Acura CL (1G) Black-Housing Headlight Conversion

The lower headlamp fasteners cannot be reached with the bumper in place, so begin here. Pop out both corner turn-signal lenses. Take out the single screw on each side that holds the fender liner to the bumper near the bottom edge (on some cars it sits higher), plus the screw hidden inside the lower grille beside the inner edge of the turn-signal opening. Reaching through each turn-signal cavity, run a 12mm socket on two stacked extensions to remove the two 12mm bolts per side: a lower bolt and an upper one that is awkward to reach, so keep seating the socket until it catches. With every fastener out, lift the cover slightly and draw it forward off the car.

Each headlamp is held by five bolts (the original writeup counted six, but the corrected figure is five). Back them out and lift each assembly clear of the car. These bolts sit in the area the bumper covered, which is why the cover had to come off first.

Pull every bulb from the assembly, including low beam, high beam, and any signal or marker bulbs; consult the factory service manual if you are unsure how each one releases. Hold halogen or HID capsules by the base only, since skin oil left on the glass shortens bulb life.

Handle a single assembly at a time and never batch them. Preheat an oven to 200 degrees for roughly five minutes, lay foil on a tray, then bake a single assembly for 8-10 minutes; alternatively, play a heat gun evenly around the seam. Avoid opening the oven repeatedly to peek. Bare-metal areas may distort a little, and the small black vent tubes can be left alone, though keep them from dropping loose inside the oven.

Lay a towel on your work surface to protect the lens face down. Wearing an oven mitt on your steadying hand because the metal is hot, work a medium flathead screwdriver into the seam at the bottom and ease the lens away from the housing gradually. If it resists, the butyl is not hot enough, so reheat rather than force it; forcing only bends the housing flange and ruins the later seal. Protect the grey plastic clips running along the edge.

Undo the two screws on each side that retain the chrome trim piece you intend to paint, lift it out, and set the remaining components somewhere safe and clean where they will not get scratched.

Scuff the entire chrome surface until it is uniformly matte. A sanded surface gives the primer something to grip and keeps the finish from flaking, which is the failure that makes refitting the piece so frustrating later.

Pop out the corner lens where applicable and mask carefully, fully covering the bulb opening at the rear so overspray cannot reach the corner reflector. Lay an even coat of primer over the sanded bezel.

Using a flat high-temperature paint, build 2-3 light coats spaced about 15 minutes apart. The first coat will look thin and patchy, which is normal; the later coats fill in the color. Keep every coat light, because the steep contours let heavy paint run easily.

Leave the bezel to cure, ideally overnight. Rushing this stage invites chipping when you reassemble the trim or peel the masking, which would undo the work you just did.

Bake just the painted bezel on its own (a heat gun, or about 8-10 minutes at 200 degrees), never the assembled lamp. High-temperature paints off-gas and shift sheen the first time they are heated; curing the loose piece now stops a foggy film or rainbow haze from forming inside the sealed lamp. Flat paint usually settles to a semi-gloss after this.

Scrape away as much of the old grey factory sealant as you can rather than pushing it back into the channel. Reheat the housing seam, lay a generous bead of fresh clear silicone (such as Permatex Clear RTV Silicone) into the groove, and press the lens home. Let whatever squeezes out cure untouched; do not wipe or smear it, and once dry it peels off cleanly. Never use Goo Gone on silicone, as it just smears the mess everywhere.

Clamp the lamp shut tightly for at least four hours, and longer or overnight if you can manage it, so the seal sets fully. An incomplete cure is the main cause of fogging, so confirm the sealant is no longer wet before moving on.

Refit the bulbs, mount the headlamps, and reinstall the bumper cover; aligning the cover is the fiddliest part of the whole job, so a second person speeds it up. Over the next several days, especially in damp or rainy weather, watch for internal condensation. Any fogging means the seal needs more silicone or more cure time.