'Joey mod' headlights

S

sailesh

A2OC Donor
In the VW and MINI camp, 'joey modding' is the customisation of headlights, typically by repainting the internals in black or any other colour.

I'm fortunate enough to have a pair of splittable headlights, so was wondering if anyone has painted the non-reflector part of their headlights in gloss or satin black? Important considerations are to prepare the surface and to make sure that the paint can withstand heat without bubbling.

Perhaps I should start with photoshop to figure out what it 'could' look like..
 
Im currently going through this exact process with a set of splittable headlights I have. I was planning to use hight temp engine paint. I can't decide whether to paint the light surrounds (currently grey) at the same time.
 
Good to know, will definitely be interested in the results! Maybe it's worth first 'prototyping' the look with some wrap-type film and seeing what suits. Seems to be a lot of experience out there with different paints on plastic; I presume the HT stuff shouldn't cause any issues over time
 
Does the headlight really get hot enough for HT paint to cure? It cures at quite a high temperature.
 
GuruX said:
Does the headlight really get hot enough for HT paint to cure? It cures at quite a high temperature.
Click to expand...

At least on the MINI side, people have had problems with paint eventually bubbling over time (see link below). It may be down to a combination of cure temperature and also that the paint used may not be entirely suitable for a (smooth) plastic substrate. OEM specs are typically unpainted, like the smooth A2 grille, but decent results can undoubtedly be achieved with the right paint and suitable technique.

http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f12/r56-xenon-joey-mod-31190/
 
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