Re: melting headlights
Originally Posted by Sheldon
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?
Last edited by onehundred80; Jan 25, 2011 at 03:40 PM.