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Headlight Lens Replacement

15K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  '97 Saab SE Turbo 
#1 ·
So my 01 9-5 passenger side headlight got cracked by who knows what, I ordered a new lens from eEuroparts.com and was doing a little research before I attempted the install and found posts saying you have to use a heat gun or bake the housing in the oven to get the glue to melt in order to remove the lens, is this true? Thanks for your input and any tips on the project.
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
Im not able to look up this website for some reason. I have a 2000 Saab 9-5 and bought that same headlamp lens, tried to put it on the assembly with the gasket that came supplied with it. Didnt work according to plan, cracked the new headlight, so now i have to order a new one. One thing that I was stuck on, that the clips were so tight to get on, i tried using a vise gribs to get the lens close enough to the assembly in order to get the clips on. No luck obviously, so what would be a better way in order to get the clips onto the headlight lens and attach them to the assembly. It seemed the rubber gasket was thicker than the original gasket. Please let me know if you guys have any other ways that have worked better. THANK YOU!
 
#6 ·
I had the same problem tonight...I got 4 of the 6 clips on (with a LOT of effort, some vice grips clamping right next to the place I was clipping. Not much luck.

Luckily the two I can't get on are on the bottom, so it will work short term. I've emailed eEuroparts we'll see what they say.

I did find that in a few cases trying a different clip worked. Some being just a bit more flexible than the others I guess.

Maybe if I did it on a 95 degree day the gasket would compress more? :)

D
 
#7 ·
Temperature really didn't matter much in our case. It was about 95 on the day we tried and we even boiled the gasket for a bit to try to make it softer. No luck.

The second gasket with the other headlamp was slightly more squishy, but still wouldn't work. We ended up going with a silicone sealant. No problems to report.
 
#9 ·
So my 01 9-5 passenger side headlight got cracked by who knows what, I ordered a new lens from eEuroparts.com and was doing a little research before I attempted the install and found posts saying you have to use a heat gun or bake the housing in the oven to get the glue to melt in order to remove the lens, is this true? Thanks for your input and any tips on the project.

After you remove the headlight remove the 6 clips holding the lens. Refit the gasket and new lens then replace clips. I had to remove my headlight lens a few times. The best way to replace the clips is to Hook the clip to the plastic frame then apply pressure to the top of the clip with your thumb unti it grabs the lip around the lens it works every time. Just make sure the gasket stays in place and you won't have any problems.
 
#10 ·
The problem is on the after market lens from eeuroparts is that the gasket is too thick. The simple method you described worked fine for two clips for me. After that, it took about 45 minutes of squeezing, pushing, pulling, trying to pre-bend the clips to a wider position, and a million different techniques.

So while in theory, you put it as simply as it should be, with the wrong or not-so-pliable gasket, it's a very difficult job. Right now, I'm riding with only 4 of the 6 clips, and have emailed the manufacturer to see if they have an explanation.

D
 
#11 ·
The problem is on the after market lens from eeuroparts is that the gasket is too thick. The simple method you described worked fine for two clips for me. After that, it took about 45 minutes of squeezing, pushing, pulling, trying to pre-bend the clips to a wider position, and a million different techniques.

So while in theory, you put it as simply as it should be, with the wrong or not-so-pliable gasket, it's a very difficult job. Right now, I'm riding with only 4 of the 6 clips, and have emailed the manufacturer to see if they have an explanation.

D
I feel your pain, I never had to deal with an aftermarket seal; I could see where that could be a issue.
 
#12 ·
I wanted to bring this thread back up as I don't think there is much difference between an NG900 headlamp and an OG9-3 headlamp. Last week I removed my headlamp assemblies, pulled the clips and cleaned the inside of the glass lense. While the headlamps were out, I realligned them and set them back into their mountings with the glass lenses still removed. I set the horizontal adjustment until the bubble level was in the middle. Then I reattached glass lenses and remounted the head lights. While I was reattaching the spring clips, I noticed that there were 3 spots on top and bottom, and 1 spot on each side for a spring clip, for a total of 8 clips per headlight. Both of my headlights had only 6 clips, so I didn't put a clip on the middle of the top and bottom. The lense fit back on quite nicely, except that apparently I am missing 2 clips per headlight.

Now my question is: Where do I find these clips? I checked the EPC, and they are not listed there. I checked McMaster.com, eeuroparts.com and thesaabsite.com and can't find any there either. Tomorrow morning I am headed for the local hardware store (real hardware store not Lowe's or HD) to see if they have something. Does anyone have any links for these spring clips? TIA... Ron
 
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