To those with painted headlights...
 

I'm not exactly sure what type of paint CinCity used with my headlights, but the area in front of the turn signals cracked or "melted" over time. I thought it was from poor paint, but it appears the hot temps from the headlights "cooked" the paint.

What kind of paint did you guys use, and did it crack over time?

I bought a can of Krylon Fusion, but I wonder if I should mask the headlight housing and use high temp paint for the delicate areas. If so, is there something as easy to use as Krylon Fusion that can handle high temps?

i used krylon primer and krylon satin black paint after lightly sanding unmasked areas. did it nov '09 and no cracks yet.

maybe they didn't sand or treat your housing properly before painting?
-after looking over your albums, my headlights are standard...don't have extra leds or upgraded bulbs.

Hmm. Problems from CinCity. Now there's a new concept. :sarcasm:

Don't worry, CinCity will blame it either on shipping or on you not taking care of the lights. Best of luck.

Sounds like bad prep work to me.

I got a hold of the broken headlight (from the accident) from the body shop yesterday to learn about how the headlight is assembled from the factory.

The projector reflector assembly is ceramic, and it shattered all over the place like a broken vase. The 6500K Ultinon bulb was dangling and bouncing all over inside, so it's useless now. :(

Anyhow, the black paint is very thin and flakes off the chrome surface. I can scratch parts of it off with my finger. I don't know what kind of paint it is either. I've never tried Krylon Fusion, so please let me know if it is anything close to it.

I ran my finger nails across the "burned" surface of the paint. It felt caramelized and thick, so I couldn't scratch the stuff off.

Learning this, would it be possible to spray the underside surface with something to reduce heat passing through the upper "painted" surface? I would probably focus on the delicate sections, or spray the whole thing.

Anyhow, I'm still on the fence about modding my own headlights. I barely tried test fitting the headlight, and so far it doesn't seem to fit the oven. I have another contact to see if he can work on the headlights. The last resort is a big heatgun. O_o

If any of you guys are comfortable drilling holes, soldering, working with PCBs, etc., and would like to volunteer (not for free, of course) for this project please PM me. I'm better with electrical stuff, so I'm not very crafty.

krylon paint will work fine I have used it time and time again. however if you can afford it I would have an auto body shop paint the headlights with automotive paint as it will have a better fit and finish.

Mike

:confused:

Not on customer cars... I use professional artcraft autobody to paint my housings for customers. I have rattle canned my own housings and they last. There is nothing wrong with using a rattle can... I prefer proffessional grade auto paint over using rattle cans. However, it does not negate the fact that a rattle can will last and is not a bad solution for most DIY kind of people.:tup:

Oh, I was just giving you a hard time about the fit and finish comment:rofl2:.

We used to use rustoleum paint out of a spray can for matte/flat stuff, but it's all done out of spray gun now with matte/flat clear. Never had issues with the paint flaking or chipping from either the can or gun... we also provide 1 year warranty on paint from pealing or chipping so if it does occur, we pay for shipping one way and fix the issue no questions asked.

Reason it could have chipped or flaked was improper prepping, they could have gotten a little bit oil substance on the surface which cause the paint to raise and crack over time.

If you need a replacement projector bowl, let me know... I have a few laying around.

The best way to get the paint to adhere is to strip the chrome off the plastic housing just use e-z off oven cleaner with the yellow top it will take it down to clear plastic then prep for paint that will solve the crack & peeling issues.:hello:

Oh, so this is going to strip the chrome reflective surface? I may still opt for heat shield coating of some sort for the underside to reduce heat from reaching the outside and cooking the paint surface. [shrugs]

Igor? The original plan was to have you guys perform the work on my headlights, but I never heard back from Alex. I'm not trying to bad mouth your shop since the work you guys do is very respectable, which is why I called the first place. However, I guess there may be some miscommunication and frustration. Please bear in mind I've been very stressed out and a bit scatter brained from the accident.

I've already ordered the components, but the design in mind and component choice does not conform to your design methods. It's nothing crazy... mainly forward facing K2 LEDs, projector turn signals with PCB containing 8x5 array of amber Super Flux. All the calculations are done. I have all the parts on the way... just looking for experienced hands.

Hey Phuong, this is Alex. We spoke a few days ago on the phone and discussed what we're going to do in terms of your damaged headlights and the new ones you'll be getting. Sorry if I lost track of time, I didn't know if we even established what we're doing exactly. I'm sending you an email right now so we can continue our conversion.

Thanks

Acknowledged and responded. Let's see how this goes. :)

Turn Signal Projector Lens + Sunlight = Melted Housing
 

I would like to revive this thread in regards to the section of the housing in front of the turn signals in which the paint melted and cracked.

I had a new set of headlights modded with projector lens for the turn signals, and the same section showed signs of damage after a week of driving. I had to ship one of the headlights back for repair, and the modder discovered that the projector lens in the turn signals was casting an image directly onto the damaged site no matter where the light source was at. So this pretty much concludes that the combination of the matte black surface and the sun shining through the projector lens melted the housing.

So for those of you who would like to convert the turn signals to a projector style, mask of the section of the housing in front of the turn signals and leave it chrome. That will reflect nearly all of the projected sunlight from the lens and keep it from melting.

It was a bit late in the design for my headlights, so I will keep this in mind if I ever work on Version 3.0 of my headlights.

I stand corrected that CinCity was NOT at fault for this issue.

regardless of who or wat caused this i still do not have the warm and fuzzy for painting headlights. they look great no doubt, but in terms of regular use and durability you're in unchartered territory.

my daily work is supplying parts to OEM customers and especially automotive customers are very keen on UV and extreme temp exposure. there is a reason for that and do not take lightly. chances are you will make your car perform worse.

That's so odd, we've had the projector style turn signal on a customers car for a little bit more than 2 months and I've seen his headlights a few days ago and there wasn't any issues with the housing.... must be something else?

I thought it was heat from the HID bulb causing the paint to bubble, but he also tested it today and confirmed heat wasn't an issue from the bulbs.

Attached are some pictures with and without flash. The projected light is from the ceiling light in the garage. You can see the area where there's always light projected to the damaged surface from above.

The CinCity headlights had it bad. That section was warped and the paint pretty much cooked and cracked. The new ones will probably end up the same, so in a few years I may redo the design and leave this area unpainted.

Flash
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1307585948

No Flash (Observe the ceiling light cast to the damage location)
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1307585948

Another angle without flash showing the paint bubbling
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1307585948

I'm currently thinking of ways to fix this for headlights that already have the projector lens mod and already painted. Going back to chrome isn't an option and it'd look pretty out of place on a housing that's painted black. Perhaps a gloss black metal piece glued to that area? I don't think that'll look too bad and it'll handle the heat fine.

Basically a shade or lid similar to traffic lights. It keeps the sun from shining above the lens causing the burn below it.

that would work, but I don't think it'll look as good that way. I've got a couple ideas but still trying to figure out which one will still look good and wouldnt change anything drastic. Will definitely post updates when I can figure something out

Another idea is a spacer to push the lens deeper in the projector housing.

How about tinting the bottom half of the projector lens. would that work?

I think the amount that it would be needed to be pushed back would make it look pretty off. It would be basically using the halo as the "eyelid" protection from the sun

well, if its only the bottom half, that would mean the top half is still subjected to the sunlight, so yes it'd help but I dont think it'd help enough. Also, it would restrict some of the output from the turn signal.

If you look across different forums such as clublexus and s2ki, they have similar issues too. All the issues are from the projector lens focusing too much light and melting the housing. The "fix" from Honda was that for the AP2 headlights there is an aluminum plate integrated into the housing in that area so it doesnt melt. Earlier today I went to buy a sheet of aluminum from home depot, I will paint it using high temperature enamel, and placing a carefully cut strip in that area. I think this method will be the most practical without looking ugly.

AP1 Headlight blisters/bubbles... - S2KI Honda S2000 Forums
2011 Headlamp Bubbling Defect - Club Lexus Forums
06-08 Gloss Black Painted Headlight Blistering Problem! - MY350Z.COM Forums

I will post pics of the fix soon.

I've decided to have my whole lens tinted. They are at the shop now being done. I think it'll look cool and be something different anyhow. The only thing I had to sacrifice was doing dual demon eyes. I don't think it would look right with the tint.

I completed my first set of "fixed" 370z headlights today. I bought a sheet of aluminum and shaped it to the curvature of the housing, then painted it with high temperature black paint, and jb welded it on. I think this should be a good fix since the aluminum isn't melting until over 1200F and the paint is rated for 500F.

I'll post pics tomorrow.

https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/...04412260_n.jpg
https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/...65386817_n.jpg

It's honestly not very noticeable IMO and definitely doesn't look too bad. Let's see how these hold up.

Can you cut one up and form it into the same parabolic shape?

yeah, the aluminum sheet is bendable. a little patience and skill, and it'll form to the curvature pretty easily

Here's something interesting:
Black Tak High Temperature Foil: GafferTape.com: High Temperature Tapes

hm thats interesting. I wonder if 180C is enough, considering the heat can melt the housing already.

Not sure, but it's just an example. Hopefully something like this is easier to wrap on parts to provide some sort of protection. I was talking to the owner of LEDmarkers, who worked on my headlights, and he also pointed a few links about the Prius having the same issues. These are cars with chrome housings that still melted or had spots on them.

https://scontent-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/...65386817_n.jpg

In this picture, you have to be careful about the low beam projector lens burning the paint in front of it as well (the piece that looks like a window shade). Both projector lenses (low beam and turn signal) suffer from the same problem. It has happened on our shop GT-R multiple times actually.

I'm about to put my headlights back together and there is some leftover silicone residue on the inside of the headlight housing. Anyone have suggestions on now to clean it?

To those with painted headlights...
 

I would rub it off with my finger and then clean up any finger grease with a microfiber cloth

Looks great btw!

Another solution being worked on right now, see THIS thread for updates.

^thats the same solution as mine except the plate has a nicer shape haha

Anyone else have problems with the headlight projector lens burning the paint in front of it?

After finding this thread, I'm skeptical about having ONEighty do my headlights especially if the conversion of the turn signal to a projector lens has as big of an issue as being discussed.

I read all 3 pages and I learned/decided two things.

First: I just now found out Digi is viet. What's up my viet brother!!

Second: Painted/moded lights look damn good buy not worth the effort for me.

YzGyz