"Car question"

[prometheus578]

Just bought a used car for youngest son.
Here's the deal...
It has those plastic headlights... wrap around, sort of.
Anyway... the plastic lenses are all faded or whatever you call it.
Hazy... dims a lot of the light. I just took it out for a night drive and could barely see the road.
What's the best way to get more light on the job?
Rubbing compound?
A very fine car polish?
Take them off and just have the bulb hang like an eye out of it's socket?

[mason79]

i bought a kit on ebay and there were a progressively finer series of sand paper leading to a polishing mist, not unlike a process for repairing a fender(bodywork), i think you could do it yourself it worked like a charm!

i buffed it out lastly with an included wheel and pad for a drill

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ANY-Headlight-Plastic-LENS-Restorer-CLEANER-Polish-KIT_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ50450QQihZ012QQitemZ220168962388QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[webbcraft2150]

Oh great one, I offer my humble advise. (down on one knee, eyes toward the ground ) I was given a bottle of Meguiars "Plastx" a long time ago by the Meguiars rep. I was cryin the blues about my scratched face shield. I tried it, I LIKE it. Scratches were kinda deep on the shield so it didn't do much for it. I gave it a shot the badly faded windshield on my G. Excellent results, I could actually see out of it again. Tried it on the 25 year old Lexan windows on my camper shell, again, excellent results. Also removed fading and swirl marks on the curved, plastic section of my boat windshield. Next attack was the cloudy insturement panel cover on my daughters car, cool, I can see em again. So, this stuff does work. I have seen "kits" at the auto store specifically for faded headlight covers, never tried one so I can't say good or bad. The Meguiars stuff works great and a full bottle lasts along time. Worked good repairing the plastic window on the microwave when the youngest decided a green 3M pad and soft scrub was just the ticket to clean it.

[JWSanders]

I have had a lot of success removing scratches and haze on various plastics and polycarbonates using a 2 step polishing compound called "NOVUS". Usually available at most plastic shops. Pretty cheap too, at around 6 or so bucks a bottle.

It will de-scratch and clean plastic windshields, helmet visors and much, much else as well.

http://www.novuspolish.com/

[soccer4m]

headlight cleaner

I have a Toyota van with same problem. I use rubbing compound with a real wet rag, rub my a.. off, wipe it, then go over it with a wet rag and polishing compound, clean it and then use a good cleaner wax. It stays clear for about a year then do it again. If you have an electric polisher it saves lot of time with the rubbing and polishing compound. Time is about 2 minutes total versus a half hour. Good luck, Mike in san diego

[81xsproject]

My wife's jetta had the same issue. We just replaced the assembly with some aftermarket ones off ebay. However, on the Caswell site they have special buffing compounds for plastic.

[Stralya]

Have a 14v battery made..

[trbig]

So the question is... "How do you get something dull and dingy looking to shine again??"

Is this maybe why we don't see many pics of your bikes Pro?? You don't polish them at all?

I tried wet sanding with some 1000 grit and then some 2000, but I found that Turtle Wax fine rubbing compound works about as well as anything on my car headlight, and the bike's tail light.

For some reason... why do I feel like he already has the answer... he's just testing us mere mortals?



Tod

[LoserShoes]

If its available in your area I have found that a metal polish called "NOXON" does a real good job on headlight lenses, is cheap and available in grocery and hardware stores around here. Does a great job on rusty chrome too.

[kf4anm]

mothers powerball

[Dsxs11]

Meguires mag wheel polish, Small can rub on buff out with a rag. the real problem is after you use anything to polish them they will do it over and over again. The first polish removed the oxidized UV coating and the brings the shine back then they yellow from UV again. So a few times a year your going to have to re polish them.

[prometheus578]

"Yes, this was a test..."

I was gonna write that after reading Webbcraft's reply yesterday... for as we all know, I neither seek, nor need, the advice or opinions of others.
I am just too complete.
Be that as it may...
I have decided to grace the public with my presence today.. and while I'm out and about, shall purchase various products in an attempt to shed some light on this problem.

TRBIG...
I expected a better answer from you.
(not really)
Maybe I should ask your wife for advice...
She's been having to deal with a dull, dim-bulb for years.

[mro]

poor kid

Just buys the kid a car
and is already crusing the neighborhood in it.

Can here the wine now, hey daddy...when is it my turn?


mro

[fredintoon]

Hi Pro,
how much time money and effort have you already invested in that lad?
Protect your investment and buy new lenses for the beater. There's times to be cheap but this ain't one of them.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Fred,

Have you priced NEW LENSES like he described lately?? I am just appalled at the manufacturers that decided to make these things out of LOW GRADE PLASTIC instead of glass. I've even seen some recent Mercedes-Benz's with the same malady, however some I think have the top half fogged on purpose to help reduce glare for oncoming traffic!?!?

I remember seeing a product on TV a while back, like those late night RONCO ads, for a polishing wheel called a JIFFY or Spiffy, something like that, did a recent search but couldn't find it, but it was designed like those round flap sanding wheels....not a disc, but a wheel!

Okay, so the surface UV coating gets removed during the buffing process.....how about getting some clearcoat PAINT that won't damage the plastic, and has UV protection in it, and spray it over the lens after polishing it, might help preserve it??

Good luck, and let us know in the PRODUCT REVIEW section about your results, oh great one!
T.C.