I have an 04 Acura, and I need to take off the headlight cover (the exterior plastic part) to get inside because there is a residue of something on the inside of the headlight, and its not letting enough light through. How do I take of the plastic and how do I clean it? I think part of the gunk is on the outside too.

 

did you ever have them replaced by the dealer yet for the recall?

 

I havent. The previous owner might have, but Im not sure.
The dealer I got it from is 8 hours from here, so that might be a little hard.

 

call any dealer and they can see if it was done or not..if not you can take it to any dealer..and even it they have put the clips on the old ones, keep complaining and they'll replace them

 

Can I take it to a Honda dealer?

 

not sure? anybody know?

 

if u have a condensation problem, they will replace it for free.


pics would be helpful

 

yeah
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/7955/img4862ol3.jpg
http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/540/img4870ej0.jpg

 

Damn thats some crazy condensation! You definitely need to get this taken care of from the dealership.

 

Is there another dealer closer to you? You don't have to go to the one you bought it from. Any dealer will replace it for you for free under the recall.

 

well i'll tell you this much. you either get it replaced, or wait and replace both your headlight and the bulb bc the bulb will die prematurely. you can take it to any acura dealership.

 

I'm not an authority on this problem, but wouldn't this condensation also be creating excessive glare? If so, that car is a rolling annoyance, or worse, to other motorists. I'd get it fixed ASAP. No excuses.

 

What is the recal?
And the closest dealership of any kind is a Honda dealership.
Can I take it there?

 

I have an 04 with condensation in the headlight and the dealer said they wouldn't repair/replace them because the car is no longer under warranty. Is that true or is the warranty extended in the case of a recall?

 

Call and ask them if an Acura dealership is not an option.

 

Not true. Do some searching on here and find the recall/TSB. They will replace the headlights if there is already condensation, if not, they will apply clips to them.

 

This section of the FAQs lists the two TSBs for this. Note the first one's note about out-of-warranty repairs. When you call the Acura dealership service manager, referring to those TSBs may provide some impetus to you getting it handled.*

I thought there was an ongoing thread on this known problem in 2004s, but maybe not. In Mods we trust.

* Oh, and if you want to play this card, mention that the condensation is suffiicient to cause excessive glare to oncoming motorists, and a state trooper has already told you it needs to be fixed ASAP. "According to TSBs 04-041 and 07-016, it's a known problem with out-of-warranty 'good will' repair as an option, so whaddya say?" (Maybe ask them to do an oil change and a $100 pollen filter change while you're there.)(I'm joking.)

 

Alright.
Thanks.
I just printed off a copy of those recalls, and I'll just give it to the Honda guys, since they are the closest I can get, and hopefully they can replace it for me or call up an Acura dealership.

 

Let me walk you through this one..... I know it's hard to tell by looking at your headlights, but I don't think your problem is inside them. Assuming that that is true, there's no need to break the seal and try to clean them. Instead, you should consider investing in some 2000 grit sandpaper, lots of tape to protect the surrounding TSX paint, PLASTIC POLISH, and perhaps a very small polisher (there are many ways to rig handheld drills instead.) You can find step by step instructions in any search engine by typing in things like "how to polish headlight covers." May the Acura gods be with you.