Joined
·
180 Posts
Today i will be clearing my head lights i will post pictures and give a review after on how it goes. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there that has done or tried this in the past?
Head light clear
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
Joined
·
470 Posts
yep yep, i have tried on my sonata.. patience is the key here, when sealing the lights back together you have to pry, scoop out all the ORIGINAL glue on the trenches with a flat head screw driver or something, and then just apply the automotive headlight/taillight sealant glue into that trench after you dug the old glue out..
after that is done, put the lights together press it really hard together all along sides.
In my case, i painted the inner housing black as well
by the way what year is your sonata? 2011? mine is 2007 though... might be little different but its mostly the same thing
the highlighted parts are the parts where i painted... let me know if you have more questions..
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
i used this to seal the lights back together btw
![]()
after that is done, put the lights together press it really hard together all along sides.
In my case, i painted the inner housing black as well
by the way what year is your sonata? 2011? mine is 2007 though... might be little different but its mostly the same thing
the highlighted parts are the parts where i painted... let me know if you have more questions..
i used this to seal the lights back together btw
Joined
·
180 Posts
Tutorial
Materials I used:
1 Can of semi-gloss black engine enamel(Can use any color you would like to use)
1 Can of red engine enamel (I used dupli-color for both being it can be heated up to 500 degrees you want it to have a high heat tollerance being it goes in the oven)
1 Large square Garbage Bag
1 Oven pre-heated to 250 degrees
1 pair of oven mits or pot holders.
2 baking sheets
1 Philips head screwdriver
1 Flat head screwdriver
1 Ratchet with a 10mm socket(I believe)
1 10mm wrench (same as the ratchet)
Link to the other car that was done at the same time(the ones at the top and bottom):
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread...471&page=84
I was doing this with a bunch off people around, so some of my pictures have gone missing.
Step 1A
My best suggestion is to preheat the oven first as it is only three bolts that you have to take out in order to get the headlight out(per side).
Step 1B
Using the ratchet and the wrench if needed take out the two bolts on top and the third one that on the inside of the bumper, but reachable from the top. Unclip the wiring harness from the unit, and pull it towards the outside of the car they slid out with relatively easily. Pictures 1 and 2
Step 2
There are 6 philips head screws on the headlight itself that need to be taken out prior to heating, 4 on top and 2 on the side. I lost the picture of the two on the side but its self explanatory. picture 3
Step 3
Place the light in the oven set to 250 degrees for 10 minutes have pot holders ready when taking it out, please do not be stupid.
Step 4
After it has cooked for 10 minutes take it out and use the flathead screwdriver underneath all of the black plastic clips that hold the two halves together while the rubber silicone sets. It is ok if you break a few I did, and as long as you put the halves back together tightly there will be a perfect seal.
Step 5
Now that they have come out of the oven there are 3 philips screws to take the first housing out. Pictures 4 and 5
Step 6
There are 2 screws on the same side to take out the chrome ring which holds the amber. And there are a few nubs(for lack of a better word) that holds the ring in place. There should only be one remaining screw that will take out the amber. Unfortunately I lost the picture for taking out the chrome piece but its self explanatory.
If you do not want to paint the insides please skip to Step 9
Step 7
I took the the chrome/silver rings from around the low beam projector, and from the turn signal out. There are 4 screws to take the cover off the turn signal and free the low beam. Then very carefully there are there are about 4 or 5 tabs(I forgot to count them while I had it open) that have to be pushed out with a flathead. pictures 6 and 7
Step 8
Using the garbage bag for almost a drop cloth to spray paint on I painted the large chrome rings black, and the rings from around the actual lights red. With dupli-color metalcast I did one coat wait ten minutes 2nd coat, then about a half hour for a very light 3rd coat. After waiting an hour you can begin to put the whole set up back together.
Step 9
Put all the nubs and screws back in leaving the screw for the amber out. If you need reference see the steps above.
Step 10
When you have it all back together and the two halves are ready to be joined put them in the oven for 5 minutes at 250 degrees.
Step 11 A.
After you pull it out of the oven push the two halves together very quickly and squeeze to re-create a perfect seal. This has to be done quickly otherwise the rubber sealant will cool and dry off. While the sealant is still soft, screw the 6 screws back in their corresponding holes.
Step 11 B. (optional)
If you want to ensure the seal, buy a 5$ tube of rubber sealant and run it around the seam of the two halves once pushed together. I did not do this because i got a great seal
Step 12
Reinstall headlight into the fender
Materials I used:
1 Can of semi-gloss black engine enamel(Can use any color you would like to use)
1 Can of red engine enamel (I used dupli-color for both being it can be heated up to 500 degrees you want it to have a high heat tollerance being it goes in the oven)
1 Large square Garbage Bag
1 Oven pre-heated to 250 degrees
1 pair of oven mits or pot holders.
2 baking sheets
1 Philips head screwdriver
1 Flat head screwdriver
1 Ratchet with a 10mm socket(I believe)
1 10mm wrench (same as the ratchet)
Link to the other car that was done at the same time(the ones at the top and bottom):
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread...471&page=84
I was doing this with a bunch off people around, so some of my pictures have gone missing.
Step 1A
My best suggestion is to preheat the oven first as it is only three bolts that you have to take out in order to get the headlight out(per side).
Step 1B
Using the ratchet and the wrench if needed take out the two bolts on top and the third one that on the inside of the bumper, but reachable from the top. Unclip the wiring harness from the unit, and pull it towards the outside of the car they slid out with relatively easily. Pictures 1 and 2
Step 2
There are 6 philips head screws on the headlight itself that need to be taken out prior to heating, 4 on top and 2 on the side. I lost the picture of the two on the side but its self explanatory. picture 3
Step 3
Place the light in the oven set to 250 degrees for 10 minutes have pot holders ready when taking it out, please do not be stupid.
Step 4
After it has cooked for 10 minutes take it out and use the flathead screwdriver underneath all of the black plastic clips that hold the two halves together while the rubber silicone sets. It is ok if you break a few I did, and as long as you put the halves back together tightly there will be a perfect seal.
Step 5
Now that they have come out of the oven there are 3 philips screws to take the first housing out. Pictures 4 and 5
Step 6
There are 2 screws on the same side to take out the chrome ring which holds the amber. And there are a few nubs(for lack of a better word) that holds the ring in place. There should only be one remaining screw that will take out the amber. Unfortunately I lost the picture for taking out the chrome piece but its self explanatory.
If you do not want to paint the insides please skip to Step 9
Step 7
I took the the chrome/silver rings from around the low beam projector, and from the turn signal out. There are 4 screws to take the cover off the turn signal and free the low beam. Then very carefully there are there are about 4 or 5 tabs(I forgot to count them while I had it open) that have to be pushed out with a flathead. pictures 6 and 7
Step 8
Using the garbage bag for almost a drop cloth to spray paint on I painted the large chrome rings black, and the rings from around the actual lights red. With dupli-color metalcast I did one coat wait ten minutes 2nd coat, then about a half hour for a very light 3rd coat. After waiting an hour you can begin to put the whole set up back together.
Step 9
Put all the nubs and screws back in leaving the screw for the amber out. If you need reference see the steps above.
Step 10
When you have it all back together and the two halves are ready to be joined put them in the oven for 5 minutes at 250 degrees.
Step 11 A.
After you pull it out of the oven push the two halves together very quickly and squeeze to re-create a perfect seal. This has to be done quickly otherwise the rubber sealant will cool and dry off. While the sealant is still soft, screw the 6 screws back in their corresponding holes.
Step 11 B. (optional)
If you want to ensure the seal, buy a 5$ tube of rubber sealant and run it around the seam of the two halves once pushed together. I did not do this because i got a great seal
Step 12
Reinstall headlight into the fender
Attachments
Joined
·
470 Posts
^link is not working for the other car
but looks good, although i am not sure of the red accents you have colored in for the projector shrouds and the blinker ring lol..
BTW i found an easier diy step by step process for this if anyone else is interested
Clear Corner DIY
but looks good, although i am not sure of the red accents you have colored in for the projector shrouds and the blinker ring lol..
BTW i found an easier diy step by step process for this if anyone else is interested
Clear Corner DIY
Joined
·
180 Posts
the other car is the one in the last two pictures, and the other one is more detailed, but the gun method is not the best it heats unevenly, it is suggested to use the oven
Joined
·
470 Posts
disagree, heat gun works better for me, i opened numerous amount of headlights for friends and heatgun always worked while oven dissapointed me quite a bit.
btw is your paint chipped on your passenger side bumper in the last pic? or just the camera angle. cant really tell
btw is your paint chipped on your passenger side bumper in the last pic? or just the camera angle. cant really tell
Joined
·
180 Posts
Joined
·
180 Posts
duplicolor metal cast in red, it was what my buddy used for his, so rather then buy another can we used that its rated to 250 degrees instead of 500 i believe, but we havnt noticed a problem yet
Joined
·
180 Posts
sorry i just reread the thread, and my bumper is cracked in half i hit a snow bank mid winter, and i am waiting to save up the money to get the new one painted so im kinda stuck for right now
Joined
·
171 Posts
Nice Pix you guys. Overall how long is this project to do? The reason I ask is because I don't have a personal garage and the only place I could do it in peace will be my warehouse, I have all the tools here. I just have to keep in mind that after 8pm my security code doesn't work and the alarm will go off...business reasons. Therefore I only have 3 hours to work on the car. 5pm(after co workers leave) - 8pm (before Security Alarm).
Joined
·
470 Posts
hmm not sure, our headlights are really easy to take off compared to many other cars where they have to remove front bumpers etc., so getting the lights out itself shouldnt take you more than 20minutes
the most time consuming part would probably be the process of prying the lights open. its sealed on there pretty good so be patient and get all the creases evenly with a heatgun and pry open gently. thats probably about 1 hr or maybe a bit more if you are having troubles (for both lights)
painting the inner parts and letting them dry (for both lights) - around 40minutes
glueing back the lights - i placed my spare tire on top of each light for one full day so the tire could pressure the lights and seal close fully to prevent from condensing. if you do this sparetire/hevy object on top method, expect full day, if you skip this than your looking at about another 20-30mins to glue the lights back on (getting rid of the previous glue that was on the headlight and applying bran new glue on the trench etc.)
and last, another 20mins to put the lights back on..
not sure if it can be done exactly in 3hr cut.
the most time consuming part would probably be the process of prying the lights open. its sealed on there pretty good so be patient and get all the creases evenly with a heatgun and pry open gently. thats probably about 1 hr or maybe a bit more if you are having troubles (for both lights)
painting the inner parts and letting them dry (for both lights) - around 40minutes
glueing back the lights - i placed my spare tire on top of each light for one full day so the tire could pressure the lights and seal close fully to prevent from condensing. if you do this sparetire/hevy object on top method, expect full day, if you skip this than your looking at about another 20-30mins to glue the lights back on (getting rid of the previous glue that was on the headlight and applying bran new glue on the trench etc.)
and last, another 20mins to put the lights back on..
not sure if it can be done exactly in 3hr cut.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
