# opening/splitting sealed headlights... how to dissolve the sealant/glue?



## Radlin

I fancy adding Halo rings to my headlamps, but trouble is they are sealed. One way to split is to bake the lights for a period and several times, which enables you to eventually prize the lense/lamp apart (if you're lucky enough not to tint/discolour them in the process), but there MUST be an easier way....

Has anyone split their headlamps or can anyone recommend a product that will pretty quickly and easily dissolve the sealant/glue used by manufacturers? I see Tardis is pretty good at dissolving tape residue but don't know if its strong enough.


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## -Raven-

In the oven. I haven't done it myself, but thats how it's done!


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## bigmc

Stick them in the oven on low heat until the glue is soft then prise apart, remove the glue with your fingers and a scraper then Robert is your mothers brother.


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## Radlin

Robert who??? lol

But there must be an easier way, surely there must be some sort of solvent that will dissolve the glue?


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## CraigQQ

a solvent strong enough to dissolve what is meant to be permanent seal glue, will more than likely damage the surround plastic.


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## SwordfishCoupe

Did that years ago on my Hyundai Coupe v6, method I used was one of the hot paint stripper type things - i.e. very hot hairdryer and work around the seal. Pull really hard to separate them, do the job and then heat up and stick back together. I kept the car over 2 years after doing it and never had a problem.


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## hulla the hulla

I softened mine in boiling water and then prised apart


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## dooka

PM Baker21, it is what he does for a living, well a headlight designer. They have all the ovens and equipment to sort. He will at least be able to advice..


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## Radlin

Dooka, thank you will contact him.


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## shaqs77

low oven is the done method on the vw mod scene.


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## jomo

Set oven to 110c and place in the middle for 15-20 mins, remove (wearing gloves) and pull apart, while the glue/sealant is still soft tidy it up so you dont have any spiky bits sticking out!
Do what you need to do, fit them back together best you can re-heat agin as before and when you remove them from the oven push together re-sealing them!
I'd place a clean towel on a table when you re-seal them so you can use your body weight to keep them together till their cool enough and the sealant has gone hard!


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## Pedro.Malheiro

that heat will not crack the plastic/acrylic ? i want to do the same but I have afraid to break it :S 

and what type of glue/sealant I need to use?


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## jomo

No, at that temp it will only warm them up! (still too hot to hold without gloves).

If you do it right you dont need any new sealant as when you re-heat them to re-seal them the glue will soften again for you to just push them back together and seal!

Check out this video,


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## Baker21

Radlin said:


> I fancy adding Halo rings to my headlamps, but trouble is they are sealed. One way to split is to bake the lights for a period and several times, which enables you to eventually prize the lense/lamp apart (if you're lucky enough not to tint/discolour them in the process), but there MUST be an easier way....
> 
> Has anyone split their headlamps or can anyone recommend a product that will pretty quickly and easily dissolve the sealant/glue used by manufacturers? I see Tardis is pretty good at dissolving tape residue but don't know if its strong enough.


Thanks for the PM and also thanks to Rob for mentioning my name..........

Sadly I am going to be a bit fo a stick in the mud on this one and say this is something I don't agree with nor do I suggest you do.

Personally I spend years working with an OEM to give them a legal lamp that meets all testing requirements and regulations costing thousands of pounds to develop. Lamps are not designed to be split apart with the newer head lamps using structural adhesives and stapling through the Glue Channel to ensure the seal can not be broken.

All lamps use different materials for each component, these are clearly marked on the back of the housing for any component within the assembly measuring above 50g, this will give you an idea of the material properties and as too how much heat they will withstand before distorting, don't think that a lamp can withstand oven temperatures without finding out what materials it's made out of.

What you propose to do is similar to retro-fitting Xenon for example within a Halogen lamp, the lamp was never designed to take that light source and as soon as you modify it then technically the lamp will be illegal, at the same time you are sure to create a leak path allowing more moisture inside the lamp which will degrade it over time quicker than the non modified OEM example.

More than likely not what you wanted to read or does it offer any realy help but for me this is something I just see as being wrong but then working within that sector day in day out I am sure you can appreciate my viewpoint..........

I am unsure also of who makes the 300c Head Lamp, guessing it may be someone like AL or Valeo.........

As a side note this was the last vehicle I designed, with my team, all the exterior lamps for:


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## Radlin

Thanks Baker, and wow.. what a vehicle. I saw a feature of this AM the other night, think on Discovery.

Anyways... I totally appreciate you points with regards modification, although my proposed mod is IMO not too substantial, being that I want to fit circular Halo LED's which will be wired to replace sidelights. I have HID's as standard. There are many aftermarket lamps (with Halo's)available for the 300c but they all seem to be for LHD and thus unsuitable. I've not been able to identify any that can be changed for RHD use.

Can you perhaps recommend anywhere/anyone that would perhaps do the job for me?


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## Baker21

Radlin said:


> Thanks Baker, and wow.. what a vehicle. I saw a feature of this AM the other night, think on Discovery.
> 
> Anyways... I totally appreciate you points with regards modification, although my proposed mod is IMO not too substantial, being that I want to fit circular Halo LED's which will be wired to replace sidelights. I have HID's as standard. There are many aftermarket lamps (with Halo's)available for the 300c but they all seem to be for LHD and thus unsuitable. I've not been able to identify any that can be changed for RHD use.
> 
> Can you perhaps recommend anywhere/anyone that would perhaps do the job for me?


Yep it sure was on the TV recently and still remains IMHO one of the best looking cars you can buy, well at least if you have £1.2 million to spend........:lol:

Not familar with the 300c Head Lamp but just be careful if the current sidelight function is a filament bulb and the vehicle architecture has failure detection on then retro fitting a LED function may through up a dashboard error message unless you source CAN-BUS style replacements......

I think your best bet would be to have a look on some US forums specific to the 300c and I am sure someone will be able to help you out........:thumb:


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## mishy

Despite what some are saying , not all unit prise apart in the oven... the US OEM and aftermarket VW lamps for example can use a different glue to UK OEM ones.
I think the origin for the VW mod is known as the 'joey mod', in which he pulls a lamp apart after time in the oven to paint the internals but UK modders resorted to other methods as the lense would melt before the glue/bond did...
Recently, in order to kill my orange-egg yoke indicators and replace with a orange LED strip(al la Q7) i used a fine dremel disc to cut the glued/fused section between the lense and backing. 
The dremel cut was so thin the surfaces keyed very well even before putting very small dabs of expoxy(test this first as it may cloud the lense) in key areas then (liberally) clear silicone sealant was flattered over the top. 
Then a few hours later submerge it lense side down in a bucket of water to see if it holds water out. re-apply silicone if required or skim exess.
My units were only small, doing an entire headlamps holds a different set of challenges such as can the new glue handle the weight or heat of the headlight bulbs etc etc


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## Radlin

Thanks Mishy and Baker. 100% sure this mod can be done in this way and the headlamps split as many have already done it with the baking method (both here and stateside). I was though interested if anyone had come accross anything that would dissolve the glue/seal as opposed to having to bake them which obviosuly carries allot of risk.

Looks like I'll have to 'pluck up the courage' to have a go


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## dooka

sorry to drop you in it Simon. Thought you were the best man for the job of educating in this field. Nice little bit of info you put there..

I new very little about lamps before I met you, now I know a little more, and some things do surprise me. I guess it comes down to experience in a trade/job/industry sector etc..

I will quiz you next time I see you. The rear lamps on that 177 look pants, designed by Stevie Wonder I reckon      . Just kidding, they look great, like some of the others you have designed. Nice to see design finally going into headlights, and for them not to be just a practical part of a vehicle..


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## Pedro.Malheiro

thanks for the video

the rear lights of my girlfriend car are blurred inside, and one of the as a little dust inside. I dont know if i will try to open the rear light or to try to clean and demist it with and then seal. But I dont know what type of seal is the best and how to put the seal if I open the light.
I was thinking to use silicone but don't know if it is the best choice.


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## jamie_s

Ive split Corsa c headlights before and the glue doesn't melt. You Have to heat up the plastic overlapping the edge of the lense then when its soft, peel it back enough to be able to cut the glue with a knife. Then when the lense if off, warm the plastic up again and reshape it ready to accept the lense once you are ready. This was the end result once back together







You can see where the plastice has been peeled still.


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## Radlin

Oh.. what to do, what to do.... still fancy doing it but replacement headlamps (should things go wrong) are the same price as the Crown Jewels new and tough to find s/h.

Anyone out there that's done a few, that might want to do it or lend a hand/experience for a few beers... Wiltshire ish?


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## jomo

How about getting a scrapper headlight and practice on that?


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## Radlin

jomo said:


> How about getting a scrapper headlight and practice on that?


Yep.. thought about that and that would be the best way i.e. buy a pair s/h and actually doing those, if all went well a simple change over a resell the excess pair. Trouble is s/h they're still bl00dy expensive and may take a while to re sell. Certainly the best/safest way but....

Have contacted a couple of headlight restorers but know one seems to want to take the job on.


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## jomo

Just get any plastic lends headlight, the cheapest you can find and have a practice with that.

I just took the bull by the horns and did mine with out back-up ones and it all worked out fine.
I just watched that video about 5 times to make sure i knew what i was doing.

*oh by the way, what ever you do *do not use tardis to melt the glue* coz if you get any on the silver/chrome reflector part it will take the silver right of it and leave it clear!!! 

My mate found that out the hard way!


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