How to glue a film on car headlights, advantages and disadvantages
Content
The sticker of the film on the headlights of the car protects them from the appearance of operational chips and scratches. The technology provides excellent illumination and extends the life of lighting parts.
Each owner of the car cares about the condition of the lighting devices. It is important for him to protect them from operational damage and to keep their attractive appearance for a long time or to make easy styling. Booking car headlights with a film comes to the rescue in this.
What does headlight booking mean?
Reservation means applying film coatings to lighting fixtures. Gluing the film on the headlights of a car has become relatively recent. But now this technology is widespread in many countries, including Russia. It is simple and convenient. And the coating can always be removed without harm to the surface.
Why do you need to wrap headlights with film
The sticker of the film on the headlights of the car protects them from the appearance of operational chips and scratches.
Reservation headlights Nissan X-Trail
The technology provides excellent illumination and extends the life of lighting parts. It avoids regular polishing.
Types of films for booking
Pasting a car headlight film involves the use of two types of materials: vinyl or polyurethane.
Polyurethane
Booking a car headlight with a polyurethane film provides reliable protection of glass or plastic from stones and other small objects flying from under the wheels of cars. The material is very thick and durable. But at the same time it is elastic, which makes application easy and convenient. The cover is durable. It does not spoil at too high and low air temperatures. The average lifespan is about seven years. Its disadvantage is the relatively high cost.
Vinyl
Sticking a vinyl protective film on the headlight of a car is preferred by many drivers. It's cheap and available. The coating is very thin and transparent.
Headlight Vinyl Protective Film
It easily lays down even on a ribbed surface. The sticker transmits light and protects against mechanical damage. But it is short-lived and quickly turns yellow, it can crack in the cold. Its service life is about one year.
Advantages and disadvantages of booking headlights
Reservation of car headlights with a film is common among Russian drivers. This method of protection has many advantages. But these stickers also have disadvantages.
The main advantages of coverage are:
- protection against stones and small objects;
- prevention of chips and scratches on the light fixtures of the car;
- extending the life of the headlights;
- improving the appearance of the car, visual renewal of old parts;
- masking minor flaws;
- allows less polishing of light elements;
- savings on protective varnish treatment;
- if the case is damaged, it holds the fragments and preserves the integrity of the light bulbs;
- ease of installation and removal.
But for those who are going to glue the film on the headlights of a car, do not forget about the disadvantages of the method:
- deterioration in the brightness of the head light due to improper application or choice of coating;
- the impossibility of traceless elimination, which is typical for cheap and low-quality materials;
- damage to lighting devices due to inaccurate gluing or removal;
- fragility of vinyl stickers;
- high cost of polyurethane coatings;
- Difficulties with peeling off cheap products.
Often there is a desire to save on material or mistakes when buying. A good and glued coating in compliance with the technology does not cause negativity among motorists. They note only the advantages of this method.
Do-it-yourself headlight booking
It is possible to stick a vinyl or polyurethane film on a car headlight with your own hands. To do this, it is not necessary to sign up for a car service that provides such services.
Using a spatula to stick the film on the headlights
Coating requires materials and tools such as:
- film material in the required volume;
- a building hair dryer, in extreme cases, you can get by with a household one or use a thermos with boiling water, but their effectiveness may be less;
- a rubber spatula, in its absence, you can use an unnecessary plastic card, but it will not be as convenient to work with it as with a tool;
- soap solution, which can be prepared from remnants, or window cleaner;
- warm water (do not use too hot liquid).
Reservation of car headlights with a film is carried out in the following sequence:
- Measure the surface and cut off the required amount of material. In this case, leave 2 extra centimeters on each side.
- Wash the lighting fixture with soapy water or detergent, wipe and dry.
- Remove the protective layer from the sticker.
- Thoroughly pour water over the surface and the adhesive base of the coating.
- Attach it to the light element, cutting off the edges a little if necessary.
- Heat the surface with a building hair dryer or pour boiling water over it.
- Level the material with a spatula or plastic card, expelling air bubbles and water. You need to act from the center to the edges.
- Reheat the surface or pour hot water over it.
- Straighten the sticker.
- Trim off excess material.
- Warm up the body of the part and walk along it with a spatula or card.
Fog lights armor
The procedure is almost the same for vinyl and polyurethane products. But when working with polyurethane, you can not use a hair dryer if the outside temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius. When heating, try not to overheat the plastic light element. It may melt or deform. Working with boiling water requires precautions to avoid burns. You need to make sure that hot water does not get on the body. It can ruin the paintwork.
You can use the machine immediately after pasting. But for a few days you should not visit the car wash. In the future, the coating is washed with a regular car shampoo. It can be cleaned, for example, with an insect or bitumen remover.
If the gluing process seems complicated, it is better to contact the masters of the technical center.
