How to fix headlight haze - 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta (Part 1)

[@DarkSession6208]

Hey there, the problem with the clouding is due to 2K Spraymax... I did Giulietta QV Headlights yesterday, did it TWO times and got the same result, bad clouding which is due to the Clearcoat. Don't use Spraymax stuff, its horrible. I ended up polishing it the old fashioned way because the clouding was so bad. Had to sand everything down with 240 Grid !!! Get 1K and call it a day. I also test sprayed Spraymax on ABS Plastic, completely unsmooth finish and spots because the spray cap is sprinkling sometimes. I always used cheap 1K Ebay stuff and never had problems until i used Spraymax.

[@TheBuildRoom]

That's really interesting - luckily my cloudiness came out one dry - they still look great to this day. Glad you managed to get yours sorted - i'm pinning this post so that hopefully others can watch out for the same - can I ask if you were spraying in a cold or humid environment?

[@AE-ep3kt]

Thank you so much for a detailed and clear video! 23 year old female here who’s trying to learn as much as she can about my first car 😅this was definitely helpful

[@BarneyDesmond]

Great result on the lights! My Giulietta's driver side headlight is fogged up while the passenger side is somehow fine, gonna need some love when I feel up for it. I happened to buy a set of those Narva LEDs just this afternoon, same bloody problem with the passenger side low-beam globe blowing all the time. Those LED bulbs have a separable collar, you're meant to fit that first under the retaining wire, then put the LED stem through it and rotate it into place (bayonet retention). It's not too fiddly and it also lets you tweak the focusing of the light in the projector housing by rotating the LED stem. No single position seemed substantially more "correct" than any other, but pointing the fan down and electrical contacts up seemed good enough 🤷‍♂️ Fingers crossed now that they last for a while. The heatsink gets hot very quickly once the lights are on, and if anything kills LEDs and their driver circuits it's excess heat...

[@TheBuildRoom]

LOL - i probably should have RTFM on the globes to sort that one out, can't believe I missed it - thanks for the heads up. The globes themselves are still working fine, no issues other than the light output is not overly impressive compared to modern cars. In terms of one light being more faded - usually a sign that one light as been replaced due to accident damage, but it could be a long term parking position that gets exposed to more light etc. Just remember not to sand to TOO fine of a grit if you do paint yours - I saw a bunch of vids saying sand to 2000, which i did try but the paint just doesn't adhere properly and even if you do manage to get it on there it will likely peel in time. 800 was more than enough for me to not see any sanding lines and the paint has held up perfectly too. Good luck with yours 👍

[@trollmanrs]

Great video, lights turned out well. I polished my Giulietta QV headlights yesterday and they turned out nice and clear but they were no where near as bad as yours though, probably because we don't get a lot of sun here in England. Subbed.

[@TheBuildRoom]

Yeah UV damage probably not as much of a problem for sure! Just remember polishing takes off even more of the protective coating so just keep an eye on them and if they look like they're getting hazy again you might want to throw some clear on them. Thanks for watching!

[@sanjindetan5581]

Beautiful Giulietta!

[@TheBuildRoom]

Thanks!

[@valterreboredo]

Nice! 👌 Please make more videos about the Giulietta!

[@TheBuildRoom]

More coming! Have just been waiting on parts 👍👍

[@juaneorlandi]

This was super helpful thanks!!

[@TheBuildRoom]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andrewsimmons323]

How would you tackle the inside of the headlight? My QV has yellowing inside

[@TheBuildRoom]

Generally you'd have to heat up the plastic lens to soften the glue but i'm not 100% sure if you can do that on the guilietta.

[@rlinkandroidauto-xe9sg]

I have haze on the inside projector light glass...Hkw to tackle that?

[@TheBuildRoom]

You'd have to heat the light, remove the clear plastic and access that way, or if it's just a small area you could try to get to it from the back with a sponge or something on a stick

[@rlinkandroidauto-xe9sg]

@@TheBuildRoom Thanks. Will probably try the stick + sponge method from the back at some point.

[@andrew8502]

Cool video Cam. I'm here to follow your celica build, but I definitely enjoyed this episode and the detail you went into with the clear coat process. The tack off coat, time between coats etc was really good info. 👍 The lights came up great.

[@TheBuildRoom]

Thanks Andrew - considering how common the issue is I was hoping it would be of value to a wide audience. Appreciate you checking it out!

[@elettrautorabbiariparazion6870]

Sorry , where can i buy the products?

[@TheBuildRoom]

What country are you in?

[@steviegbcool]

hi mate do you think its possible to put a 2015 giulietta head unit into a 2011model ?

[@TheBuildRoom]

I think it can be done but I've never tried it - i do know there are also kits to allow you to put more generic head units in too that have more modern navigation, carplay etc. There's some companies in the UK that do impressive stuff for the 940 - take a look at connects2.com - they do a range of the facia kits. Good luck!

[@LuXoR1590]

nicee, maybe will be better if you sand it again with 3000 or 5000 after last spraying just for better smoothness

[@TheBuildRoom]

Yeah could definitely get some of the trash out of them with a sand and buff - there's plenty of clear thickness to work with - once i do the bumper and we polish the car i might run over them quickly to round it out - that said you can barely notice any imperfections when they're out on the car in daylight.

[@criticalbrisket]

Great video. I have replaced the high beams with H4 LED's on mine, just need to do the H7's. There is a huge contrast when you flash the main beams and you can see the difference between the two types of bulb old vs new.

[@TheBuildRoom]

Yes good lighting makes such a big difference to the driving experience at night too - definitely worth the effort. Thanks for watching.

[@cranswil]

Awesome video. Have this problem myself. Wife's 106 lights the road so much better than this car. You just can't see very far. Might be brave and try the sanding and a coat.

[@TheBuildRoom]

Yeah the sanding and clear has fixed them up a lot although the LEDs aren't overly bright - i'd try a different brand next time if i did it again.

[@perchfisher8879]

One single LED does not work. Can I somehow replace the single LED, it's too expensive to buy a complete new headlight just for 1 LED...

[@TheBuildRoom]

I don't believe so - from memory you have to remove the clear plastic cover to gain access, so you'd have to heat up the light enough for the glue to melt and you'll probably damage the internals in the process. Then you'd have to get the right LED and install. Lot of work for an uncertain outcome.

[@jameskassolos4652]

Use the phillips globes-- they are the only ones that last

[@TheBuildRoom]

These have been running for quite a while now without issue - would like more output but i think the design of the light impacts that the most - have definitely found Phillips last longer than most though 👍

[@shainir2728]

Great video. I wish I had your skill to work on my QV Giulietta. What is the name of the coating spray with the UV protection u use? Air conditioning can reduce the humidity but then maybe you'll need so warm. clothes too :)

[@TheBuildRoom]

Hi Shai - the paint is SprayMax 2k high gloss clear coat. The 2K (2 Pak) part is important as the 2 Pak paints have better UV protection, yellowing resistance and durability. VERY important to wear a respirator with appropriate filters - it's a good idea to check the MSDS on the SprayMax website just to make sure. Good luck with it and thanks for watching!

[@steventse4640]

Nice, would recommend you just take the front bumper off to get the head lights off next time. No need to move the batter and jack the car then

[@TheBuildRoom]

Great tip! I have to pull the bumper at a later date to paint it - should have waited and done the two together! Thanks for watching 👍

[@setho2408]

Love this!

[@TheBuildRoom]

Thanks Seth - they came out great!

[@steveans]

PRO TIP Fit new coolant tank That is about to split Catastrophic on that awesome 1750T engine

[@TheBuildRoom]

That was a new tank 🤣 The oil cooler split shortly after the new tank was fitted and it stained the whole thing. It will be replaced again shortly just because it looks so horrible.

[@steveans]

@@TheBuildRoom What gearbox is in that? Proper 3 pedal manual? 2011 12 had a weirdass Manual with Auto function on the 1.4

[@TheBuildRoom]

@@steveans proper 3 pedal, it's showing its age though so it will be back getting a bit of paint and tidying up the interior at some point.

[@ivajloatanasov490]

Много добър клип . Харесва ми, че авторът набляга на малки, прости неща, които после създават големи проблеми. Видеото е от преди три години, а техниката върви напред. Имах три Алфа 33, имам 146 и Жулиета. Всяка по-нова с по-отвратителни фарове. Особено на Жулиетата. Има няколко основни проблема. Токът от алтернатора до фаровете минава през много връзки, включително през транзисторни комутатори. От това, вместо на тях да има 14 волта има 12-11. За това и фаровете са с мътна светлина. Лупите също са отвратителни. Каквито и лампи да се сложат, рефлекторите им се развалят бързо. На 146 реших проблема с би-лед лупи. Има доста добри на пазара. Някой занимавал ли се е с тоя проблем? Пак поздравления за автора, за грамотното му представяне на разглобяването на фаровете!

[@ricardocarelse5245]

No, never spay your headlights with clear spray paint. Sand it down with 1000 grit sandpaper, then 1500, then with 1500, then 2000 (all wet sand) then a uv protective polish, then your done, did this with my Renault Clio and they look like new. Spray painting then will eat into the plastic after a while and will look like small cracks. NO PAINT, ONLY SANDING AND UV POLISH. DO A POLISH ON EVERY 2ND OR 3RD CAR WASH TO KEEP IT PROTECTED.

[@ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣΚΑΡΑΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ-λ7ι]

Make mine like this. Keep 2 year's until start to pill off . I paint again only with 10gbp 1 can 2k clear coat. Don scared to spray more hand. I spray 4 hands . In one I have a little orange peel. After a little sandpaper 2000 for 1min work. And the put some megiulars polish . And make it like new. SOS if you paint it with 2k clear coat probably you lose a little light or make a little different spot on road . Nothing t care about it. If you don't won't t lose you need to sandpaper 800-1200-1600-2000 and polish it only. This keep for 6_12 months until make it again yellow

[@TheBuildRoom]

Yeah not keen on the polish - the 2K spray cans have held up pretty well so glad i went that route.

[@mohsenbabaei.h3]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@TheBuildRoom]

Thanks

[@bennyskudz9569]

Red car means fast 💨

[@TheBuildRoom]

So fast...

[@robertvance1873]

I can see why you went to LED LIGHTS what a pain in the rear

[@TheBuildRoom]

Yeah its something I'd put up with if we were getting a reasonable service life from the globes but we were losing a light every 6-9 months - too hard basket. This is a hopefully a longer term fix.

[@cranswil]

Yeah is quite a skill to change the bulbs without removing anything from car. On passangers side you can just remove water bottle filler hose to make room. Though if you move the metal clip holding the bulb in wrong it will separate from headlight. Took me ages to get it back in without seeing. Can change bulbs quickly nowadays. As have done it numerous times and got better.

[@ricardocarelse5245]

And what's wrong with a Alfa badge? Absolutely nothing wrong with Alfa-Romeo dude. Their currently a extremely reliable brand acording to recent reliably and customer satisfaction studies. The brand received a higher reliability score than its German rivals like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi and even scored a better score than Japanese brands likeHonda and Subaru. Its terrible when there are people that tend to continue this Alfa reliability stigma. Do some research like I did and you'll see that Alfa-Romeo's are stunning reliable cars, you can get car brands that are much worse, poor build quality and unfortunately more popular than Alfa-Romeo's, and people don't even realize it.