Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications General Mods 885 Fog Light MELTDOWN

I think I found the reason some 50 watt upgrade bulbs melt the lenswes and some don't. this was my first mod and lasted about 3 months without a problem. I recently had a 4x4 back into the car and do damage to the front end. All is fixed, but a couple of days ago I noticed the fog light lenses had melted (I just rechecked, the lenses are bulged out about 3/4 of an inch and even melted the bumper a little ).

The difference is that the body shop mounted the lights (after the repair) right up against the bumper. So no cooling airflow around the lights. Originally the lights were about an 1/8 of an inch back from the bumper.

I would get them replaced under wtty, but since I am in the GB for the PIAA's , I am not going to bother.

So if you put 50 watt (885) bulbs in, make sure the lense is backed away from the bumber so air can flow around them. That should help prevent Fog Light Meltdown

this is a possibility. however, mine had plenty of space and still melted within a period of 3 or 4 months. i dont think proper cooling would even solve the problem. i think the problem with mine was extended driving. i drove to my parents house (2 hrs away) with them on many times, i figured thats what caused mine to melt. who knows, either way the piaa's rule! you won't be disappointed! :p

I dunno, I've had my 885s for nearly 2 years now, with ALOT of extended driving with them on, and haven't had any problem. Not sure why some people are having problems and others aren't.

Mine was fine for many months and several bulb change cycles. (DRL operation shortens life) The last bulb I put in on the PS cooked the lens after about a month and it's bulging out about 3/4". Lots of space around the light. I think its a variance in the light bulbs or how closely they are mounted to the base maybe

There's probably a combination of things. I'd suggest drilling a hole in the top and in the bottom. The holes don't have to be very big at all. You'd be amazed at how well it does and how little moisture, if any, is introduced.

HTH
John

Mine melted with the stock bulb in it...

damn! i just bought 885's tonight!!!

now i'm gonna be all paranoid and ****!!!!

just a note, did you guys with burned out bulbs happen to have them "dirty" alot? i think lots of dirt, salt, grime, would cause the lenses to retain more heat...

That's exactly what happened to me...After hearing all these "horror" stories with the 885's, I just decided to put the stock 893's back in. Yes the 885's were brighter, but not much brighter, and it was defintely not a huge difference when driving at night over the stock bulbs. If you really want to get better light output, just aim the fogs up...anything more and you are better off just buying aftermarket fog lights. Using higher wattage to compensate for the flawed/poorly designed stock foglights no longer seems like the greatest idea if it runs the risk of ruining the foglights altogether. Really, the stock foglights provide aesthetic appearance more than usuable driving light.

IMHO I would just return the 885's, keep the stock 893's, and aim the fogs up.

I had 885's in my '95 for a few years with no troubles , my brother has 885's in his '95 for probably 2 years now with no troubles , and my SVT has had 885's in it since day #2 (a bit over a year) with no troubles . All 3 of the cars have seen lots of extended driving with the lights on .

It stinks that some peeps have had troubles , it's such a cheap mod , and a big improvement over stock units . Maybe there's a bit of variance in actual light wattage ??

I watched mine carefully and there were no indications of melting. The light was a lot better with the 885's.

When the car came back from the body shop, the lights were reaimed a little low. I looked at them and there was no blistering or melting. I didn't have a chance to reaim them. I looked about 2 weeks ago to reaim them and they were bulged out into the bumper (melted the bumper on the bottom of the cutout) and blistered. I was using them before on my drive to work every morning and back home both before the accident and after. They melted "suddenly" and not slowly over time. WEIRD!

Next week the PIAA 510's are being ordered. Can't wait for some "real" lights!