Has anyone tried cleaning these by simply removing from the car without bulbs/electrics, filling with warm soapy water?

I'm sure I read this somewhere but can't remember where - it could even be a figment of my imagination?!

Help, please!

 

There is a thread somewhere, I did it once, wiped it off with windex, when the glass lenses fell off before I glued it back in place. One thing to keep in mind is that the little ball things that hold it in place are very brittle at this point and easy to break and not repairable as far as i know.

 

Believe it or not; toothpaste and a little elbow grease will clean the lenses.....be careful of the reflector though....Windex or similar there.
Ron

 

I just took all four headlights off recently to clean them out and replace the low beam bulbs with brighter ones.
If you spray some lube in the nylon sockets (they have little cuts in them) the headlights will pop off easier. I used what would look like a motorcycle tire lever to pry them off, it was just the right shape to pry them off without breaking any parts.
I used dish soap to wash the inside of the reflector. When I put it all back together I put a little smear of grease in each socket and a little on each ball.

To put everything back together, line up the ***** onto the sockets and give the glass a good thump. I was a little nervous doing this because of the age of the plastic but everything went well and the cleaned headlights look and work great.

 

I also pulled mine and cleaned them. Used Windex and just swirled around inside, then rinsed and blew out with compressed air and let them dry. Replaced the main bulbs with Philips Crystal Vision Ultra's and the parking light bulbs with Sylvania ZEVO lED's. Must say, the difference is quite noticeable.
The only problem I had was one lens separated from the reflector and I had to reseal it with silicone. Other than that, should be easy if you take your time.