Misty Headlight - FIXED! Full Disassembly :)

TheHills

Member
Hi guys and gals,

Well when we bought out A2 last weekend one of the things on the list was the misty headlight, it looked like a cataract!

P2031131_zps8c38060d.jpg


I used the tried and tested light out procedure with a T30 torx bit and the bonnet off, screwdriver in the connector to pop it off, and the whole unit came out :)

As you can see it was very very misty, green algae growing in the corners too :rolleyes:

SH104895_zps86219323.jpg


SH104896_zps80c02c4a.jpg


It soon became evident where the problem was and why it was so bad!

'Hmm, I dont thing I should be seeing air down there?'

SH104898_zpsff34038c.jpg


At some point, the previous owner or garage monkey has put a new bulb in and upon re-assembly, got the rear cover in the wrong place. The clip was shut but there was a good 15mm gap at the end with the retaining tabs. It is actually quite hard to get it perfectly balanced like this, much easier to put it back properly ;)

With the inside being in such a state and access from the back limited, further dis-assembly was required. Looking at the unit, it is put together in a tried and tested fashion, spring clips around the exterior (or pingfukits as they are also known). Careful prying with a flat bladed screwdriver popped them all off with just one tab snapping. This clip was crimped a little harder in the vice before putting back, ensuring the correct tension despite the lip breaking off.

SH104899_zpsd5974674.jpg
 
The entire lens then comes off ready for cleaning

SH104900_zps39a18156.jpg


As you can imagine, with a massive gap open to atmosphere, there was a huge amount of detritus inside the lamp! Leaves, mud, algae and other assorted rubbish has accumulated over time all around the iniside of the lamp. Some time with cotton buds, rag and kitchen roll got 99% of the crap out and the two halves were put on top of hot radiators for an hour or so.

The assembly was the reverse of the above, I did have to take the lens off again once it was outside as once in the cold I could see a load of wipe marks from the rag, i used a polishing cloth to re-clean and this solved the issue.

SH104902_zpsfa993ed3.jpg


No more algae!

SH104903_zpsf21079e5.jpg


I scrubbed and hosed down the engine bay to get rid of years of accumulated leaves and mud before putting it all back together. Problem solved!

Hope this helps other with what is a common A2 problem :)

Kind regards,

J
 
A perk of having a Y-reg A2 is that you've got openable headlights. Shortly after production started, the headlights were changed for sealed unit, with only the access at the back, meaning that what you've done isn't possible for most owners. Nevertheless, you've done a really good job; they're beautifully clean!

Tom
 
Nice clean job mate, mines are bad as well really annoying! Our TT mk1 is also terrible, usually just after I've valeted it, looks so bad with the rest of the car gleaming!
 
:cool: I hope they stay dry for a good while after that work.

Did the part number change when the fixings were changed, or the number of clips on them?
 
Back
Top