My 13k mile XJR has a slight film on the inside of all the headlamps. Has anyone ever cleaned theirs out and if so, how did you do it? I’ve tried Windex but with no luck. I think I need a foam tipped, bendable extension that will fit in the hole. Is there something that I could buy to wipe the inside out? It’s like when you have off gassing on the inside of a car when new. Please advise. Thank you.

 

I recently read a few older threads on this, basically it involves removing the glass and swishing windex and alcohol around and then letting it air dry. People were very clear that the reflective coating is extremely delicate, so I'm not sure about using any to do a mechanical cleaning.

I'll be very interested in what you end up doing and how well it works as this is on my warmer weather list of things to do.

 

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Mark the lenses with tape for their order and up direction so they lay into the curves correctly.

The lenses are attached to a bracket behind them with palls that can stick and possibly break off

soak the palls with some spray penetrating oil a couple days before

Better to do one at a time

Dish soap works and let the solution soak for a while

 

I was going to suggest the dish soap, especially Dawn....you don't need a lot, quite literally probably a drop. That stuff works on everything, kind of like Frank's Red Hot sauce....I put that **** on everything.

I'd vigorously swish it about every 15 minutes for an hour and then rinse thoroughly. Then put it in your dish rack to dry, hole down, in the house overnight...which should create a complete drying. Nothing against the alcohol suggestion, I just don't like using that on coated surfaces unless nothing else is working. I feel it would peel it in due time with the residue and light heat.

My one light was peeling when I got it, had a bear of a time finding a new replacement under $100 and that was in 2005.

 

I have often used denatured alcohol to swish the insides of the lenses to clean away the film and condensation residue. Then I carefully dump out the alcohol and put the lamp in an oven set to 150°F for one hour to dry any residual alcohol. I haven't had any issues with damage to chrome or other internal components, but I do try to concentrate the alcohol on the inside of the lens and not on the reflectors.

I also like Highhorse's Dawn idea for dissolving some deposits that alcohol won't.

Cheers,

Don

 

You can’t use windex or alcohol, as it will remove the reflective plastic chrome coating. I’m going to soak them in Dawn all day and then let them dry out overnight. It’s the only thing I think might work. They are brand new except for the film inside

 

I have been using denatured alcohol for at least 20 years with no damage to the chromed reflectors, ever. But I don't soak the reflectors. I just pour in enough alcohol to swish the inside of the lens thoroughly, then pour the alcohol out.

Cheers,

Don

 

I'm curious how this turned out. Have you tried it yet?

 

Wow, just wow!