Cracked fog light!

I was talking to 503 Motoring (503Motoring.com) about clear mask protection for the paint, headlights, and foglamps. They recommended NOT putting film on the foglamps because they are hot little halogens and the film can get hot and distort and discolor.

I don't use the foglamps that much since they are ineffective with the HID headlights on, so they said they could install the film, but I would have to sign a waiver for their lifetime warranty.

 

Haven't made it yet, so I don't know if it is practical or not. Probably will get to it in a few weeks.

 

I too noticed that one of my fog lights had a puncture fracture. I thought I was finished screaming about damages to my Prius after I noticed that my windshield was cracked! Oh well.

I'm really cheap. I couldn't justify spending $70-$100 to buy a new fog lamp just so that another rock will break it. I decided to fix the broken fog lamp and create a mesh screen to protect both fog lamps.

The best way to remove the fog lamp is as follows (it took me less than five minutes):

Remove the plastic housing around the fog lamp. The bumper does not need to be removed to do this. Simply slide a screwdriver between the bumper and the plastic housing into the lower corner (in this case, the left) of the housing to release the tooth. Then repeat the same step on the top. Once the plastic is somewhat loose, you can wiggle the plastic housing out of place. Be gentle, I broke one of the teeth because I was impatient.

Now you should see the fog lamp still in place but with out the plastic housing.
[attachmentid=9214] *Note, in this picture I have already taken the fog lamp out - I'll explain how to do that later.

Next, the plastic sheet underneath the bumper can be pulled back so that you can reach the back of the fog lamp. Use a 10mm socket wrench to remove the two bolts closest to the fog lamp. Pull the plastic sheet out of place. Make note how you moved it, because it has to go back in the same way!


Next, you’ll have to reach behind the fog lamp with a pair of needle nose pliers, through hole you just made by moving the plastic sheet out of the way. The pliers will be used to squeeze the barbs on the fog lamp.
Rick had a fuzzy picture of the hardest part of the fog lamp to remove; here it is:
[attachmentid=9215]

If you’re good with your hands, you should be able to feel them and judge where the pliers go.

Once the fog lamp is removed it should look like this:
[attachmentid=9216]

If the fog lamp has water in it, let it dry out over night. It makes it easier to remove the broken bits of glass.

So, here’s where the cheap-o comes out. I went to the local Home Depot and took a good look at all the clear adhesives. I settled on silicone adhesive sealant. It’s good up to 400 degrees.

Next, I placed the largest piece of broken glass back in the lamp. I aligned it so that it would fall back into place.
[attachmentid=9217]

Then, while holding the lamp face down, I squeezed a fair amount of silicone through the fracture hole. Using a spare chopstick I pushed the broken glass into the silicone. Next, used a shop vac to remove the excess silicone sealant and hopefully pull the broken glass back into place as tightly as possible.
[attachmentid=9218]

This worked perfectly the first time. I allowed the silicone to cure over night. Then I tested it by placing it in water. No water penetrated the hole; all is good!

To ensure that no more (small) rocks would damage the fog lamps I created mesh screen. I picked up some fine galvanized netting. It’s usually used to keep squirrels and birds out of the vent holes in a house. I cut and shaped the mesh into place.
[attachmentid=9219][attachmentid=9220]

* edited 6/25/2007 to fix the images

 

WOW! Thanks Oly! I'm inspired to make mesh!

 

Posted Feb 11
I have recently seen some discussion of cracked fog light lenses and the cost of repair as bumper must come off. I called the people who make the clear mask and they would only sell me bulk, they referred me to Tom from boston who sells headlight kits. He was kind enough to tell me their product is only made for plastic lenses would discolor from the heat of a glass lens. He was kind enough to refer me to John Byham of ClearGard who has just the kit for '04-'05 Prius @ $10 ppd. They are 2.89" dia. peel-and-stick. I ordered it. You can either wait until I guinea pig them or order your own.
<[email protected]> or 814-763-1550.
PostedFeb 17
As promised.
I put the ClearGuard discs on today. When I had cleaned the lenses and turned on the lights to warm them (it is 31F here) I was able to note the prior damage, since 12/03. The lenses had a really "sandblasted" appearance so it is easy to see that a larger missile might easily have cracked them and I am glad I am going this route now.
Their directions seem a little picky because they are meant for the headlight protection also, and they supply a plastic squeegy, but if followed give a better result than my first 'what's the big deal' attempt.
I think this is a good $10 investment to save a possible $big later on.
I posted this in Feb, plastic works well.I also suggested GE Silicon seal for repair.

_________________

 

Here's a quick update on my own progress on this problem. Both of my lights are cracked but still working.

I applied a product that I bought at a local auto parts store that is supposed to be for "protecting and repairing" headlights and foglights. So far I am very happy with the installation, but one of the reasons I thought I would go ahead and try it on my broken lights is to see if there is any discoloration or distortion due to the heat of the lights. None so far but I will send an update if I have problems. The material is called "Leader Headlamp Protector" and the only contact information on the package is "Canadian Horizon Corporation Box 370 Irricana, Alberta TOM 1BO"

I also got the expected answer from the dealer who sold me the car -- not covered under warrantee but they'll give me a token discount and a free 3M protector film on replacements. They also stated that they agree that if I just replace the lights without adding some protection they are likely to both break again. Next step will be to forward this reply to Toyota Canada and argue that this is a design flaw.

 

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This sound like a good answer for the already damaged lights. I sent them this e-mail, will post answer.

I would be interested in your product for my Toyota Prius' fog lights. It would be circular and approx. 2.89 inches in dia.
What would the price be in US$ shipped to New York 10509 USA. Thanks in advance.

 

This sound like a good answer for the already damaged lights. I sent them this e-mail, will post answer.
I would be interested in your product for my Toyota Prius' fog lights. It would be circular and approx. 2.89 inches in dia.
What would the price be in US$ shipped to New York 10509 USA. Thanks in advance.

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The website for Leader film is: http://www.chc-zone.com/content.htm

 

I also had a cracked fog light. I had a professional shop put clear bra over them, but it cracked anyway. Upon closer inspection, it looked like the installer was not able to put clear bra all the way to the edges, and it appears that the crack originated on the bare glass area.

Ohe well. Maybe I'll take the guards off and have clear bra put over the whole thing.

Nate

 

Virtually every one of my Audis and Saabs since 1979 (7 cars) ended up with cracked/broken head lights or fog lamps .. or both. The typical repair cost was ~$135. Makes me mad as hell having to replace the whole assembly. Seems they could be manufactured to replace the lens only .. Or .. It would cost next to nothing for car manufacturers to include some kind of transparent lens protector.

In 2000 I learned about X-pel protection, a thick transparent lens protector (custom made for every type of car). I've been using them ever since.

On earlier cars I did both headlights and fog lights. On my Prius I'm just protecting the fog lights. Seems the headlight protectors somewhat distort the light pattern from the high intensity headlamps.

Needless to say, since I've been using these I've NOT broken any lenses.

Just type in X-pel in google, select their site and go from there.

P.S. There are other manufacturers of this stuff, X-pel just happens to be the one I randomly chose.