stephenkirsh
01-22-2015, 07:26 PM
Got it on xmas sale from ECS for around $35.
I replaced my headlight lenses a few months back. I now commute 60 miles a day through California wine country, aka, bugs and crappy roads. So I saw this product and thought I'd give it a try. It claims it's "self healing from chips." You can get them with color tints, or for the rear lights, or just about anywhere on the car. They have a 5 year warranty.
INCLUDED:
- Headlight film
- Corners film
- Fogs film
- Exact-o knife
- Super tiny water squirt bottler
INSTALLATION:
Summary:
- Easier than expected on the main headlight lenses.
- Much harder than expected on the corners. The corners have some serious curves to them.
- Did not install on fog lights as they're super chipped.
Write Up:
I started with the corner turn signals as a test before I attempted the more important, and larger, headlight lenses. I ended up throwing away both of the corner lens films; that wasn't my primary concern anyway. They're at least 1/8" bigger on all 4 sides. I figured I would chop them down with the exact-o blade but I couldn't even get them to form around the strong curves of the lens.
They recommend using a blow dryer to heat the film to help it stretch get around curves, but as you can see in the edges of my photos, I don't have a garage with a power outlet near by. So that wasn't an option. I tried both sides but ended up throwing them away. It just wasn't happening.
The main lens films were sized much more accurately and, due to how straight the lenses are, were pretty easy to put on. Each one needed a little trimming on the outside edges, though. But it's the easiest thing I've ever put an exact-o blade to, so precise trimming was easy.
POST-INSTALLATION USE:
Seems pretty good. I can't tell any difference in the light output, except that it does seem to create some kind of "eye lash effect," as I'm calling it. See photo below. It's been 2 weeks since I installed them, and you can kind of see them on the lenses when you look real close. LivesNearCostco spotted it surprisingly quickly.
OVERALL
It's hard to tell if I would recommend them at this point. The corners were a complete fail and the eye lash effect would probably bug a lot of people. But my previous lenses were DESTROYED after 115k, where as the lenses on my 325, which had a protective film, were perfect after 110k. So hopefully they will work and the lenses will last a lot longer.
17613
If you look straight on (left side of image) it's hard to see any of the film. But if you look at an angle across the lens, you can see the film. I think this is what's causing the "eye lash effect."
17614
Said eye lash effect. It's much less noticeable from within the car; it actually took me a few days before I even noticed it. You can see how it fades out.
17615
Side view w/ lights on. Sorry for how dirty it is, but that's only 1 week of driving. That's one of the reasons I bought these things.
I replaced my headlight lenses a few months back. I now commute 60 miles a day through California wine country, aka, bugs and crappy roads. So I saw this product and thought I'd give it a try. It claims it's "self healing from chips." You can get them with color tints, or for the rear lights, or just about anywhere on the car. They have a 5 year warranty.
INCLUDED:
- Headlight film
- Corners film
- Fogs film
- Exact-o knife
- Super tiny water squirt bottler
INSTALLATION:
Summary:
- Easier than expected on the main headlight lenses.
- Much harder than expected on the corners. The corners have some serious curves to them.
- Did not install on fog lights as they're super chipped.
Write Up:
I started with the corner turn signals as a test before I attempted the more important, and larger, headlight lenses. I ended up throwing away both of the corner lens films; that wasn't my primary concern anyway. They're at least 1/8" bigger on all 4 sides. I figured I would chop them down with the exact-o blade but I couldn't even get them to form around the strong curves of the lens.
They recommend using a blow dryer to heat the film to help it stretch get around curves, but as you can see in the edges of my photos, I don't have a garage with a power outlet near by. So that wasn't an option. I tried both sides but ended up throwing them away. It just wasn't happening.
The main lens films were sized much more accurately and, due to how straight the lenses are, were pretty easy to put on. Each one needed a little trimming on the outside edges, though. But it's the easiest thing I've ever put an exact-o blade to, so precise trimming was easy.
POST-INSTALLATION USE:
Seems pretty good. I can't tell any difference in the light output, except that it does seem to create some kind of "eye lash effect," as I'm calling it. See photo below. It's been 2 weeks since I installed them, and you can kind of see them on the lenses when you look real close. LivesNearCostco spotted it surprisingly quickly.
OVERALL
It's hard to tell if I would recommend them at this point. The corners were a complete fail and the eye lash effect would probably bug a lot of people. But my previous lenses were DESTROYED after 115k, where as the lenses on my 325, which had a protective film, were perfect after 110k. So hopefully they will work and the lenses will last a lot longer.
17613
If you look straight on (left side of image) it's hard to see any of the film. But if you look at an angle across the lens, you can see the film. I think this is what's causing the "eye lash effect."
17614
Said eye lash effect. It's much less noticeable from within the car; it actually took me a few days before I even noticed it. You can see how it fades out.
17615
Side view w/ lights on. Sorry for how dirty it is, but that's only 1 week of driving. That's one of the reasons I bought these things.