Snow Day...and the MH1 Retro

[Mike W]

The Mini H1 retro held up well through the past 4 days of rain and then the snow rolled in today. Fun 15 mile drive home from work about 30 min ago.

Leaving work and after I made it home:

[DreaminAccord]

Ugh, looks like a mess! (the snow, not the retro )

Nice work Mike, lookin' good buddy

Cops here would nail your arse though for still having snow on your vehicle haha it's a state law (thanks to all of the lazy SUV/Truck drivers over the years having snow/ice flying off of their roofs and obstructing other drivers' views) that all snow/ice must be cleared off the vehicle before driven...

[MikeyThumbs]

dreamin, I live in NY and have the same laws here.... NOBODY follows them though and the cops don't really seem to give a flying crap about it either...

The best is the people that clear just a small circle in the drivers side of the windshield so they can see out... no need for any sideview or rear view mirrors here!

[DreaminAccord]

lol trust me, I've been through many places in NY and just recently NYC (Long Island, actually)...y'all are nuts regardless of the laws! I am grateful for the law though, as I live off of a major interstate so it does seem to help by preventing a lot of blowing snow for the locals at least...of course out-of-staters are unaware of the law. PA also passed the law last year that a lot of other states have already implemented - the headlamps must be on if the wipers are on law, as well as, one that says you MUST move over if it is possible, on a two-lane same-way roadway if you see a police officer on the side of the road (either stopping someone or patrolling - mainly for their safety as there has been a lot of records of officers almost getting hit by passing motorists)

Back on topic though, Mike, which version of the MH1 projectors did you retro? I know the latest is 5.0 and they have seem to really improve their output performance since I last retro'd the versions 4.0 and 4.1 way back in the day

[Mike W]

Originally Posted by DreaminAccord

Back on topic though, Mike, which version of the MH1 projectors did you retro? I know the latest is 5.0 and they have seem to really improve their output performance since I last retro'd the versions 4.0 and 4.1 way back in the day

Ben, these are the 5.0s. So far the output is quite good, although I'm a retrofitting newbie (although I'm familiar with the output from TLs, FX35s, etc. from having rode in them before). I did go ahead and do the preventative measures of sanding down the plunger, lubing everything with graphite/teflon spray, and sanding down some of the pivot points to further ensure no sticking on high beams.

But I am sad to say that I did notice some moisture in my passenger side headlight. I went down to the car wash located here at my apartment about 30 minutes ago to blast off a lot of that road crud and noticed it. I'm traveling out of town tomorrow, but hopefully next week I can take it off and re-seal it.

[DreaminAccord]

Did you vent your headlamps? Click Here to see a post I just made 2 days ago to help out another DA member having moisture problems. Typically, car washes will let in a little moisture as their spray is very powerful and the headlamps have been opened and resealed, so the seal isn't AS strong as it was from the factory. It doesn't mean you don't have a good seal though. I usually just wash my car at home. For a winter/salt trick, get a microfiber detailing hand mitt or sponge and a bucket of HOT water. Go panel by panel wiping it down with hot water and immediately use a towel to dry it before it freezes. That's one of my little tricks to keeping my car immaculate in the winter - and it's free Well...maybe $0.10 towards your water bill depending on how big the bucket is haha

[Mike W]

Originally Posted by DreaminAccord

Did you vent your headlamps? Click Here to see a post I just made 2 days ago to help out another DA member having moisture problems. Typically, car washes will let in a little moisture as their spray is very powerful and the headlamps have been opened and resealed, so the seal isn't AS strong as it was from the factory. It doesn't mean you don't have a good seal though. I usually just wash my car at home. For a winter/salt trick, get a microfiber detailing hand mitt or sponge and a bucket of HOT water. Go panel by panel wiping it down with hot water and immediately use a towel to dry it before it freezes. That's one of my little tricks to keeping my car immaculate in the winter - and it's free Well...maybe $0.10 towards your water bill depending on how big the bucket is haha

Excellent info there Ben...thanks man! No I did not vent them when I did my retrofit. We had some rain several times since I retro'd them about a month ago, but nothing like the 4 days of rain with temps in the 30s each day and then the 5th day being sleet and snow with freezing temps. Haha, guess the week long winter monsoon moisture finally found the path of least resistance around my seals!

I will definitely be venting them like you did though!

[jfuredy]

Originally Posted by DreaminAccord

Did you vent your headlamps? Click Here to see a post I just made 2 days ago to help out another DA member having moisture problems.....

Ben,
What is the point of inserting what amounts to rubber tubing into the drilled hole? Why not just drill a hole in the headlight casing that is the same size as the inside of the tubing? Am I missing something?

[Mike W]

Originally Posted by jfuredy

Ben,
What is the point of inserting what amounts to rubber tubing into the drilled hole? Why not just drill a hole in the headlight casing that is the same size as the inside of the tubing? Am I missing something?

My guess is that it has something to do with water being "slung" up into the housing. The vacuum caps extend on into the housing allowing it to vent, but it's be harder for water to be slung "up the tube". I'm sure Ben will elaborate on it.

[redhat]

That snow's nothing, LOL. Looks sloppy and greasy though.

Nice retrofit. Glad they held up.

[povy]

Mike unless you used the back of the stock housing I had the ones I sent you vented already. Did you switch them when you had all your issues? They still look great btw.

[Mike W]

Originally Posted by povy

Mike unless you used the back of the stock housing I had the ones I sent you vented already. Did you switch them when you had all your issues? They still look great btw.

Keith, yeah the back half/housing are off of my OEM units with the bezel and lenses off of the aftermarket units. The moisture will likely be frozen in the morning haha. But I'll be sure to park where the sun hits it tomorrow to evaporate it out before my trip I make tomorrow evening.

[povy]

Ah ok. Yeah like Ben said just tap some more vents in there and you should be fine! Have fun on your trip!

[Yal]

Originally Posted by DreaminAccord

... For a winter/salt trick, get a microfiber detailing hand mitt or sponge and a bucket of HOT water. Go panel by panel wiping it down with hot water and immediately use a towel to dry it before it freezes. That's one of my little tricks to keeping my car immaculate in the winter - and it's free Well...maybe $0.10 towards your water bill depending on how big the bucket is haha

I do this every winter except I add a couple of caps of waterless wash to the hot water. Either Optimum No Rinse wash or Griots Garage Waterless Spray-On Car wash. There are some other brands out there and they really help keep the spiderweb scratches down when you do this type of hot water winter wash

[DreaminAccord]

Originally Posted by Mike W

My guess is that it has something to do with water being "slung" up into the housing. The vacuum caps extend on into the housing allowing it to vent, but it's be harder for water to be slung "up the tube". I'm sure Ben will elaborate on it.

Yes, Mike, that is exactly the reasoning There is a wide amount space between the bottom of the headlamp and front bumper where moisture can build, especially in rainy environments and next to a hot engine. The rubber caps not only help prevent water from being splashed into the underside of the headlamp, but also helps in the creation of a suction to aid in the circulation of air. As your car is parked, there is no circulation and the atmospheric pressure is calm. As you start to drive, one vent will begin pulling in air and the atmospheric pressure starts to increase; it needs to find a way out to stabilize, so the second vent hole becomes an escape (so to speak) - thus giving you a constant circulation of air that is pulling the moisture out with it. It's a great trick to know that retrofitters have been using from the beginning.

Also, parking it in the sun or using a heat gun to the outside lens (as I've tried in the past) is only a temporary fix. The moisture will return as it was never truly removed, only displaced. My suggestion would be to vent the headlamps as soon as you can

Originally Posted by Yal

I do this every winter except I add a couple of caps of waterless wash to the hot water. Either Optimum No Rinse wash or Griots Garage Waterless Spray-On Car wash. There are some other brands out there and they really help keep the spiderweb scratches down when you do this type of hot water winter wash

Thanks Yal, I will have to try one of these I just got done "winter washing" her today after work, actually. Looking beautiful once again.