EFII Standard Headlights? Copies better than factory?

mons2b · 03-07-2006, 08:12 PM

Like many others my baby Falcon has a yellow eye (headlight). My question is does this yellowing happen to mainly the factory ford lights or does it happen to aftermarket non original chinese copies as well?

mons2b · 04-07-2006, 07:51 PM

bump bump.

Inferno · 04-07-2006, 07:55 PM

Probably both, your still better off running a geninue ford part. EF/EL yellow if you don't take care of them.

mons2b · 04-07-2006, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inferno

Probably both, your still better off running a geninue ford part. EF/EL yellow if you don't take care of them.

Does this yellowing happen to the AU models that followed as well?

Sidewinder · 04-07-2006, 08:53 PM

Just to the ef/el as far as I know.

You can fix them though. My old dears el had yellow lights, just used a normal car polish that has a cutting compound and rubed them back until they came up like new again.

Inferno · 04-07-2006, 08:48 PM

Unsure, best ask someone in the AU area.

fairmont1998 · 04-07-2006, 09:46 PM

I've heard the cheap aftermarket ones have crappy reflectors and the heat of the globes can melt the housings

crannersEL · 04-07-2006, 09:48 PM

Ive been told it was a problem with EF's only, my EL's ones are clear as crystal "touch wood". Is this a true fact?

fo3oz · 06-07-2006, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crannersEL

Ive been told it was a problem with EF's only, my EL's ones are clear as crystal "touch wood". Is this a true fact?

efs go yellow, els go white. Both cloud up and need replacing or reconditioning.
I've heard the copies are ****, cloud up just as bad and melt as well.
Someone who is a member here does exchange headlights for $100ea though,, think he has a guarantee that they dont cloud over/melt as well

mons2b · 06-07-2006, 06:19 PM

are XR lights immune to yellowing?

Inferno · 04-07-2006, 09:53 PM

I think it's both EF and EL headlamps.

Aftermarkets also tend to be constructed poorly, fog up, discolour quicker, and don't look as good. It's like the aftermarket EA-ED clear indicators, shocking colour matching, you can spot them a mile away.

LUXO_8 · 04-07-2006, 09:56 PM

EF and EL's are as bad as one another for it...

au's are starting to do it as well but not anywhere near the amount that ef/l's have.

the non genuine "copies" are just that.....cheap knock offs of the originals..
the plastic shroud inside them melts and falls down inside the light.... ive seen it personally and i think zedjay on the forums had it happen to him as well...

mons2b · 05-07-2006, 09:59 PM

I guess there is something to be said for the older style glass headlights like my dear old EB had. Might have been more fragile but highly unlikely to go yellow. Guess we all have to keep polishing and buying new lights until they stop making them or we all convert to XR lights. :togo:

Fairlane · 05-07-2006, 10:59 PM

Genuine are better than copy's simple as that. The copy's are maybe from inferior materials and are made in places like Taiwan (Think those crappy Commodore tailights). Your better off just getting genuine reconditioned headlights they would most likely be the same price, have about the same chance as going yellow, but have quality reflectors.

On the other note, im yet to see any AU's with yellow lights, mine are still perfect. I must admit iam starting to see yellow headlights on VT's in addition to the Festivas and Soarers

LUXO_8 · 05-07-2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairlane

On the other note, im yet to see any AU's with yellow lights, mine are still perfect. I must admit iam starting to see yellow headlights on VT's though in addition to the Festivas and Soarers

i repair headlights for a living...... ive seen my fair share of au's, anything korean including VT-VX, almost every jap plastic headlight ( soarer, supra, mits FTO) etc etc...

people only whinge about EF's going yellow as they went yellow first........ it does apear lots of others are following suit

XR Martin · 06-07-2006, 12:55 AM

Alot of R33 Skylines have yellowing lights too, with a few more years of Aussie sun they'll all be stuffed.

My EL is crystal clear, which is thanks to the headlight protectors.

LUXO_8 · 06-07-2006, 06:20 PM

yes, they have glass lenses

EFFalcon · 06-07-2006, 06:23 PM

were any EF/EL lights immune to the yellowing?
the NL lenses i just put on my car look practically new, the 2 sets before that were yellowed.
my EF GLi ones were perfect (because of headlight protectors) but i've seen a lot of EL's with very good condition headlights.

LUXO_8 · 06-07-2006, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EFFalcon

were any EF/EL lights immune to the yellowing?
the NL lenses i just put on my car look practically new, the 2 sets before that were yellowed.
my EF GLi ones were perfect (because of headlight protectors) but i've seen a lot of EL's with very good condition headlights.

dont know john...
they may have been replaced with new ones at some point...

i should get some pics of different nasty lookin headlights from work

XR Martin · 06-07-2006, 06:38 PM

It probably depends on where the car is parked during the day. UV light is responsible for the yellowing.

Age182 · 06-07-2006, 09:29 PM

mine need doin too but im gonna hittem with cut n polish b4 i by new ones

BPXR6T · 06-07-2006, 09:45 PM

Not a problem with EL onward as far as I know. Steel wool and autosol cleans them up real quick...

LUXO_8 · 06-07-2006, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FourBarrel

Not a problem with EL onward as far as I know. Steel wool and autosol cleans them up real quick...

it is definatley a problem with el and some au's are going the same way...like i said, i repair them for a living......

Tiga_EL · 07-07-2006, 08:35 AM

Yeah id stick to the genuine headlights. I bought a set of the aftermarket ones, and about 2 days later one of the parker wires melted or something and started to short, after about 50 fuses finally found what the problem was.

fo3oz · 07-07-2006, 11:59 AM

To all those still asking about EL lights, yes they do stuff up. My '97 EL lenses have turned white. Maybe the '98 ones are different, but mine are definitely stuffed and gone cloudy with a very slight yellow tinge.

mons2b · 07-07-2006, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fo3oz

To all those still asking about EL lights, yes they do stuff up. My '97 EL lenses have turned white. Maybe the '98 ones are different, but mine are definitely stuffed and gone cloudy with a very slight yellow tinge.

They need to make headlight plastics heat and UV resistant.

fo3oz · 08-07-2006, 03:40 AM

They need to realize that plastic is a bad idea and make them out of glass

LUXO_8 · 08-07-2006, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fo3oz

They need to realize that plastic is a bad idea and make them out of glass

wrong..........
hit a glass headlight with a hammer
then hit a palstic headlight with a hammer...

the idea is correct, and i think theyve pretty much got it sorted out......... its just back then it was new to automotive that headlights were plastic.......they test them for x amount of hours in x conditions......they must last for a set amount of time

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkinshaw

I thought the problem was a combination of UV damage and also temperature shock. Driving for hours at night with the highbeams on, then it rains. Temperature shock can craze plastics

this is correct..... not so much just with highbeams on but with the lights on it makes the lenses pretty warm..... just turning them off in the cold after hours use can do damage...

Walkinshaw · 08-07-2006, 11:13 AM

I thought the problem was a combination of UV damage and also temperature shock. Driving for hours at night with the highbeams on, then it rains. Temperature shock can craze plastics