cleaning Murcielago lights

Any one had experience with a company called " Murcielago headlights" that say they will dismantle and clean the internal of the murci lights for $500 each? Any other recommended companies?

Mine are getting cloudy and as it is in having some work done including de stickying some of the switch gear I thought I may have the lights done also.

Any one had experience with a company called " Murcielago headlights" that say they will dismantle and clean the internal of the murci lights for $500 each? Any other recommended companies?

Mine are getting cloudy and as it is in having some work done including de stickying some of the switch gear I thought I may have the lights done also.

 

 

I had mine done here in California by Antidote Performance for $700 total including removal and reinstallation. They did a great job and it really makes the car look brand new again.

I had mine done here in California by Antidote Performance for $700 total including removal and reinstallation. They did a great job and it really makes the car look brand new again.

 

We need to figure this out from DIY perspective as every Murci is going to need the headlights cleaned out. It can't be that hard to do when you know how to do it, and what tools are needed.

 

Here's what I know so far:

 

- The glass appears to be glued in with the same type of adhesive used for gluing in windshields, so the glue must be cut to separate the glass from the plastic the same way windshield guys cut out windshields to replace them. It is not the type of adhesive that comes apart when heated.

 

- The lens is real glass, but it's not incredibly delicate. It's pretty thick stuff, so as long as you don't pry on it to cause a pressure point, you're not going to break it. We need to be able to have tools that don't put a pressure point on the glass when cutting the adhesive. It's like your car door windows that criminals break to get into your car. That door glass is not super fragile, but they use something sharp to create a pressure point and the the glass completely shatters.

 

- The glue seems to be only on the bottom of the channel, not on the sides of the grove.

 

- The channel has little stand off bumps that determine the depth that the glass sits down in the channel. It looks like those bumps keep the glass pretty far off the bottom of the channel, making the adhesive between the plastic channel and glass pretty thick, and therefore easier to cut.

 

- If it wasn't for the lip in the plastic going all the way around the channel, it would be very easy to run a blade around the the perimeter to cut the adhesive.

 

- From the pics on that Facebook account (copied here), it doesn't appear that they do anything to cut down the sides of the channel or make any grooves in the lip of the channel to start a cutting tool. They must be putting some kind of very flexible cutting tools or cutting wire into the channel, but the glass is butted right up to the lip, so I don't see an easy way to start a tool or wire cutter.

 

- Given that there are something like 4 big vent holes going through the bottom of the headlight assembly, and the glass wraps around the housing, gluing it back together does not need to make a perfect seal because the headlight isn't an air tight assembly anyway.

 

- I would be tempted to try cutting off part of the plastic lip carefully with a Dremel (using a slow spinning grinding wheel that wouldn't put a pressure point on the glass if you accidentally touched the glass) to see if that would give easier access to put a thin flexible cutting blade to run around the channel.

 

- After the glass is safely removed, I would be very tempted to completely cut off the lip around the perimeter to make it much easier to remove the glass in the future since it's probably going to cloud up again.

 

Anyone have any ideas to add? I am sure we can figure this out as a group and free ourselves from the hassle and cost of shipping our headlight assemblies to high cost repair places.

^ I'm not sure if you know for sure that the glue could not be heat up? If you know for certain than this would not work, the headlight may be put in the oven at the correct temperature to get the glue soften enough and pry it open? Looking at these pictures there is just impossible to cut or trim or slide anything under or on the side to get the glass off the housing. I don't have the courage to toss my light in the oven to try it out, but I really feel that the key to this is to get the glue heat up to the right temp without melting the assembly, but what is the right temp is a big secret lol. Another idea is to buy a crashed/broken/damage Murci headlight for cheap to test out the oven theory?

^ I'm not sure if you know for sure that the glue could not be heat up? If you know for certain than this would not work, the headlight may be put in the oven at the correct temperature to get the glue soften enough and pry it open? Looking at these pictures there is just impossible to cut or trim or slide anything under or on the side to get the glass off the housing. I don't have the courage to toss my light in the oven to try it out, but I really feel that the key to this is to get the glue heat up to the right temp without melting the assembly, but what is the right temp is a big secret lol. Another idea is to buy a crashed/broken/damage Murci headlight for cheap to test out the oven theory?

 

I am sure. Others have tried and confirmed. Don't go that route. It's clearly a windshield silicon type glue, and silicon can take way more heat than the plastic housing before it melts.

 

Just found this from LT

http://www.another board/vbforum/f4...adlights-23136/

for some odd reasons it doesn't let me copy/paste the Lamborghini Talk forum here? but here's a picture.

Hahaha, I'm must be DD today. Me and you already on this subject over there, my bad.

for some odd reasons it doesn't let me copy/paste the Lamborghini Talk forum here? but here's a picture.

 

Yeah, I have read just about every cloudy headlight post and summarized the salient points in my post above.

 

That one you posted, the guy is in Singapore, and I for one would not ship over $10k in headlights to a stranger half way around the world and hope that he decides to send them back to me as opposed to keeping my money and selling my lights on open market.

At this point, getting a busted up Murci light and experimenting on it seems only way.

 

At this point, getting a busted up Murci light and experimenting on it seems only way.

 

Would love to do that, but the busted ones on eBay are almost the cost of new ones and it's going to take forever to resell it again if you can find a buyer ever.

 

The more I think about it, the best option is to carefully carve out the lip on one corner and then use a cutting wire (like what they sell for cutting PVC pipes) to cut the adhesive.

http://www.poolzoom.com/wire-saw-pvc.html?...DPfYaAoxc8P8HAQ

 

or this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Aid-87425-Winds...QE090APS5JNTREE

 

This could be modified by shortening the cutting blade to be the width of the channel:

https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Aid-87900-Winds...TX9H49Y0EBE2HB9

 

But lets hear some more ideas. The more brains on it the better.

Yeah, I have read just about every cloudy headlight post and summarized the salient points in my post above.

 

That one you posted, the guy is in Singapore, and I for one would not ship over $10k in headlights to a stranger half way around the world and hope that he decides to send them back to me as opposed to keeping my money and selling my lights on open market.

 

The silicone has to have a certain softening point and the housing has to have a certain high melting point. A long time ago I had a Honda S2000 and the way we opened the housing was to bake them in an oven till the silicone softened then we took them apart took out the amber markers and reapplied silicone and resealed. It worked perfectly. The only negative was that a few people's didn't seal perfectly and they got inside fogging.

The silicone has to have a certain softening point and the housing has to have a certain high melting point. A long time ago I had a Honda S2000 and the way we opened the housing was to bake them in an oven till the silicone softened then we took them apart took out the amber markers and reapplied silicone and resealed. It worked perfectly. The only negative was that a few people's didn't seal perfectly and they got inside fogging.

 

Lots of headlights can be baked open, just not the ones on the Murci. Time to move on from the thought of heating them. And these lights are not sealed and they do not work like Honda headlights. The glass wraps around the housing unlike a Honda headlight.

 

Let's hope we get some fresh ideas going. Please no more heating ideas.

Wonder if we have access to try this, not sure what solvent they are using?

 

The more I think about it, the best option is to carefully carve out the lip on one corner and then use a cutting wire (like what they sell for cutting PVC pipes) to cut the adhesive.

http://www.poolzoom.com/wire-saw-pvc.html?...DPfYaAoxc8P8HAQ

 

or this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Aid-87425-Winds...QE090APS5JNTREE

 

I hear you in regarding the broken headlight...freaking 4k for it? just wow. I think you got the best brain here as far as ideas wise. Like what you said above, I could see it may work with the cutting wire but imagine it would require a set of very good hands and endless amount of patience to accomplish this.

 

Wonder if we have access to try this, not sure what solvent they are using?

 

 

This is a brilliant idea. I screenshot the bottle in that video.

Wonder if we have access to try this, not sure what solvent they are using?

 

 

 

Yes, this is very interesting! Great find!!

 

Because the headlights are not sealed, you could put them upside down and pour a cleaning solution into them through a vent tube and then pour it out the vent tube.

 

Unfortunately, I don't see being able to get their cleaning pad between the plastic and the glass at the top of the headlight. The glass is very close to touching the pastic and this area is where the most hazing occurs.

 

Not sure if this cleaning agent needs the wiping action of the pad to do the cleaning or not. I would like to get ny hands on some though to do some tests.

Yes, this is very interesting! Great find!!

 

Because the headlights are not sealed, you could put them upside down and pour a cleaning solution into them through a vent tube and then pour it out the vent tube.

 

Unfortunately, I don't see being able to get their cleaning pad between the plastic and the glass at the top of the headlight. The glass is very close to touching the pastic and this area is where the most hazing occurs.

 

Not sure if this cleaning agent needs the wiping action of the pad to do the cleaning or not. I would like to get ny hands on some though to do some tests.

 

A Cadillac forum talks about mixing water and alcohol, pouring in and sloshing around then pouring out?

 

A Cadillac forum talks about mixing water and alcohol, pouring in and sloshing around then pouring out?

 

That's another good find!

 

The cleaner used in that video is basically rubbing alcohol too. It seems like it's intended to be a pre-paint cleaner / pre-adhesive cleaner.

http://www.slkworld.com/general-discussion...89-19-71-a.html

http://www.chemicalcontacts.co.za/industri...p#terostat_8550

 

I wonder if the better option is some pre-paint or acetone:

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/D...mpatibilityTab_

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/K...0&ppt=C0171

 

If these cleaners are safe for the plastic (which can be tested by putting it on the outside underneath of the plastic housing, it's worth a try. The worst that can happen is that you'd still need to open the headlights to fix them, and maybe wipe off some of the residue from the cleaners if they left any.

For the love of god, do not put rubbing alcohol or acetone inside your headlights. You will fade the black satin paint the buckets are painted with or stain them at the very least. You have to remove the lenses the same way you remove a windshield. Best bet is to bring it to a windshield place and pay them to remove the glass. Bring the headlights home and carefully detail them yourself. Bring it back to the windshield spot to re-urethane the lens on. Measure the thickness of the beed before removing the lens and aim to achieve the same beed thickness on reinstall. That way the fitment around the lens and fender doesn't change.

For the love of god, do not put rubbing alcohol or acetone inside your headlights. You will fade the black satin paint the buckets are painted with or stain them at the very least. You have to remove the lenses the same way you remove a windshield. Best bet is to bring it to a windshield place and pay them to remove the glass. Bring the headlights home and carefully detail them yourself. Bring it back to the windshield spot to re-urethane the lens on. Measure the thickness of the beed before removing the lens and aim to achieve the same beed thickness on reinstall. That way the fitment around the lens and fender doesn't change.

 

Headlights do not appear to be painted on the inside. What makes you say they are? Looks like it's just molded black plastic.

 

Look at the pics I posted. You don't need to measure anything with the bead thickness because there are standoffs to create the right thickness. Also, the whole headlight assembly has a lot of mounting adjustability, so I am thinking you're talking with great authority even though you are just guessing since it doesn't sound like you've even taken the headlights out before otherwise you would know about the mounting. Have you?

Lol, I built the car and molded the headlights from scratch. On page 11, you can see my headlight construction.

 

http://www.madmechanics.com/forum/build-di...o-build-42.html

 

I would bring it to a windshield place and let someone who removes glass from urethane handle that. And the glass ISN'T "the same as a door glass." A door glass is tempered, these aren't. Making them prone to chipping.

Lol, I built the car and molded the headlights from scratch. On page 11, you can see my headlight construction.

 

Nice replica.

 

FYI, I buckets don't start off white like rip-off replica parts. They are black molded plastic.

http://www.madmechanics.com/forum/build-di...go-build-2.html

 

I do like the way the fake headlights don't have the lip running around the outside. That makes them easy to cut the lenses off.

This thread just took an interesting detour.

 

 

Back on topic. With utmost due respect to all the hobbyists here (seriously & sincerely), time is one thing and that varies widely between each individual. But given the replacement costs due to unforeseen mistakes and unwanted screw-ups, I'd much rather pay up and get them done properly by a professional or at least someone who had done them before and knew exactly what & what not to do.

 

If it costs between $700 to $1000 to get the pair cleaned vs. $6k to $8.75k each for a used part (just checked on eBay), that seems like a no-brainer to me.

Thanks