What is the hazing on the inside of the glass lens?
I've tried warm distilled water with a dash of dish soap. After drying the haze came back. I also tried rubbing alcohol and it came back after drying. I can't get any type of swab down into the housing to scrub because the filter is in the way.
How do you get rid of the damn haze?
Haze on Inside of Lighting Lenses
What filter?ACHTUNG wrote:I can't get any type of swab down into the housing to scrub because the filter is in the way.
Acetone or rubbing alcohol should clear up the inside of the headlight glass, just make sure you drain out any residue and allow them to dry with the opening side down before reinstalling. A small swab on a stick can also be used. I'm not sure if one of those dishwashing wands fits through the opening, but it's worth a shot (they're inexpensive).
Last edited by Jeremy on Sep 02, 2013 12:25 PM, edited 1 time in total.
I take it you're talking about the Hella H4 & H1 lenses.
A small narrow bottle brush wrapped with a soft cloth will be your friend. The stiffer the wire in the brush the better as you need to mold and shape the brush to get into the corners and edges.
The larger 7" H4 lows are easier to get into, you can almost do it with just the cloth and someone's small fingers (if not yours). The H1 highs are more of a challenge; that's where the bottle brush comes into play.
A solution of warm water and vinegar always works on glass for little to no streaking. Damp cloth followed by a dry one then clean it up with some compressed air.
A small narrow bottle brush wrapped with a soft cloth will be your friend. The stiffer the wire in the brush the better as you need to mold and shape the brush to get into the corners and edges.
The larger 7" H4 lows are easier to get into, you can almost do it with just the cloth and someone's small fingers (if not yours). The H1 highs are more of a challenge; that's where the bottle brush comes into play.
A solution of warm water and vinegar always works on glass for little to no streaking. Damp cloth followed by a dry one then clean it up with some compressed air.
I've also used rubbing alcohol with a paper towel and that was much less eventful. 
But did clean the haze off.-
Pistonbroke
- Posts: 94
- Joined: Jul 26, 2012
- Location: Australia
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Das_Prachtstrasse
- Posts: 5616
- Joined: Sep 10, 2006
- Location: Melbourne, Doooown Under
Re: Haze on Inside of Lighting Lenses
Can anybody explain what this haze actually is? I purchased new Hella high beams for my euro E24 (to replace the hazy lights on the car) and both were hazy out of the box.
Re: Haze on Inside of Lighting Lenses
My guess would be off-gasing of the glue used to attach the lens.irl-mn wrote:Can anybody explain what this haze actually is? I purchased new Hella high beams for my euro E24 (to replace the hazy lights on the car) and both were hazy out of the box.
Re: Haze on Inside of Lighting Lenses
Never had to deal with haze on glass bulbs, but I know table salt will remove pretty much anything from glass if you shake/swirl it hard enough.
Re: Haze on Inside of Lighting Lenses
I bought these new almost 3 years ago (at which time they were unmarked) but am only getting around to reverting my E24 to factory headlights now. These lights have developed the "haze" while sitting unused in their boxes. Frustrating. Sounds like there are some good recommendations from the community to clean this off without damaging the reflectors.
Re: Haze on Inside of Lighting Lenses
Were you able to clear the haze? I was never able to.irl-mn wrote:I bought these new almost 3 years ago (at which time they were unmarked) but am only getting around to reverting my E24 to factory headlights now. These lights have developed the "haze" while sitting unused in their boxes. Frustrating. Sounds like there are some good recommendations from the community to clean this off without damaging the reflectors.
-
John in VA
- Posts: 5366
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: Leesburg, VA
Re: Haze on Inside of Lighting Lenses
A similar complaint posted on 2002faq was addressed to lighting guru Daniel Stern.
Hi Dan,
I'm a member of the BMW2002FAQ forum, and just re-acquired my set of old Marchals from a friend after over 40 years. I'll be installing them on my '72 BMW 2002. They're in pretty good shape overall. One of the other forum members said you have a 'recipe' for cleaning the insides. Can you give it to me and tell me how to clean them?
Daniel Stern replied:
I wouldn't bet on it [them being in good shape overall] ...optical degradation of the reflector is grossly advanced well before you can see it with the naked eye; by the time it's progressed far enough to be described as "just a little imperfect" the lamp is dead. Remember, even the most costly, beautiful show chrome is only 67% reflective, not nearly enough for optical purposes. An as-new headlamp reflector is over 99% reflective. The takeaway message here is that even if the reflector looks OK, its optical efficiency is way down if it's got some years of usage on it.
By all means you can have a go at cleaning them, but if you want to use these specific lamps you may very well need to have the reflectors refurbished. So, I'm including both sets of info:
Work with one lamp at a time. Remove the bulbs. Fill the lamp about 1/2 full of warm-to-hot distilled or filtered(!) water, then pour in a splash of "Multi-Surface" Windex or Simple Green cleaner.
Cover the bulb hole with your (clean) thumb or palm, or simply reinstall the bulb to cover the hole. Vigourously shake/slosh/swirl the lamp to agitate the hot soapy water. Do
this over a sink, and hold on with both hands so the lamp doesn't slip
from your grip, fall and break. Then uncover the bulb hole, turn the lamp
bulb-hole-down, and swirl the lamp to cause the water to drain from it in
a circular fashion. Repeat this cleaning step, then rinse the lamp
repeatedly with warm-to-hot distilled or filtered(!) water until all
traces of soapsuds are gone. Hold the lamp firmly with lens facing you and
shake/snap vertically to force out more loose water.
To dry the lamps, place them lens-down in your clean kitchen oven, on the
rack about 1/2 to 3/4 of the oven's height up from the lower element.
Close the oven door. Turn the oven to Bake/350 for 3 minutes, then turn
the oven off and leave the door closed. In about an hour, your lamps
should be thoroughly dry with minimal or no watter spotting -- any minor water spots remaining will be inconsequential to beam performance. Give the bulb glass a dip and a swish in alcohol (rubbing or denatured) and let them dry.
The first step is to isolate the reflector from all other components. Remove all non-steel parts such as bulb seats and non-reflector components such as bulb shields, etc. The potmetal or sheetmetal bulb seat is usually held to the reflector by crimping which can be carefully undone with a small screwdriver after you make scratch marks on the seat and the reflector for later alignment. If it's riveted, the rivets must be carefully drilled out. The bulb shield, if present, may be sandwiched between the lens and the reflector, clipped to the reflector or bulb seat, or held to the reflector by small rivets, in which case drill them out.
Disassembly of bonded lens-reflector units requires patience, care, and caution. If necessary, make a scratch mark on the back of the reflector at the top of the lens so you can identify where the top of the lens goes when you later reassemble the lamps. Place the lens-reflector unit in a 250°F oven for 30 minutes, then -- working quickly and carefully with a sharp knife -- cut away as much of the adhesive sealant as you can. Then use a butter knife, screwdriver, and/or other appropriate blunt but narrow-edged tool to pry the lens free from the reflector, working progressively around the edge of the reflector to lift it out of the softened adhesive. Work carefully to avoid peeling off the brown base coat from the reflector. It may take several trips back into the oven...when the adhesive cools, it will begin to re-harden. The object is to avoid placing much local stress on the lens, so when it stops moving easily, _stop work_ and put the lens-reflector back into the oven to warm back up. You'll want to remove all the residual adhesive sealant from the reflector and the lens.
Once it's isolated, put the reflector and lens into the dishwasher (bottom rack) and run it with ordinary dishwashing powder (Cascade, Finish, etc.) through a normal cycle. This will usually remove most all the surface dirt and often will finish removing the remains of the reflector shiny stuff.
Take a close look at the base coat; if it's in good shape, not scratched or peeled or blistered, then you're all set; send the reflector to Martin or one of his teammates at Vacu-Coat:
http://www.vacucoat.com/
Tell him it's a vehicle headlamp reflector, in need of aluminizing and high-heat protective overcoat. If the base coat is at all imperfect, contact him in advance, tell him you have a stamped-steel parabolic headlight reflector with damaged factory base coat, and ask for his recommendation for sending the reflector in (does he want the remains of the basecoat stripped, can he strip it, etc.). Most base coats can be stripped from steel reflectors with lye — the easiest and safest form is Easy-Off spray oven cleaner. The original type, not the "fume free". Check the label to make sure it contains lye (Sodium Hydroxide). Wear rubber gloves, give yourself plenty of ventilation, apply the lye in a sink, let it stand for an hour or so, then rinse with hot water. Scrub gently with a plastic "Scotch Brite" pad; repeat if necessary.
If the reflector has rust that has roughened its surface, it is not a feasible candidate for refurbishment.
If Vacu-Coat for whatever reason can't or won't put on a new base coat, then the reflector must be copper plated and polished to a high shine. Then, nickel plated and polished to a high shine. Then, send the reflectors to UVIRA in Oregon for aluminum vaporcoating and silica glass overcoat. About 8 years ago, I paid $85 for UVIRA's reflectorisation service on a pair of reflectors, but the price might have changed.
UVIRA
310 Pleasant Valley Rd
Merlin, OR 97532
tel 541-474-5050
The plating shop is probably going to ask you why you're having the first two steps of a chrome plating job (copper, nickel) done but not the chrome. Chrome is *never* an acceptable reflector material; even the most beautiful, expensive show chrome is only about 67% reflective at best, which is far too poor for lighting/optical purposes. The vapor-coat aluminum material used for lamp reflectors is over 99% reflective as required for optical and lighting devices.
Once you've got the refurbished reflector back, reinstall the bulb shield if your lamp has one -- probably best to use small screws and nuts plus high-grade Loctite. Put the screw heads on the inside and the nuts (and Loctite) on the outside so the Loctite doesn't outgas and spoil the reflector surface. Reinstall the bulb seat, crimping as required for a secure fit. Make certain to install the bulb seat in its correct rotative position relative to the reflector (refer to your earlier scratch mark).
Do NOT use any kind of silicone to attach the lens to the reflector. Use windshield urethane, obtainable from an auto glass service center. It comes in various grades; the thin grade is the easiest but also the messiest to work with. Apply a thin, even bead around the inner lip/rim where the lens and reflector meet. Press the lens -- make sure it's rightside up! -- evenly into the bead of sealant, then apply another bead round the outside of the lens/reflector junction. Smooth/press this outer bead into place with a craft stick or finger (messy either way!) and allow time for the urethane to cure completely.
Install new (thoughtfully-selected) bulbs, headlamp relays as required per http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... elays.html, reassemble/reinstall the lamps, aim them on low beam per the "VOL" specs at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html, and you're all set.
Let me know if I can assist with bulbs, relays, etc.
Best DS
Hi Dan,
I'm a member of the BMW2002FAQ forum, and just re-acquired my set of old Marchals from a friend after over 40 years. I'll be installing them on my '72 BMW 2002. They're in pretty good shape overall. One of the other forum members said you have a 'recipe' for cleaning the insides. Can you give it to me and tell me how to clean them?
Daniel Stern replied:
I wouldn't bet on it [them being in good shape overall] ...optical degradation of the reflector is grossly advanced well before you can see it with the naked eye; by the time it's progressed far enough to be described as "just a little imperfect" the lamp is dead. Remember, even the most costly, beautiful show chrome is only 67% reflective, not nearly enough for optical purposes. An as-new headlamp reflector is over 99% reflective. The takeaway message here is that even if the reflector looks OK, its optical efficiency is way down if it's got some years of usage on it.
By all means you can have a go at cleaning them, but if you want to use these specific lamps you may very well need to have the reflectors refurbished. So, I'm including both sets of info:
Work with one lamp at a time. Remove the bulbs. Fill the lamp about 1/2 full of warm-to-hot distilled or filtered(!) water, then pour in a splash of "Multi-Surface" Windex or Simple Green cleaner.
Cover the bulb hole with your (clean) thumb or palm, or simply reinstall the bulb to cover the hole. Vigourously shake/slosh/swirl the lamp to agitate the hot soapy water. Do
this over a sink, and hold on with both hands so the lamp doesn't slip
from your grip, fall and break. Then uncover the bulb hole, turn the lamp
bulb-hole-down, and swirl the lamp to cause the water to drain from it in
a circular fashion. Repeat this cleaning step, then rinse the lamp
repeatedly with warm-to-hot distilled or filtered(!) water until all
traces of soapsuds are gone. Hold the lamp firmly with lens facing you and
shake/snap vertically to force out more loose water.
To dry the lamps, place them lens-down in your clean kitchen oven, on the
rack about 1/2 to 3/4 of the oven's height up from the lower element.
Close the oven door. Turn the oven to Bake/350 for 3 minutes, then turn
the oven off and leave the door closed. In about an hour, your lamps
should be thoroughly dry with minimal or no watter spotting -- any minor water spots remaining will be inconsequential to beam performance. Give the bulb glass a dip and a swish in alcohol (rubbing or denatured) and let them dry.
The first step is to isolate the reflector from all other components. Remove all non-steel parts such as bulb seats and non-reflector components such as bulb shields, etc. The potmetal or sheetmetal bulb seat is usually held to the reflector by crimping which can be carefully undone with a small screwdriver after you make scratch marks on the seat and the reflector for later alignment. If it's riveted, the rivets must be carefully drilled out. The bulb shield, if present, may be sandwiched between the lens and the reflector, clipped to the reflector or bulb seat, or held to the reflector by small rivets, in which case drill them out.
Disassembly of bonded lens-reflector units requires patience, care, and caution. If necessary, make a scratch mark on the back of the reflector at the top of the lens so you can identify where the top of the lens goes when you later reassemble the lamps. Place the lens-reflector unit in a 250°F oven for 30 minutes, then -- working quickly and carefully with a sharp knife -- cut away as much of the adhesive sealant as you can. Then use a butter knife, screwdriver, and/or other appropriate blunt but narrow-edged tool to pry the lens free from the reflector, working progressively around the edge of the reflector to lift it out of the softened adhesive. Work carefully to avoid peeling off the brown base coat from the reflector. It may take several trips back into the oven...when the adhesive cools, it will begin to re-harden. The object is to avoid placing much local stress on the lens, so when it stops moving easily, _stop work_ and put the lens-reflector back into the oven to warm back up. You'll want to remove all the residual adhesive sealant from the reflector and the lens.
Once it's isolated, put the reflector and lens into the dishwasher (bottom rack) and run it with ordinary dishwashing powder (Cascade, Finish, etc.) through a normal cycle. This will usually remove most all the surface dirt and often will finish removing the remains of the reflector shiny stuff.
Take a close look at the base coat; if it's in good shape, not scratched or peeled or blistered, then you're all set; send the reflector to Martin or one of his teammates at Vacu-Coat:
http://www.vacucoat.com/
Tell him it's a vehicle headlamp reflector, in need of aluminizing and high-heat protective overcoat. If the base coat is at all imperfect, contact him in advance, tell him you have a stamped-steel parabolic headlight reflector with damaged factory base coat, and ask for his recommendation for sending the reflector in (does he want the remains of the basecoat stripped, can he strip it, etc.). Most base coats can be stripped from steel reflectors with lye — the easiest and safest form is Easy-Off spray oven cleaner. The original type, not the "fume free". Check the label to make sure it contains lye (Sodium Hydroxide). Wear rubber gloves, give yourself plenty of ventilation, apply the lye in a sink, let it stand for an hour or so, then rinse with hot water. Scrub gently with a plastic "Scotch Brite" pad; repeat if necessary.
If the reflector has rust that has roughened its surface, it is not a feasible candidate for refurbishment.
If Vacu-Coat for whatever reason can't or won't put on a new base coat, then the reflector must be copper plated and polished to a high shine. Then, nickel plated and polished to a high shine. Then, send the reflectors to UVIRA in Oregon for aluminum vaporcoating and silica glass overcoat. About 8 years ago, I paid $85 for UVIRA's reflectorisation service on a pair of reflectors, but the price might have changed.
UVIRA
310 Pleasant Valley Rd
Merlin, OR 97532
tel 541-474-5050
The plating shop is probably going to ask you why you're having the first two steps of a chrome plating job (copper, nickel) done but not the chrome. Chrome is *never* an acceptable reflector material; even the most beautiful, expensive show chrome is only about 67% reflective at best, which is far too poor for lighting/optical purposes. The vapor-coat aluminum material used for lamp reflectors is over 99% reflective as required for optical and lighting devices.
Once you've got the refurbished reflector back, reinstall the bulb shield if your lamp has one -- probably best to use small screws and nuts plus high-grade Loctite. Put the screw heads on the inside and the nuts (and Loctite) on the outside so the Loctite doesn't outgas and spoil the reflector surface. Reinstall the bulb seat, crimping as required for a secure fit. Make certain to install the bulb seat in its correct rotative position relative to the reflector (refer to your earlier scratch mark).
Do NOT use any kind of silicone to attach the lens to the reflector. Use windshield urethane, obtainable from an auto glass service center. It comes in various grades; the thin grade is the easiest but also the messiest to work with. Apply a thin, even bead around the inner lip/rim where the lens and reflector meet. Press the lens -- make sure it's rightside up! -- evenly into the bead of sealant, then apply another bead round the outside of the lens/reflector junction. Smooth/press this outer bead into place with a craft stick or finger (messy either way!) and allow time for the urethane to cure completely.
Install new (thoughtfully-selected) bulbs, headlamp relays as required per http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... elays.html, reassemble/reinstall the lamps, aim them on low beam per the "VOL" specs at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html, and you're all set.
Let me know if I can assist with bulbs, relays, etc.
Best DS
-
delorean175
- Posts: 493
- Joined: Nov 16, 2009
- Location: San Antonio TX
Re: Haze on Inside of Lighting Lenses
Hey guys, I'm having this haze issue in all 4 of my euro headlights also. I cleaned my low beams once before but the haze came right back. Since then I went without the caps and the haze hasn't came back yet. Aren't most newer headlight assemblies vented? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to have sealed headlight caps with a small vent hole and filter? Or are they sealed because of the silver reflector?