Headlamp Projector Lenses Discoloured

[vausey]

My 2011 Delta headlight projector lenses have gone misty and as a result dipped beam headlights are now like having candles up front even when the outer lenses are spotless! 

 

Has anyone else experienced the same, if so can anything be done?  I've seen a few guides for other manufacturers cars where owners have split the headlamp casing and disassembled in order to clean them and then resealed the unit after with silicone.  Has anyone done this and had any success?  Any hints tips or guides? 

 

Replacing both headlights isn't an option due to cost therefore any ideas gratefully appreciated....

[Nello]

You can buy glass cutter paste to Demist them or get them polished. Does your car have the ones that move with the angle of direction?

[vausey]

Cheers Nello, I had hoped it would be the case that the headlight clusters were"borrowed" from another car like a lot  of the other parts on the Delta and I'd be able to get a pair at a reasonable price but no such luck - I think these are actually Delta specific. 

 

I'll look into the glass cutter pastes and polishing.  I wonder if there are any traders that offer projector headlight refurbishment as a service? 

 

I think the directional beams on mine are provided by a light in the front fog lamp turning on and off when needed and not by the main headlamp it's still quite effective though.

[Andrewgrale]

Professional upvc cleaner worked wonders on my sister in laws Toyolet (which had failed our National Car Test, aka MOT)

Any good window fitter or DIY store should have it

A little elbow grease and there should be avast improvement

[vausey]

Yes that UPVC cleaner stuff is great on most plastics...stinks of pear drops and gives me a big headache but works wonders! 

 

My problem is that it's not the outer plastic it's the actual projector lens.  I need to remove the headlight which doesn't look like an easy job and then see if it can be withdrawn from the back like on the volvo's or if I'll have to pop it in the oven to soften the glue and split the front off the headlight to get access...really hope it's not the latter as doing a tidy job and ensuring a decent seal afterwards will be tricky to say the least....

[Andrewgrale]

1 quick suggestion would be to try a new pair of dip light bulbs, before you go through the trial that would be headlight unit removal!

My wife's Delta lights were very poor when I drove it over having bought it in the UK

Both bulbs were working, but both (!) were black inside when I removed them. The difference afterwards was night and day

[vausey]

Cheers Andrew - hadn't thought that it could just be down to poor bulbs.

 

I'll try a new pair and see if it makes any difference (although have a feeling I'd just be delaying an inevitable task.)  Any recommendations on bulbs that are nice and bright but legal - there seems to be so many to choose from?  

[Andrewgrale]

Cheers Andrew - hadn't thought that it could just be down to poor bulbs.

 

I'll try a new pair and see if it makes any difference (although have a feeling I'd just be delaying an inevitable task.) Any recommendations on bulbs that are nice and bright but legal - there seems to be so many to choose from?

I buy mine in Lidl!

Get the H7 +50% light . . Around €4.99 a pair!

 

That said, to change them requires the dexterity of a piano playing, double jointed, ambidextrous midwife :-O

Someone here (Nello?) Is still missing a small screwdriver in the left-hand wing area, since he did his !!!!

Edited January 14, 2018 by Andrewgrale

[MikeyRules]

That said, to change them requires the dexterity of a piano playing, double jointed, ambidextrous midwife :-O

Someone here (Nello?) Is still missing a small screwdriver in the left-hand wing area, since he did his !!!!

Haha you're not flipping wrong! I mean how the hell are you supposed to even get your hand in! My wife calls me dinosaur hands as she thinks they're really big, so probably not the best person for the job.

 

Nightbreaker bulbs are great also. If like me after swearing at it a million times when you can't get the flippin spring clip back over the bulb to secure it... Just pay some young kid from Halfords to do it for you lol

[Rossocorsa]

Haha you're not flipping wrong! I mean how the hell are you supposed to even get your hand in! My wife calls me dinosaur hands as she thinks they're really big, so probably not the best person for the job.

 

Nightbreaker bulbs are great also. If like me after swearing at it a million times when you can't get the flippin spring clip back over the bulb to secure it... Just pay some young kid from Halfords to do it for you lol

My local garage told me once that they've had the odd MOT failure when halfords haven't got the bulb in correctly!

[vausey]

Just ordered a pair of the OSRAM nightbreaker unlimited's from Aamazon for a touch under fifteen quid will see what difference they make.

 

I'll save the £16 Halfrauds want to fit them incorrectly (and the extra £15 for bulbs that were only half as good based on reviews) and buy myself a nice bottle of scotch with the savings to calm my nerve and numb the pain after losing the skin from the back of my hands and dislocating my wrist 

[Rossocorsa]

I used one of those endoscope devices that you can attach to your phone to help me see what I was doing, half the problem is not being able to see the clips etc.

[MikeyRules]

I used one of those endoscope devices that you can attach to your phone to help me see what I was doing, half the problem is not being able to see the clips etc.

What you do with your endoscope in your spare time is your own business!  

Just ordered a pair of the OSRAM nightbreaker unlimited's from Aamazon for a touch under fifteen quid will see what difference they make.

 

I'll save the £16 Halfrauds want to fit them incorrectly (and the extra £15 for bulbs that were only half as good based on reviews) and buy myself a nice bottle of scotch with the savings to calm my nerve and numb the pain after losing the skin from the back of my hands and dislocating my wrist 

Let us know how the nightbreaker's work out fella!?

 

...and we want pictures of the hand self harming too!

[Nello]

Yes it was me with the Screwey that did a runner! Like Alan says its the clips that are the problem and keeping the clip retained whilst trying to refit back in to its slot

will make you curse like a trooper (not that I don't do already!) 

Edited January 15, 2018 by Nello

[vausey]

The new bulbs have arrived, managed to fit the drivers side without too much difficulty, but oh my days how on earth can you undo the clip on the passenger side?? That screen wash filler neck is just a pain in the arse!

 

As far as evidence of self-harm I've no cuts but the back of my hand is so bruised from trying to jam it in the gap to undo that pesky clip... I can't even manage to squeeze a pair of pliers in...any ideas?

 

Took the car for a spin after upgrading the one bulb and it has made a difference but still think I'm going to have to do the projector lenses some time fairly soon 

 

As for cursing Nello yes I did, but as an ex-trooper I guess that's allowed!

Edited January 19, 2018 by vausey

[Nello]

IIRC vausey you can pull that screen wash tube off to give you a small amount of extra room.

[Cassino]

Yes, you can pull off the washer bottle neck, and I have also taken off the cross brace strut.

It's a pain for sure, but I've done that change 2 or 3 times.

[Nello]

Crikey how many bulbs have blown?!