Pulled euro headlights for some work, would like to take care of the problem. The glass looks milky on the inside. What are some safe solutions for this? No, I cannot reach in and clean it.
Thanks
Milky headlight glass
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Bill in MN
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Velocewest
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Don't use anything as strong as acetone. All you need is mild, soapy warm water. I use a bamboo chopstick and some small pieces of cotton jersey (i.e., old tee shirt) to do the scrubbing. Dump in a few tablespoons of soapy water, poke in a chunk of jersey and swirl it wround with your chopstick. Drain over the sink, the jersey should slip to the opening where you can pull it out. Rinse well with warm water, then you can use a dry piece of jersey to mop up most of the remaining water. I borrow the SO's blow dryer to do the final dry, or you can put them in a warm oven (nothing over 175 f).
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MarkD in NJ
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I've had success using isopropyl alcohol as a follow-up to water & dishwashing soap. It seems to dissolve the haze and it dries streak- and spot-free (which was a problem when I used water & dishwashing soap only). I let the lights dry naturally, with the bulb end facing down, and supported so air can freely flow.
Pretty clear.. Not exactly like new but 90% better than before..bimmerpwner wrote:how clear was it afterwards??Manny D. wrote:I used rubbing alcohol and rock salt to clean my milkyness.. it looked like the glass was not even clear! The rock salt worked goor to scrub it off.. Dry the lights the way shawn did..
Lol you got that right.. they looked prety much exactly like they were frosted before I cleaned em.. Now they look just fine.. Just make sure you dry em out fully befor putting em back on or they will get condensation again!ElGuappo wrote:Considering they looked like frosted window glass before hand, I think anything would be an improvement eh?
Jay3
See, that wasn't what I was getting at. In the ads, it's not labeled as a liquid detergent dispenser, but as the Jet-Dry dispenser. Uhhh... <--had to work that in somehow, but it got messy.Shawn D. wrote:Uhh... all of my dishwashers have had one.wkohler wrote:Do you have a Jet Dry dispenser? I guess they're rare since I've never seen a dishwasher with one.
I'll bet it's a Euro-only thing...
Do what? Jet-dry isn't liquid detergent. It's a liquid rinse agent, generally labeled as such. But I guess I see your point in that respect. Somewhat.wkohler wrote:See, that wasn't what I was getting at. In the ads, it's not labeled as a liquid detergent dispenser, but as the Jet-Dry dispenser. Uhhh... <--had to work that in somehow, but it got messy.Shawn D. wrote:Uhh... all of my dishwashers have had one.wkohler wrote:Do you have a Jet Dry dispenser? I guess they're rare since I've never seen a dishwasher with one.
I'll bet it's a Euro-only thing...
I had a fender bender a few years ago with my 01 740i which had clear turns in the rear (factory). The left was replaced. a year or so later, I noticed that the older one looked yellow in comparison. I used (based on a friend's recommendation that restores British cars) 50/50 ammonia and water and it worked well.
Re:
I'm performing this thread necromancy to add to the discussion of what processes/procedures/products to use.Shawn D. wrote:I've had success using isopropyl alcohol as a follow-up to water & dishwashing soap. It seems to dissolve the haze and it dries streak- and spot-free (which was a problem when I used water & dishwashing soap only). I let the lights dry naturally, with the bulb end facing down, and supported so air can freely flow.
I was cleaning up some Euro lights I got from Ivo and I was unable to get the insides clean using the process I quoted. I used Manny D's alcohol & salt recipe and it worked great! The process:
1) With headlight facing down, pour in ~1/4" of 100% isopropyl alcohol and let sit for five minutes. 100% isopropyl (no water content) can be found at electronics shops (including Fry's, etc.).
2) Add coarse kosher salt (1.5 tablespoons for 7" headlights, 1 tablespoon for 5.75" headlights) and shake back-and-forth, in a star pattern, and with a swirl motion.
3) Blow out alcohol/salt mixture with clean compressed air (do this with a lot of ventilation).
4) Dissolve remaining salt with distilled water, filling the entire headlight. Rinse thoroughly at least twice. Drain as much as possible.
5) Pour in ~1/4" of 100% isopropyl alcohol and shake vigorously to completely absorb remaining water. I used food cling wrap and a rubber band over the headlight outlet to keep the mixture in while shaking.
6) Pour out remaining alcohol/water and place headlight with outlet/bulb end down and allow to air dry.
RESULT: Sparkling reflectors and interior glass surfaces!
Re: Milky headlight glass
I attempted to clean one of my NOS high beams with the alcohol and salt method, it instantly striped the reflective coating off. Would not recommend!
What ended up working was cotton pads(not balls) with soapy water.
I shoved two pads through the little hole, added a bit of soap and water, sloshed it around and drained most of the water.
Then worked the cotton pads around thoroughly.
Finally retrieving the pads with a small hook tool.
The low beams are much easier.
Hopefully this can save someone from ruining one of there housings.
What ended up working was cotton pads(not balls) with soapy water.
I shoved two pads through the little hole, added a bit of soap and water, sloshed it around and drained most of the water.
Then worked the cotton pads around thoroughly.
Finally retrieving the pads with a small hook tool.
The low beams are much easier.
Hopefully this can save someone from ruining one of there housings.