BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

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      07-28-2018, 05:59 PM   #23
Thunderguts
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Here is a possibility, but you’ll need to figure out how it could apply to your situation. A clear polymer like the headlight housing will react to certain chemical out gassing. If, for instance, you used a cyanoacrylate glue, the fumes would absolutely cloud up the inside of the housing, but it would be more uniform. I think out gassing from silicone caulk would do the same thing. Maybe If you changed out the bulbs to something with a coating on it it’s causing minor out gassing that’s reacting with the inside of your housings. You would think that it would be more uniform, but the condensation that formed in my housing was speckled like that (due mainly from it evaporating when the bulbs heated up).
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      07-28-2018, 11:12 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaye944 View Post
dude,
it may have been obvious to some but not to all,
post 5 is where you even mention that it is not on the outside, even I missed that reply.

so your answer is "thanks"
mine would be "your welcome"

c a little bit of courtesy, doesn't hurt does it ?
Sorry, I didn't mean it that way... My apologies.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunderguts View Post
Here is a possibility, but you’ll need to figure out how it could apply to your situation. A clear polymer like the headlight housing will react to certain chemical out gassing. If, for instance, you used a cyanoacrylate glue, the fumes would absolutely cloud up the inside of the housing, but it would be more uniform. I think out gassing from silicone caulk would do the same thing. Maybe If you changed out the bulbs to something with a coating on it it’s causing minor out gassing that’s reacting with the inside of your housings. You would think that it would be more uniform, but the condensation that formed in my housing was speckled like that (due mainly from it evaporating when the bulbs heated up).
Interesting theory, but I haven't changed any of the bulbs as of yet.

That said, I do see something that looks like outgassing deposits on the inside of both fog lights... A sort of whitish-gray haze.

The speckles look more like a physical defect in the headlight rather than a deposit. I'll try to take a closer shot when I get a chance.
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      07-29-2018, 12:20 AM   #25
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If I get sick of those speckles, maybe I'll replace both headlights with these: https://www.amazon.com/VIPMOTOZ-2008...cm_wl_huc_item
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      07-31-2018, 10:25 PM   #26
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I took a long look at the speckles with a magnifier and the headlights on... They're microcracks... Like shattered auto glass in a very small scale.
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      08-07-2018, 01:43 PM   #27
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This person with a 5-Series has what looks to be similar microcracking on his headlights. And they're on the outer surface. Maybe some aggressive sanding and polishing will take care of mine as well.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...bmw-520-a.html
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      08-07-2018, 02:08 PM   #28
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And it's just not BMWs either:

Audi TT: https://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/view...p?f=2&t=233004

Porsche 911: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/8210...adlight-5.html
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      08-07-2018, 02:14 PM   #29
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I had the same thing on mine and it was indeed on the outside. I tried a little experiment since I figured I would have to buy new housings any way. I wet sanded with 220, 400, 800, 1000 and 2000. I put a little bit of Dawn in a spray bottle full of water. I figured the Dawn would help degrease during sanding. Then I used a clay bar, polished with Meguiars Ultimate Compound and put on three coats of Meguiars Gold Class Carnauba wax. To my surprise, they look new.
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      08-07-2018, 05:20 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seabee_1 View Post
I had the same thing on mine and it was indeed on the outside. I tried a little experiment since I figured I would have to buy new housings any way. I wet sanded with 220, 400, 800, 1000 and 2000. I put a little bit of Dawn in a spray bottle full of water. I figured the Dawn would help degrease during sanding. Then I used a clay bar, polished with Meguiars Ultimate Compound and put on three coats of Meguiars Gold Class Carnauba wax. To my surprise, they look new.
Good to know. I'm definitely going to try that out this weekend.
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      08-12-2018, 11:18 AM   #31
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I probably should have done a step by step but I honestly didn't think about it before seeing this post. Here is what they look like when done.
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      08-12-2018, 11:39 AM   #32
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'09 135i  [10.00]
Wow, that looks fabulous
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      08-12-2018, 11:00 PM   #33
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Worked on the headlights this weekend. They look pretty good, but when the headlights are on, I can still see some of the microcracks as well as some of my wet sanding marks.

Most of the pics of the restored headlights that I've seen are with the headlights off... Wonder how they look with them turned on...?

I guess I'll have to make another pass at them at a future date. Or maybe just replace them with the halo headlights that I mentioned earlier.
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      08-13-2018, 05:19 PM   #34
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Ill take a pic with my headlights on and post it for you.
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      08-13-2018, 06:01 PM   #35
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I couldn't take a straight on shot as the lights were too bright. Look at the bottom right and you can make out some of the sanding marks. Not horrible though.
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      08-13-2018, 10:11 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seabee_1 View Post
Look at the bottom right and you can make out some of the sanding marks.
Yup, that's what I see on my headlights in various places as well... Thanks for posting a pic.

I'll make another attempt when I have another free weekend. And this time I'll fire up the headlights every now and then to check my work.

Am I OCD about this?

Yup.
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      08-13-2018, 10:26 PM   #37
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Not OCD in my opinion. Little trick, after each grit of sand paper let the housing dry completely to make sure the sanding was even. Also, sand horizontally. When I used the clay bar it seemed to knock down even the 2000 grit sanding lines. The more polish you use after the clay bar the less sanding lines you will have.
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      08-14-2018, 12:12 AM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seabee_1 View Post
Not OCD in my opinion. Little trick, after each grit of sand paper let the housing dry completely to make sure the sanding was even. Also, sand horizontally. When I used the clay bar it seemed to knock down even the 2000 grit sanding lines. The more polish you use after the clay bar the less sanding lines you will have.
I did wipe the lens dry after each wet sanding to check my work. With each different grit, I alternated from horizontal sanding to vertical sanding... I figured that would ensure that the next grit would remove any sanding lines from the previous grit. I used 800>1000>1500>2000>3000>rubbing compound.

Hmm, I skipped the clay step since I didn't think it would have any effect... I'll have to try that the next go round with my nanoskin sponge.
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      08-14-2018, 06:49 AM   #39
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On the OCD front, I had the whole front of the car taped and covered so only the headlights were showing. I didn't want to take a chance of accidently hitting the paint with sandpaper. Then the car sat like that in the garage for three days while I continually worked on those lights until I was satisfied. Now I have to go back and do it all again because you put that lights on bug in my head. Damn it.
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      08-14-2018, 08:06 AM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seabee_1 View Post
Now I have to go back and do it all again because you put that lights on bug in my head. Damn it.
LOL, welcome to the OCD club.

If I keep sanding my headlights a few more times to my satisfaction, they'll be perfectly clear: The plastic will be gone.
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      08-14-2018, 10:13 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bmw1racer View Post
LOL, welcome to the OCD club.
Touche Good Sir.
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      10-22-2018, 10:18 PM   #42
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Just incase you missed this I'll place this here https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...bmw-520-a.html (did this to my 135i, took forever but the result was worth it)
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      10-22-2018, 10:48 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrex90 View Post
Just incase you missed this I'll place this here https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...bmw-520-a.html (did this to my 135i, took forever but the result was worth it)
Yup, I've seen that. But again, how does it look with the headlights on?
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      12-29-2018, 06:06 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bmw1racer View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrex90 View Post
Just incase you missed this I'll place this here https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...bmw-520-a.html (did this to my 135i, took forever but the result was worth it)
Yup, I've seen that. But again, how does it look with the headlights on?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1and1 View Post
Those areas may need actual compounding, or even wet sanding to resolve what you can feel/scrape off with a finger nail.
Beware however, at that point you're also potentially removing the factory UV coating so will need to re-coat or face repeating the process every 6-8 months
I have the same issue with my lights. I tried the Meguires headlight restoration kit, it improved but did not eliminate the spots. The kit uses 1000, and 3000 grit. I added a 2000 grit in btw.

I think I need to start with 400 grit but I was worried about going that rough. Do you guys wet sand with the 400?
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