CANMAN
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2016
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- Location
- Annapolis, MD
- Vehicle(s)
- 2016 Civic EX-T
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- #1
So as some of you may know Honda's fog lights have a glass lense, and they are very prone to shattering from rocks and road debris. I have always put protective film over all my Honda fogs, sometimes to change the color, but mostly to protect them from breaking. There are two options for film, one of which is Lamix film which is very thick and offers excellent protection, and the other is transparent vinyl. I have done both, and prefer the transparent vinyl as it's easier to work with, and offers more color options.
I order my film from:http://grfxpstore.com/store/VinylByTheFoot
Originally I was going to do the new NeoChrome, but since our fogs are pretty small on the 10th gen, and down really low, you couldn't really appreciate the color change of the film. So I stuck with transparent orange which I normally do. I like it better then yellow, and it gives a lot of usage light output with OEM bulbs, and is considered "forward facing amber light" by DOT standards so will not get you harassed by the police.
To install you have to remove the entire front bumper, which is a pain in the ass in this car, and certainly would go better with a helper. College Hills Honda has a DIY guide on the forum somewhere on how to remove the front bumper.
Next you need to remove the black shrouds, so you can remove the entire fog light assembly. This pic is of the shroud removed, showing all the clips you have to take down. A trim tool is a great thing to have for this project.
Next remove the fogs lights by taking out the 3 screws, and clean the glass lenses extremely well.
Now cut a small piece of vinyl slightly larger then the fog light. Use a heat gun to warm it up which makes it pliable, apply it to the center of the fog light, and use your thumb to smooth it out working from the center out. The film is very tough, and you will have to peel it back, smooth, apply heat, peel it back, etc to work out all the bubbles. I did this by myself and have some expierence working with vinyl, however if you don't this is a labor intensive process and takes patience. In hindsight if you have a helper, use one person to apply heat and keep the vinyl pliable, while the other person smooths it out. The vinyl is very stretchy when it is heated, however it looses its flexibility very quickly when heat is removed. So if you can have one person heat, and then you stretch, this project will go much easier then mine. When you're done trim the excess with a razor knife, and seal the corners with the heat gun one more time to make sure the adhesion is good. You're shooting for something like this.
Remount your bumper, and rock some kick ass looking fogs which you don't have to worry about breaking, and consume a beer for a job well done. They don't have to be perfect! You will not see the very edges of the foglight, and very small bubbles will go away after the films conforms with heat from the bulb. For anyone that is wondering, you can peel this stuff off is you ever want to very easily.
Cheers!
CANMAN
I order my film from:http://grfxpstore.com/store/VinylByTheFoot
Originally I was going to do the new NeoChrome, but since our fogs are pretty small on the 10th gen, and down really low, you couldn't really appreciate the color change of the film. So I stuck with transparent orange which I normally do. I like it better then yellow, and it gives a lot of usage light output with OEM bulbs, and is considered "forward facing amber light" by DOT standards so will not get you harassed by the police.
To install you have to remove the entire front bumper, which is a pain in the ass in this car, and certainly would go better with a helper. College Hills Honda has a DIY guide on the forum somewhere on how to remove the front bumper.
Next you need to remove the black shrouds, so you can remove the entire fog light assembly. This pic is of the shroud removed, showing all the clips you have to take down. A trim tool is a great thing to have for this project.
Next remove the fogs lights by taking out the 3 screws, and clean the glass lenses extremely well.
Now cut a small piece of vinyl slightly larger then the fog light. Use a heat gun to warm it up which makes it pliable, apply it to the center of the fog light, and use your thumb to smooth it out working from the center out. The film is very tough, and you will have to peel it back, smooth, apply heat, peel it back, etc to work out all the bubbles. I did this by myself and have some expierence working with vinyl, however if you don't this is a labor intensive process and takes patience. In hindsight if you have a helper, use one person to apply heat and keep the vinyl pliable, while the other person smooths it out. The vinyl is very stretchy when it is heated, however it looses its flexibility very quickly when heat is removed. So if you can have one person heat, and then you stretch, this project will go much easier then mine. When you're done trim the excess with a razor knife, and seal the corners with the heat gun one more time to make sure the adhesion is good. You're shooting for something like this.
Remount your bumper, and rock some kick ass looking fogs which you don't have to worry about breaking, and consume a beer for a job well done. They don't have to be perfect! You will not see the very edges of the foglight, and very small bubbles will go away after the films conforms with heat from the bulb. For anyone that is wondering, you can peel this stuff off is you ever want to very easily.
Cheers!
CANMAN