Smoked Headlamps DIY 2023 | Learn How to Smoke your Car's Headlights at Home

There is one thing that is common in all gear heads, and that is the love for customizing their car's to own personal taste. And since there is huge a knowledge base for car enthusiasts on online communities, car customization has reached another level. Most guys especially tuners want an aggressive look for their cars. The front of the car plays an important roll in the cars overall looks. The headlights being the most important part, while there are hundreds of aftermarket headlight options but they usually cost a pretty penny and not really economical for the broke car enthusiasts like myself.

But that is where the fun bit starts... yes that means doing it yourself. I am assuming you have been searching away on the internet for smoked headlamp DIY Tutorials. Well you have landed on the right page, this DIY Tutorial will teach you how to smoke your car's headlights at home in 2022.

Smoked Headlamps DIY (Step by Step Tutorial):

So lets get cracking. Firstly you will want to note down the tools you will be needing for this DIY.

Tools Required to Smoke your Car's Headlights at Home:

• Flathead Screwdriver Set
• Masking Tape 
• Spray Paint (Black High Gloss)
• Silicone Sealant
• Baking Oven (Preferably with Temperature Controls)
• Clean Cotton Cloth
• Rubbing Alcohol

Now that we have our tools in place we will proceed to start this project.

Note: This tutorial was performed on an 00 Honda Civic.

Step 1: Opening Your Headlights:  

The first thing you need to do take the headlights off of your car. There are five metal clips on the Honda Civic Headlight housing. Take the clips and all the screws off. Pre-heat your oven to around 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Civic headlights are glass, so you can pop them straight into the oven without needing to put extra sheets in the oven to put the headlights on(please ensure the material of your headlight lenses before putting them into the oven).

The next process is a bit delicate so you need to be careful. Put the headlights in the oven for about 5 minutes, then pull them out, try to gently pry the lens free from the headlights assembly using a Flat-head screwdriver. Get a feel for how much the glue has softened, if it feels hard to pry the lens off do not use excessive force as you may end up cracking the lens.Simply place the headlight back into the oven for a few more minutes so the glue can loosen up a bit more.

There is internal reflector needs to be unscrewed and removed before proceeding further.

Step 2: Masking and Painting:

So we have successfully taken the lenses off of our headlights. Its time for paint. Get the masking tape and mask off the fixed internal reflectors. After masking get a clean cotton cloth put a drop of rubbing alcohol and clean the area you are about to paint. Start spraying an even layer of the High Gloss Black spray paint. You will need to put on a two three layers of paint to get a quality finish.

(Note: You can use any color high gloss spray paint)

Step 3:Putting it all Back Together:

After you have air dried your headlights and given it a good two three hours for the paint to heal. Get the Silicone Sealant and apply it to the outer seams of the headlight lens where the glue previously held the housing together. Put your the lens on the assembly and pop it into place. Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees again and put your headlights in ideally for about 5-7 minutes. What this will do is loosen the silicone so it can spread out evenly into the seams. Take your headlights out air dry them in a cool place for about 5-6 hours allowing the silicone to harden and form a completely water tight fix.

After that re-attach the five metal clips you previously took off. And voila you have beautiful smoked headlights that can give any aftermarket headlight a run for its money.

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