so iv had my 10000k HIDs in for about a month now and the headlights seem to almost be melting in the center of my headlight lens.. kinda making a pimple on the outside... has not got better or worse in the past week it just stays the same, i sanded it off wit a headlight restoration kit and it worked but after a few nights they came back! anybody any ideas, fixes??

 

Yeah cut the candle power !!!!!!

 

Between the 10,000k HID's and the tint over the top of the lens I'd say you're cooking them nicely.

Either remove the tint or go with less wattage in the lamps.

 

yeahmaybe a downgrade in wattage because i took off the tint in the front and the problem continued.

 

Sorry Steve, but I had 10K HIDs and tinted lenses on the last car for 18+ months and no heat issues at all. Even a 10K light is putting out MUCH less heat than a traditional incandescent bulb.

It is not the fact that they are 10K and tinted, it is something else.

Hope this helps.

 

I agree, 10,000k has to do with the color temperature. So his wattage could still be higher and thus causing the overheat problem. so the question would be, how many watts are the lights/kit?

 

Photos needed here.
With the bulb behind a presumably glass lens I cannot see enough heat getting to the plastic cover.

 

I can tell you that on the Audi forum they discuss 35w (stock) vs 55w and the concensus is to go lower so you don't melt the headlight covers.

 

Id sugest maxclarity MaxClarity Foam - Get Clear Skin from the Only Acne Treatment with Foam
to get rid of the issue with the lense.

Coating the headlight is dumb in my book and retains heat which could indicate your problem. Borrow or steal or buy a IR gun and measure the headlight area to see the heat at the plastic, they are good to like 145 degrees F so your doing something bad there tiger. Woody Enjoy

The PROJECTORS have a 3" lense that could be focusing the thermal energy into that spot, so have a look or touch it to see if it is like HOT coffee.

 

This ventilation system was designed to prevent the head lamps from getting hazy by moisture.
Maybe it will also help not to cook the headlamps by high power hid's:

Without fan:


With fan:





Regards
Markus

 

I just saw a TV show, where they talked about a service fender protector getting on the headlight lens and trapping the heat and destroying the lense ( Motor Week on Speed channel,Pat Goss, aired this past Sunday. Sounds like the film on the lense is causing the problem, maybe to high a wattage lamps are in your kit.
Dave
dtinker

 

they are 55w... i guess thats too high should i drop to the 35w? maybe that will be better

 

I would not have thought 55 w would be too high. I was thinking of getting 100W, but I guess that's out until we find out about your problem. I don't remember anyone else mentioning this problem. Are you sure the bulbs are installed properly and not touching the lens?
Weird problem.

Dave
dtinker

 

I would like to see more information about this 'headlight ventilation system'. Is it available commercially, or something that was devised by a member?

 

just took a pic, car is dirty and its starting to flurry here in NJ so please excuse me for poor quality but i think you can get the idea.. as for install, after installing the hid kit, i stopped by the local shop for them to check out the install, they said everything was fine, no problems... then couple days later it started... like i said , i pulled off tint, and fixed lights then after a few days there they are once again!

 

Might be worth it to try some 35w ballasts and see what happens. You can pick up a set from DDMtuning.com or similar for $30

HID Kits, BMW Aftermarket Bumpers & Lighting, DEPO - DDM Tuning

I ran this $30 kit on my SRT-4 for about 2 years, the ballasts are bullet proof.

 

Surely the bulb is what generates the heat. My 35 W bulbs use a 35/55 Watt ballast.
As the OEM bulbs are 55 W and HID's are supposed to run cooler then I would suspect that your lens should have suffered more damage from the OEM bulbs. If not I would put the OEM bulbs back and see what happens.
Have you done anything to these headlamp units or have they suffered any damage. As the inside lens is a magnifying lens by the look of it, it may be possible by arranging the bulb and lens in a particular position that the lens is focusing the light in a focal point on the plastic. Just like we did with the sun and a magnifying glass, focusing it on a friends neck when he was not looking. OK, we were a spiteful bunch.
I used my laser aimed thermometer two feet from the lens of the OEM 55 W housing and the HID housing and the temperature read 12 deg.F warmer on OEM housing within a minute or so. The HID housing showed no real temperature gain (31 deg F.). The plastic cover did feel warmer on the OEM bulb area, but not too much.
Do your bulbs have a cap on the end to stop light coming straight out the bulb rather than being reflected of the reflector in the housing?

 

I think onehundred 80 is correct. Is the mounting of the bulb different or short or longer that the original? It has got to be focus or focal length or the bulb to the interior lens.
Dave
dtinker

 

its strange because both lamps have the defects, but neither have suffered any damage or anything... almost seems like when the lights are on they make a laser beam hit the lense and like a magnifying glass melt the plastic, if that makes any sense to any of you idk.. for now i will put the oem bulbs back in and see if it clears up the problem at all.. thanks for everyones help and ideas.. i will post again if the problem inceases/decreases ect.

-J