[s-cars] Re: Headlight Repair

[Igor Kessel]

Folks,
I have received a few requests for the repair procedure. I have finally gotten 
around to writing it up.
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Broken tab repair.

I had accidentally broken off the top outer tab on my RH side Euro headlight. Here 
is what I've done to repair it.

1. Degrease everything, including the area surrounding the broken tab, the tab 
itself ad the broken off piece. Some rubbing alcohol will do fine.

2. A long time ago I purchased a roll of the gooey rubbery compound that secures 
the 200 taillight to the rear of the car. I used a small bit rolled into a ball in 
my fingers to secure the broken off piece to the remainder of the tab so that they 
lined up perfectly.

3. I used some wide folded into a "V" painter's paper masking tape to create a 
casting on both sides of the tab. The tab itself was molded with a cavity on the 
top, thus creating a natural concave bed for the epoxy. With two pieces of masking 
tape on both sides I have effectively created a "bathtub" if you will.

4. Set the headlight on the bench absolutely flat and as close to the horizontal 
level as possible. Shim it up if you have to.

5. Mix a small amount of fast drying Armstrong epoxy and pour it into the 
"bathtub" filling it up. It will spread evenly under the force of gravity. You 
want it to fill up the concave cavity in the tab, but not to overflow and cover 
the speed nut for the mounting screw on its end.

6. After the epoxy hardens enough to hold its own you may carefully remove the 
piece of the black gooey stuff from under the tab.

7. Double, no, triple check that the makeshift masking tape casing is intact and, 
most importantly, that it seals the volume between the tab and the housing 
tightly. If it does not, you'll get a messy creek of fast hardening epoxy pouring 
from under it.

8. Now set the headlight vertically so that the tab points up. Shim it up and 
secure it from falling on the floor.

9. Prepare yet another portion of the fast drying epoxy. Make it at least 4x as 
large in volume.

10. Carefully pour the epoxy into the cavity between the tab, the housing and the 
masking tape on both sides. Be sure not to reach the metal speed nut for the 
mounting screw.

11. After the epoxy hardens a bit, remove the masking tape. Let it harden completely.

12. Reinstall the headlight. You'd notice that the newly repaired tab is hard as a 
rock if you compare it to the intact one on the other side. For some reason Audi 
had decided to make the top mounting tabs flimsy and to act as a spring. Perhaps 
there was a reason behind this. However in my book a hard as a stone repaired 
mounting tab sure beats the broken one.

-- 
Igor Kessel
http://home.comcast.net/~KBATPO/