niteLEX

So last summer I tried to paint my headlight housing and was unsuccessful! Got the headlights off and mostly takin apart but couldn't figure out how to get all the wires off, etc. I used the DIY and everything. My question is for the people who have had it done.....am I just bein an idiot with this or is it that hard? AND should I just wing it and buy a painted one off someone or what. Cuz honestly I wasted a whole day taking off the bumper and trying to take apart one headlight. AND on top of that, the oven part sounds really shady.

Any input?

cupid0210

iTrader: (10)

haha, I had the same fear too man!!! Until I had the guts to do it myself. It came out really good, the only thing is that it will take ALL day if you want to do it right. And prying those damn lights are a real pain, my fingers were hurting for a week!! Here are the instructions on how to do it. Dont be afraid of the oven, nothing will happen.

Taken from my writeup on my.is...
Instructions for y'all wanting to do this:
Sorry no pics, but the steps are here.

How to remove the front bumper: YouTube - How to remove the bumper from a Lexus IS250 / IS350 to install Lite-Eyes
CCFL Halos / Angel Eyes

Alright, I just heated the oven to 200F and put the headlight in, wiring and all, for 15 minutes.
Everyone freaks out about this, but you're not going to melt anything at 200F. This will barely even make the
glue holding the housing pliable enough to pry the lenses off. Trust me, I've taken 3 sets of headlights apart -
my old '97 Prelude that I did an HID retrofit on, my '94 Supra that I did an HID retrofit on, and finally these
where I just blacked out the chrome piece.

So, get a flathead screwdriver you don't really care about because you're gonna get the goop that holds the two
pieces together all over it. Do one light at a time in the oven - let sit in the oven for 15 minutes, take it out
(use oven mitts, lol). Now, down towards the inner corner is where I started prying (the pointy part of the
headlight that is near the grill.) It takes patience - don't go crazy on it jamming the screwdriver in between the
plastic and lense because you'll warp the black plastic. Just work small areas at a time. It'll take a while to
get a good 5-6" section kinda "loose", but when you do, use your kung-fu grip and start pulling the two apart.
It'll be hard, I won't lie. These lights were some of the hardest to pry apart. Once you get 'em going though,
be aware that the glue that holds them will be real stringy; just make sure it doesn't get on the chrome reflector
as you're pulling it apart. Also, as you pull the two apart, be aware that there are little clips every few inches on the
black housing. As you get to them, gently unclip them. I broke a couple on my first light because I wasn't patient.
Just take it slow. As a sidenote, my headlight made a lot of noise, creaking, etc when it was coming apart.
I thought I was breaking it, but there's nothing holding the two pieces together except the goop, so don't be
afraid if the thing makes weird noises when you're pulling it apart.

Once the two pieces are apart, I'd go ahead and put the headlight back into the oven for another 15 minutes
(the assembly, not the lense) and then take it back out, and run your screwdriver through the 'channel' that
holds the goop. You will later re-seal the headlights using black silicone RTV (often called gasket sealer) -
you can get it at AutoZone.

So now that the two pieces are apart, set the lense aside and you'll see the chrome assembly is attached to the
lense. There are 3-4 (can't recall for sure) little bitty Phillips screws that hold it on to the clear lense.
Unscrew them and it'll come free. Now don't touch it cause you don't want oils from your fingers on the chrome part.
I personally did not sand them down before I painted - I just used small, light coats of flat black. Be patient.
It'll take 5-6 coats, and space 'em out about 20 minutes. Again, just use enough paint to lightly coat, then stop.
Otherwise you'll start getting runs, bubbles, etc.

Once they're how you want them, you just basically reverse the process. Get the housing screwed back in and then
go ahead and fill the 'channels' with goop (don't be afraid to fill the thing with silicone. The more you use,
the better seal you'll get). I then used woodworking clamps to actually hold the lense to the housing. You can get
them at Lowe's or any Sears. I put about 3 on each light and let them sit for a full day. That silicone will need
a long time to cure. I don't have any condensation issues and I think they're sealed better than stock.
__________________

cupid0210

iTrader: (10)

now this excerpt is not mine, I just saved it onto my computer. :-)

jadu

iTrader: (42)

very long process

aznpapaya

iTrader: (12)

my friend and I did mine in bout 8hrs. shouldn't be that hard, i think the hardest part was painting the headlight since you wanna make sure you do a good job since it'll be a pain to take it all apart if there are defects. i think that it will be much easier if you have someone helping you since an extra set of hands will make taking apart the headlight super easy and fast!!!!!!!!

L-S-D

iTrader: (-1)

i did mine.. took me 8 hours with a friend... came out sick tho lol

very labour intensive

niteLEX

Have you been out around the chesterfield area and met anyone from around here. I could use ur assistance sometime when I decide to do it since you have done it all. Whatcha think?

Lexus@17

iTrader: (3)

hey cupid0210 which part of texas is you from?

YooNiBaLL

he goes to SLU too. he met my car. not me tho. hahaha

niteLEX

well ****....lets set somethin up! hahaha

cupid0210

iTrader: (10)

im from sugar land texas. you?

Lexus@17

iTrader: (3)

o im from dallas.
was hoping you was close enough to maybe get help from lol
but nvm lol

cupid0210

iTrader: (10)

well its only 4hrs away!! lol Just LMK!! I have no problem helping you out. :-)

Lexus@17

iTrader: (3)

haha only 4 hours away lol
that aint far for crazy people lol

aznpapaya

iTrader: (12)

No i usually dont go out there that far since i live in south city, but my optometrist is out there so i go out there once every year or soo. but yeah we could meet up and i can help you out. the thing is that the friend who helped my did most of the work since he knew what he was doing but i somewhat know what to do since i helped him. my friend and I are gonna try to retrofit our projectors this upcoming spring so maybe you can come down and we could show you or help you with it.

such a shame, im starting school again this fall, maybe we could meet up then.