Foggy Headlamps - Plastic or Glass?
 

Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone knows what material is used for the 1-piece headlamps on XJ40s? Is it glass or plastic?

Mine are quite hazy and foggy and I'm not sure if that's due to hazing of plastic, which can be polished, sanded, or otherwise repaired, or if they're glass and the problem is due to the reflective coating on the inside of the headlamp housing.

They're not rough or pitted, and when I knock on them I can't really tell. If it's plastic it's a pretty dense material.

Thanks,
Nick

Pretty sure mine are glass ...

Larry

Mine are glass for sure had to replace one after someone backed into me last spring.

Glass, 92 and 94.

Thanks. Now I've got to figure out how to fix it... Is it typically an issue with the inside surface of the glass, or the reflector surface getting pitted or corroded?

Nick

I took two apart to combine a good glass with a good reflector. Glass shouldn't get "foggy" unless its water spotted or sand-blasted. Mine had a discoloring/ dimming of the reflector because of a hole and consequent introduction of road dirt. I tried polishing the reflective surface but had Poor Luck using plastic polish (the back part is plastic). Not sure what to recommend there but maybe start with water and soft cloth. I think you'd be better off hitting up eBay for another, Ive seen the capsules for around $50 ea. I used JB weld to reassemble the parts and its holding well after a year. good luck

Thanks Jerry,

I've got to take one out, split it, and give it a look inside. For resealing, I was thinking about getting a cartridge of 3M Window-Weld Windshield polyurethane, but not sure about it bonding glass and plastic rather than glass and metal.

The lenses are bright, and the Sylvania SilverStar Ultra really improved on the original bulbs, but the fogginess is still quite bothering.

Nick

The 3M would probably work, especially since the 2 parts are clamped together when mounted. I used JB weld because it was at hand, and I always want to test it to see what it will do. That silver inside is really delicate and I could barely touch it without damaging. Maybe that was just mine though. There was a hole in the glass and that may have been the culprit there.