As with any car of a certain age, my lens got nasty on the outside because of chips and UV damage. Worse still, I got some dust and water spots on the inside and some discolouration marks which were visible with lights on.
Don't attempt cleaning the lenses mechanically from the inside, the surface is raw and you'll only leave marks on it. However, with compressed air it's possible to remove dust etc. just dry them well first. In my case nothing helped though.
So at the end of 2024 I found a set of replacement lens from eBay underneath the Christmas tree
Allegedly they cost £128.39
![Image]()
Removing OE lens
The OE lens is made of hard and robust plastic, it only cracks under much tension. The lens itself is quite thick at around 3mm, so don't worry when sanding it.
TT headlights seem to come in many versions, not just different bulbs and DLR. Apparently some use butyl sealant and some use some permanent silicone. I can imagine the part number may not differentiate between them, maybe production year? idk
The butyl ones can be re-sealed by heating them in an oven. Nasty job but can be done without destroying the lens.
Sadly, mine was the silicone version from 2010, the type which does not melt until it burns, so no point in heating it up first. I tried with a small cut-off bit, no go. So I decided not to heat the headlight at all to not risk damaging the internals of a HID unit.
This silicone is really tough and not easy to remove other than mechanically cutting it bit by bit.
It took me some 3 hours to remove one lens and most of the silicone from the groove, with cutting pliers, picks and a knife, and I think like 3 hands. Take your time and crack the plastic bit by bit. Make sure to wear safety glasses and collect all the sharp bits after the job.
Mind the indicator and LED have separate lens elements in front of them but those are not attached to the outside lens themselves.
Be careful not to touch the chrome bits and don't put any masking tape on those parts - the chrome would go with the tape!
![Image]()
Putting on the new lens
The aftermarket Chinese lens seem less robust, the plastic is slightly different and thinner, but it's hard to compare them given 12 years of age difference. I wasn't able to measure the thickness of the transparent part but it's made well, visually very clear.
![Image]()
The fit is also almost perfect and looks identical to the OE, apart from the VAG marking codes of course. On the first picture you can see they have 2 tags at the bottom - I removed them, maybe it's a production artefact or maybe Asian models have a different bumper, idk.
![Image]()
I used a normal butyl strip heated with a hear dryer, one strip inside and then filled the remaining space on the outside. Covered with isolating tape for good measure. Take your time.
![Image]()
Note the headlights have a vent at the bottom so they are not sealed anyway and the vent attaches to a small hose on the rad pack.
Once installed, I gave them to a mate to put a proper UV-resistant PPF on, which also offers some heat and crack protection. It's worth it.
![Image]()
Even since, I didn't have to touch them - the PPF self-heals any small chips or scratches. In fact, I also got a dark PPF on the rears as they are prone to cracking caused by UV damage.
![Image]()
As for the headlight part codes, it's confusing. But here's what I gathered for my case.
For example the N/S RHD model:
8J0941029 - commercially available unit
8J0941003 - same, but OE from factory
AJ, AC, AE - non-DLR
AK, AD - DLR + Xenon
AF, AM - DLR + Xenon + AFS (most expensive)
![Image]()
Don't attempt cleaning the lenses mechanically from the inside, the surface is raw and you'll only leave marks on it. However, with compressed air it's possible to remove dust etc. just dry them well first. In my case nothing helped though.
So at the end of 2024 I found a set of replacement lens from eBay underneath the Christmas tree
Allegedly they cost £128.39Removing OE lens
The OE lens is made of hard and robust plastic, it only cracks under much tension. The lens itself is quite thick at around 3mm, so don't worry when sanding it.
TT headlights seem to come in many versions, not just different bulbs and DLR. Apparently some use butyl sealant and some use some permanent silicone. I can imagine the part number may not differentiate between them, maybe production year? idk
The butyl ones can be re-sealed by heating them in an oven. Nasty job but can be done without destroying the lens.
Sadly, mine was the silicone version from 2010, the type which does not melt until it burns, so no point in heating it up first. I tried with a small cut-off bit, no go. So I decided not to heat the headlight at all to not risk damaging the internals of a HID unit.
This silicone is really tough and not easy to remove other than mechanically cutting it bit by bit.
It took me some 3 hours to remove one lens and most of the silicone from the groove, with cutting pliers, picks and a knife, and I think like 3 hands. Take your time and crack the plastic bit by bit. Make sure to wear safety glasses and collect all the sharp bits after the job.
Mind the indicator and LED have separate lens elements in front of them but those are not attached to the outside lens themselves.
Be careful not to touch the chrome bits and don't put any masking tape on those parts - the chrome would go with the tape!
Putting on the new lens
The aftermarket Chinese lens seem less robust, the plastic is slightly different and thinner, but it's hard to compare them given 12 years of age difference. I wasn't able to measure the thickness of the transparent part but it's made well, visually very clear.
The fit is also almost perfect and looks identical to the OE, apart from the VAG marking codes of course. On the first picture you can see they have 2 tags at the bottom - I removed them, maybe it's a production artefact or maybe Asian models have a different bumper, idk.
I used a normal butyl strip heated with a hear dryer, one strip inside and then filled the remaining space on the outside. Covered with isolating tape for good measure. Take your time.
Note the headlights have a vent at the bottom so they are not sealed anyway and the vent attaches to a small hose on the rad pack.
Once installed, I gave them to a mate to put a proper UV-resistant PPF on, which also offers some heat and crack protection. It's worth it.
Even since, I didn't have to touch them - the PPF self-heals any small chips or scratches. In fact, I also got a dark PPF on the rears as they are prone to cracking caused by UV damage.
As for the headlight part codes, it's confusing. But here's what I gathered for my case.
For example the N/S RHD model:
8J0941029 - commercially available unit
8J0941003 - same, but OE from factory
AJ, AC, AE - non-DLR
AK, AD - DLR + Xenon
AF, AM - DLR + Xenon + AFS (most expensive)
