Weird headlight discolouring... (1 Viewer)

[IronYuppy]

When I bought my tuck it had mismatched headlight bulbs. One looked OEM and the other had that trendy faux-HID blue tint.

I replaced them both with a matched set of Sylvania "OEM" black-dot bulbs.

The "blue" side still projects blue. Not as much as with the previous bulb, but it's still noticeable. Now it's just noticeable from a short distance (like when I'm pulling up to the garage wall). I would say the brightness of both bulbs is equal.

I took a good look at the lenses, and they don't appear cracked or marked. Neither has an odd tint when not illuminated.

So, what I'm wondering is if there's some sort of an uneven electrical flow to the one side, could that change the colour temperature of the bulb?

I might have to break-out the multimeter on this one.

 

[IdahoDoug]

One of the many downsides of using cheap color coated bulbs is they can vaporize the colored coating and it becomes airborne in the headlamp assembly and deposits on the reflector. So you may have a faint blue dusting on the reflector.

DougM

 

[IronYuppy]

One of the many downsides of using cheap color coated bulbs is they can vaporize the colored coating and it becomes airborne in the headlamp assembly and deposits on the reflector. So you may have a faint blue dusting on the reflector.

DougM

You, sir, are a genius. A "bright idea" you might say.

I'm going to re/re the lenses this weekend. Windex inside and out and see what happens.

 

[Doc]

If the blue is burned into the headlight you might want something with a little more 'punch' than windex, ie: acetone or ethyl.

 

[NaterGator]

I would think fairly pure isopropyl alcohol would do a good job of removing pigment

 

[IronYuppy]

Would vodka work?

Actually, I have isopropil and ethyl.

And a cotton buff wheel for my Dremel.

If it's on there, I'll get it off.

 

[NaterGator]

I've just seen isopropyl alcohol remove many various pigments that are otherwise very chemically resistant. Buffing wheel may help... I was gonna say throw a mild abrasive in there if you have an effective way to rinse it out.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Careful. The headlamp reflector is quite fragile - it's a thin layer of metal laid down in a vacuum chamber and it can be damaged with cleaners. Somewhere here I laid out a safe procedure for cleaning lights.

Here's a Reader's Digest version as I've gotta run.

Remove the lights.
Find a way to plug any openings and fill with warm soapy water and a half dozen cotton balls or cut up open cell foam (like upholstery shops fill cushions with).
Shake it around while watching TV, and the mild rubbing of the sponges/cotton balls will help remove typical road grundge/grime. Happily, there was likely some already on the lense/reflector before the PO put the blue bulbs in and it will not be adhered well to your lense/reflector, so it will come off.
Empty and rinse a few times with distilled water (no deposits/water spots).
Place over a house heater register overnight to dry though it's not crucial.
Lather/rinse/repeat if required.
Reinstall.

Use extreme caution with things like window cleaners as it can loosen the coating depending on how the light is made.

DougM