Cleaning inside headlight

Lotuss7

Lotuss7

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
440
Reaction score
26
Location
SF Bay Area
My Marchal hi-beams have dirt / film on the inside of the lens. Time to clean or replace. Like the clean option if posible.

Very small opening to interior. Not much room to get anything more that a long Q tip... I've heard Isopropyl alcohol is to be used in lieu of water. Not sure if mild soap would be OK as well?

Any tricks / suggestion are welcome.

Thanks in advance,

John
 
Lotuss7 said:
My Marchal hi-beams have dirt / film on the inside of the lens. Time to clean or replace. Like the clean option if posible.

Very small opening to interior. Not much room to get anything more that a long Q tip... I've heard Isopropyl alcohol is to be used in lieu of water. Not sure if mild soap would be OK as well?

Any tricks / suggestion are welcome.

Thanks in advance,

John
Click to expand...

i posted my experience with fiber glass micro balls, dry cleaning system with no residue

fid out here:

http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13069&page=3
 
deQuincey

Thanks. Looked at past posts and don'tknow how I missed this!

Gonna give cleaning a shot. Reflectors are corroded and will have to see how it comes out.

Worth a try!


John
 
Where does a person look :confused: to buy “fiber glass micro balls” ? I think that’s what they use in modern auto body plastic but I didn’t know they were available separately however I’m pretty much out of the painting end of the trade at this point. Thanks ~ John Buchtenkirch
 
John Buchtenkirch said:
Where does a person look :confused: to buy “fiber glass micro balls” ? I think that’s what they use in modern auto body plastic but I didn’t know they were available separately however I’m pretty much out of the painting end of the trade at this point. Thanks ~ John Buchtenkirch
Click to expand...

hi john, if in really need, and if you can not find it otherway, i can send you a 100gr. plastic bag enough for all the life of your lights

material is for free (unexpensive) but shipment will cost around 10 euro :-(
 
really!

deQuincey:
if you are serious about sending those 'micro balls' oversea, I will take a bag! 10euro is easier than me ringing around asking where I can get these 'micro little balls' !! :)

deQuincey said:
hi john, if in really need, and if you can not find it otherway, i can send you a 100gr. plastic bag enough for all the life of your lights

material is for free (unexpensive) but shipment will cost around 10 euro :-(
Click to expand...
 
Is there anything else in the micro glass balls?

You can get micro balloons / glass balls at hobby stores for adding to epoxy as a light weight filler. $4 for a small container ~ about a cup.

I too have a couple old hella lights that are very dirty and cloudy on the inside. I tried the Windex and a coton ball on a stick, and it did not work very well.

Do you just pore it in and swirl it around?
Great results... I can't wait to try it.
 
Hey folks, let's save De Quincey some postage. I bet I can get some Canadian Micro Balls to you for cheaper. As long as I don't have to deal with Austrian Post I am fine with it. I cleaned one of my lamps this way and the other with Drug Store grade alcohol. The Alcohol was easier and seemed to do a good job. My headlights are really pretty good, so maybe I just saw what I wanted to believe.
Let me know if you want a small baggy of Glass Beads. Mine are fine grade if that matters.
Let's send DQ something good from North America for a change.
 
De Quincey

Time to corner the market. I think the glass bead market is going to take a big jump!

Won't be needing them for my Marchals however...

Thinking it could do no harm I tested the denture cleaner / alcohol wash solution. Poured in the water and denture powder and soon enough the headlight was sitting in a puddle of fizzing blue stuff! Seems the perimeter of the headlamp at the junction between the glass and metal body had corroded enough it was leaking like a sieve. To the point that I could move the lens independant of the body. Between the short term likelyhood the lens would fall off on its own and the amount of corrosion on the lenses I have order a new set of Hellas.

As to the effectiveness of the denture cleaner on the dirt / film on the lens? No great. Pretty good rust dissolver however!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top