Headlight venting/cooling

[cypilot]

2008 V50, 340,000 miles. This is kind of an extra car for us, but it's a great little runner. Last year, I did the H9/H11 swap to get more light output from the pathetic low beams. Also cleaned the projectors/reflectors at the same time. We live in a rural area with a million deer, so visibility at night is critical. I had a set of Hella Pinpoint lights new in the box from another project, so I mounted those up as well. The improvement in low beams from the H9/H11 swap was decent, but still not what I wanted nor thought optimal with the four-legged Bambis everywhere.
Last week I got the "low beam out" warning and popped out the left headlight assy (god bless the designer that came up with the simple-as-pie removal btw!!). In checking the bulb it came back on with plenty of light. Dug a little further and found the connector was partially melted, and all the wiring was just a crispy mess. Hey, 340k miles, they don't owe me anything, AND the lenses are pretty rough.
So, I ordered a set of new aftermarket headlight assemblies from DECO via eBay for $320/pair. They're perfect, and tons of light through those unmarred lenses and projectors. I did put the H9 bulbs in the new lights, but don't want the heat damage I saw in the old ones. So, I took a 3/8" drill bit and put a hole in the top and bottom of the housing to create a vent to get the heat out. There's no electronics to get in the way, and I'll take my chances with a little dust, knowing how easy it is to get the lights out for cleaning if needed in the future. For fun, I drilled one and put the H9 in it, and left the other side sealed with an identical H9. Drove the car 15 min with the lights on (as they always are...thanks Volvo). Then I checked the internal temp of the headlight with an infrared thermometer: The vented one was 118 degrees, and the unvented 155!!! Obviously, I then vented the 2nd one. No doubt in my mind these will last longer and not damage the innards of the headlight from all that trapped heat.
I also got $12 of clear film from Amazon and made lens protectors. Took all of 10 minutes.