Yellowish film under the headlight

[DerrickCaracter]

I just got my car in today!!! But i noticed one of the lights has a yellow mildewish film under the lens. Is this cleanable? or is this a sun-stain?

[chris97boxster]

U didn't anything silly like put 100 watt H7 bulbs in ur car did u?
they will melt the plastic lens closest to the bulb
previous owner of my car did that

Now if ur talking the main plastic part of the headlamp
take ur headlight off the and check the vent
holes for the light assembly
make sure they are not plugged
u'll probably have to do some cleaning -->mildew
How u got the mildew? ? I'd like to know so I can do some
preventative maintenance
Cheers
Chris

[ppbon]

They all tend to do that with time because of the halogen bulbs.
Even using the OEM 55W bulb, it will eventually burn the inner lens.
I was lucky to find a beautiful set of lightly used headlights and then installed Xenons wich are much cooler and won't yellow the lens.
Once the lens has yellowed, aside from cracking open the headlight and polishing the lens, I don't know what you can do. Some people have claimed that "baking" the headlight in an oven will soften the glue, allowing it to be opened. I've never seen it done.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

[clickman]

Originally Posted by ppbon

I was lucky to find a beautiful set of lightly used headlights and then installed Xenons wich are much cooler and won't yellow the lens.

Which xenons did you use? Are they the HIDs you sell?

Have you found a problem with the cutoff not being right and blinding oncoming traffic?

[Lordblood]

I've seen kits down at the local Autozone that claim to wipe away the yellow stains created by halogen bulbs. I have no idea how effective or safe they are, so I'd get some testimonies before attempting it.

[ppbon]

Originally Posted by clickman

Which xenons did you use. Are they the HIDs you sell?

Have you found a problem with the cutoff not being right and blinding oncoming traffic?

Yes.
No.
The HID upgrade kit you install should be bulb-type specific.
Meaning that you should install an H7 compatible kit.
By doing that your light pattern should be very close to OEM because the Xenon's light source should coincide with the headlight's focal point.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

[baileymc]

How do you take the headlights apart to clean off the yellow??

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by baileymc

How do you take the headlights apart to clean off the yellow??

1. if the yellow is on the outside due to sun damage, you can get some lens restoration kits and try it. i have not had much luck with them - they do a little cleaning, but not enough to justify the time i spent trying (i'm a fairly impatient person, fyi).

2. if the yellowing is on the inside then your best bet is going to be to get new headlight assemblies. they're not really designed to come apart though some people have been able to by heating them in the oven (don't use the one you cook in) to melt the glue enough to remove the larger parts - do a search on the forum and google for links.