Strange tail light halo's...headlight probs as well!

[LVIIR]

Hey guys!



I've been lurking this forum for a bit, and had a couple quick questions to see if anyone has dealt with some scenarios I've came across here.



First, my tail lights have developed "halo's" most likely from the heat of the tail light bulbs. The tails are stock, however they are painted black. These halo's recently developed recently (I'm assuming from old age, 2003 Evo).



Pictures: :scared:

What the heck is going on with them, and how in the world can you remove these halo's? Is it even possible? ANY recommendations would be appreciated if you've dealt with this problem before.





Now, only the headlights.





They're starting to look absolutely horrid! It seems like this has slowly developed over time, and I think my fog light bulbs have attributed to it as well. It almost looks like there are very fine straight line scratched by the inner fog lights, and the rest of the headlight cover seems like it's losing is coating. It's pretty spotty, and you can feel it on the outside of the lens. Would you recommend just wet sanding this, or should I just try plastic-x first and see what happens!?



Pictures: :scared:

Thanks for any help in advance! Both the headlights and tails are plastic, fyi.

 

[LVIIR]

Anyone? :sosad

 

[LVIIR]

Hum...:think:

 

[Darkstar752]

Clay both of them first, and definitely try polishing before you wetsand.

 

[LVIIR]

Clay both of them first, and definitely try polishing before you wetsand.

I'm pretty sure that'll work on the headlights, but do you think those tails are salvageable?



:sosad

 

[944obscene]

I've done work with headlights and tail lights before. I'm pretty good with wet sanding, so I would do this.



I'd tart with 1500 on the tail lights and make my passes with almost no pressure. I like lots and LOTS of water. After the area is uniform, I go back over with 2000 grit, and then some light passes with 2500 if I have it around. After that I polish them out and look for any left over blemishes or foggy spots.



Headlights get the same treatment, but given the extent of the damage, I'd start with 1000 and remove that top layer, and attempt to get a fresh layer of plastic explosed.



I find that using wax helps seal the lights. I'm going to look into different clear paints and plastic lens coatings (covers) that would offer a bit more protection from things like rocks and debris.

 

[LVIIR]

I've done work with headlights and tail lights before. I'm pretty good with wet sanding, so I would do this.



I'd tart with 1500 on the tail lights and make my passes with almost no pressure. I like lots and LOTS of water. After the area is uniform, I go back over with 2000 grit, and then some light passes with 2500 if I have it around. After that I polish them out and look for any left over blemishes or foggy spots.



Headlights get the same treatment, but given the extent of the damage, I'd start with 1000 and remove that top layer, and attempt to get a fresh layer of plastic explosed.



I find that using wax helps seal the lights. I'm going to look into different clear paints and plastic lens coatings (covers) that would offer a bit more protection from things like rocks and debris.

Thanks for the detailed response. I'm going to give it a try. And will post up results when I have a chance!:thx

 

[LVIIR]

Well,



Wetsanding the headlights worked pretty well, even though the finest grit I used was 1000grit. I couldn't find any 1500 or 2000 at the place where I bought the other sand paper.



Anyways, they came out nice.



Pictures:

The tails however, haven't came out. I tried wetsanding them, and the marks you see on those pictures must be from either heat, or they're on the inner side. Not sure what I'll do with them.... Any other ideas for the tails?

 

[dheath]

If you want to check the insides, you can toss them in the oven to melt the silicone to take the lenses off and wipe them down... that way you can see if its from the inside or not...

 

[LVIIR]

If you want to check the insides, you can toss them in the oven to melt the silicone to take the lenses off and wipe them down... that way you can see if its from the inside or not...

Thanks,



I've already taken them apart to paint them black. It seems as though these marks came after I painted them. I'm not sure if the color is some how reflecting the heat a different way than what the stock/chrome was, and thus causing the halo's?



I may take them apart again soon to see if they are fixable.:nixweiss

 

[RustyBumper]

LVIIR, just for future referrence, you can get 3M wet/dry sandpaper at most Walmarts. They have most of the grits and it also costs less then most other places.

 

[getcha]

I have seen that happen alot with evo tails that have been opened. Im sure you have seen on the evo boards. I still have yet to figure out if its because they were opened or if it was just luck of the draw each time. It seems as if it happens on the inside.



Do I see some A6s and some Azeniss in the background?

 

[LVIIR]

LVIIR, just for future referrence, you can get 3M wet/dry sandpaper at most Walmarts. They have most of the grits and it also costs less then most other places.

Thanks for the info. I'll check that out.

I have seen that happen alot with evo tails that have been opened. Im sure you have seen on the evo boards. I still have yet to figure out if its because they were opened or if it was just luck of the draw each time. It seems as if it happens on the inside.



Do I see some A6s and some Azeniss in the background?

Yeah, there was a fairly long thread on evolutionm.net about this phenomenon. No definite answer either. But you are right, it seems to only happen after the tails have been opened and painted. I may just end up buying a set of Evo IX tails that already come black already.



Actually I have a set of Advan A032r's that I've been auto-xing on recently that you see in the picture mounted. Once they are done, the slicks there are the Hankook Z214's!

 

[dheath]

Thanks,



I've already taken them apart to paint them black. It seems as though these marks came after I painted them. I'm not sure if the color is some how reflecting the heat a different way than what the stock/chrome was, and thus causing the halo's?



I may take them apart again soon to see if they are fixable.:nixweiss

I dont think its the paint itself because how would paint create the perfect outline of the lights. It would heat up the entire taillight and not display a pattern wouldn't it? It might be the lenses were put back together a bit too closely? I really don't know for sure. I've painted my headlights black using the same process (granted it wasnt an evo) and mine are still perfect for a few years going...

 

[mborner]

To your knowledge, has the car ever been involved in an accident? Have the headlights and/or tail lights been replaced with aftermarket parts? Non OEM parts are crap and I can see this happening with cheap Chinese import parts. Just a thought.

 

[LVIIR]

Hum,



No my car is accident free. The tails are OEM, not some knockoffs. Someone in this thread: was stating that it's possible that these marks are appearing, because when we reseal the lights, they're better sealed than when they were from the factory. Possibly keeping more heat in the housing itself, thus causing the marks? Either way, I'm assuming these lenses are screwed if that's the case...



Here's the thread on an evolution forum:

Blacked out tail light issue - evolutionm.net