Ok, here we go!

1. Remove the two upper bolts on top of the headlight (they are easily visible when the hood is open).

2. Notice the small tab on the inside of the headlight (in picture “2 front”); from inside the engine compartment you can see the bolt head. Remove this bolt as well

2 front

2 rear

2 rear driver

2b. Now unplug the wiring harness from the upper part of the headlight and slide the whole unit out (a small amount of shifting is necessary to clear the bumper).

3. Now remove the upper plastic lip that the two upper bolts went through (four #1 Phillips head screws).

4. Tape the rubber flap down to the front lens of the headlight.

5. Remove all bulbs to ensure that they will not be broken (do not touch the bulbs with your bare hands as the oils from your skin can damage them). Also take notice of the small plastic retainer tabs all the way around the light that looks like they hold the lens on; in fact these tabs do not hold the lens on, they are just there to retain the lens while the glue settles.

6. This is a common, run-of-the-mill heat gun. I believe I got mine from AutoZone for $20 with attachments. Notice also that I used a heat-condensing attachment on mine for this project so I could better control where the heat went and prevent melting anything I didn’t want to melt.

7. Go around the outside of the unit, along the line of tabs, with medium heat (we don't want to burn holes through it!). You can see the line I am speaking of in picture 5. Only heat the black edge, not the clear side. Heat evenly all the way around the outside. When the black plastic begins to look shiny, you’re in good shape. Use a putty knife that is wider than the tabs to lift the tabs as you pull the lens away from the black housing (I used a cheap plastic putty knife so I could throw it away after I finished the job). Start by pulling the inside section then work your way out. You may need to reheat certain areas, as the adhesive does tend to cool fairly quickly. I found that having a pair of work scissors helped a lot when I needed to trim the strings of adhesive. If by chance you damage one or more tabs in this process (which is very easy to do), don't worry. Like I said, they are there to retain the light so the adhesive can dry at the factory.

8. Now that the lens is removed, wash your hands thoroughly to ensure that no dirt is smudged on the inside of the lights, as it is a pain to clean off. Next, look at the inside of the lens. There are a few screws that hold the projectors themselves in, and if I remember correctly there are four that hold the black plastic in. If you’re just doing the clear corners, remove the black plastic piece as the projectors and such will come out with it as shown in picture 10.

9. If you are painting the inside of the light, remove these six screws to completely disassemble the light.

10. This is the black plastic with the inner workings still attached.

11. Ok, I forgot to take a picture of the next step, but it’s pretty simple.

a. Once the black plastic piece is removed, you will see the chrome trim inside with the ugly little orange reflector still attached. There are two Phillips head screws at the bottom of the chrome trim piece; remove them and you will notice two tabs at the top of the trim.

b. Gently slide the two tabs out of their notches and lift the whole trim piece out of the lens. I will recommend not touching the chrome or the inner lens because they are a pain in the ass to clean and the chrome is delicate, so wear clean latex gloves or handle with a clean, dry paper towel. The annoying orange thing is still there, so just pop it out. Again be gentle with the chrome piece.

c. Ok, now reassemble the lens without the orange reflective safety junk.

d. Now that the lens is reassembled, it’s time to put it back in the black housing. Notice the adhesive that’s on the outside of the lens and the inside of the black housing’s lip - heat it up just a little, just until the goop is a little shiny on both the housing and the lens. Now shoot a thin (I can’t stress thin enough) continuous bead of black RTV silicone inside the channel on the black housing.

e. Now line them up and get the lens to settle into the channel on the black housing. Once the lens is seated, squeeze them together, and then squeeze some more.

f. Ok, now get the trusty heat gun again and heat the housing up along the line, just enough to get it to shine a little bit. Now squeeze, and squeeze some more. Now we are done with the squeezing. Next it’s time for cleanup.

g. Clean any excess goop off of the outside of the light (if it won’t come off easily I use lighter fluid, then I clean the area with class cleaner to prevent it from discoloring).

h. Now put the whole thing back together and back in the car.

Ok now that it’s all done, and you’re sitting there thinking, ‘this is so easy, why is this DIY so long?’ remember this - if you break any part on the inside of the light you cannot buy replacement parts.

Another thing is, don't get the insides dirty!!!! A lot of the time you won’t even notice it until you have it back together; then you will have to take it back apart to clean your Neanderthal thumb print off of the lens.

Lastly, be careful - every vehicle is slightly different and maybe you will have a harder time. The key is to not break anything - it’s called disassembly, not demolition ;)