[mpesik]

Hello.
It was a nice mild day today and so I was able to go over the car a bit more.
I took off the left cover in the engine bay next to the air filter and realized that the air hose wasn't attached to the air inlet. So I got that done. Took off the other side cover-drivers side- and everything is copacetic.
I noticed that both of the driver/fog lights have a hairline cracks in them.
You cannot see it from 3 feet away but it bothers me.
Can one purchase these easily or has someone found a decent alternative?
I am still looking for a rubber lip for the front air dam that is easily available.
Thanks for any replies.
Mike E.

 

[esprit888]

Hello.
It was a nice mild day today and so I was able to go over the car a bit more.
I took off the left cover in the engine bay next to the air filter and realized that the air hose wasn't attached to the air inlet. So I got that done. Took off the other side cover-drivers side- and everything is copacetic.
I noticed that both of the driver/fog lights have a hairline cracks in them.
You cannot see it from 3 feet away but it bothers me.
Can one purchase these easily or has someone found a decent alternative?
I am still looking for a rubber lip for the front air dam that is easily available.
Thanks for any replies.
Mike E.

Mike,
The originals are no longer available but they do come up once in a while. I have one good one that I bought from the ebay seller in Portland , see if you can find another.

 

[amanda11270]

I thought I remembered seeing a pair on ebay recently for some ridiculous price of like $799.

I was looking for the original Hella's for mine but gave up and just bought a cheapo set that fit the openings full enuf from an auto parts store. If I remember correctly the 89's have smaller driving lights than the 88's. Those are the ones I saw on Ebay recently I mentioned above. I think Esprit driving light are like the wing mirrors, few and far between, it took me a year to find wing mirrors at a even close reasonable price. One I won ebay, but lost the second (the guy listed them like 30 seconds apart, wouldnt you guess I won the one for $275, but lost the one that sold for $150), a forum member hooked me up with the second.

 

[amanda11270]

Here's the link, I found it in closed listings Pair Vintage Hella Fog Lights for Lotus Esprit BMW VW Rolls Rover Very RARE | eBay

 

[sleekgt]

Here's the link, I found it in closed listings Pair Vintage Hella Fog Lights for Lotus Esprit BMW VW Rolls Rover Very RARE | eBay

Note these are for 89 SE, not 89 non-SE ( I think Mike's car is 89 SE, but in case any 88ers like me see this - don't blow your money on the wrong set).

My 88 foglights (rectangular, not square like SE) are also cracked. May just get a similar Hella light and retrofit. The foglights on any daily driver car get cracked by the debris flying up (so low).

Ironically, I had plexiglass covers on my 92 Mustang GT that prevented the cracking. But on the 88 Esprit, I made custom plexiglass covers, but due to my use of them as daytime running lights, I think the plexiglass prevented cooling air on the lens.

You can see the plexiglass on the left fog light if you look closely:

This caused at least 1 to crack heavily. The other got cracked from debris that breached the tiny gap at the bottom.

Looking for similar Hella replacements (that don't cost an arm and leg) - stay tuned.

 

[Turbo R]

The driver's side fog light on mine has cracks as well (it's inevitable if you do any freeway driving), so eagerly looking forward to what you come up with, Eddie!

Roy

 

[carbuff]

Early in my ownership, I applied flexible clear plastic to my fog lamps (and those of my daily drivers, as well). Don't remember the exact brand but they still sell this stuff to protect headlamps.

For less than ten bucks, tack a roll onto your next Amazon order and help out your friends and neighbors as I have. (Kinda makes up for me roaring around the local roads in my sports cars...)

 

[greentengu]

Early in my ownership, I applied flexible clear plastic to my fog lamps (and those of my daily drivers, as well). Don't remember the exact brand but they still sell this stuff to protect headlamps.

One brand name is called Laminex (or Lamin-X et al.).

Cheers,

Scott

 

[Turbo R]

Ugh...live and learn...wish I had thought of this before it cracked!
Now is like the proverbial barn door after the horse escaped.

Roy

 

[esprit888]

HELLA

And its for sale anic:

 

[sleekgt]

Ugh...live and learn...wish I had thought of this before it cracked!
Now is like the proverbial barn door after the horse escaped.

Roy

Don't beat yourself up - my 88 has 1/16" plexiglass covers from day 1 and still I got both cracked by either excessive heat or weak gaps in the coverage.

I'm not sure how good the 3M film will work - it's 5 mil (far thinner than 1/16"). My Ford Focus has an ~10 mil PLASTIC license plate overlay that has STAR CRACKs from road debris.

FYI I have a roll of the 3M film (6 mil) - I may as well try it on my next set ;-)

 

[Vulcan Grey]

I put the Lamin-X film on my mom's new Honda CRV's headlights. It's fairly thick ~.007" or so.

The good thing about the flexible vinyl is that the small rocks do bounce off, where a hard polycarbonate plastic is hard enough to crack.

I do some bead blasting at work with alumina-oxide and glass bead. It's great at removing hard coatings, but barely touches soft rubber coatings.

 

[carbuff]

I put the Lamin-X film on my mom's new Honda CRV's headlights. It's fairly thick ~.007" or so.

As I said, I don't know how thick my stuff is, but it feels like its maybe 4X thicker than paint protectant like Starshield or 3M Clear Bra.

My fogs' lenses were getting "sand blasted" from road grit...and Yellow Hornet bought the film for his Esprit's Hella headlamps. He gave me some leftover material.

I'm still running "domed" Halogen sealed beams so the thick film wouldn't conform to the headlamps, but it worked a treat on the flat foglamps. It is only applied to the forward facing glass, I never considered heat buildup inside. Doesn't most automotive lighting have vents, anyway?

 

[sleekgt]

As I said, I don't know how thick my stuff is, but it feels like its maybe 4X thicker than paint protectant like Starshield or 3M Clear Bra.[snip]
It is only applied to the forward facing glass, I never considered heat buildup inside. Doesn't most automotive lighting have vents, anyway?

That link you sent said it was 5 mils (0.005 inches) thick. My 3M Scotchgard protector 84906 is 6 mils thick (I bought it for my front valance, but never installed it - now it's pitted :-( ).

As Travis mentioned it *should* help bounce stuff off (due to the soft nature) compared to hard plexiglass. But feeling that 6 mil polyurethane sheet in my fingers doesn't inspire 'protection' like my 1/16" plexiglass. However, I'll give it a try.

Good tip on the HEADLIGHTS - I have those Hella H4 flat lenses (bought used and slightly pitted). I'll reduce further pitting by putting the 3M sheet on.

RE: heat build up - back in the 70s, my brother installed Hella fog lights on his VW Scirocco (I had my own Scirocco but without Hella lights and I didn't believe in covers back then). He put the covers on, AND turned on the lights for 'effect' (the Hella logo glowed) - it cracked the lenses.

So after all these decades, I forgot about the heat aspect and built custom plexiglass covers that prevent the glass from direct air stream.

Since I use them as daytime running lights (DRLs) (which they were not designed to do), I'm guessing that's why my FOG lights (designed to run in wet fog) cracked :facepalm

Maybe I'll install DRLs under a low profile foglamp....

 

[Turbo R]

Thanks Eddie!
Wow, really surprised to hear that yours still cracked, even with all that. Guess it all just comes with the territory of a low slung car and freeway driving.

Your idea for DRLs sounds pretty cool to me...keep us updated!

Roy

Don't beat yourself up - my 88 has 1/16" plexiglass covers from day 1 and still I got both cracked by either excessive heat or weak gaps in the coverage.

I'm not sure how good the 3M film will work - it's 5 mil (far thinner than 1/16"). My Ford Focus has an ~10 mil PLASTIC license plate overlay that has STAR CRACKs from road debris.