Cloudy Headlights After LED Mod

Ok so I finally decided to bake my headlights because I noticed that they were a little cloudy and it wouldnt go away. I assumed it was condensation, but its not. While they were open, I was going to clean them and remove the LED strips that had failed over the winter.

 

Well to my confusion and dismay, whatever happened to them is a mystery to me...

 

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs003.snc1/2782_522858126682_72100768_30992700_8266583_n.jpg

 

I have NO IDEA why this happened, but I blame the LED strips. Its not a film, its almost like the clear lense has deteriorated on the inside, causing the cloudy effect. Not pleased.

 

Any ideas?

 

I'm afraid I already know the answer to my next question, but I thought I'd ask anyway... Is there anyway to purchase the clear headlight lense seperately from the entire housing?

As you can see in the picture that I took about 15 minutes ago, the car is apart as I type this. The cloudy part almost seems like someone sandblasted it from the inside. The other headlight isnt as bad, but it has the same symptoms.

How long have they been cloudy like that? Did it show up soon after putting in the LED strips? What did you use to hold the LED strips in place? If you used some type of glue or adhesive, it could have released a solvent that is harmful to the plastic the lenses are made out of.

saw this once before. did you paint something? Someone suggested it could have been a cleaner or a paint that was inside the light. Some other people said it was improper sealing.

 

The guy wound up just buying ebay lights. I dont remember his nick.

wow man I'm sorry that happenned, it almost looks like the LEDs got really hot and burned the lens although that seems impossible. If you have luck enough to find a site that just sells the lense I'd be interested too, mine are pretty beat up.

I think i was the third person to try the mod, so I've had them for a little while. Slowly the LED's started failing, and I finally got a chance to dig into the project.

 

I'm not really sure when I noticed the cloudiness. They were fine for months, but then i started noticing what I thought was condensation... wrong

 

I used a small amount of epoxy to secure them... maybe thats what caused it? It was supposed to be safe for plastics, but who knows. Now I think I'm SOL.

Low power LED's like we use produce no heat... nothing compared to the halogen headlamps.

this happened to the very top of my lights right where the outer plastic piece curves, just on the top. it thought that it happened in the oven. Not sure, i bought eyelids to cover it up.

yeah its the strangest thing. if you cant tell from the pic, its only in the front part of the lense that is cloudy in spots. the parking light part of the lens is still flawless.

out of curiosity how long/what temp did you bake them at? I used 3M molding tape with mine, so maybe it was the headlights heating up the epoxy that caused it

Wow that's crazy dude... sorry to see/hear that. I guess we should all be more careful when using LED's... and epoxy

for the oven... i bake at 250 for 8-10 minutes. it wasnt that though... they were fine for months.

i really think it has something to do with cheap materials in the led strips... just look at the damage left behind... you can pick out each led.... maybe the material started to deteriorate and left off a gas of some sort which slowly ate away at other parts of the lense

hopefully removing the strips and cleaning the entire headlight will prevent any further damage until i can find reasonably priced replacements. Its not the end of the world... just sucks.

 

I miss the functioning led strips

 

 

 

 

... and nice clear headlights :(

Just wondering, where did you get your LED strips from?

ebay... hong kong... epic failure.

i think i did mine right after doc and darkfox... at that time, i dont think anyone knew any other place to get them. i could be wrong.

oznium.com is the place I hear everyone else is getting them now.

 

lol dude stop flooding your own thread; no one's really getting a chance to get to respond to you lol

I used a small amount of epoxy to secure them... maybe thats what caused it? It was supposed to be safe for plastics, but who knows.

 

 

That's it. It's safe for plastics as in it doesn't have a reaction with them and turn them into a puddle of goo. But as the epoxy dries it outgasses and that is what is causing the cloudiness.

 

It's ok to use epoxy in there, but you have to let it FULLY cure before sealing back up. anywhere from 24-72 hours

ah.. see that explains it.. when I sealed mine I used automotive black silicone.

haha sorry about the quick/short responses and flooding... a headlight was in the oven and needed to be put back together

 

as for the epoxy drying... i let it dry...

 

 

they were fine for months

 

 

its not like i did the leds yesterday... it was back in the fall... headlights started getting cloudy maybe a month ago.

the expoxy vapors have been in there for a long time, but it takes the right conditions for them to condense then harden on the lens. Or the LED's overheated and whatever they are housed in outgassed.

darkfox.. i've never had to add any sealant when putting the lights back together... i just put it back in the oven for a couple minutes to soften the stuff thats already there.

it sucks....

 

i guess just use my experience as a lesson and keep an eye on your headlights. if it looks like you MIGHT have condensation or even a HINT of clouding... pull the lights, bake them, and don't do whatever it was that i did

 

 

 

 

so... anyone wanna swap headlights?

 

 

 

live and learn.

everyone says that.

 

I scraped the oem out and put new in. ... mainly because I got dog hair in the original stuff.

 

thats what I get for clearing them on the floor I guess.