7th Generation Civic 2001 - 2005 In the years from 2001 to 2005 Honda released it's 7th Generation Civic.
Chassis codes: EM2, ES1, EP3, EU1

my 03

 
Old Mar 13, 2009
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my 03



it's an old pic, i have yellow fogs on there now. plan on blacking out my headlights this weekend, got new rims (15inch black 5 spoke) just waiting to get tires, and i plan on getting a cf hood and trunk and a lip as well, first i'm redoing my suspension though, probably get some tein s tech's and tokico blues
Old Mar 13, 2009
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Re: my 03

just to add on to this post - i went ahead and bought the stuff to blackout my headlights and i figured that since they'll be pulled apart i was going to clean the inside of the lens, any suggestions on what to use? i figured if they weren't dirty then i'd just leave them alone but if they are should i use windex or something of that sort?
Old Mar 14, 2009
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Re: my 03

do NOT use windex. i have heard of absolute nightmares after people used windex on the outside. ive seen people say that after they used it and had their headlights on for a while it created almost like a burned yellowish tinge on it. i cant even imagine the bad luck you could have if you used it on the inside. i have never experienced it myself and i remember using windex 2 or 3 times on the outside surface of the headlights as i would clean the outsides of my windows. i never had any problems with it after that, but since then i have never done it just to be safe.

realistically you should not even bother touching anything inside of there since there shouldnt be any dirt or crap in there at all. the thing is more or less sealed shut and the only access into it is through the bulb area which is always covered up as well except when you change a bulb. i was thinking the same as you about giving it a clean inside when i did my headlight clearing but once i opened it up i was like wow thats clean. id say dont touch anything at all, youd do more damage than good. thats not even mentioning the oil from your hands that may contaminate something in there too. just be careful with that stuff.
Old Mar 14, 2009
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Re: my 03

^word, i kinda thought that over the years with the the bulbs on and burning it would leave some kind of hazing or something on it, but you're right about it though now that i think about it more, thanks man
Old Mar 14, 2009
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Re: my 03

+2 Don't use windex
Old Mar 14, 2009
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Re: my 03

inside the lens is very fragile and even wiping it with a cloth will scratch it badly. leave it alone or spray with compressed air if its dusty, but thats it. the outside you can just use some meguiars plastx to shine it up if theres some haze.
Old Mar 14, 2009
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Re: my 03

almost done...just waitin for the paint to dry. since all the bulbs are disconnected im gonna run to checkers and pick up some new ones while the paint is drying, one of my parking lights is out so might as well replace it along with all the others while i can
Old Mar 14, 2009
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Re: my 03

did you just do the blackout? or did you clear them and remove the amber lens too?
Old Mar 14, 2009
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Re: my 03

on the first one i taped off the lens and blacked it out and then decided to clear the second one out and black it out, liked how that looked so i did it do the first one too. well, once i finished i then put the amber lens back on and i liked how it looked, i know by painting the chrome on my parking light and turn signals will reduce the output but i liked how it looked alot and did that, it got dark out by time they were put back together and ready to install so i'll do that tomorrow in the a.m. sometime, if anyone wants to see pics let me know and i'll get some up
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

dont clean it dude..once to take it off, keep it inside...dont let any water get in there or your gonna be f'ed up with fog..
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

Post a pic
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

it was too dark to finish the install last night so im going to finish it up this morning, i'll put up pics when im done
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

anyone know of a good plastic polish? didn't realize how hazy the outside of my headlights were until i pulled them apart, gearbox said earlier in this post to use meguire's plastx polish, will that get rid of the hazing?
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

^nevermind i forgot it was mentioned earlier in this thread, lol. gonna go pick some up and once polished i'll post pics
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03





here they are, all done, i finished them off with meguirs headlight restoration kit and then gave the car a quick wash before i took the pics, all in all i'm very happy with the results and even happier that i just saved $150 bucks on what i would have spent online for blacked out headlights, so with the money i saved i ordered some tein s-tech's, lookin to redo my suspension here pretty soon, all i need now are some struts
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

Originally Posted by unTuned
do NOT use windex. i have heard of absolute nightmares after people used windex on the outside. ive seen people say that after they used it and had their headlights on for a while it created almost like a burned yellowish tinge on it.
yea ive done it, and using widex on headlights was a big mistake
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

looks good!
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

Originally Posted by fiend
i finished them off with meguirs headlight restoration kit
Could you elaborate on this product a bit? I have never heard of it before, but it sounds interesting. My headlights are pretty much sandblasted from stones and other debris over the years, so I'm wondering if there is a product to repair this.

Oh, and good job on the headlights...looks killer. Exact same way I did mine as well.
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

dude that product is great! it was $25 at checkers, i comes with plastx, and microfiber towel and a buffing pad that attaches to an electric drill. just put a nickel size drop of plastx on the buffer and go to work, then buff it with the microfiber towel and your hand...it worked great! before my lights had a yellow tint to them with haze and now they're clear again. i highly recomend this product to anyone, especially if the headlights haven't had a good buffing since you bought the car, like me

Last edited by fiend; Mar 15, 2009 at 05:41 PM. Reason: typo
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

it will not work on big chips tho, just small scratch and haze.
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

for small chips you might be able to lightly wet sand it starting with a 2000 grit working up to an 8000 grit then use the plastx, thats what we do at work on the canopy's, but with a different kind of compound/polish that comes with the kit (not the meguire's, the one at my work)
Old Mar 15, 2009
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Re: my 03

Looks good, nice job
Old Mar 20, 2009
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Re: my 03

hey fiend, can you explain exactly (and step by step please, im new when it comes to moding my car) how you blacked out your headlights?? I would like to do that exact same thing, hopefully I can get my headlights to look like those you have! like them a lot.
Old Mar 20, 2009
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Re: my 03

step 1: pop your hood, lol
2-remove 2 screws (phillips head) that connect your bumper to the fender (one in each wheel well)
3-pop the plastic things (sorry can't think of what to call them at the time) right above your grill (theres 4 of them) then there are a couple (i think 6, can't remember) underneath your bumper; the plastic guard underneath is connected to the bumper; then your bumper should come right off
4-using a 10mm socket, remove 2 bolts, (one on top and one on bottom of headlight), repeat for opposite headlight as well
5-using a phillips head, remove the the screw on the fender side thats screwed into the headlight, repeat for opposite side as well
6-slowly remove the headlight assembly and disconnect your lights, (3 seperate harness's on each one)
7-preheat the oven to 225 and put your headlights in for 5 minutes (one at a time, that's all that will fit) after it's done preheating
8-using a flat tip screwdriver, pop off the 5 metal tabs then slide the screwdriver in between the lens into the seal, i did that half way around the light to break the seal then used my fingers to pull the rest apart
9-using a T15 apex (i got mine at lowe's) and remove the 2 screws holding in the chrome piece
10-slowly slide the chrome piece out careful as not to scratch it
11-tape off amber lens or pull it out, (i pulled mine out) then paint it black (i did 3 coats) then reassemble with or without the amber lens put back in (i put mine back in, obviously lol)
12-stick it back in the oven at same temp. for 5 minutes to let the sealant get soft and sticky again
13-(this step is optional, i did this just to be on the safe side as to not get any moisture build up in the headlight over time) using bath and kitchen silicone (the kind that drys clear) reseal the headlights
14-repeat steps 1-10 in reverse order

sorry if this is confusing at all, i've never explained anything like this online, if you need anything cleared up let me know and i'll do my best. and fyi, the bath and kitchen silicone will come out white but will dry clear and it takes a while to dry, after i sealed mine i put them back in the oven at 225 for about 10 minutes then let them dry overnight. i left mine out overnight cause when i was done it was too dark to put them back in so i did it that next morning, good luck man!
Old Mar 20, 2009
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Re: my 03

oh yeah, i forgot, it'll give you more room to work with if you disconnect your battery, which i recommend anyways
Old Mar 21, 2009
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Re: my 03

Thanks a lot man! ill definitely try to do this when I have some free time. Have you ever seen any headlights blacked out with the same kind of paper used on windows?? (I don't know the specific word to name it, im from Panama and english is my second language)
Old Mar 21, 2009
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Re: my 03

by window paper do you mean window tint? it's what is used to darken or "blackout" the windows, and i have heard of people using that, only problem is is that it's done on the outside of headlight leaving it vulnerable for road grit and debree to hit it and scrape it off and mess it all up
Old Mar 21, 2009
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Re: my 03

JLcivic, do NOT tint your headlights. do not do anything to the plastic lens, you will not be able to see anything at night. if you want to black it out, do it the same way fiend did and thats about all. fiend, looks good though. i still think you should have taken that amber piece out. it would look mean without it...
Old Mar 23, 2009
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Re: my 03

Thanks guys!
Old Mar 24, 2009
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Re: my 03

Getting new wheels, eh? You should send your old ones to me

Damn hubcaps.

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