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-   -   Gave my headlights a second life! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/112301-gave-my-headlights-second-life-2.html)

Butyl is hardly if ever used for gasketing these days. Butyls primary application is in tyres, tubes and sound deadening.

Any Rubber, be it silicone, butyl, EPDM, Nitrile are all themoset materials. They do not melt. It you heat them enough, they burn. They loose all their tack and physical properties. Hence silicone does not melt, neither does butyl.

True. :thumbs up Even i was a little surprised when the OP mentioned a glue which melts on heating, and then can be re used.

One can de bond a silicone sealant joint by heating, but it cannot be reused. Fresh sealant will be required.

Only problem with the oven method is that even the reflector heats heated up, dont know what the effect of the heat would be in the long term :)

^^ @Addy, Slightly OT here but as far as I know,Koito makes the OE taillamps for the Corolla ; not sure if Koito makes OE headlights but 5k for a pair of new lights is a good buy.

I used Koito 90/100s once 10 years back and was impressed with the quality

I threw in DEPO headlights which cost roughly the same ; top class reflectors and finish which haven't lost their sheen .

Being a Rubber Man, you should know better. I dont think any of these will be purely and exclusively one type of rubber. It must be compounded with other material to get the characteristic form. Nissan OEM is referred to as Butyl rubber. I have not bought the 3M sealant till now(Cost Rs 600/-) as yet as I got by with resealing.


Thanks for the information. Normal heating is to around 200 degrees F or 90 degrees C when the sealant properties are affected enough so it can be pried apart. Since it can be resealed, the properties should be different. Please let us know if you can get any authentic information.

The temperature in the oven is normally less than 100 degrees and it is uniform heating. The reflector is essentially a thin layer of aluminium which is vapour coated. The heat should not affect it. In any case, with high heat, the base plastics should melt long before the aluminium is affected. :)


The oven gives uniform heating. Heat gun gives controlled spot heating. Kerosene gives less controlled spot heating - Can result in bubbles forming in lens.

Attached is the condition of my beautys headlight. Can this be fixed at the same place(JC Road).
@Addy- was yours too like this buddy???
thanks,

Abhij, exactly why I did not wana try this at home. I had done it on for my Activa headlight, and I ended up roasting it. Luckily I tried it on a headlight that was given by a mech to me free of cost.

I had sourced the DEPO ones for a friends car 2 years back from Delhi, just met another dealer last night who mentioned Koito to me. And surprisingly my glass has Koito markings on it.

Prashant, I think this is what this guy was refering to as air cracks. Not sure if this can be done, but hey we can always get it checked and he will give us an honest opinion if its worth going ahead. Else we can always look in the gujari for a damaged headlight with a good lens and get it fixed. I went to him for the Santro today and he was closed. So will be going next weekend. PM me your number and I will keep let you know what time I will be there.

Just to try figuring out what happened and learning from your experience, can you please give us an idea how and at what temperature was it heated and which method you opted for? Oven, heatgun or blowlamp?

Just got the info: The principal compound for glass adhesive by 3M is POLYBUTYLENE 15%-40% by weight. The rest are fillers and plasticizers.

Good info...

Polybutylene is used in Hot Melt adhesives.

Btw... Butyl Rubber is Polyisobutylene.

Great news mate, this surely is a lot better than having to go for a replacement.

However, the price you paid was quite high, it seems. In Delhi, I got this done on my father's Santro for just 300 bucks (all inclusive).

But one question, is the sealing proper i.e. have you faced any issues w.r.t leakage etc?

Just for information :From HID Retrofits' description on their website:


Butyl Rubber
The most common type of sealant that binds/seals the two halves of headlights together. This type of sealant becomes pliable when heated.

General description?

Posting this for information only. This was found on the web. Copyright with original owners. The process is described too. Edit: The TBHP logo covers this information- 265 degrees F for 7 minutes

Hi vigsom

How did you procure the DEPO lights? Online or in India itself?

Thanks
Rajdeep

Anyone thinking to give their headlights a second life, try the tooth paste first.

Toothpaste Does Work To Clean Your Headlights - YouTube

Use the standard Colgate white here in India and not the Gel ones.

rajdeep,

I got the DEPO lights right here ; and I can see them aplenty.

From what I know,DEPO even makes lights for our good ol' Indica

Hi,
Did this affect the focus of the headlights?
I ask this because I remember many years ago I took our maruti 800 with real glass lights for a service and it had a strip of black paint on top area of the glass.
I asked my mech to remove it. his assistant brought some thinner to remove it but the mech turned him away saying the thinner affects the focus of the lamps. Figured that even if the surface of glass is not perfect then it acts as a lens and disperses light.
If this guy buffs the surface of the plastic he may do the same.