Will 400 degree heat kill UV on headlights?

M

Malves85

New member
I plan on having my headlights modified in the near future. This means putting them in an oven at around 400 degrees. I dont know how long they need to be in there for but I'm guessing more than 10 minutes. My car is a 2008 Mitsubishi. The lights are factory hid. Nothing is being done to the lens itself. All work is inside the housing.

Will the exposure to this high heat kill any UV protection that was on the lens?



Thanks
 
Why 400? I'm guessing you're planning on putting them in to loosen the glue to take them apart and paint or something along those lines? Very common in the subaru world, I've done 5-6 sets of headlamps and I never cranked it up more than 300 degrees and the headlights were only in there for a few minutes. That's all that's needed to loosen the glue. It comes out hot, but not hot enough to soften the plastics or the coatings on the lamps. the UV coatings showed no signs of deterioration.
 
SpoolinNoMore said:
I'd put a good sealant on them afterwards regardless. You've already got them removed so it's that much more convenient to do
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That or some OptiCoat. These days it doesn't take much for headlights to turn cloudy and yellow. Sealing them often is never a bad idea.
 
Yes they will be painted. I hate chrome, haha.

I'll look into the opti coat. The lenses are still clear but the car is 3 years old and never properly detailed so I'm sure a good polish couldnt hurt. Good point on doing it while off the car. Much easier for a newbie such as myself to do.

Thanks guys
 
as i read this your talking about taking the lights of your car (which are in good condition now, and legal) and putting them in an oven to heat them up enough that you can separate the lens from the body, then paint over the chrome (are there an legal issues with this) then glue them back together? do you have a back up plan incase this whole thing goes south? i would think about getting some second hand lights and try modifying them first. just some of my random thoughts.
 
Random thoughts always appreciated.



Now while I havent read official laws posted on government sites, from my online reading it is legal to paint the housing on HID lights. Its illegal to add red/blue lights like some people do.

The HID is a filament that doesnt need a reflective surface like standard bulbs. It just needs a projector shroud to point the beam straight. The entire housing can be pitch black and output would not be affected at all. But painting a standard headlight pitch black will negatively affect light output as the bulb depends on the shiny reflective surfaces to direct the beam. So in my case with HID lights I am fine.

The guy that will be working on my headlights has done over a dozen sets so far. I have been reading all the reviews to make sure he does a soild job. No condensation or fogging up. No scratches or damage. So far no complaints so I have faith in this guy.

My factory headlights go for about $1,500-2,000 a pair if I'm not mistaken. The HID is what kills the price. My backup is my beater car while the lights are off my main car.
 
He'll never run into legal issues painting the chrome housings, it's just a matter of doing it safely. Few I've done over the years:



The first black one

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IMG_0448.jpg
 
interesting. i know hid are projector guess i just never paid enough attention to look (rather it hasn't bothered me). for the $2000 price i would think that would be everything bulbs, ballasts, lens, etc.



good luck with the mod. post some before and afters pics.
 
Good question for Ron Ketcham.



Wow....400 degrees? Are you sure? That's alot of heat. Suprised platic doesn't melt at that temp? Regardless, if you're worried about premature oxidation, the best thing your can do is Opti-Coat them and/or apply clearcoat.
 
Sure will due some damage. Melting point on Lexan is 302 degress. It will soften and warp. Not a smart idea. Not at that replacement cost anyways.
 
Barry, we are on the same page.

Why waste a set of headlight covers worth most people's weekly net income to "chance such a change"?

I guess I am too friggen old, just does not make sense.



400F, I didn't just fall off the turd wagon, that is beyond common sense!!!

!Grumpy
 
Oh, I forgot to add one "major" thing to consider before a person subjects the plastic of an part of a modern vehicle to temps of more than 320F.

Here it is, read it and weep.

IF IF WERE POSSIBLE FOR THE PLASTIC AND TRIM TO HOLD UP TO TEMPS OF OVER 320F, THEY COULD APPLY A LARGE PART OF THE TRIM, ETC BEFORE PAINTS, EXPOSING THEM TO THE VARIOUS BAKE OVEN TEMPS!

They don't do they?

The head light lens being referred to will exhibit "cracking and crazing" within a year or so after one does the process that this company says to do..

I will stand by that, and that's all there is to this.

Grumpy
 
You're not exposing the lens to the oven long enough for it to reach those temps. You leave it in for just a few minutes to warm the glue. If you do it right, it's not a problem.
 
time will tell. has anyone that's done this mod done it a year or more ago to see how things are holding up? what the oldest set of moded lights you've come across?
 
wascallyrabbit said:
time will tell. has anyone that's done this mod done it a year or more ago to see how things are holding up? what the oldest set of moded lights you've come across?
Click to expand...



This guy's STI had its headlamps cracked open at least since July '09 since that's when this picture was posted. Probably had been cracked open earlier than that.



Photo0161.jpg




I detailed his car in June of this year. Lens showed some average oxidation



di-XU4R.jpg




But still corrected very easily using PlastX and a green 4" pad.



di-H1YQ.jpg
 
From what Grumpy pointed out I think I'll request the guy to only go up to 300 degrees on my lights. He probably does 400 to get things done quicker but I rather be safe than sorry. If it takes longer to seperate at 300 then so be it.



I've seen the process done on many older cars. Like everything else in the world it all depends on who is doing the work. Any fool can throw headlights into an oven and paint them. Just like any fool can wash a car. It all depends on how much care goes into it. I've been to enough car shows and have seen it all. Paint peeling INSIDE of the headlight hosing. Fogged and hazing. I've even seen someone try to tint all their lights by using this aerosol spray called night shade and oversprayed it on to the car. Didnt bother to mask anything off.



The particular guy going to be doing my headlights owns the same car I do, has been modifying headlights for a few years and started offering his services to a specific forum I frequent. People have been posting detailed pictures of his work and all looks perfect so far. This guy seems to take pride in his work, plus if he gets a bad review myself and everyone else on the forum wont go to him for work so he better do a good job.
 
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