YACT: Do those bright white headlights (halogen, not HID) get hot enough to damage plastic headlights?

[Red]

Do those bright white headlights (halogen, not HID) get hot enough to damage plastic headlights?

My car had bad yellowing headlights so I bought new headlights (plastic). I want them to stay nice and clear for as long as possible. A friend gave me free bulbs from Best Buy and they are really nice... produce a "white" light instead of yellow on the road. However, I read somewhere on the intarweb that these white lights get really hot and can damage (yellow) plastic headlights over time.

Can anyone verify this? Should I buy Sylvanias regular, long lasting yellow halogen bulbs to be safe?

 

[iamwiz82]

Any bulbs that are rated a higher wattage could melt the plastic. More watt means more power, more power means more heat.

 

[dmurray14]

Are they Sylvania SilverStars? If so, you're fine. That's what I use and love them. If they are some off brand HID wannabe, then yes, they will most likely melt your housing...

Dan

 

[0roo0roo]

yea worse then that is frying all the wiring

 

[CrackRabbit]

If your headlights are yellowing and starting to glaze over on the outside I have found that Meguiars Plast-x (or Plastix ?) plastic polish does wonders, it made the headlights on my roommates Camry clear again.