DIY J-Code tinted front reflectors

[hoppy6698]

+1 Rep, great write up mate, the detailed pics are incredible.

[lphiewok]

has anyone else tried this lately?
this would be much easier than buying eurocode headlights but i would hate to mess it up and have fogged up headlights.
any tips on what to watch out?

[JSitthi]

has anyone else tried this lately?
this would be much easier than buying eurocode headlights but i would hate to mess it up and have fogged up headlights.
any tips on what to watch out?

I got up to the point where I had both headlights off and started to heat up the glue, but I gave up after 10 minutes of straight heating and the glue didn't seem to be going anywhere. I guess the only tip I have to offer is...be patient

[NPuter]

can we see pics of what they look like at night with the side marker lights on??

[Calbee]

can we see pics of what they look like at night with the side marker lights on??

i agree. sorry to bring up an old thread

[jabicho]

can you tell us if you got any steaming issues after opening the headlights? I mean, condensation inside when it´s raining...tahnx

[ThePiombino]

can you tell us if you got any steaming issues after opening the headlights? I mean, condensation inside when it´s raining...tahnx

he said that after the first time he did it he got some fogging issues inside the housing so he redid it and (presumably) has had no issues since.

[jabicho]

he said that after the first time he did it he got some fogging issues inside the housing so he redid it and (presumably) has had no issues since.

Yeah, sure...but winter is so rough taht you never know...

[paulpassat]

What kind of sealant did you use.thanks

[ThePiombino]

Yeah, sure...but winter is so rough taht you never know...

Valid point

[IbiS5]

Nice write up. It would be nice to find the clear reflector to replace the amber one.

[Danieltje]

Would a hairdry blower be hot enough? Because i don't have a heater like on the picture.

[Alkivar]

Would a hairdry blower be hot enough? Because i don't have a heater like on the picture.

not even close.

[zane0728]

how to replace them with the white ones?

[B8_RDC]

What kind of sealant did you use.thanks

You re-use the existing sealant after cleaning (ripping and collecting) it off the clear part of the lens. Roll the gathered sealant and place it back into the "grove" of the black part of the housing. (spread evenly for good seal)

[chrissurfr]

how does it look at night? any pics?

great mod btw.....thanks for the awesome write up...going to do the same to my s5

[Wah]

Great DIY!

[ENV²]

cant you use come plastic from something like flourescent overhead light covers and custom cut them into the same shape spray tint them and install?

[Greg Nelson]

cant you use come plastic from something like flourescent overhead light covers and custom cut them into the same shape spray tint them and install?

Whaat?
Why not try yourself and report back on your efforts.
Cheers

[bluetori]

To the OP how many miles are on your car your front end looks great, nice job with the markers BTW.

[Nison_Li]

subscribed!

[DavidB8]

how does it look at night? any pics?

great mod btw.....thanks for the awesome write up...going to do the same to my s5

Pretty sure I read that the A5/S5 lights can't be pulled apart in the same manor. I think they are bonded together.

[vtheman]

Very nice DIY. I had absolutely no problems pulling the lens apart from the housing, in fact it took me only 5 min or so, just needed the right tools. I personally went with Ryobi heat gun which comes with multiple temperature settings and a removable nose cone which I think made all the difference. Now to the main point, I got my xenons which unfortunately show bunch of road wear and a few deep scratches and I'd like to replace just the lenses. It is my understanding that both halogens and xenons use the same lens. My question is does anybody have a pair of decent halogens laying around? Please PM me if you do. how much, shipping, etc...

Thanks.

[boylankan]

thanks for the step by step guide, am going to give it a go on my a5

[ItsDubC]

thanks for the step by step guide, am going to give it a go on my a5

A5/S5 headlights are apparently held together differently than A4/S4 headlights ie this guide may not apply.

[NPuter]

A5/S5 headlights are apparently held together differently than A4/S4 headlights ie this guide may not apply.

Yea, I've heard the same thing - apparantly, the A5 lenses have epoxy holding them on... this will not work for the A5.

[ItsDubC]

Yea, I've heard the same thing - apparantly, the A5 lenses have epoxy holding them on... this will not work for the A5.

$10 says he's not gonna return to see our warnings, and will find out the hard way lol

Btw, check out his profile pic...


Why?

[NJDeVsFaN]

$10 says he's not gonna return to see our warnings, and will find out the hard way lol

Btw, check out his profile pic...


Why?

My god that's hard to look at :(

[OmaHahn]

Holy Sh!t that looks like a cheap crack whore with that terrible bright red lipstick begging for anything!

[Soldoutluck]

Anyone have any thoughts on using 3M di-noc to cover the amber?
I was looking for gloss black vinyl similar to what is used in the write up, but couldn't resist the carbon fiber, do you guys think it will look to flat?

[Greg Nelson]

Anyone have any thoughts on using 3M di-noc to cover the amber?
I was looking for gloss black vinyl similar to what is used in the write up, but couldn't resist the carbon fiber, do you guys think it will look to flat?

I haven't had the balls to do this yet - moisture-proof sealing back up again is what holds me back. I have printed out Clear's DIY - well documented
That said, what color is your ride, concern the flat DiNoc would detract from, rather than enhance your appearance. Suggest a dark black transparent film to hide the amber daytime and still appear nighttime, as Clear did.
Cheers

[Soldoutluck]

Moonlight blue metallic, any suggestions on where to get the tint vinyl if the di-noc won't look good.

[ItsDubC]

Moonlight blue metallic, any suggestions on where to get the tint vinyl if the di-noc won't look good.

I used the dark smoke tint vinyl from Rvinyl. Great stuff. You can order it on their website or from Amazon.

Agree w/ Greg; I've seen it done w/ flat wraps and it doesn't look as good as gloss stuff IMHO.

[Audacious]

can we see pics of what they look like at night with the side marker lights on??

Thought I'd drop an update to answer a couple questions...

Close-up:

DSC_0950 by Audacious A4, on Flickr

10 feet away:

DSC_0952 by Audacious A4, on Flickr

Would recommend to VAG the side markers off, but have had no luck aquiring a cable.

Also used BMW shadowline to cover the ambers. Works great:


DSC_0891 by Audacious A4, on Flickr


DSC_0885 by Audacious A4, on Flickr

Here is a pic with the flash on at night:


DSC_0937 by Audacious A4, on Flickr

[NJDeVsFaN]

awesome it looks great

[Audacious]

awesome it looks great

Thanks again for the help!

So far no condensation and I honestly don't expect any in the future.

[Wah]

What type of added sealant did you use?

[Audacious]

Just some waterproof plastic stuff I found at Part Source. Applied it on top of the OEM sealant, should hold up with no problems.

[paulpassat]

So has anyone try to do A5

[ultra]

also guys you can bake if you dont have a heat gun , mine worked at 200 degress for 10 minutes