have here....

I'll definately post results.

FX