Headlamp & Fog light Lens Re-furbishment
 

For some time now I have been wanting to restore the passenger Headlamp Lens to match the newer Drivers side one.

As this was a DIY I have made an " Idiots Guide " to how to and decided to include the Fog Lenses as they are really looking shabby....

Besides the usual tools I only had to purchase various grades of water paper (abrasives) and a bottle of Meguairs PlastX.

Started with this ..... after in-situ sanding of the outer face of the lens.
http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps83b4255d.jpg

And ended up with this..... Final mechanical polish to follow....
http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...psccae4cac.jpg

The grades of water paper/abrasive pad used are as follows ....

Pad 280, Paper 400/800/1000/1200/1500
http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps89611605.jpg

Step 1 ....... masking around the Headlamp to protect the paint work and open bonnet to save additional masking .... :)

Step 2 ........ Dry sand with the 280 Pad ..... to remove the worst of the stone chips etc ....
http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8c90e57d.jpg

Step 3 & 4 ...... Wet Sand with 400 & 800 ....
http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7d5ee6e4.jpg

Step 5 & 6 ....... Wet Sand with 1000 & 1200 .....
http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb02b4a20.jpg

Final Step before removing Headlamp was Wet Sand with 1500 and polish with Meguiars PlastX ...
http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...psaa485785.jpg

Now for the removal of the Headlamp .....

Step 1 .....
Remove the lower trim below the headlamp by removing the screw as indicated.....
Gently pry/pull the trim out from under the Headlamp ...
Take care with the rubber moulding around the trim.
This moulding has securing points as indicated, located below the lower corner of the indicator lens.
My rubber moulding has perished and needs to be replaced.

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps215d99b4.jpg

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscd174183.jpg

Step 2 .....
Remove the 4 mounting screws/bolts as indicated.... 2 below the Headlamp/2 on top ....

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...psf48d7d2d.jpg

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa99649c2.jpg

Step 3 .....
The entire Headlamp unit can now be removed from it's housing .....
TIP: .... Loosen off the Hex Bolt as indicated (alongside the Hydraulic Fluid reservoir) .....
Once loosened the upper Headlamp mounting bracket can be lifted slightly to make the removal
of the Headlamp unit easier ....

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...psdaff66e8.jpg

Once the Headlamp unit is removed from the body disconnect the main wiring harness and
remove the Indicator bulb socket by turning anti-clockwise.
The entire Headlamp unit can now be removed from the body......

Nice job! +++ Another task now to be added to my 'to do' list! One of my rear lenses is a bit iffy too, so the order for 'PlasticX' is on the way.

Just one point I'm not clear about - was it just the PlasticX polish that was done with the light unit removed from the car? And why did you need to remove it when all the previous work was done in situ?

Thanks for the write up.:)

Yes only the PlastX was done once the unit was removed. Reason for removal
was to enable cleaning of the inner face of the outer lens and the inner lens
was yellowed due to heat (not to clear on the images).

I also found that all the reflectors had a Fog on them which required cleaning.

Will be clarified as I get time to add to the thread.

Thanks for the compliment.

Removal of Outer Lens.....

Step 1 ...... Remove the Rubber Moulding surrounding the lens taking care with the rubber pin that is inserted in the slot at the bottom left corner.
I also need to replace this rubber moulding due to perishing.

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc13b99bc.jpg

Step 2 ..... There are 8 clips that need to be removed .... they pry off relatively easily.
None of the guides on the Net nor Elsa mention the clip on the rear.

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps11eb60d3.jpg

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps898d50ac.jpg

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps058c0c0e.jpg

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps203767d3.jpg

Step 3 .... Carefully pry the outer lens off the main housing ....

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse359df1b.jpg

great write up and very helpful. +++ All I need now is a dry day.... :( or a garage.

Did this recently with my mates Saab. I never bought any fancy products but used what I had on the shelf instead. Grade 400, 800, 1200 and 2000 wet & dry, Farecla G3 and G10, then polish that has a slight cut and finish with a coat of wax. It took around 30 minutes per light leaving them in situ and the results were amazing.


Nice write up here for the A8 owners

Ordered the 'PlastX'! I have the rear light unit that I've modified to take the reversing camera in a second 'boot lock' fitting awaiting installation, so I'm going to do that one first as soon as the stuff arrives. Great write up and pics - thanks! :)

Just be careful Jim, aren't the rear lenses plastic versus glass on the front lenses? plastic will need considerably more careful treatment to polish than glass I guess? :tuttut: