Headlamp help

[Adam Boden]

Hey all. I am in real need of advice

 

I broke my xenon headlamp unit on my 07 S, i was fitting LED full beam/flash bulbs, and i broke the reflector at the screw points (yes i know im an idiot) but there is more....i tried to glue it, and the glue has ran onto the clear lense that protects....i now have a glue/fogged lense. How hard is it to remove the plastic protector and can someone please give me advise on how to do so? From what ive seen there is a rubber outer and then a few clips around and maybe pull away. But i dont want to do more damage. All help is much appreciated.

[Aaron]

Take a break and leave it for a day.  That's the first step at this point - get it going wrong out of your system.

 

You're probably better off separating the lense from the headlight cluster and doing it all properly (including the repair).  

[Adam Boden]

Hey mate, yeah i did it last week, but its how do i go about removing the plastic clear lense to gain access to the reflective/bulb side?

[Aaron]

You'll need a heat gun or to warm it in an oven.  There will be an adhesive that you need to soften up (with the heat) and then remove the clips to separate the lense and cluster.

 

If you need to forcefully pull it apart, you'll need more heat.  Don't overdo it with the heat as you can melt the plastic housing.  I think it's plain ABS which can tolerate about 100-110c.

[Adam Boden]

Damn it, i did see a 986/996 video on youtube and apparently they put it in a oven at 250c. So heat up, split, cry when lens cracks, and then new lens if possible?

[Aaron]

If it's a stronger plastic then it will be able to take more heat.  There will likely be markings in the plastic to signify what it's actually made of.  Don't take my word for it being ABS.

 

I much prefer a heat gun to an oven as you can target specific areas rather than heat up the whole thing.  Given that tin solder starts to melt at 190c or so, I wouldn't be comfortable with putting a headlight in an oven at 250c.  I would much rather blast the edge with a heat gun.  You can try a hairdryer if you don't have a heat gun but it probably won't get hot enough to soften the adhesive.

 

For drying out the cluster/lens, an oven at 80-90c or an air conditioned area will remove all of the moisture inside.

[Adam Boden]

Perfect, ill give it ago when i have time

[Beanoir™]

I certainly agree with Aaron, wouldn't put them in the oven at 250c.  I recently split the headlights on my Impreza to get rid of the orange reflectors and tidy them up generally.  I researched the quite a bit before doing it and the advice was oven temperature of about 80c for around 15 minutes.  Give it a go and see if the rubber separates, if it doesn't, then don't force it, just stick it back in the oven for another 10mins and try again.  

 

The rubber seal is made from Butyl rubber and I ended up removing the old stuff and applying new, which is a good idea to make sure you get a good seal when putting back together and will avoid possible condensation in the lights.  It costs about £12 on Amazon and it's really easy to handle and apply.  Exactly the same stuff as in the video link below.  

 

@Equinox has quite a bit of experience of splitting the Cayman headlights, worth trying to PM him too.  

 

Useful video here...

 

 

 

 

[Craiglm68]

Baked Headlights....is that kind of like Baked Alaska?

😁

[Adam Boden]

7 hours ago, Craiglm68 said:

Baked Headlights....is that kind of like Baked Alaska?

😁

Yes it is, but not as tasty