Painting Headlamps

Tools Required

• Masking tape
• Heat gun (hairdryer will not work)
• socket set with 10mm 8mm and an extension at least 3" long (longer)
• 2 dowels pins (min 3x1/4")
• Screw driver (flat and Phillips)
• Flat black trim paint with built in primer
• Glue (if you break clips)
• A full day, start early

1. Remove front bumper.
1. four clips on the top (Tip: to remove the clips, use a flat-head screwdriver to pry the center section up before you pull it out, you will see the indentions on the clips; this makes it much easier).
2. Two screws on the side of the bumper in the wheel well to remove, 8mm socket or Phillips head.
3. Four clips underneath the car holding the front bumper.
4. Two clips on the very outer corner underneath (don't forget these or you will break some plastic when you take the bumper off).
5. Four Phillips screw underneath the bumper.
6. Grab the edge of the bumper and just yank it forward, you should hear a few clips pop, one side at a time.
2. Remove headlights
1. Remove all bulb plugs, 6 in total.
2. One 10mm socket screw on the lower outside of the headlight (usually gold).
3. One 10mm socket screw on the lower middle section of the headlight, again usually gold colored. But you need a super long extension (6") to get it off.
4. Two 10mm screw on the top, headlight will fall out now.
5. Turn the headlight over and you will see one gold 10 mm bolt holding the bracket on the light, take it off.
3. Be sure to remove the parking light and blinker fixture or they might break when prying the housing apart.
4. Use a heat gun to heat up the sealant in the headlight housing. Hairdryer will not work; sealant will cool before you get all the way around.
5. Start at the slim end of the headlight and pry it apart slowly using a flat screw driver, heating the sealant as you go. (should be super sticky before you start prying).
1. Once you have a small gap you can insert two dowel pins into the light to roll along the edge of the light working your way back to separate the housing. Remember to keep heating the sealant as you go. Don't worry about marking up the light, with dent marks from prying; you can clean that up later.
6. Once the clear housing is removed, you have to remove the small Phillips screw holding the chrome face in the housing.
7. Take out the chrome face slowly from the housing, cutting any extra sealant away to make room, start at the slim end of the headlight.
8. Take out the reflector pieces from the chrome housing, and the orange inserts, you may break the clips by accident like I did, but a little glue fixes that.
9. Mask off the chrome underneath the reflectors and orange inserts as to maintain the brightness of your turn signals and reflectors. You don't want to paint those.
10. Exterior trim paint, flat black, will work. Start with a super fine coat (should still see the chrome on the first coat of paint). Be patient with this process. I used 6 super light coats.
11. Wait at least 2 hour before you touch it. Take off masking and re-install reflectors and inserts.
12. When you come to installing the clear housing back on the headlight, you have a choice of heating up the same goo and pressing the light back together or purchase some new stuff and cleaning out the old. I just heated the same stuff up and pressed it myself.
13. Now walk backwards thru the process, installing everything in order.
14. To clean up the pry marks on the housing you can use some sand paper and paint or just cover it with black tape cut neat.