Thread: Has anyone baked their headlights to get the lense off? Need Help

Long story short, I need to remove the headlight lens off of my 2010 full size rover. Yesterday, I removed the high beam bulb to replace, and realized I had the wrong bulb. Today, I get the right bulb on my way back from work, and notice black specs all inside the assembly (Looks like black baby powder)? Anyhow, I'm over mileage on my car and now out of warranty not that i think they would replace it either way. I'd really like to get this fixed. I've read a few posts on here where people bake it in an oven which softens the glue. My concern with this is that there are led's inside this housing and wiring that I can't undo and don't want to damage with the heat from the oven. I am currently in the process of seeing what I can strip, and the only things i was able to remove were the 3 silver metal boxes screwed to the housing ( 2 i think are ballasts). Can anyone who has done this chime in and guide me in the right direction.
Much appreciated.
thanks

Different vehicle, but I've personally performed this process with great success several times: Blackout Headlights 04-05 WRX/STI Tutorial - NASIOC

I'd get a second (and maybe third) opinion, but based on my experience if you follow the directions above the heat shouldn't have any negative impact on the LEDs or wiring.

Best of luck!

RDB and PMS, both site sponsors do offer this service.

I did mine myself years ago, but if you need to ask how it works, I suggest you ask a trained professional to perform the mod, unless you have time to try on a spare headlight.

Search this site, there is plenty of info about it ;-)

^^^^^^ like he said if you have to ask then its prob better left in hands of a professional .. I once did this too , to install leds in my motorcycle headlight but I had a backup housing just incase it didnt work out how I planned .. On a range headlight housing I would think its alot more complex wiring , xenons and such . and if you arnt familiar with it then becareful

On the 2010+ lights there are quite a few pieces inside the headlight, its pretty complex. Opening up the headlights is tricky as well, the tabs can easily be broken, the plastic becomes very soft if you heat it too much etc... If you want we can help you out if you get the headlights to us. We literally work on 2-3 sets a week either local or shipped to us for painting/customization.

Thanks guys for the heads up. I am no noob to modifications, and I have baked my bmw headlights in the past. I understand the process; but my only concern was whether the wiring inside the headlight or the led's and circuit boards could withstand the heat. Also, this is my daily driver, and I really can't be without a car for a couple days, so shipping it is really out for me. It's not that big of a deal, but it is an eye sore. The more i look at it, looks like carbon from somewhere got blown around and somehow managed to get inside the headlight through the high beam opening. I was really just hoping for someone who has done this to tell me what temp to set the oven, how long to heat it, etc. I'll be in beaverton, oregon for the next few months on a project, so if there are any shops around here, which i doubt, I would be willing to take it there as long as they have a good turnaround.

Originally Posted by roctof

Thanks guys for the heads up. I am no noob to modifications, and I have baked my bmw headlights in the past. I understand the process; but my only concern was whether the wiring inside the headlight or the led's and circuit boards could withstand the heat. Also, this is my daily driver, and I really can't be without a car for a couple days, so shipping it is really out for me. It's not that big of a deal, but it is an eye sore. The more i look at it, looks like carbon from somewhere got blown around and somehow managed to get inside the headlight through the high beam opening. I was really just hoping for someone who has done this to tell me what temp to set the oven, how long to heat it, etc. I'll be in beaverton, oregon for the next few months on a project, so if there are any shops around here, which i doubt, I would be willing to take it there as long as they have a good turnaround.

We actually dont bake them or use an oven. We use professional heat guns and various techniques to pry open the lights slowly. You wont really have an issue with the wires melting or getting damaged from the heat. When you close the headlights you have to most likely use some more sealer to seal it up 100%.

I had it done to my Range Rover (about 5 years ago). We painted the gray pieces around the lights black. I believe I was one of the first to do it as well. We did not bake my headlights to open it up either and did not have a problem. I believe we just removed the tabs and used a thin razor to remove the sealant / glue (this is if my memory serves me correct). You will 100% need to put sealant on when reassembling to make sure the headlights are sealed properly. You might want to add your location to your profile to help us point you to the closest sponsor.

I baked mine and had 0 issues. I removed everything I could from the outside (ballasts, bulbs, etc) and painted everything inside. I baked them at 220 for ~10 min, then if I couldn't get them apart I kept going 2-3 more minutes.

Shouldn't be much different for you 2010 headlights vs the 2006 ones. Good luck

thanks for all the input. Earliest I'd be able to get to them would be this tuesday, I'll post up my results in case anyone else is interested to know.
thanks