Date:         Tue, 24 Aug 2004 10:41:33 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: need headlight lenses
In-Reply-To:  <20040824135718.91788.qmail@web60304.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> I have seen lots of these in pieces by the roadside. They
> also trap dirt, so the lights have to shine through THREE
> layers of dirt, and in cleaning will rapidly become
> microscratched, adding another degree of light-retardation. I
> wouldn't touch them, sorry.

> I have had a set of the Lexan covers on Goldibox for over 4
> years now and they have survived a bird-strike without any
> noticable damage or falling off. I haven't taken them off for
> cleaning in over a year, I just wash down the outside of them
> to clear the bugs off. I would recommend them highly
>
> Tim


I would suspect that Andrew has not actually tried a set.  Tim's
experience mirrors my own almost exactly. I had a pair on my Vanagon for
about 5 years. At least three times that I know of they saved my
headlights from damage.  The third time, when a big branch hit my van,
one of the covers popped off and I wasn't aware of it. Indeed, it is
probably in pieces by the roadside, as Andrew says - having given its
life to save a $100 headlight, which is fine with me. Now, 5 years
later, I have a second set, plus one left over from my first set, so I
have a spare in case one gets hit and falls off in another five years.
All tolled I'd say the $35 I spent on the first set saved me $300 in
headlight damage over five years. Well worth the investment.

Incidentally, I went for several days with one cover on and one off
before I even noticed it missing. There was no noticable increase in
light output from the right side when the one fell off, so I didn't even
notice it was gone. Then I removed the second one and went about a week
without them before I replaced the pair, and during that time again I
did not notice any change in light output. Any impact it has must be
minor indeed. As Tim noted, for some reason dirt just doesn't seem to
get trapped on the inside, and even if it does, it's a two minute job to
remove them and wipe them out.

.- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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