Cleaning Headlights

REN TIN TIN

REN TIN TIN

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Does anyone know a quick way of cleaning the inside of a headlight?

I had to replace the headlight bulb on the R12 the other day and noticed that there was a film built up on the inside of the headlight glass (and probably on the reflector too).

It’s awkward to clean with a cloth, is there a liquid cleaner that can be poured into the headlight that will clean the glass without destroying the reflector.

Ren
:cheers:
 
remove light, squirt dishwashing liquid and some hot water in, shake about and let soak for a while, and squirt out with hose. leave in sun for a few hours to dry out. :D
 
Tricky one!

Maybe a suggestion - remove the headlight - try using a small amount of car wash and warm water - pour into the unit and agitate then rinse it out - important thing here is to dry it out properly (leave in the sun?)

That's what I'd try anyway. Hopefully you won't get corrosion problems (why I suggested car wash detergent rather than dishwashing detergent - high amount of salts)
 
Possibly something like kero would be best.. but it might affect the seals... dunno. People always used to say wash your car with kero in water instead of car wash stuff to avoid rusting.
 
Craig said:
Possibly something like kero would be best.. but it might affect the seals... dunno. People always used to say wash your car with kero in water instead of car wash stuff to avoid rusting.
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Uh, no. a mild surfactant thoroghly rinsed will be just fine. You will need a surfactant to shift the hydrocarbon sheen anyway, as if left it will make dust cling something horrid, and I dont know what it would do to the delicate reflector coating.

Wash your car in kero? thats a new one i have to say :eek:
 
Depending on how far you want to go with this - the Renault & peugeot headlights have had a rep for the glass and base separating (usually with hard stops) with age - my dad was once test-driving a P504 he was buying when the over-enthusiastic owner demonstrated the disc brake effectiveness a little too well. The glass hit the road and shattered - the embarassed owner agreed to replace the light before dad picked the car up.

It is not too hard to cut away and clean up "the bead" of silicon adhesive the glass seals on; clean the area where it seals (plus the backing itself - which is the point of it all in this case) being careful not to get fingerprints on it; and re-seal the glass back onto the backing with the same type of silicon adhesive. Just be careful not to use too much such that it squashes back into the reflector plate when you put pressure on the glass to reseal it; or too little or you'll have to do it all again (maybe practise on an old dodgy item first).

I had this done a year or two back on my R10 when the glass was loose when it went for its blue slip - so much for carefully checking the car before heading off to the garage. We only noticed it by accident cause the guy tapped the light for some reason.

KB
 
renault8&10 said:
It is not too hard to cut away and clean up "the bead" of silicon adhesive the glass seals on; clean the area where it seals (plus the backing itself - which is the point of it all in this case) being careful not to get fingerprints on it; and re-seal the glass back onto the backing with the same type of silicon adhesive. Just be careful not to use too much such that it squashes back into the reflector plate when you put pressure on the glass to reseal it; or too little or you'll have to do it all again (maybe practise on an old dodgy item first).

KB
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I don't know about this reputation, I've removed the glass from the base a few times and alway had extreme difficulty getting the glass to part with the base. I don't know what they used in the 70's to stick the glass to the base but it's pretty hard stuff. I've had to grind the sealing compound away (with a dremel) and try not to crack the glass. I heard the soaking the seal in petrol is supposed to soften the seal and make it easier to move but it's never worked for me.

Normally, I would just clean the inside of the glass with a soft clean cloth taped to the end of a piece of dowel. But the lights I have here are the 'joey' type with built in driving lights so the extra reflector make if difficult to reach the bottom section.

Ren.
:cheers:
 
Haakon said:
Wash your car in kero? thats a new one i have to say :eek:
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No.. its not a new one.. Diluted in water (ie, a capfull or so in a bucket) its supposed to as good a job as cleaning fluid.. that was the story at least 10-20 years ago. Never tried it though.. Meguiars does my cars very well thanks.
 
Yeah dont forget to seal the headlight up again!!!

if its sealed properly it'd NEVER get dust in it & u'll never have to clean!
 
nate said:
Yeah dont forget to seal the headlight up again!!!

if its sealed properly it'd NEVER get dust in it & u'll never have to clean!
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My headlights are as sealed now as when they left the factory. There's a very slight gap around the bulb but the problem isn't dust. It's a bit hard to describe but there's a 'milky' film on the inside of the glass similar to what you get on the inside of windscreens and windows.

I guess I could replace the rectangular lights with the quad headlights from a Virage which are sealed beams and I wouldn't have the problem any more.


Ren
:cheers:
 
renault8&10 said:
It is not too hard to cut away and clean up "the bead" of silicon adhesive the glass seals on; clean the area where it seals (plus the backing itself - which is the point of it all in this case) being careful not to get fingerprints on it; and re-seal the glass back onto the backing with the same type of silicon adhesive.
KB
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If doing the above make sure that the silicone used is non acid cure, acid cure silicone will affect the reflector surface of the light, gradually turning it black, or causing rust.

As for cleaning the kangaroo lights, I'd suggest the car wash liquid with water with a final rinse of methylated spirits to dissolve the water and dry it quickly. use a long thin bottle brush to scrub the glass. Be very careful with the Kangaroo reflector, these are very brittle and the reflective surface is easily affected. If the light output is not affected too adversely, it may not be worth the effort, if the output is yellow, things like cleaning the earth or replacing worn bulbs should cure the problem. Do not be tempted by fitting bulbs more than 60 watts to the lights, the extra heat "boils" the reflective surface off the Kangaroo reflector making it yellow.

The old kero in water was a trick used to brighten up pre acrylic lacquer paints (bascally many paints pre mid 1960's), so I'd guess as many people know about that one as there would be young Pug owners knowing about Renault Gordinis. Do not use this trick to clean headlights or moden paints though.
 
Simon said:
. Do not be tempted by fitting bulbs more than 60 watts to the lights, the extra heat "boils" the reflective surface off the Kangaroo reflector making it yellow.

.
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would that apply to newer cibie lights ie my '89 R25? I have 100/90 watt globes in it that finally made the lights not crap, but I dont want to fry the reflector. They are not getting too hot otherwise to harm the plastic body of the light.

Might have to get the plus 50 globes and think about some driving lights. I do a bit of country driving, and shithot headlights are a vital item to avoid 'roos :D
 
Haakon said:
would that apply to newer cibie lights ie my '89 R25? I have 100/90 watt globes in it that finally made the lights not crap, but I dont want to fry the reflector. They are not getting too hot otherwise to harm the plastic body of the light.

Might have to get the plus 50 globes and think about some driving lights. I do a bit of country driving, and shithot headlights are a vital item to avoid 'roos :D
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It mainly seems to apply to the plastic Kangaroo reflector, you may notice that many of these lights (used on 12's 16's and Citroen GS's) appear yellow when not switched on, this is because there is no longer any reflector material on the plastic. However, on the earlier non-Kangaroo headlights the top of the reflector is often non existant and the headlights appear blackish, but the functioning part of the reflector is OK, I think this is more from the age and normal wear and tear than anything else. But the Kangaroo deterioration seems more affected by the wattage of the bulb, it doesn't distort the plastic, just the reflective surface disappears.

As how it applies to 25 lights I'm not sure as I've not had a look at a lot of them. But I have seen a crashed and reparied 25GTX with a new headlight which was obviously new, and the other original one had a darker appearance.

It would be nice to think that the latest type bulbs are easier on the reflectors as well as being more efficient, but I suppose only time will tell.
 
Simon said:
Do not be tempted by fitting bulbs more than 60 watts to the lights, the extra heat "boils" the reflective surface off the Kangaroo reflector making it yellow.
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I only ever use 55/60W halogen bulbs and the reflectors are still in good condition. I've got some kangaroo lights in which the reflectors are almost completely gone which I'mm hanging onto I case I can get them resilvered on day.
55/60 seem to be bright enough and if I need more light I just switch to high beam and it seems to be adequate. I find that having headlight out of alignment make a big difference.

Ren
:cheers:
 
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