A couple of People have asked so here goes my best shot at a DIY.
Note: I will post more pics this weekend I got into a rush because it started to rain so I didnt get all the pictures taken when I did it. I will re-do it this weekend and post all the Pics.
Click a thumbnail for the fullsize Pics.



WARNING: Neither I nor ScionLife is responsible for you doing this. This may be illegal in your state it is your responsibility to find out. If you break it you are the one who did it. If your dog eats your parts shoot it.

Seriously be very careful doing this. you can damage your headlights or even your bumper if you are not careful.

Materials Needed:

1) Remove your Grill by popping 4 plastic rivets out and pulling up and out.


2) Remove bumper
First remove the screw connecting the bumper to the front quarter panel located behind the plastic in each wheel well

Crawl underneath and remove six(6) screws connecting the bottom of the bumper to the plastic underbody panels. Using a 10mm Socket remove the two(2) bolts attaching the bumper to the undercarriage.

3) Starting on one side firmly pull the bumper off. Set aside.

4) Preheat your oven to 250 degrees

5) Remove the 4 screws holding your headlight on. Gently pull off and disconnect your bulbs.

6) Set your bulbs and the rubber seal aside.

7) Place the headlamp facedown on your work surface (carpet works nice) Using your long Screwdriver and the hammer gently tap the yellow lens loose from its place. Softly shake the headlamp until the yellow lens falls all the way to the driving light area.

8 ) Place the headlight assembly on a piece of cardboard and place in the oven (I performed this step on an Electric Oven. Be very carefull in a Gas stove as to not light the cardboard on fire) The cardboard is to help prevent the headlight assy from melting on the metal oven rack

9) Leave in the oven 5-10 minutes. (Try not to melt it)

10) Using oven mitts remove headlight assy.

11) Gently pry the driving light end of the headlamp assy apart and shake the yellow lens free (This is harder than it sounds, you may need some help)

12) Squeeze the lens back together put bulbs back in and replace on body.

13) Repeat Steps 5-12

14) Reverse the steps to put everything back together.

Final Product

 

If anyone wants to send me their used amber lenses, I'll try to have some clear ones manufactured. Without a diffuser over the bulb, it looks kind of ghetto.

I took out the amber turn signal diffusers in my S2000 headlights and replaced them with tinted ones, and I also painted the inside of the housing to match the body.



I want to do the same to my xA, but I want the replacement lenses first.

-Pete

 

I'll try and get a closeup of the bulb inside the Assemby. Replaceing the assemby would be a bit more difficult but not horribly so.
PM me and I'll see about sending you mine out when I get a chance

 

Heres the Closeup I promised. I'll try and get some night pics soon.

 

i do not advise anyone to atempt this unless they are experienced and can afford a new headlight if something goes wrong, i seriously messed up my headlight, i knocked the indicator lens out but wen i took it out of the oven i couldnt get it apart. now i got a yellow lens lying at the bottom of my headlight. if it wasnt for the lens lying there, i would say it lookd really nice. i guess i need to see some more pics.....

 

The trick is to heat it up until the glue gets melty, I left mine in for about 10 minutes at 350. after that its all about prying the end apart. you will only be able to pry it open from one end,the driving light end, pop the tabs there and pull, if you need to get a smal knife and "Cut" the glue where you can near the bottom, the sooner you can do this after removing from the oven the better and easier. it takes an effort but as long as you dont hear cracking/crackling you wont break anything.

 

Like someone had said " it's kind of ghetto without the diffuser.." ???- no way.. It looks great!! thanks for the step by step!!! The only time someone would see it during the day, out-weighs the functionality of it's nightime usefullness. It's not quite as functional to a viewer from the front at night but is visually better during the day without the nightime brightness. ....does that make sense? It was a real pain to do so far the most stressful and problematic mod I've done- in that, you definately risk the loss or rather damage to a headlight. First- If you fail in removing the lens after you knock it loose wtf are you gonna do about that anoying rattle? Second- you destroy the seal and may have humidity/ fog/ need to constantly replace bulbs. Third- your sanity when you know you have followed the instructions explicitly but realize that many steps have been omitted and wonder just how involved the process could become somewhere between setting the oven to 300 degrees, and finding those other 10mm screws in the wheel well and then the cardboard has set fire and now you forgot where you put the double-edged italian knife/stabbing weaponry illustrated in the photo. ( I highly recomend a maskingtape covered "5 in 1" painting tool!). So baring in mind you will need some other method of separating the lens from the semi heat disfugured lens assembly it's a great way to get rid of a rather annoying aesthetic design shortfall.

 

*blinks*

*gasps*

 

yeah sorry for the run-on sentence. gotta work on my punctuation.

 

I guess one other possible neg about the procedure is your bulbs do not sit straight in the socket and at close inspection are tilted and look odd without the defractory lens/

 

I think you got yourself out of order, the cardboard goes in with the headlamp. And I'm not sure it would work quite as well with a gas stove

 

Just use a cooking pan with a piece of cardboard on it then the headlight assy. ontop of the cardboard , then it'd be pretty hard for the cardboard to catch fire.

 

im really conserned about getting everything back together.. i dont want my headlights to fog. Plus not that i really care.. but i dont think its legal in MA. to do this..

 

It's been some time since I removed the yellow lens- I havn't noticed any fog/condensation and it's winter here now. Havn't had to change a bulb either. Do it!!

 

will this mod work with the 06 xa because i noticed that my headlights r diff from the previous years

 

Also did the taillights on My S [Baked, split, and painted].



Clearing the headlights was one of the easiest mods I've done. I't's been about 3 years, no leaks or condensation.

-Pete

 

i did mine too and a little extra.....black housing

 

on a side note, for anyone else attemting this, make sure you have a big oven that has plenty of space away from the heating elements, it could melt the lens if it is too close to one

 

^^^trust me he knows what he's talking about

 

A bit frustrated. I had these done by some one who used a heatgun. I have bad condensation on my right hradlight. I figure put in in the oven at 350 for 10 min. (watching it carefully), take it off and try and spread the glue around a bit before putting it back on.