headlight polishing??

[CincyZetec]

i'm going to be breaking open my headlights this weeknd to paint them and instal some demone eyes. the outer clear plastic is looking a bit hazy and rough so i'd like to polish em up and make em look new. what kind of polish should i use and any tips from someone who's done it?

[CougarBear]

there are some decent headlight refinishing kits for like $20 - i've personally never used them...

though - i do believe you could use a rag damped with acetone to wipe the haze right off... just don't get on your paint!

[Frosty]

I've used Meguiars Plastic Wax, it works pretty good.

[Drewmanfu0]

Mothers powerball and some finishing compound works great, you need a high speed drill though or else it does a crappy job.

[Goldie]

is it the salt alota you guys have on the road that messes up the lenses? Mine may have a couple tiny dings from rocks, but otherwise are clear, smooth and look the same as when they were brand new. :shrug:

[Drewmanfu0]

is it the salt alota you guys have on the road that messes up the lenses? Mine may have a couple tiny dings from rocks, but otherwise are clear, smooth and look the same as when they were brand new. :shrug:
Its because somewhere in their lives the headlights were neglected and not waxed, the rain and the sun do take a beating on them.

[LinkMan]

Meguiar's Plastic-X. A buffer if you got it, or elbow grease if you don't.

It's a combination of physical abuse - rock salt, sand, etc. blasts the clear housing, and UV light damages the plastic.

Polish them up with the Plastic-X, and then wax them when you wax the car.

[JScullin]

Wetsanding the plastic might help a lot as well.

At the Mass/Conn meet we had there were Cougs older than mine with lights that looked brand new still. One guy had yellow headlights but impeccably clear fogs. I was jealous cause mine are clear, but pitted to hell.

[Goldie]

Its because somewhere in their lives the headlights were neglected and not waxed, the rain and the sun do take a beating on them.

hmmm.... my car has always lived outside, and have never done anything besides wash them with the rest of the car. kinda why I thougth I may be the salt more than UV that damages them, since we don't have salt here.

[MOMO]

though - i do believe you could use a rag damped with acetone to wipe the haze right off... just don't get on your paint!

:eek:
Dont use acetone! it will make a very nice haze!

[Drewmanfu0]

Yeah you really dont want to sand them either, the hazing is actuallly a buildup of junk on the surface of the UV coating. Unless you get some professional UV spray I highly suggest buffing them out.

[eikon]

Whe I was in AutoZone yesterday, I noticed that Blue Coral had a "polish" for plastic headlights.

[Evee]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d132/complexitiez/DSC04088.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d132/complexitiez/DSC04087.jpg

Plast-X and some elbow grease...the second time around I used a buffer. I wasn't really sure how good they were going to turn out so I don't have before pics..I know I know..BUT..Rest assured they were HORRIBLE.

[boarder4life]

i used a fine grit sand paper (1500 then finished with a 2000) and wetsanded it with that, then used a polishing rubbing compound and rub that in a few times, then finally used a polish. i did this all by hand and it turned out great, but takes alot of time and elbow grease.

[branchedout]

Meguiars Plast-X polish FTMFW!!!

My headlights were absolutely horrid (hotcat can attest to it), and I'd tried wetsanding in the past (didn't do much of anything). Anyway, I was at Autozone yesterday and picked up one of those buffer balls thingys that goes on the end of your drill, and a bottle of Plast-X, and low and behold they look totally different. Don't get me wrong, they still look bad, but 100X better than they did before. Now I can go to a show and hold my head up high with them unlike before when they were like yellow and whatnot. Best 10 bucks I've ever put into my cougar :)

Mike.

[Rick]

Man I tried that PlastX stuff and it is awesome. My pass light is new and the other was all cloudy and yellowish. I applied the stuff by hand and it was like magic. I can only imagine what it would look like with a buffer. I just wanted to go up and down my street polishing everyones headlights. :)

[branchedout]

Man I tried that PlastX stuff and it is awesome. My pass light is new and the other was all cloudy and yellowish. I applied the stuff by hand and it was like magic. I can only imagine what it would look like with a buffer. I just wanted to go up and down my street polishing everyones headlights. :)

haha, yeah, it is pretty cool stuff!

and just make sure you charge them :)

[2001C2cougar]

what kind of cloth is recommended when using the Plastic X polish? if i can find a buffer ball thing at autozone i should probably go that route.

[Frosty]

Use a terry cloth, it works well.

[Rick]

Yeah I just used a regular wax applicator by hand and to be honest it didn't take much elbow grease and my headlight was really yellow. Then I polished away with a terry cloth. It's gold baby!

[soldier989]

Buffing/Cutting Cream, a rag, and your hand. Makes them look factory good.

[JayZee]

i heard somewhere that regular toothpaste will take the yellow off your headlights. as for any other type of hazing or dents/scratches, i doubt it. idk what chemical in the toothpaste does it, but thats what i heard.

[Aneubis]

My headlights are not hazed or yellowed...but lightly pitted almost like they were sandblasted...whenever the headlights are on, I get a halo of the beam that lights them up like christmas...Any suggestion of these methods that should work best?

[ModCougar]

I've not heard of the toothpaste thing. However, if it works, it's probably not because of a chemical in it, but more likely the fact that toothpaste is mildly abrasive.