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  #16  
Old 12-01-2008, 11:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shingleback View Post
They offer a 5 year warranty on the headlight protector.
...not on the headlight itself?

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  #17  
Old 12-02-2008, 08:54 AM
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I used the yellow tinted Xpel on Cibie e-code 5" highbeams in my fog lamp sockets. They look like stock fogs but iluminate like good driving lights. Any degradation from the film or the clear film on my 7" headlights is less than even slightly dirty headlamps.

I did remove the headlamps and took them indoors where it was warm to apply the film.
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  #18  
Old 12-02-2008, 09:40 AM
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Degradation to the light output, not the lense. Whenever you put something on a light you change the optics. This is why my design was static-cling, I took them off when I needed the excellent optics that I bought the lights for.

Worse still are the covers that go in front of the lights, first-surface reflection, dirt between them, poor light transmission, ... this is the reason I invented the static-cling light covers long before anyone else thought of the adheasive versions.

Still however, they do change the optics because they change the thickness of the lense (which is carefully designed at the current thickness) and they have a different refractive index as well.

I'm picky about light output and control, it's part of what I do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lowriderdog37 View Post
babymog: I just need enough to cover my euro lights. Rough measurements look like about 15" X 8" for each light. You have me a little worried with the degradation of the lens, over how much time does that happen? How does it affect the lens?
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  #19  
Old 12-02-2008, 10:18 AM
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OK, I see what you are saying. It didn't make sense to me how it would degrade the lense. I am very picky on how my light projection as well, but I would rater protect my investment than waste the money for these lights. I have terrible luck with rocks hitting me anyways.

I am still pretty sure that a set of euros with the film and a good set of bulbs will put out more light than the us spec stockers. If you run across some of the film, let me know.

BTW, how thick are yours?
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  #20  
Old 12-02-2008, 01:03 PM
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Almost all of the light control in a headlamp is in the reflector; the lens is primarily a cover to keep the reflector clean. As such (in the terminology that we optical engineers use) the lens is a close approximation of a plane-parallel plate. It adds a little astigmatism to the overall light pattern but that is designed out by a minor tweak in the curvature of the reflector. Adding a plastic film coating such as X-pel will change the thickness a bit and (as babymog says) the plastic has a different index of refraction. However, the effect should be secondary at best and certainly is less than a lens full of rock pits. Anyone who is seriously concerned about getting the last inch of performance out of headlamps will replace the glass lenses every year anyway; the rest of us can use X-pel.

Jeremy
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Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
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  #21  
Old 12-02-2008, 03:23 PM
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So it's best to get new lenses, and then use the protector film, and pointless to add the film to lenses that are already pitted?
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  #22  
Old 12-02-2008, 04:17 PM
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Don't bother covering pitted lenses

Quote:
Originally Posted by MBeige View Post
So it's best to get new lenses, and then use the protector film, and pointless to add the film to lenses that are already pitted?
I would agree with that statement. My '96 E300D foglight lenses were badly pitted, not surprising given their low-down location under the bumper.

The left lens was broken when we got the car so I replaced it immediately. Here is a picture of the new left lens after installation (but before X-pel).




The right lens was pitted but not broken so I left it until I was ready to install the X-pel film. At that time I bought a new right lens. Fortunately, the new left lens had not gotten damaged in the meantime. Here is a picture of the old right lens. It is probably the original (11 years and 250,000 miles). The focus is not as good as the first picture but you get the idea . . .




Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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