Quickee Headlight Restore
Quickee Headlight Restore So while my car is in the shop, got the front suspension installed yesterday and now it's sitting to go in first thing Monday morning for an alignment, I got to use my dad's 03 Sierra 2500HD as a way to get around then the battery gave out on it while I was at work and had to get him to come jump it off and swap cars with me (because I still had several "stops" to drive to in my day) so I ended up with my Parents Lexus RX330 for last night and part of today (till we got a new battery in the Sierra.
And being the person that I am, I like to do a little something to "clean-up" the car I get to borrow, In this case I decided to tackle the hazy headlights.
To that end I wiped out my painters tape to tape the edges of the paint around the light and went to work.
I grabbed a plastic bag in which I had several terry cotton cloths and a bottle of Meguair's PlastX, so I grabbed one of the terry cloths and poured the plastx on it and began rubbing, and quite literally, instantly I could see the light clearing up (it was like one of those Wipe New commercials), so some 30-60 seconds later I wipe off the light and stand back in shock of just how big a difference it was.
Encouraged by these results I went inside and got the painters tape (so I could polish right to the edges of the light, without worrying about the paint) I then proceeded to tape up both lights and make several quick passes over both lights.
Here are the before and afters, yes it's not perfect but it is light years better then before and I spent less then 15 minutes out at the car doing this.
I would say I spent roughly the same amount of time taping up the edges as I actually spent polishing the lenses.
And being the person that I am, I like to do a little something to "clean-up" the car I get to borrow, In this case I decided to tackle the hazy headlights.
To that end I wiped out my painters tape to tape the edges of the paint around the light and went to work.
I grabbed a plastic bag in which I had several terry cotton cloths and a bottle of Meguair's PlastX, so I grabbed one of the terry cloths and poured the plastx on it and began rubbing, and quite literally, instantly I could see the light clearing up (it was like one of those Wipe New commercials), so some 30-60 seconds later I wipe off the light and stand back in shock of just how big a difference it was.
Encouraged by these results I went inside and got the painters tape (so I could polish right to the edges of the light, without worrying about the paint) I then proceeded to tape up both lights and make several quick passes over both lights.
Here are the before and afters, yes it's not perfect but it is light years better then before and I spent less then 15 minutes out at the car doing this.
I would say I spent roughly the same amount of time taping up the edges as I actually spent polishing the lenses.
Last edited by Daniel Richards; Jun 21, 2014 at 04:21 PM.
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**Before you use Meguire's PlastX, (which is a good product), please read this...
my neighbor had meguire's PlastX, another rubbing compound, and this stuff called Novus No.2. I tried all three on a small patch of the headlights on my 2006 Nissan Altima. The Meguire's worked okay, but the Novus stuff worked much better, they almost looked like new with a good bit of rubbing.
I will know exactly how well it went after a few weeks, but as for initial results, I recommend the Novus #2 in a back-to-back test on some pretty cloudy headlights.
my neighbor had meguire's PlastX, another rubbing compound, and this stuff called Novus No.2. I tried all three on a small patch of the headlights on my 2006 Nissan Altima. The Meguire's worked okay, but the Novus stuff worked much better, they almost looked like new with a good bit of rubbing.
I will know exactly how well it went after a few weeks, but as for initial results, I recommend the Novus #2 in a back-to-back test on some pretty cloudy headlights.
Yes Meguiars works well as do other products. The issue is that once we clean up the headlights the protective coating is gone. I have not found anything to coat the headlights with to keep them looking good for any extended period of time.
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Clear coat, automotive 2-part. That will likely show best results in this aspect.
Other options are to coat them with a coating like CarPro DLUX, Gyeon Trim, Optimum Opti-Lens. These will last longer than a wax or sealant.
