Cleaning headlight projector lens possible?

Is there any way to clean the headlight projector lens on the front top edge without needing to disassemble the headlight front from the housing? My daughter came home last Friday with three giant rock chips on the left front light on the 08 Legacy. I ordered a used unit from the local salvage yard. Price was cheap and the headlight is decent and clear no fogging. I do notice a smudge of something on the upper right quadrant of the reflector lens though. Not sure how that could happen since this is an OEM Subaru part and it has not been taken apart from what I can tell. Is this something I should just not worry about or is there a way to possibly try to clean the projector lens without taking the front off the headlight assembly?

Cant say I was ever successful getting that far into the lamps without disassembling. That smudge actually looks like left over butyl rubber (lamp housing sealant).

Not really possible to clean that part of the projector lens without disassembly. It would take more work than simply opening them up again. Like m sprank said, it looks like sealant. It will likely burn and be caked on there for good or it might flake off. Not really an issue I’d worry about though. Headlight disassembly isn’t too bad, but you increase risk of leaks greatly if you don’t seal them properly.

Is it on the glass lens of the projector? It might actually be a burnt reflector bowl and the reflection makes it look like it's on the lens. Not sure if you can take the bulb out and take a look at it from there.

The method I've seen used likely won't help you, but you could try if you wanted to go through the effort.

 

Pull the light from the car. That should get it out and away from the electrical, make sure all bulbs are out etc. Fill up the inside with dawn and water, shake vigorously. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

 

Never done it myself, approach with caution.

 

 

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Lots of good thoughts guys. Thanks. I bet it is a bit of butyl sealant that is smudged on the lens. I've decided to just run the unit as-is and not worry about it. After installed I'll make sure to check out the light pattern, etc to make sure nothing bad is going on there.

Headlight is replaced and seems to work just fine even with the smudge of whatever on the lens.

 

Does anyone want a ~19mo old headlight that has a crack by where the turn signal part is?

Headlight is replaced and seems to work just fine even with the smudge of whatever on the lens.

 

Does anyone want a ~19mo old headlight that has a crack by where the turn signal part is?

 

OE? I'd be interested but I'm pretty broke. I'd like to measure the output of a new (or close to) oem projector vs a used lamp that's had a good polish

Yes it is OEM and was new when replaced in Jan/Feb 2019. You are welcome to have it for your measurements. All I ask is you cover the cost of shipping it from 55044 to where you are.

Yes it is OEM and was new when replaced in Jan/Feb 2019. You are welcome to have it for your measurements. All I ask is you cover the cost of shipping it from 55044 to where you are.

 

!!!! Pm sent.

 

Sweet I want to do an HID swap on mine so was planning to buy the cheaper TYC headlamps. This will give me a comparison between all the things.

I will need to locate a box that is the right size so give me a few days here on that.

 

Yes, I had done the HID conversion on this 08 Legacy 2.5i a few years back. My 09 LGT had HIDs when I bought it 4 yrs ago and they are far superior and maintain a super sharp top spread cutoff for the light pattern. This light housing is complete with the only exception being the two prong electrical connector for the original halogen bulb.