Help - why the heck do they make the inside part of the headlight out of Acrylic?

[Comporange93611]

Long story short I baked and pulled apart my headlights for painting, installing RGBW Halos and RGBW Tri Bars. Everything came apart fine, but first issue after sanding and priming as soon as the paint hit the texture cracked! now during stripping using non acetone nail polish remover and denatured alcohol (safest for plastics) cracks formed. one side shattered, and the other one might be savable, but now i have to figure out what to use on the cracks that formed on that one. I've done headlights on older S197's no problem, but this material sucks! any way to save it or am I completely in trouble? Also if any one has a set from a pair of broken lights I will gladly take them off your hands if the price is right.

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[Comporange93611]

Pics added to show problems.

 

[emericA243]

Not sure what you did to be honest. I've done this to mine and many others. I use oven cleaner to strip the surface, sanding pad to scuff it up, adhesion promoter, then paint with and clear with high heat enamel. Never had something like this happen.

Im sure you can use JB Weld to adhere it back, let it cure, sand it, and do my process

 

[Comporange93611]

Not sure what you did to be honest. I've done this to mine and many others. I use oven cleaner to strip the surface, sanding pad to scuff it up, adhesion promoter, then paint with and clear with high heat enamel. Never had something like this happen.

Im sure you can use JB Weld to adhere it back, let it cure, sand it, and do my process

well 1 completely shattered and the other one developed cracks in the acrylic as well. I think I know this problem. I was using a Color Matched Spray can instead of high temp paint... the only close to competition Orange high temp paint (And your going to laugh) is Chevy Engine Orange... I picked up a parts passenger light off ebay for 70 bucks (outer housings are damaged but the internal piece I need looks in great shape (looks like someone already painted it once.... so hopefully shouldn't be too hard to get apart

 

[emericA243]

Im a little confused. Are you saying the cracking happened after months of use on the car? Or the cracking happened immediately after painting it? Maybe im mis-understnading, I thought you took apart the lights, painted them, broke\cracked it in the process and an added after affect was the paint spiderwebbing as well?

To be clear, I use normal paint matched paint as well for some lights. I just then use high heat clear engine enamel over it to help with the head inside the headlight from the bulbs.

 

[Comporange93611]

Im a little confused. Are you saying the cracking happened after months of use on the car? Or the cracking happened immediately after painting it? Maybe im mis-understnading, I thought you took apart the lights, painted them, broke\cracked it in the process and an added after affect was the paint spiderwebbing as well?

To be clear, I use normal paint matched paint as well for some lights. I just then use high heat clear engine enamel over it to help with the head inside the headlight from the bulbs.

as soon as the paint made contact with the primer

 

[Comporange93611]

the first one broke while removing the paint using non acetone nail polish remover and denatured alcohol

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