After the incident with the wagon driving asshat, I managed to track down only one matching lamp for my model (2000 P38) and one plain silver lamp from I think a 96 or perhaps 97 car...
So I was faced with a dilemma. do I bung it on and hope no once notices or do I do something about it?
I decided I could utilise our fan assisted oven and a sharp knife
Here's the (manky) culprit:
I got the plastic insert from my broken headlamp (the lens was fine, the plastic was ruined inc the reflector).
I set the oven at 110 degree's Celcius and popped the lamp in glass down immediately (no need to pre heat) as I was worried if I put a cold headlamp into a hot oven the thermal shock may cause even more stress.
I gave it a good 20 minutes and it sufficiently heated the glue (some type of mastic) until it was soft and the glass literally fell off (albeit with a little persuasion from a flat screw driver) leaving me with a blank canvas...
One tip: DO NOT touch the reflector surface or try to clean it as it will rub off or mark permanently!!
You'll note the reflector has small slots around it, the plastic trim fits straight on.
I tried the glass on to make sure the trim wasn't interfering or causing issue, then I glued it with super glue run into the mastic channels all the way around, then pulled tight with cable ties all around.
Once dry, any residue on the outer lens can be removed using a flat blade.
So then I rebuilt the whole lamp unit ready to be placed back on the car
Got a couple of jobs to do before it's all back together, but I'm happy with the progress
So I was faced with a dilemma. do I bung it on and hope no once notices or do I do something about it?
I decided I could utilise our fan assisted oven and a sharp knife
Here's the (manky) culprit:
I got the plastic insert from my broken headlamp (the lens was fine, the plastic was ruined inc the reflector).
I set the oven at 110 degree's Celcius and popped the lamp in glass down immediately (no need to pre heat) as I was worried if I put a cold headlamp into a hot oven the thermal shock may cause even more stress.
I gave it a good 20 minutes and it sufficiently heated the glue (some type of mastic) until it was soft and the glass literally fell off (albeit with a little persuasion from a flat screw driver) leaving me with a blank canvas...
One tip: DO NOT touch the reflector surface or try to clean it as it will rub off or mark permanently!!
You'll note the reflector has small slots around it, the plastic trim fits straight on.
I tried the glass on to make sure the trim wasn't interfering or causing issue, then I glued it with super glue run into the mastic channels all the way around, then pulled tight with cable ties all around.
Once dry, any residue on the outer lens can be removed using a flat blade.
So then I rebuilt the whole lamp unit ready to be placed back on the car
Got a couple of jobs to do before it's all back together, but I'm happy with the progress
