Headlight hole

[JHZR2]

My 1991 BMW uses five and three-quarter inch headlights. I have hella E code lights installed on the car. I believe the bulb used in the low beam portion is an H4. Unfortunately the driver side light got hit with a rock and there's a small hole in the glass. The light still works fine but I want to make sure that there's no water that gets inside. I was thinking that perhaps a small amount of some kind of epoxy might work to seal the hole.

Has anybody done this before on glass headlights? Any suggestions of what product to use and how best to apply? The actual hole isn't much larger than a BB but I do believe that moisture can get in. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[GMBoy]

Perhaps just a dab of clear silicone caulk? Or even better - buy the clear film they sell to protect headlights and stick it on. That will cover the hole.

 

[yonyon]

If you go epoxy, check the temperatures it'll be seeing. I'd be happy using ye olde cleare silicone sealante. Squirt a small glob in, wait for it to cure, then trim with a razor blade.

 

[bigdawg74]

Clear silicone worked on the BB hole in my glass lens on my '91.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Perhaps just a dab of clear silicone caulk? Or even better - buy the clear film they sell to protect headlights and stick it on. That will cover the hole.


I'd do this. That film, at least the Xpel branded film (they don't say which 3M film it is), has done a marvelous job keeping one of the Fit's foglights intact and waterproof after a direct hit from a large bolt at 70 mph. The lens spidered, but has held together and been waterproof the past two years. Some of the best $10 I spent on a car thing, that film.

 

[JHZR2]

Great info, thanks! Ill go the clear silicone route until I can source a round 5 3/4" protector... The caulk should come off/out easy enough, and it will prevent water and dirt from entering... Something Im concerned with as Ill be doing over 800 miles this week...

 

[Vikas]

I don't think it will pass the annual state inspection with a patched hole in the headlight

 

[JHZR2]

NJ has gone to emissions only.

So Im not really concerned. Considering the junk people put on the roads without care for maintenance or the impact they have on others when their garbage damages someone else... I am OK overlooking a small hole in a perfectly functional headlight.

Since my high beams put on four lights, and I have fogs too, there are plenty of other forward beaming lights to choose from!

 

[mechtech2]

Epoxy can soften at the high temperatures expected there. it may run.
Clear silicone RTV should be good.
There may be new products out due to the abundance of plastic headlights.