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Car headlights...
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| Slylee |
| So when I got my car (it was used) my headlights were all like dirty looking on the inside. I never really gave it much thought, but now I’m realizing that it’s really not giving me much light when it’s dark out. It’s like I have no lights. What do I have to do? Replace my head lights? Or can I like take them off and try to clean them or something? Does anyone know what I’m talking about? It looks like the glass is fogged. |
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| Bartanian |
wow ive tried to do polls in here for the last 3 years and theyve never worked:(
as for your question im not much use |
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| Moral Hazard |
| quote: | Originally posted by Slylee
So when I got my car (it was used) my headlights were all like dirty looking on the inside. I never really gave it much thought, but now I’m realizing that it’s really not giving me much light when it’s dark out. It’s like I have no lights. What do I have to do? Replace my head lights? Or can I like take them off and try to clean them or something? Does anyone know what I’m talking about? It looks like the glass is fogged. |
That depends on your headlights. Some headlights are two pieces held together by screws or plastic tabs. If that is the type of headlight you have then you can open it and clean it. For cleaning I would suggest you pick up some plastic polish... it does wonders. If you have a sealed headlight then you will have to replace the whole assembly, however, sealed lights rarely get dirty on the inside. |
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| Slylee |
how do i find out what i have?
i have a 99 VW passat. |
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| kossack |
what's your ride? a lot of newer headlights are inaccessible...
if they're that bad you can probably pick up a fairly cheap pair of headlights depending on what vehicle you've got... (aftermarket of course...) |
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| kossack |
| quote: | Originally posted by Slylee
how do i find out what i have?
i have a 99 VW passat. |
crap... VW expensive. i've got a 95 jetta... just replaced the headlights last year. don't think you can get into the headlights.
btw:
Complex surface lens halogen bulb twin headlights |
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| Moral Hazard |
| quote: | Originally posted by Slylee
how do i find out what i have?
i have a 99 VW passat. |
Open the hood and you should be able to find retaining screws or clips that hold you headlight assemblies in place. Remove the screws or unfasten the clips (whichever is applicable) and remove the assembly. There will be a seem where the front (clear) half meets the rear (mirrored) half. If there are screws or clips holding the front to the back then you can open it, if not then you're ed and need to buy new lights. |
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| kid nyce |
the cheapest "upgrade" you can go with is replacing the bulbs to increase visibility. I'd say check out any hyper-white bulbs (usually tinted in blue) prior to changing any of the housing. If your headlight housing is sealed, its a process to remove the clear housing to clean plus re-sealing them ain't cake either.
So go with the bulbs first, see if that helps any, if not i'd go with changing the housing. I would stay away from the ebay housings since most of them tend to allow moisture to leak into them causing mist on the clear housing. I'd go to my local auto store and purchase through there, or if you are seriously into aftermarket parts then i'd suggest upgrading the housing based on your personal preference. Hope that helpz |
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| kid nyce |
| quote: | Originally posted by Moral Hazard
Open the hood and you should be able to find retaining screws or clips that hold you headlight assemblies in place. Remove the screws or unfasten the clips (whichever is applicable) and remove the assembly. There will be a seem where the front (clear) half meets the rear (mirrored) half. If there are screws or clips holding the front to the back then you can open it, if not then you're ed and need to buy new lights. |
careful - most housings have screws that are not reachable from under the hood. In most cases through the wheel well or even underneath the housing which you need to remove the bumper inorder to get. Unless you are willing to just yank and pull until the damn thing comes out. |
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| lücid |
i'm guessing your warranty is up by now, but if not... take it to the dealer and show it to them. if it's a common problem and enough people report it they may eventually do a recall on it.
i had the same problem with my old car ('97 Grand Prix) - condensation would build up inside the headlight quite often. apparently it was a very common problem, the seal wasn't air tight so moisture would leak in. it didn't have any effect on the brightness of the lights though. like kid nyce said, maybe try upgrading the bulb before you replace the whole assembly.
another thing to do would be to search/post on a a forum specific to your car... it's amazing how much i learned by posting/reading on car forums. found one for you - http://www.passatworld.com/forums/ |
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| Floorfiller |
| hmmm well...i don't really know about this kinda ...but just don't get those ing white headlights...those are so gay and they piss me off! |
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| Slylee |
| quote: | Originally posted by Moral Hazard
Open the hood and you should be able to find retaining screws or clips that hold you headlight assemblies in place. Remove the screws or unfasten the clips (whichever is applicable) and remove the assembly. There will be a seem where the front (clear) half meets the rear (mirrored) half. If there are screws or clips holding the front to the back then you can open it, if not then you're ed and need to buy new lights. |
:nervous:
too bad i can't have my computer with me when i'm outside doing this...i suppose i can print this. hahahaha
i'm just scared i'm gonna take it apart and then not know how to put it back together. lol story of my life....
thanks for all the info guys!!
i still have warranty left, it was a certified preowned VW w/ 2 year extended warranty and i've only had it like maybe 6-7 months. |
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