Turbo Alex

Hi, is there any possibility to open the headlights on the 957 TTS or to remove the lamps so I can get access to the inside of the glass to clean the headlights from the inside. Both of my headlights are covered by a dirt/dust on the inside. From the outside it looks like a milky layer. I went to the Porsche dealer and we removed both headlights and tried to clean the glass from the inside. The biggest problem is to get access to clean the glass from the inside. Does anyone know how to open the headlights or how to remove the inside lens so it will be possible to get access to the inside?

Big thx,
Alex

Petza914

Someone here or on 6speed posted a DIY on how to introduce alcohol into the light, swish it around to clean up the inside of the lens and then evaporate it away. You can probably find it with a Google search.

Turbo Alex

Big thanks! I guess that might be the DIY post:

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-can-done.html

Petza914

Yup, that's the one.

Ex968racer

I take take credit for this but wanted to share. I Googled other ways to clean the inside the lenses and found where people wrap a powerful magnet in a cloth, stitch it closed, dab it in rubbing alcohol and feed it though a bulb socket. You then take another wrapped magnet on the outside of the lense to attract and move the inside magnet around to clear the haze. I just did this tonight and it worked really well. There are good YouTube videos that provide more detail if this isn't clear.

Dilberto

Won't Isopropyl Alcohol haze clear plastic even more? I heard using HEET(pure Ethanol) is the trick...

Ex968racer

I read that methonal is better as well but didn't have any handy so could easily do again since I only took less than 10 minutes each . There doesn't appear to be any haze but I am not sure if this will developer later. So far they look 95% + better. The only downside is that now I can see all the small stone chips on the lenses whereas the inside fog helped conceal this. The cloth that covered the magnet was black once I was done.

deilenberger

For the small stone chips - and to preserve the outside - you might consider having thin clear-bra installed on the headlights. Most places doing it have a computer pattern to cut the shape for the headlights.

I had mine done (they were perfect when I had them done) - cost was around $40, and they will continue to look perfect. If they don't - I'll have it removed and redone. So far - with about 15,000 miles on it - they look like brand new.

The clear-bra will also make the stone pits disappear. Index match between the adhesive and the plastic lens is pretty darn good - so the adhesive fills the pits and they simply go away.

Ex968racer

I have a clear bra on the front minus the headlights. I would have thought that the chips would be more noticeable but I will give this a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

Ex968racer

Here is the after photo with the clear bra. I don't have a before pic but they looked just like the OP.

deilenberger

Like magic eh?

I did this first on a sand-blasted fog light on a BMW. One side got broken by a stone. Bought a new replacement and it became obvious how badly sandblasted the other side was. I figured I had nothing to lose - so I tried some clear-bra I had kicking around. Couldn't tell the difference between the old and new ones when I was done - and the clear-bra held up much better than the glass lens ever did for pitting.

Maybe I should start selling this as a fix for degraded headlight lenses. I have also used it on plastic lenses that had the coating go bad and fog over on the outside. After cleaning it all off with the 1000/2000/polish/fine-polish routine - it looked good, but it never stays looking good for long because the UV protection has been buffed off. The clear bra keeps them looking brand new about forever.. (or as long as I owned the car..)

When I got the '11 CTT - the headlights looked wonderful. The rest of the car from the front-doors forward were clear-bra'd - so I decided to get the headlights done and avoid the inevitable deterioration of the outside coating. Still looks brand new. And if it ever did deteriorate - replacing the clear-bra should make it look new once again.

Glad it worked for you.

kino1161

So the process is to clean them like stated above and then clear bra them?

Ex968racer

Yes. You can use rubbing alcohol or methanol with magnets to clean the inside. I have no negative affects using rubbing alcohol. Then clear bra the outside which will hide most of the sand blasting caused by sand and gravel on the roadways. This was my first time applying a clear bra and it went pretty well. I made a template from a paper grocery bag and cut my own since I had a sheet laying around. I would have bought precut headlights if I didn't have this as it would have save and hour or so getting the size and shape just right.

kino1161

Where is everyone getting these "strong" magnets from? Did you actually dab the cloth covered magnet in alcohol or did you soak? Does anyone know where they clear bra can be purchased pre-cut and for how much?

Petza914

My Home Depot sells the really strong rare earth magnets in different sizes.

Suncoast sells pre-cut headlight clearbra protection film kits.