DanL

Several years ago I made the mistake of buying some cheap Ebay angel eye resistors to keep an intermittent bulb out warnings from popping up on my idrive. While the resisters did work, they also got so hot they actually burned some wire insulation and the resulting fumes created a haze inside both headlights. I ditched the resistors and did what I should have done in the first place -- coded the car to turn off angel eye bulb checks -- but the damage had already been done. Several months ago I read about someone on a Crossfire forum who used pure methanol to clean the inside of his headlights. Well, today I finally decided to give it a try and the results, as you can see from the before and after pictures, were fantastic.

The whole process was far easier than I expected. Removing the headlight takes about 3 minutes. Remove the top two torx bolts, loosen (don't remove!!) the two lower 8mm bolts, unclip the power cable (pinch the sides of the connector and pull it off) and maneuver the headlight out (it's a little tricky the first time you do it but it will come out). There are several YouTube videos showing how to remove the headlights but I've also attached some pictures which may help. Once he headlight is out, pull off one of the vent tubes (see picture) and pour in a few ounces of pure (99.5% or better) methanol (methyl alcohol). I bought a 950 ml bottle on Amazon for around $14 after shipping. Don't use anything but pure methanol! Keep the lens facing downward and swish the methanol back and forth for 3-4 minutes. Avoid splashing it on the bulbs or electronics if you can, although it shouldn't hurt anything regardless. Pour out the methanol through the vent tube and then repeat the process 3 or 4 more times. Once you're done, dry the headlight with a hair dryer (blow warm air into the angel eye opening until it all evaporates) and reinstall the headlight. There are alignment clips which help ensure the headlight is in the proper position. You'll be able to tell when it is in correctly. Also, don't forget to clip the harness back in.

Standard disclaimer: If you decide to do the above procedure, you do so at your own risk. It worked great for me but that doesn't mean everything will go as smoothly for you and I take no responsibility for any problems which may arise.

pcy

Good for you, headlight looks very clear.
What made you use Methanol (vs. any other cleaner)?

DanL

That's what the OP in the Crossfire forum suggested and it makes sense. Pure methanol is a cheap solvent which is safe for lexan, acrylics, and electronics and evaporates quickly, leaving no residue. Below is a picture of the other headlight. They pretty much look brand new.

Shlooky

Thanks Dan, one of my headlights is also hazy, I will try this method.
Where do you typically get Methanol from?

DanL

As I mentioned, I ordered it from Amazon for around $14 after shipping:

toms206

could you use IPA (Isopropyl alcohol)? I have a lot of it but no methanol

DanL

Pure IPA may work but I can only speak to methanol. I know it works, is safe for the headlights, and evaporates completely leaving no residue.

horse86

Ive noticed what looks to be water marks that look to be on the inside of the lens. It actually looks like a few drops of water dried and left a mark on the inside lens. Not sure what would cause this but it seems to be fairly common b/c I've seen it on other E60's. Would this work for that?

Also does this solution effect the chrome (or any other parts, projector lenses, etc) on the inside of the lamp? That stuff is very fragile.

I say inside b/c I've tried using Menzerna final polish on the outside it and it didnt do anything to the water marks. The lamps are in great shape except for those droplet marks which annoy the hell out of me. When the headlights are on it looks even worse.

edsub

My headlights too have a severe haze. The previous owner has had cheap xenons for a while, but those were allready out when I bought the car. Definitely looks like dried water-drops....

The picture was taken with a flash so it looks worse than it really is (the spots on the paint are dry salt-crystals from the road). There is nothing on the oputside (besides I have had the 'glass' polished)

I am planning to try to clean the inside with Methanol as well.

DanL

I had several water marks in the driver's side headlight as well and the methanol removed them along with the haze. The key is swirl the methanol in the headlight for 3-5 minutes, drain, dry with a hairdryer, and repeat several times until clean. I had to do one headlight three times and the other five until I was completely satisfied with the results. As for the methanol being safe, yes I believe it is completely safe for everything in the headlight assembly although I tried to avoid getting it on anything but the lens.

We finally had a nice warm weekend and I was able to get out and wash the salt off the car. Here are two pics showing how good the headlights now look.