TSB for headlight lenses?

[strathcona]

Reading Consumers Reports today and there is an article that mentions TSB's for lenses.

Now I imagine that is for newer vehicles, but I figured I may as well ask if any Toyota techs on the board have heard anything about this.

Thanks.

 

[CruzadoBlanco]

Reading Consumers Reports today and there is an article that mentions TSB's for lenses.

Now I imagine that is for newer vehicles, but I figured I may as well ask if any Toyota techs on the board have heard anything about this.

Thanks.

its for the early 5th gens, my dad had it done for his 2012 trail edition, were out of luck, but we do have the dash TSB which is going into effect pretty soon if i read my letter correctly

 

[strathcona]

Okay, that's what I figured. Thanks.

 

[Bossman]

For your reference, the TSB is in the second post of this thread:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/119445-t-sb-0081-12-headlamp-surface-oxidation.html

 

[strathcona]

Thanks.

 

[paperchasin]

Sucks for us because practically every single 4th gen I see out there has hazy headlights.

 

[fdbyrne]

Fortunately it's easy and cheap to fix hazy headlights.

I don't fault Toyota for plastic oxidation. That's just the nature of plastic. 10 years of UV exposure, abrasion from sand and dirt at highway speeds, hot, cold, salt, etc will take its toll. Most 10 year old vehicles will have hazy headlights regardless of the make and model.

 

[4RunAmok]

My 3rd Gen had glass, why they switched away from it is obvious, but still stupid.

 

[Texas05SE]

I bought some el cheapo headlights off of ebay to fix this issue. They're currently sitting in my garage still boxed. Does anyone know a good guide on how to replace them?

 

[paperchasin]

Fortunately it's easy and cheap to fix hazy headlights.

I don't fault Toyota for plastic oxidation. That's just the nature of plastic. 10 years of UV exposure, abrasion from sand and dirt at highway speeds, hot, cold, salt, etc will take its toll. Most 10 year old vehicles will have hazy headlights regardless of the make and model.

You mean temporary fix right? Because you put in the time and energy to clean them up only to have them yellow again in a few months...but I guess it depends on how much UV exposure your car gets. I've had cars from other makes (Honda/Acura & Nissan/Infiniti) that are just as old, if not older, with plastic lens and have never had to deal with any yellowing lenses. However, the 3 Toyotas in our family (1 is a Scion) all have the yellowing lens problem and they are 3-7 years old. In my experience, it is definitely a Toyota only thing when compared to other Japanese car makers (I don't buy/own vehicles from any other makers).

I bought some el cheapo headlights off of ebay to fix this issue. They're currently sitting in my garage still boxed. Does anyone know a good guide on how to replace them?

Do a quick search and you should see a few write-ups...but its fairly easy to do.

 

[fdbyrne]

You mean temporary fix right?

No. I didn't mispeak.

They only cloud up again quickly if you don't seal them afterwards. Polishing them is temporary. You have to seal them with a UV blocking clear coat like the factory did. There are a number of products that do a really good job, they just don't come in the cheap headlight kits.

 

[paperchasin]

No. I didn't mispeak.

They only cloud up again quickly if you don't seal them afterwards. Polishing them is temporary. You have to seal them with a UV blocking clear coat like the factory did. There are a number of products that do a really good job, they just don't come in the cheap headlight kits.

That is what I'm reading as well. But the point really is that this shouldn't even be a problem to begin with. Some might argue that the UV clearcoat was removed inadvertently by the car owners...but I tend to disagree with that because we have such a large percentage of 4runners out there with yellowed lenses. That argument implies that every single owner out there with yellowed lenses some how inadvertently removed their UV sealant? Highly doubtful IMO. If the factory did a good job of sealing them from the beginning, we wouldn't have this problem would you agree? This is where I fault Toyota.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

There's plenty of GM, Ford, Mercedes, VW, Honda, ect. that have yellowed lenses. My Mom's 2001 Odyssey were so bad you couldn't really use the headlights at nigh (many Hondas I see are like this.) My '04 4Runners were only just starting to fog up a bit at the upper edges of the lenses, the big reason I replaced them was because I saw one or two one inch patches of spider cracking forming (something I see on other brands in my area as well.)

 

[4RunAmok]

What about these?

2006 Toyota 4Runner | Headlamp Headlight Protection, LampGard by WeatherTech | WeatherTech.com

 

[tomcat144d]

To fix the glazing head lights go to tap plastics and get the correct cleaner and they will resist re hazing. Its like 10.00 usd one a year I use the step 3 to just shine em back up.