head lights caution !
head lights caution !
Hi all,
I saw my headlight on the drivers side had misting up and was becoming dirty on the inside. I investigated and found that during the bad weather, water has gotten into the seals at the front and frozen, pushing the glass lens away from the reflector body. I took the head light out and found that the lens was holding on by a wing and a prayer.
I removed the old sealing glue and have remounted the lens with white sanitary silicone. All seems well at the moment, but I would like to know if anybody has experienced the same and what you did to resolve the problem?
cheers Kev
I saw my headlight on the drivers side had misting up and was becoming dirty on the inside. I investigated and found that during the bad weather, water has gotten into the seals at the front and frozen, pushing the glass lens away from the reflector body. I took the head light out and found that the lens was holding on by a wing and a prayer.
I removed the old sealing glue and have remounted the lens with white sanitary silicone. All seems well at the moment, but I would like to know if anybody has experienced the same and what you did to resolve the problem?
cheers Kev
It isn't just a car it is a BX and it's my BX. Long live the BX.
I had to do that on my last BX, got shunted in the back which sent the lens flying out the front. on checking the other lens I found that was only just holding on.
pulled the remaining one apart and glued back together with silicon and found a replacement for the smashed one. was fine for severla years after that until it was scrapped. I think I used exterior silicon rather than bathroom though, not sure what the difference is.
pulled the remaining one apart and glued back together with silicon and found a replacement for the smashed one. was fine for severla years after that until it was scrapped. I think I used exterior silicon rather than bathroom though, not sure what the difference is.
1991 BX 4X4 GTI back on the road
- mat_fenwick
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Not had this with the BX but come across it on other vehicles. Silicone sealants are designed to seal rather than be adhesives, so might be an idea to keep checking it - I haven't found one that bonds very well to glass yet.
A polyurethane adhesive sealant works a lot better, something like Sikaflex 296 is probably the best for the job although maybe overkill!
A polyurethane adhesive sealant works a lot better, something like Sikaflex 296 is probably the best for the job although maybe overkill!
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head lights caution !
Cheers for those replies guys it makes me feel a lot better about putting the light back in tomorrow and driving to Manchester knowing that it won't fall off and smash at 60 mph.
kev
kev
It isn't just a car it is a BX and it's my BX. Long live the BX.
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seconded, the one pack polyurethane adhesive selants are far superior for sticking jobs and are better as permanent sealers. I wouldn't recommend them for sealing parts that may need to come apart again though.mat_fenwick wrote:A polyurethane adhesive sealant works a lot better, something like Sikaflex 296 is probably the best for the job although maybe overkill!
Kevan
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There are a number of different chemistries used in silicone rubber - you'd have to be unlucky to find one that doesn't bond glass well - they make fishtanks with it by just sticking the glass sheets together.
The glass and any other surfaces do have to be clean and dry - washed with alcohol / IPA is essential - otherwise yes - it won't stick.
The normal 'sanitary' sealer uses 'acetoxy' chemistry because it's the cheapest - that's ok if there's nothing around for the acetic acid (which is what is 'outgassed' from the setting rubber and is what causes the stink) to attack but I suggest not ok around headlamp seals and certainly not around any electronics.
For those applications you need 'neutral cure' silicone rubber of which some types are fine but others take an age to cure - like weeks. I've used (for glazing) and recommend the following...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WHITE-LOW-MOD ... 3ee1771590
The glass and any other surfaces do have to be clean and dry - washed with alcohol / IPA is essential - otherwise yes - it won't stick.
The normal 'sanitary' sealer uses 'acetoxy' chemistry because it's the cheapest - that's ok if there's nothing around for the acetic acid (which is what is 'outgassed' from the setting rubber and is what causes the stink) to attack but I suggest not ok around headlamp seals and certainly not around any electronics.
For those applications you need 'neutral cure' silicone rubber of which some types are fine but others take an age to cure - like weeks. I've used (for glazing) and recommend the following...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WHITE-LOW-MOD ... 3ee1771590
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Yeah, I remember my dad used to keep fish. But I've just found that it peels off very easily - it might withstand direct pulling better but seems very 'peelable'. Or maybe polyurethane adhesives cope better with less than ideal surface conditions? Or I've just been unlucky?electrokid wrote:they make fishtanks with it by just sticking the glass sheets together.
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I had that on the Gti, i cleaned the lenses & one was so loose it came away with hardly any force & the other needed only a little more persuasion. I cleaned them both inside & re-stuck the lenses back on with buliders caulk. 5 years later they were still attached & fine
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- electrokid
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I think 'peelable' points to surfaces not being clean enough or slightly damp. Thinking about how I've used it over the years I guess I do the cleaning immediately before application and always use IPA. I'm sure there's also a potential problem with that on a cold day because the IPA evaporates quickly cooling the surface which may encourage condensation. I can't remember anything falling apart though - I have an etch tank made of glass bonded with silicone rubber that must be close to 20 years old - about the specified life of the stuff.
I have been unlucky with some 'nearly out of date' RS neutral cure - used that on a window frame for double glazing and it took 3 months of summer sun to cure I'm not aware of much variation in the acetoxy cure stuff but there are several different chemistries to effect the neutral cure - which is why I recommended the one on eBay which has good application characteristics - it flows ok but not too much - and its setting time is the normal 24 hours - comparable in use to the 'bog' standard stuff
See what I did there
Is there a 'gets coat..' icon ?
I have been unlucky with some 'nearly out of date' RS neutral cure - used that on a window frame for double glazing and it took 3 months of summer sun to cure I'm not aware of much variation in the acetoxy cure stuff but there are several different chemistries to effect the neutral cure - which is why I recommended the one on eBay which has good application characteristics - it flows ok but not too much - and its setting time is the normal 24 hours - comparable in use to the 'bog' standard stuff
See what I did there
Is there a 'gets coat..' icon ?
1992 BX19 TGD estate 228K Rusty - SORNed
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2002 C5 HDi SX estate
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Would a good stout or Lager be suitable tooelectrokid wrote: I do the cleaning immediately before application and always use IPA.
Kevan
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mat_fenwick wrote:something like Sikaflex 296 is probably the best for the job although maybe overkill!
Have to agree with this Mat. Although sikaflex does the job very well, it will also, by way of warning to people not familiar with the evil black goop that is sikaflex...... it will (and does) stick to anything and everything it touches, you have been warned
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