Painted headlights | 2018 WRX
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- Yet another project - painted the headlight housings including the high beam reflectors. I lost the high beams but relocated the orange blinker bulbs into those spaces which looks awesome.
I am also using a 6000k HID kit.
The paint I used: Rustoleum Matte (sold at any auto store). Any flat black paint will be fine. For the C-lights I used metallic gunmetal paint by dupli-color, also just basic paint from autozone (small cans). The key is in the way you paint. Fast movement, 8 inches away, and 3-4 coats to avoid runs and get full coverage. Make sure the lighting is perfect so you can see the parts you're painting.
The sealant I used: Silicone black gasket maker (any auto store will have it). The trick to apply that is to just go around the headlight squeezing the bottom of the tube. Apply a lot of it. I used 2 tubes total, one per headlight. Then I pressed it in with a wooden stick just to get a consistent bead of the silicone around the lens.
Follow my build on IG at craft_tech
Soundtracks by niteboi:
/ timezones
/ slippin
I honestly am in love with the final look, it gives it a completely different, more aggressive look. Your attention to detail and taking the time to make it right is why I keep coming back to watch more from your channel.
Will Hatfield thanks man! Comments like yours are why I want to make more videos!
Been wanting to do this to my 17 wrx. I think after watching this I feel I can pull the trigger on it lol. You made it seem sooooo easy.
Do it! It really is easy if you take your time. Now I hate looking at chrome headlights. Taking the bumper and lights off is effortless (putting the bumper back on is not...). Taking the lights apart is easy, just remember to take out every screw (i forgot one on one of the lights and took forever to pry them apart). Apply a lot of that black silicone like I did when reassembling it: one tube per light. Then I sort of pressed it in with that wooden skewer so it's nice and even inside of the channel. I have 0 condensation issues after a few car washes, so that silicone is the way to go! Get it at any car store as long as it's black. Also, make sure you scuff up every part and degrease it before painting. Basically, just follow the video and It'll come out great. I did not skip any steps here and neither should you.
TheShaddix The chrome is over kill. Thanks for the advice man! I will be doing this soon.
I also have a white 17’ and I know it’s gotta happen now since seeing the complete difference from chrome to black. I’m amazed
Will Hatfield just remember to use the right sealant. Permatex silicone from home depot or Lowe's is the best for this. Don't get any windshield silicone that's floable. Need it to be like toothpaste in consistency!
Are you using stock lights? I am purchasing a wrx soon I want to do this to my headlights right away. Do you know if the premium model headlights would work without the c light the way you have yours set up
How did you convert the DRL/Highbeam to being the signal lights??
I would've never thought of doing the C lights but man did that come out clean and aggressive looking! Just goes so well with black bezels, and center bumper trim. Thing is clean and mean!
I wanted to see something diff because I got new lights and debating on color matching my old OEM one's to see how they turn out.
The final result looks good... For better blinker visibility during the daytime I recommend going with LED turn lamp bulbs to compensate for the reduced reflection of the blacked out the turn lamp buckets...
Already did after this video
Wow those look so good
Personally I like the C lights to function as lights. I would have left the side marker lights intact as well since they are needed to pass DOT inspections in most states. I do wish we were able to have the Euro / Japanese style lights with the clear lenses vs the amber/orange lenses on the sides of the lights. Besides the loss of functionality of some of the lights the overall look is good but where I live that would fail the state inspection.
Where I live things like this do not matter
Bro that is gorgeous. I'm doing the same to my 04 I'm so hyped
love your works, sir!
Thanks!
Wow! That looks a lot better.
So glad I found your channel 🔥
Where do I start...
first of all, dude your channel is VERY aesthetically pleasing, second those headlights came out 👌🏽, looks so mean, third Thank you for including the SoundCloud of the song, was going to ask. Good choice in music as well
You're welcome! I talked to niteboi before I started using his tracks, he's a cool dude. His music is definitely top shelf stuff. Check out this track, it's the best one: soundcloud.com/yumecollective/niteboi-we-should-try-yume-exclusive
Came out great !! very nice !
Looks awesome! I want to do mine but I want to keep the C light. Dope soundtrack too!
I got new headlights actually and I didn't paint the c lights on them. Check my ig.
Great job on the lights and the prep / paint. My white 2018 may need to get the same treatment soon.
Go for it! This alone completely changes the look. If you somehow end up messing up your lights, search on ebay for depo headlights, they are replicas made in taiwan. I got those too and they are 100% like oem. I ended up redoing my lights later to get a slightly different look.
I like your work ethics man !!! Looks dope
I wanna do this to my wrx for soooo long but i live in an apartment and no place to do stuffs lol
So do I, man. You can still do it. Removing the headlights is very easy once the bumper is off, just a few bolts and clips and the bulbs twist out with ease. Take them home, throw each one into the oven at 275F for about 5 min, open them up carefully, then take each bit out that you want to paint, scuff it up with scotchbrite, take each out in the hallway or outside somewhere and spray them. Each needs about 3-4 medium coats to cover completely. Let them dry for a few days if you can drive another car. If not, then do this early morning and re-assemble in the evening. You can also have them dried quicker in the oven as long as the heat is low. Anyway, this is doable even without a garage, just need to want it bad enough!
@@TheShaddix After you take the bulbs out you put the housings in the oven ? This part got me confused a little bit, anyways love your car !
@@johannsssgeu yes, you need to bake them for about 5 min, otherwise it's very difficult to separate the two halves
@@TheShaddix Gotcha! Have to try this, the final product is so sick. Thank you
omg it looks soooo good this would look awesome on my black car
I like what you did the headlights! It’s different from all the people I’ve seen. Most people including me didn’t paint the clight housing just because we wanted to put aftermarket c-lights, but I never really thought painted c-lights would look so good! Hahaha
I’m also reading you other comment that you put a new set of headlights? Can I see your new headlights set up? Can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers! I like your content man!
Thanks man, believe it or not I still haven't installed those headlights... Been really lagging because to me the current ones look so good, it's hard to get motivated to take the bumper off, etc. I hate doing that, super tricky to put back on. I like the c lights when they are lit at night, but I do prefer the painted look during the day, looks more customized. I also like the high beams being blacked out, to me that made the most difference. Everyone leaves those chrome and it looks odd. But yeah, no more high beam functionality...
What sealant did you use to put the lights back together? Also what paint?
Descrip says Silicone Black Gasket Maker. My question is, if you want to open the headlight up again, will it come apart, usually gasket maker is temp resistant.
Amazing results!
What kind of glue did you use to Reglue the headlights
MAN I wish I would’ve gotten my Wrx in white. Looks so mean!!
hey, who said you can't wrap yours satin white or something cool at some point! What color is your car?
Mine is in red!
@@MrArmand2134 Check out john nguyen's channel. His wrx is red and it's super nice.
How did you move the blinker??
Wondering the same thing
Looks mean!!! Love your build!
You're channel is so dope. 👍
What kind of black paint if that
Looks nice! Since you also painted your reflector housing how well does your headlights do at night? You notice it being dimmer or no change???
Chue Yang I was thinking the same thing, I really want to paint my reflector housing back too but I am afraid that by doing that it’s gonna put a damp on the brightness
Chue Yang just did some more looking through the comments, don’t pay the reflector housing for your high beams if you plan on using them lol it destroys the brightness, he was able to paint them because he eliminated his high beams and replaced them with his turn signals🤙🏼
@@nrex319 Thanks for the research! Painting the reflectors black makes the headlights looks pretty cool too but now know to not paint them haha.
How exactly did you relocate the blinkers? Did those bulbs and wiring go in that spot without leaving gaps for humidity to get in?
You have to use some sort of a sealant. I used the same sealant as I did for the headlights. I just shoved the bulb plastic bases in the holes and put beads of sealant around. The size is the same, just leaves some gaps like you said. But they sit fine. It worked out well, no issues at all with moisture. To this day never had any condensation issues.
I’m thinking why not use plasti-dip to paint the headlight housings? That way you can always peel it off later if wanting to go back to stock..
Wonderful!
Will it work with led and what would be the output reflecting result as compare to normal housing vs black?
I am running an HID kit. I tried LED first and it was just too dim. The kit I have is from subispeed, it is much brighter than most LED kits, at least the ones they made 3 years ago!
Really want to do mine but like you said I'm scared i'll get so far and f it up haha. Nice job man I would pay good money for you to do this job haha let me know if you are ever in melbourne Australia lol
I'm very hesitant to do this to mine for led c lights
do you recommend painting black over the clear c light cover? i’m getting an rgb kit and not sure if a black film would mess with the colors.
Keep the c cover stock. My current lights have those unpainted.
Looks sick! How did you wire the turn signal into the headlight ? I want to do that for my base 2018 with the sti bumper bezels
Any chance you got an answer for this?
I was wondering the same
Tuscani011 stock wiring and bulbs go into the drl part of the headlight. Apparently you’ll need to seal the turn bulb as it’s not a perfect fit. I’m going to mod mine soon
@@crashburn1660 thanks for the tip man
It seems he does not want to share this info i want to do the same
Can I use super fine steel wool to sand??
Yes, but I don't like it because it leaves a lot of mess. You're better off with those scotch brite sponges.
Does the c light still light up at night?
Can you have the c lights on, or how does affect the illumination? Yours is dope!!
nah, i painted mine gray which blocks 100% of the light. I bought new headlights (replicas from taiwan on ebay) to redo the look and I painted them already the same way as these, but I kept the C lights as is, i like the look when they are lit.
Soooo sick
Love what you did. I like the fog light delete and was thinking about doing the same. Did you just purchase the 2018 sti fog light bezel ?
Yeah, got them from ebay for around 35. I recommend adding some silicone to the clips so they don't pop out as the plastic is super soft/flexible.
Is there any way you can make a video on how you wired the turn signal to be located where the high beams were. I want to do this to my 2018 wrx really bad so that I can buy the sti bezels.
no need to re-wire anything, just relocate the blinker bulb from the fog light area to the headlight, it's very easy.
What did you do with the highbeam bulb?@@TheShaddix
@@MrPBaller614 unplugged it, no point in it since I painted the housings. The output is too weak for highbeams, but perfect for blinkers.
sweet thank you!@@TheShaddix
How did you relocate the signal light on you DRL
Answered in the comments below
Is it pretty easy to unclip the OEM grille?
you can only do it with the bumper off or partially removed. There is no unclipping on the grill, it's all bolted in.
do u have to put clear coat
no
Thinking about doing this to my f80 🤔
So you don't need to bake the lights in an oven to open them? Just heatgun and pry?
Actually I found out later that you do need to bake them, otherwise it's extremely difficult. I didn't bake these but I baked my new lights and it makes taking them apart so much easier. I also baked them when I put them back together because I had the old adhesive there, plus added the permatex gasket maker.
If you were to want to take the paint off the c light lenses what would be safe to use on the plastic? Mine are white
Safest would be that orange gel paint stripper from home depot or lowes. Nontoxic and no odor, doesn't melt plastics, but really effective! I use it when I need it.
When moving the blinkers, you’ll lose the high beam correct?
Yes
Do you know if you can open up the 2018 STI headlights like this.
you can open any car's lights like this
Did you think that paint looked kind of like a dark green? I’m doing my lights right now and it looks kinda green.
Why would it? If yours is like that, something isn't right with the paint.
proper ting
Have you ever had to take the head light apart afterwards? If so how hard would it be with the silicon gasket sealant?
You won't be able to with this sealant. I never had to. You do it right once and forget it
Awesome work man! I can’t wait to get mine started. I do have a question if you don’t mind.. I am wanting to do an HID conversion but I really don’t wanna spend the money on the retrofit kit lol. Did you by chance leave the halogen projector or did you use the HID retrofit? It looks great how it is
I only added the hid bulbs and the ballasts, the rest is all stock. Looks and performs great. The kit is from subispeed, 6000k.
Sounds good. I purchased myself some 6000k from Subispeed! Did you have to remove the fog lights as well to get the sti bezel to fit? I like the sleek look but would like to keep the fog lights behind them if I could
@@bradrivera8949 base model here! No fog lights. Even if I had those, I'd probably still go with the sti bezels as they made the front look much better.
Did you have to rewire your turn signals on the headlight?
No, just relocated the bulbs, same wires and everything
Big fan of your car and channel. Has been an inspiration. I did this as well and added clights and halos. I am however going to have to reopen to address some issues neglected. I have 2 questions was hoping you could help with. Did you remove the blinker bulb behind the orange side markers you blacked out? And... how did you modify high beam? I blacked mine out too so it no longer has reflective property. It appears as though you replaced yours with a blinker bulb. Would be bad ass if you made a vid showing how to do that too...
I put the blinkers into the high beams, liquid electrical tape to seal the hole. I suggest removing the side bulbs if you paint the orange bits so at night you don't get any light shining through the cracks.
@@TheShaddix right on, thanks... I'm gunna do that too
I also already replaced bezels with a drl bar, deleted the blinkers. So... they are already just zip tied, not plugged into anything. I want to do a lower mesh grill/light bar too. You considered that? Or to gaudy for your taste?
@@fierce8invalid nah not into any superfluous lighting like that
Did you use primer and and clear coat at all?
What you see in the video is what I did
Was the paint a high temp paint or just standard plastic/automotive panel paint?
standard in this case
@@TheShaddix how has the paint been holding up? I watched a few videos where people use Zep to dissolve the chrome and expose the black plastic. Not sure how I feel about that.
It comes black in some markets
Not the entire headlight. Only parts of it. Limited package headlight is partially black
I wonder if it would look good with white instead of black
Would be somewhat unique, but you'd lose all the contrast with the car being white which is the main reason to paint them black. I've seen this done and it didn't look right.
TheShaddix well I was thinking it might look good on my red! My concern is the yellow piece that might stand out more as your black covers it up pretty well.
@@jaschlit Not totally sure what the concern is. I painted the whole housing and reflectors on mine. The yellow piece too.
Does this effect the light output? I don't have projectors on my Impreza but I wanna do this without sacrificing how brought the lights are
with projectors no, without those for sure as the light relies on the chrome housing. It'll basically have zero functionality
@@TheShaddix thank you for that info
Dude they came out insane! I love your channel and I am getting ready to do this to my lights as well. I’m a little skeptical on the sealant I purchased though. I am installing the diode dynamic c lights as well as doing paint and I purchased the diode dynamics sealant they sell with the c light package. Do you think the sealant you used would be the better option to go with over that?
I had the same question. The sealant with Diode C-light seems to be much harder to work with to the point you need to heat up sealant just to get it soft enough to accept the headlight and close up. The sealant he is using looks to be much softer and looks easy to close up the headlight. But the question is how tight is the seal when everything has dried. The Diode sealant has to turn back real hard giving a strong seal to keep moisture out. As with the sealant he used i wonder how hard the sealant got to protect from moisture.
What sealant did you use when reassembling the housing?
permatex gasket maker from autozone
I’ve painted the c light cover black as well. Is it possible to take the paint off the c light cover after their done?
yes, with lacquer thinner, but be careful because it will soften the plastic. Use small amounts. Then go over it with isopropyl alcohol to remove the residue from the previous pass.
@@TheShaddix thank you for the info. I really like the look of the black out headlights but my concern is if I put the diode c light, would it be noticeable when in use or you can hardly tell due to the black out housing. I have a white 17 WRX that I bought a little a year ago and I’m slowly doing mods and thanks to your videos I’m able to get some ideas on how I want my car to look like but I wish I’m able to do things to my car my self instead of having someone to install it.
how long did you wait to put them back together after painting?
same day, but ideally, the longer you wait, the better
Are these still just the stock halogen bulbs?
Hid kit
Ohhh hows it doing this month? No moist inside?
zero moisture as i sealed them very well using the permatex sealant. As long as you put enough of it all around the bead, they will not have any condensation inside, ever (as long as the bulb gaskets don't leak). The key is to take your time and not rush it.
How did you relocate the turn signal on the high beams?
Mentioned several times in the comments below
Can you post the link to the paint can you used
Edgar Aranda rustoleum matte paint. Sold at any auto store
Looks awesome! I painted my headlights and they look great. I’m just trying to figure out how you relocated the turn signal. Do you mind explaining how you did it?
take the bulb from the bottom and put it into the high beam. You'll have to wedge it in and use some liquid electrical tape. There is no rocket science to this, just a bit of craftiness
What kind of glue are you using and where can I get some? That’s the only thing I’m waiting on.
Permatex from Lowes. It's like dark gray silicone
would u recommend the sealant or wud u use butyl rubber in the future, and how is it holding up after a year
What brand paint/color did you use? Couldn't really see the can.
rustoleum matte
@@TheShaddix how is the sealant doing now is there any leaks
Should’ve painted the C lights white it’ll really make it pop
I have new lights now which have unpainted c lights. I like them a lot
No C light?
nope
Nicely done bro... I'd nvr do this😂 hvnt got a proper garage nor tools plus its hot as hell where i live, btw y not the C lights?
it's easier than you'd expect. Heat would actually help a lot with this process. C lights? I don't care for those. I know most people like to install led strips in there, but I wanted to paint everything inside so the projector looks like an eye with nothing lit around it. But I might actually get another set of headlights to do this slightly different. I want to paint the c lights in lighter shade so they look like eyebrows. I painted mine dark gray but it almost looks black.
TheShaddix yea it kinda freaks me out lol i did a few thngs 2 my altima & cmpletly screwed it😂 bt thn again thts hw u learn right... well the middle east heat is a killer bro its about 45°C right nw, melts yr car trim if u leave it out the whle day! Yea its nice 2 do thngs diff nt follow wht evry1 els does, either way it came out lookin bad ass, lookin frwrd in seein mor awsm mods😉
oh, 45C nevermind! Yeah exactly, you learn from others and yourself too. If i were to do the headlights again, it would be super easy second time around. In your heat you probably don't wanna do anything car-related, just drink and stay in shade. if you had a garage with AC, that's what makes you wanna do stuff.
TheShaddix haha u can cook an egg in the process too😄 i once had a flat & was lik screw it, drove to the tire shop & completely destroyed my 10month old tire😏 yea i get you same time its nice 2 have a frnd who knws hw. Well my garage is shaded but narrow and kinda open in all corner. I can live with the open corners but the narrowness pisses me off, cnt evn wash my car at hm. I alwys take it to those car washes.
I hear you man, narrow spaces are hard to work with. This garage isn't even mine, it's my father-in-law's. He lets me use it when we go there on weekends. All I got at home is a parking lot with a roof, not even any walls. I still managed to install a ton of stuff on this car and my previous cars.
Where’d you get your led low beams?
It's an HID kit, got it on subispeed. It's brighter than LED (tried those too).
Hey just dropping by has there been any condensation since you’ve done this?
None. If sealed properly, it'll never condensate.
TheShaddix what was used to seal it? Can’t seem to find the perfect sealant
I read through the comments and found your setup appealing! I saw what paint you used for the housing but, what paint did you use for the dark grey c-light?! @TheShaddix
I used metallic gray from autozone, those small cans they have by duplicolor.
@@TheShaddix Thanks man! I just saw that someone screenshot this video on facebook through WRX 2015+ Owners group. Im happy to see your masterful work being put out there.
@@Lotus_Eater23 That's awesome to hear. I don't have fb but it's nice to know the content is useful
What’s the sand paper grit you used before sanding? Is this step necessary?
Scuff pad, not sandpaper. You can get those at home depot, they look like rough sponges that come in red and gray. Just make sure you clean the surfaces with air and a degreaser.
TheShaddix thank you for the info!
TheShaddix one last question, what prep spray should I look for in the can?
@@jonathancruz1797 I would recommend getting brake cleaner spray from autozone, that is the best to degrease. The next best thing is to just use isopropyl alcohol. Don't use anything else as that might leave residue after it dries.
TheShaddix awesome thank you!
How did you get the turn signal in the headlight?
KeemWRX I just shoved it into the high beam opening and used silicone gasket maker to seal it in. Came out clean. It's a snug fit but it's secure. Looks great as long as the bulbs are turned the same way, otherwise one side will be brighter than the other.
So you dont have any running lights or high beams? I want to do this but this is the first place I've seen it done. Can you provide a little more info?
How did you turn the drl's to turn signals?
I put the bulbs there
@@TheShaddix thanks! Are you not running high beams at all? What bulbs are you running for your headlights?
@@dopeutubeusername no high beams anymore, no point since I painted the reflectors black. Honestly no regrets, the look is worth it 100%. I got an hid kit with ballasts. Tried led bulbs and didn't like the output.
Duplicolor has a line of spray paint called "Metalcast" and its an anodized coating so that chrome shines through it. I want to do the same thing to my headlights as you did - flat black with gunmetal C lights. However, I don't want to paint my highbeam bowls a flat black color because I'm still going to use them as DRLs and the reflective material would be rendered useless. I'm wondering if the Metalcast paint would allow the reflective material to still function properly. Thoughts?
I'd guess yeah, why not! I've seen that paint and actually used it. It's exactly as you expect: it tints the subject instead of covering it. You'll still lose some output since you're going gunmetal. Great idea if it works! I prefer flat black as I really dislike that chrome bowl, even if it's tinted. I just wanted mine to have only the projectors visible.
TheShaddix I’m going to give it a shot. Your setup is so clean man. I was tired of seeing the cliche diode dynamics c light and blacked housing setup everyone and their mom is doing. This is different and fresh.
@@meatyjon4832 I had the same feeling man. Didn't wanna do the usual. Then I saw an sti with the lights fully blacked out like mine and really liked it. Can't beat the mean stealth look. Chrome just ruins all that.
TheShaddix would it be dangerous to just remove the bulb from the highbeam/DRL so that it doesn’t light up? I was also thinking about that option
@@meatyjon4832 dangerous? Nah. My high beams aren't even plugged in. Besides, I disconnected my drl plug a week after I got my car. It's the brown plug at the bottom pass. side. I don't like any lights being on during the day, so that works for me!
How did you do your blinkers? Was it just plug and play?
Relocated from the bottom. You can't plug them into your highbeams.
@@TheShaddix To relocate them, is it as simple as just moving the wiring and bulb to the high beam bowl?
@@johnburnsed2931 with the housing and wire. Not just the bulb
@@TheShaddix Okay, thank you man. I have all the pieces I need to attempt this and I'm going to do it soon.
@@johnburnsed2931 do it man, just make sure you bake them a bit before taking them apart, it'll soften the gasket and make it way easier. Same for when you put them back together
Is it illegal to black out the orange reflectors?
Nice i just did this on my 18 wrx too, but im pretty sure you arent suppose to paint the reflector housing for the high beams lol
You're right, the high beam reflectors lose functionality when you paint them. But if you notice, I got rid of the high beams and put blinker bulbs in there which is what I wanted. I am running an HID kit for low beams which is bright enough. It makes no sense to me to have blacked out housings and leave chrome reflectors in there. If someone thinks that looks good, go for it! I like the stealth look with just the projector being visible so it looks like a mean animal or a transformer.
TheShaddix ahhh i see
If you have a silver wrx dont do this, looks bad i did it cause i loved how it looked on the white car, not good
Why does it look bad? Show some pics! The paint is gunmetal, it should look on any car
@@TheShaddix it loses the general look of the front end om my car i used matte black rustoleum looks good up close not from car
@@luisb3786 Oh, you're talking about the whole headlight being black? Black headlights look awesome on any car. I've seen this on a silver car, looks sick. IF your car is stock, then headlights alone won't do anything and will look cheap. You need a good stance first.
Can you do my car ? you close NJ ? Ill pay $$ you
i am in CA and no, i don't do this sort of thing for anyone.
TheShaddix you have the cleanest work in all the videos Ive seen - was worth a shot. Last question - Did you use a heat gun or oven to remove sealing ?
@@emilvogli991 best way is to bake them for 5 min at 275F, it'll soften the gasket. Don't try to open them up otherwise, it'll be a nightmare.