I used a a strip of flannel cloth form an old shirt, and swirled and shook the
soapy water around inside each chamber of the light. To dry,  I used compressed
air to get rid of the main water- and let it dry inside overnight. Outside in
the sun would work well too provided it's sunny and warm where you are right
now. : )  Joel

developtrust wrote:

> Joel,
>
> Good call on the cleaning of the tail lights. I just cleaned my tail lights.
> You were right. They were filthy down in there. Cleaned the bulbs too. The
> bulbs were even dirtier. What a difference when you just clean the bulbs
> alone!
>
> Tail lights are  not as smooth as the headlights. More difficult to clean. A
> small brush would be good which I did not have. What did you use?
>
> But how did you dry the lights? I stuck absorbent paper towels down in each
> area to absorb the excess water and plan to let them air dry when the sun
> comes out.
>
> Thanks for the tip.
>
> I've gained a new appreciation for that Green Bently book. If not for that I
> would not have known how to take the tail lights apart for cleaning.
>
> William
> Vanagon site http://members.home.net/holisticdream/vanagon1989.htm
> Holistic Health Center site
> http://members.home.net/wholehealthfound/welcome.html
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joel Hembel" <jhembel@EXECPC.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, November 23, 2001 5:55 AM
> Subject: Re: cleaned headlights-- a HUGE difference
>
> > I did the same thing with my tail lights:  I took off the assembly, took
> > them in the house to the kitchen sink; and used dish soap and a small
> > strip of material that I fully inserted and swished around inside the
> > light. After rinsing with water it is amazing how much brighter the
> > lights are. And Easy to do too.  J.
> >
> > developtrust wrote:
> >
> > > Tonight I took my first ride at night after cleaning my headlights
> > > with my home made coat hanger Q-tip to see the difference. The
> > > difference was HUGE. I am sure the new Sylvania 9004XV bulbs had a lot
> > > to do with it but the amount of light compared to before was a quantum
> > > leap in visibility. Looking at the lights at night I could also see
> > > that my cleaning was not as thorough as I thought-- but they were VERY
> > > clear and bright and clean looking where I did clean successfully. I
> > > will have to get inside with a new home made coat hanger wire Q-tip
> > > tomorrow and do a more thorough cleaning. I could see a few still
> > > visible areas of film even though I was 95% effective with my first
> > > cleaning. I might as well do it as long as the enthusiasm is still
> > > with me. I recommend everyone clean the inside of your headlights. You
> > > will be glad you
> > > did. http://members.home.net/holisticdream/vanagon1989.htm William
> >