REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

jpark · 05-02-2010, 12:17 AM

i recently just blacked out my headlight housing black and now im finding condensation inside the lights, so i just pried it open again and glued it back and its still doing it, im so sick and tired of it i was just wonderig if theres anyone here (thats good at this) or any professionals that do this? i also have 2009 Lexus ES350 projectors that i want to retrofit substitude into my headlights (both H7 bulb type) i tried the search button and found some results but couldnt get alot of information, just wanted to get some fresh updates thanks!

edit: forgot to mention, i dont want any shipping involved (i know there are lot of people in the states) just local would be perfect

G-spec · 05-02-2010, 12:21 AM

how did you glue it back together ?
I've done this many times and I use silicone to seal the edges completely, never had a problem.
try doing that, get some automotive silicone at Canadian Tire or Lordco and seal all the way around air tight.

The only other thing it could be is you may have closed the lightbulb caps inproperly, sometimes when you twist them in place the rubber seal doesn't sit right allowing air to get in, I'd recheck those as well.

good luck

jpark · 05-02-2010, 12:36 AM

i used silicone but it was just some indoor/outdoor home fixing type of silicone, i JUST checked my light caps and they are all on properly so i doubt thats the reason.. what kind of substance is the automotive silicone?

SpuGen · 05-02-2010, 02:25 AM

Get the black RTV silicone sealant.
You want this stuff

I used this when I did the Clear Lens swap on my SC. Worked great. Wear gloves though. This shit refuses to come off.

Edit:
You may have possibly just had an air bubble if you didn't do it right. You need to push it into the gap with your finger to push out all the air bubbles. Just make a big bean around, and start from one end and drag your finger into the crease with pressure all across with NO stops.
Try resealing it with another layer to eliminate any air bubbles.

jpark · 05-02-2010, 09:26 AM

^i will for sure give that a shot today, did you have to leave your headlights out over night and let them dry? or does that black silicone thing dry fast enough that you can just push it in and couple minutes later it will be dry?.. because the silicone sealant i used took forever to dry so i had to leave my headlights out overnight and didnt drive with them to pevent from making air pockets until it was fully dried

Mugen EvOlutioN · 05-02-2010, 01:06 PM

no local shops does retrofit

sexyaccord · 05-02-2010, 01:08 PM

nmotion?

nns · 05-02-2010, 02:40 PM

I remember reading on here that some guy got his EL retro done at AK autoworks.

SpuGen · 05-02-2010, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by downhiller88

^i will for sure give that a shot today, did you have to leave your headlights out over night and let them dry? or does that black silicone thing dry fast enough that you can just push it in and couple minutes later it will be dry?.. because the silicone sealant i used took forever to dry so i had to leave my headlights out overnight and didnt drive with them to pevent from making air pockets until it was fully dried

It takes about 3-4 hours to dry.
Just do it inside the house and leave it in the laundry room overnight to make it cure faster.

G-spec · 05-02-2010, 06:21 PM

What I would suggest is for you to put the headlights back in the oven if you want it to dry faster. Basically what I do when I paint headlights is pop them back in the oven on a piece of wet cardboard at about 20 minutes at 200, it cures the paint really well and I do the same for the silicone when I put the headlights back together, it cures the silicone making it airtight and dry.

I just finished a set of headlights and grill last week using this process, came out great! so it's a tried and tested method, done a lot of headlights this way, never fails. And the silicone that SpuGen posted is the exact same one I use, it's really good, you can get it at Canadian Tire.. also in the pics below you can also see the red silicone that I use as well, that works just as good bascially the same thing, except the red one is clear and not black.

Mugen EvOlutioN · 05-02-2010, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexyaccord

nmotion?

nope

Quote:

Originally Posted by nns

I remember reading on here that some guy got his EL retro done at AK autoworks.

and nope

jpark · 05-02-2010, 08:26 PM

okay so 3rd attempt, pried it open, got rid of all the old glue, bought some legit automotive sealant, siliconed it over and over pressed it all the way in, and now in the dring process/ sitting in my laundry room, ill see how this goes, thanks for the help!!

Tofuboi · 05-06-2010, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nns

I remember reading on here that some guy got his EL retro done at AK autoworks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mugen EvOlutioN

and nope

actually, AK did do a projector retrofit for an EL, but it was about 5yrs ago and costs an arm and a leg as they dont usually do it. Turned out real well though

SpuGen · 05-06-2010, 09:42 PM

I think there was a Sponsor (or ex sponsor?) who did headlight mods and stuff.
He drove a Silver RSX with a cf hood if I remember correctly. No idea what the name is/was or if that person is still doing it though.

Shun Izaki · 05-07-2010, 04:19 AM

props for actually trying to make retrofit...

don't need more fucking ricers with HID kits glaring the shit outta people... it always seems to be 8thgen's too..