Fixed my yellow/cracked headlight today (pics)
#203
TECH Enthusiast
Has anyone done this with the headlights on the car? Or is it worth taking the headlights off to do a better job?
Also, has anyone cut off/grinding down the little bumps, and sanded over them the same way recommended to clear the lights? Good results?
Also, has anyone cut off/grinding down the little bumps, and sanded over them the same way recommended to clear the lights? Good results?
#204
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i took the headlights out to sand them with 400grit, then with 600grit, then with 800grit, and finally with 2000grit. I then put them back on the car and polished them with the 3000grit 3m Trizac pad attachment (power drill). After that I polished the headlights with the foam pad and the polishing agent.
#206
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Many people have removed the bumps with excellent results. FWIW, I kept mine.
#208
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I did this this past weekend. I just used what I had laying around the house and actually got some pretty good results. Probably going to go for round 2 this weekend to get them completely mint. Last weekend I just wet sanded with 2000 grit, then used a 3M rubbing compound, then Mothers Plastic Polish. Not 100% but looks much better for only 30 minutes of effort.
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I did this today on my 98 V6 headlights. They were extremely bad. I performed a fairly lackluster cleaning up of them about 5 years ago using some kit from autozone. Do not remember which one. It sucked. Took forever and did not work well.
Needless to say I used a different product this time and did not have much hope of it working either. My alternative to spending the $8.99 this time was to just buy new headlights. I bought Turtle Wax Headlight Lens Restorer from Wal-Mart.
I spent almost exactly 1 hour per headlight start to finish. My lights were bad enough that before I used the kit I wet sanded them with 400 grit paper(not in the kit) and soapy water. I made sure all the discoloration was sanded out before proceeding to step #2 in the kit. Step #1 was to use just a spray solution and a cloth. There was no way that my lights were going to be fixed from that, so I skipped it. I basically replaced their step #1 with my 400 grit wet sanding routine. Then I proceeded to follow their simple process of wet sanding with the included pads and spray solution. Following it up with the included plastic polish and sealer.
I am very pleased with the results and saved a couple hundred bucks by applying 2 hours of elbow grease along with a simple $9 kit. My lights are not exactly new looking, but I think if I had a buffer to use with the polish they would definitely be like new again. Before I started, I literally could not see inside my headlights. They were so clouded up, that with my lights on, I could not see much past about 15 feet in front of the car.
I have several pics of my before and after to give you an idea of my results. Hope someone finds this info useful.
Needless to say I used a different product this time and did not have much hope of it working either. My alternative to spending the $8.99 this time was to just buy new headlights. I bought Turtle Wax Headlight Lens Restorer from Wal-Mart.
I spent almost exactly 1 hour per headlight start to finish. My lights were bad enough that before I used the kit I wet sanded them with 400 grit paper(not in the kit) and soapy water. I made sure all the discoloration was sanded out before proceeding to step #2 in the kit. Step #1 was to use just a spray solution and a cloth. There was no way that my lights were going to be fixed from that, so I skipped it. I basically replaced their step #1 with my 400 grit wet sanding routine. Then I proceeded to follow their simple process of wet sanding with the included pads and spray solution. Following it up with the included plastic polish and sealer.
I am very pleased with the results and saved a couple hundred bucks by applying 2 hours of elbow grease along with a simple $9 kit. My lights are not exactly new looking, but I think if I had a buffer to use with the polish they would definitely be like new again. Before I started, I literally could not see inside my headlights. They were so clouded up, that with my lights on, I could not see much past about 15 feet in front of the car.
I have several pics of my before and after to give you an idea of my results. Hope someone finds this info useful.