Cleaning Headlight

[5k337_De_Jour]

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to take off my headlights. they have condensation in them and my lights arent bright at all. I actually wont pass inspection this year because of it so i need to clean it. its a 95 contour gl.

 

[BrApple]

there are three clips on each light down near the headlight bulbs that you have to remove then the lights will come out ....

 

[IRingTwyce]

I haven't been able to budge the lights on my 96 either. The 98+s are SOOOOO easy though!

 

[5k337_De_Jour]

not lights

not lights

sorry i shoudl have rephrased that, its not the bulbs, its the headlight, im not sure exactly what to call it but im sure you get what im saying. its just dirty and has condensation in it. the place i took it to said they would clean it for 50 bucks, i can do it myself for nothing if i figure out how to take the darn thing off!

 

[CSVT1214]

i can do it myself for nothing if i figure out how to take the darn thing off!

He already told you. :shrug:

The clips are hard to remove and install but once you do a couple, the rest should be quicker.

I just replaced the headlights on our 95 Mystique.

 

[Matt R]

Brapple meant the clips on the headlight, not the tabs on the headlight bulbs.

 

[5k337_De_Jour]

sorry

sorry

oh ok sorry i misunderstood. unfortuantly its too cold and dark to do it now, but ill try it tomorrow. any suggestions on what i should use to clean it? i shouldnt use anything abrasive right?

 

[Ex-Mean'Tour]

oh ok sorry i misunderstood. unfortuantly its too cold and dark to do it now, but ill try it tomorrow. any suggestions on what i should use to clean it? i shouldnt use anything abrasive right?

I don't know if the pre-98's are the same, but I know that many have had good luck cleaning up the 98+ lights by doing some wet sanding. 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 etc. then some rubbing compound and wax.

 

[CSVT1214]

Pre-98 lights are so cheap though, I wouldn't even waste time clearing them up. Just get new ones.

 

[CSVT#49]

I don't know if the pre-98's are the same, but I know that many have had good luck cleaning up the 98+ lights by doing some wet sanding. 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 etc. then some rubbing compound and wax.

If they are really bad you might want to start lower like say 400. When I had to do mine there was so many scratches and pits I actually started at 150 grit and worked my way up to 2000. It took a while but they look brand new. Top it off with some 3M rubbing compound and muah perfecto.

As far as getting rid of the condensation you can follow the same How-To I did on how to bake headlights open, which is located in the Aesthetics forum HERE. I did the same thing on my 94 SHO because the lights had so much water build up inside them they barely served their purpose.

Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

 

[m4gician]

If they are really bad you might want to start lower like say 400. When I had to do mine there was so many scratches and pits I actually started at 150 grit and worked my way up to 2000. It took a while but they look brand new. Top it off with some 3M rubbing compound and muah perfecto.

As far as getting rid of the condensation you can follow the same How-To I did on how to bake headlights open, which is located in the Aesthetics forum HERE. I did the same thing on my 94 SHO because the lights had so much water build up inside them they barely served their purpose.

Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

YGPM can't wait for the results im so excited

 

[IRingTwyce]

Pre-98 lights are so cheap though, I wouldn't even waste time clearing them up. Just get new ones.

Cheap is relative. For me, $5 in sandpaper, a bucket of water, a $6 spray can of UV Clear, and a few hours on the floor while I watch TV is MUCH cheaper than buying new lights. In fact, it's time to do it again on my 98.

 

[RogerB]

sorry i shoudl have rephrased that, its not the bulbs, its the headlight, im not sure exactly what to call it but im sure you get what im saying. its just dirty and has condensation in it. the place i took it to said they would clean it for 50 bucks, i can do it myself for nothing if i figure out how to take the darn thing off!

You need to address the cause of the condensation build up. It's either a leaky seal letting too much water in, or a clogged vent not allowing moisture out.

Also, if it's been like that for a while, then the reflector coating is probably toast, and there's no way to fix it. Rock Auto has good replacements at decent prices, and if you look around, you might even find somebody's discount code for another 5% off.