97 and 98 q45 help

[army_ni66a1985]

Can trunk and headlights from a 99 q45 fit on a 97 or 98 q45?

[trajanH]

I want to know the answer to that too! My headlight covers have a yellow tint and I really want to get some new ones. I tried rubbing compound and now I am just interested in getting some different lights from a 99 or 98.

[loystock]

Per illustrations available from IoS - http://www.infinitipartsusa.com, the mounting brackets for 97&98 headlamps (@ $315 ea.) are different from the 99-01 composite headlamps (@ !,108 ea.). The tail lights are definitely different - 'long' for 97&98 and 'short' for 99-01.

The headlamps are expensive. So if the concern is only about yellowing/cloudiness, you can buy a 3M or Meguiars headlight cleaning kit from Autozone and the likes.

What I did (on the I30s, not Q) was buy 5-pk 3M 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers (< $5 ea.), also from Autozone, and used them as wet sander in sequence - 1000-1500-2000. Use towels/rags to protect the bumper and hood from being scratched. For each grit of sandpaper, apply horizontally and then vertically (not in circles). The sequence can be repeated, with lighter pressure on the sand paper. You have to make sure that the headlight and sand paper are ALWAYS WET using a water spray bottle. At the end of the wet sanding the headlight should be clean but still cloudy. Use rubbing compound to remove the cloudiness and finally car wax/polish to make it clear and shiny again.

[elwesso]

There was a thread about this last week, search posts by lpreston..

long story short, if you want to do it easily, you have to swap the whole trunk lid.

[trajanH]

Per illustrations available from IoS - http://www.infinitipartsusa.com, the mounting brackets for 97&98 headlamps (@ $315 ea.) are different from the 99-01 composite headlamps (@ !,108 ea.). The tail lights are definitely different - 'long' for 97&98 and 'short' for 99-01.

The headlamps are expensive. So if the concern is only about yellowing/cloudiness, you can buy a 3M or Meguiars headlight cleaning kit from Autozone and the likes.

What I did (on the I30s, not Q) was buy 5-pk 3M 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpapers (< $5 ea.), also from Autozone, and used them as wet sander in sequence - 1000-1500-2000. Use towels/rags to protect the bumper and hood from being scratched. For each grit of sandpaper, apply horizontally and then vertically (not in circles). The sequence can be repeated, with lighter pressure on the sand paper. You have to make sure that the headlight and sand paper are ALWAYS WET using a water spray bottle. At the end of the wet sanding the headlight should be clean but still cloudy. Use rubbing compound to remove the cloudiness and finally car wax/polish to make it clear and shiny again.

Thanks loystock I am going to try that!Now what about the inside? Could the yellowing be also on the inside of the lamps? Will I have to take off the lamp glass at some point?

Would also be interested to know if anyone hacked a 99-01 Qheadlamp bracket to work on a 97-98Q

[trajanH]

Wow! I just tried it and that process really worked! I did cheat a bit and used 600 - 1500 sandpaper,(thats all i had) still it worked. I can now see the reflectors of my headlamps clearly now for the first time since I got my Q.I do have to get inside the headlamps somehow and clean a water spot off of the reflector, but my headlamps are shining now just liked I wanted them. Thanks again loystock.

[loystock]

My pleasure to help. This forum (and the original Yahoo Infiniti Car club) has been, and still is, helpful to me when I was a newbie to Infinitis.

I never have had yellowing/cloudiness on the Qs' headlight as I use Zaino car polish on them whenever I clean/polish the car (polishing every 6 months).

As for the water spots inside the lens, it could be due to condensation. Leave them alone if they don't bother you. If you have condensation issue (and by this time you're out of warranty), you have to remove the affected headlamp. Inspect/repair any crack around the housing. I've had condensation issue on my driver side headlamp long time ago. There was no damage nor cracks on the assembly. However, there are 'breather holes' around them, which in my opinion may serve as entry points for water (during rain or car wash). I applied 'plumbers putty' on the holes and never have had any problem since then. I did not use RTV so I can remove them anytime. I know some forum members may disagree with me (about blocking the breather holes), but it worked in my case.

[chosonnom]

I have a question regarding the headlights for 1997-1998 and 1999-2001 models. So the headlights are not a direct swap? The mounts are different?

[chosonnom]

Also if you were to swap the headlights what can you do about the wiring?

Do you need the wiring off the 99 Qs?