Polishing clear plastic

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The headlight covers on my Toyota van were getting pretty bad :gaah:.... lots of deep oxidation etc. ....( oxidation causes the covers to Absorb the light from the bulbs, which are now LED's ). .... I have seen many vids of how to fix this .... and most involved buying Kits or of complicated ways to of correcting it .... So today I decided to fix it ( if possible ) .... I have two types of polishing compound ( for paint ) .... But I also had some " Silver " polishing compound .... I decided the stuff for " silver " was going to be less " abrasive " than the stuff for Paint .... I began by doing a small circle at the center of the cover ( by hand ) ...... I rubbed it on for about 30 seconds - washed off the residue and quite impressed with the results. So I did again for about 2 min's. , It got better ... so I tried for 5 min. - it didn't get noticeably better. So I did the entire surface for three min's..... It now looks brand new. ... I'll wait until dark and test how much better one side is from the other. .... I know it will be better - I just want to see " how much " it will be.... I'll post the results to-nite ..... PS, I paid about $ 5.00 for the silver polish. ....... Mike :thumbup:..... Unfortunately I waited too long after dark to do the testing .... The night time DEW froze and wouldn't rub off .... so I'll get to it tomorrow night , right after dark ...... Mike

[canamjhb]

I'll be interested in the results. Something I heard that also works is toothpaste! Never tried it but makes sense..... Jim

[UtahPete]

The more expensive headlight restoration kits are a 3 step process that first removes the clearcoat from the lens then reapplies it at the end.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I'll be interested in the results. Something I heard that also works is toothpaste! Never tried it but makes sense..... Jim

I tried that years ago and I don't think it did much if anything ..... jmho .... Mike :thumbup:

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The more expensive headlight restoration kits are a 3 step process that first removes the clearcoat from the lens then reapplies it at the end.

I don't think " clear coat " is applied to any Clear plastic on the Spyders ..... also jmho .... Mike :thumbup:

[Piratezz]

Let me chime in, I do this repairs on a proffesional basis, It takes about 1.5 hrs to completely restore the headlight, First you have to get the coating ( the yellowish stuff) removed, I use grit 320, then I resand with the following gritpapers
500, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000, 3000, and last 4000 gritpaper, with an excentric 50mm polishmachine, then I apply a coating, which I guarantee for 4 yrs.

Toothpaste is a myth, clearcoat is a myth, it's a dealertrick to let the lights look like new, but it will only last for a few months.

Clearcoat might work with LED, cause they have a different heat patron, then regular bulbs, just my two cents...

[blacklightning]

Thanks Blueknight911. I will be giving my wife's daily driver 2009 nissan maxima a test. I also have a 2008 Suzuki grand vitara that can use the treatment.
On second thought, I will give it a try on mine first, as if it doesn't work on the wife's car, I will never hear the end of it. Lol!

[UtahPete]

Let me chime in, I do this repairs on a proffesional basis, It takes about 1.5 hrs to completely restore the headlight, First you have to get the coating ( the yellowish stuff) removed, I use grit 320, then I resand with the following gritpapers
500, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000, 3000, and last 4000 gritpaper, with an excentric 50mm polishmachine, then I apply a coating, which I guarantee for 4 yrs.

Toothpaste is a myth, clearcoat is a myth, it's a dealertrick to let the lights look like new, but it will only last for a few months.

Clearcoat might work with LED, cause they have a different heat patron, then regular bulbs, just my two cents...

The coating is clear, correct? Maybe clearcoat is not the right term, but there is a clear coating of some sort that has to be removed and replaced.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks Blueknight911. I will be giving my wife's daily driver 2009 nissan maxima a test. I also have a 2008 Suzuki grand vitara that can use the treatment.
On second thought, I will give it a try on mine first, as if it doesn't work on the wife's car, I will never hear the end of it. Lol!

My Toyt. is an 07, so it's very similar ..... if you use the " silver polish ", start with a small spot on the edge of the lens ..... it's labor intensive by hand, but I think you'll be surprised how well it works ...... I'll be doing my night testing at around 6 pm , and will post a new thread afterwards ..... good luck .... Mike :thumbup:

[Piratezz]

@utahpete, There is a coating on every plastic headlamp, to protect from UV light, it is applied as a sort of laquer, the coating I use is a two component "UV clearcoat, with an accelerator"
Due to heat and cold cycle of the plastic lens, the coating cracks, moisture gets under it, and that will cause the yellowness.

@blueknight, be aware when you take of the coating, the lens will deteriorate, very quickly, a solution would be to use a clearcoat in a spraycan, this will protect you for a few months.
this can be repeated a few times, but I recommend, you use the more expensive way.

[Little Blue]

:coffee: My .02 on the plastic headlights (lens).
Good Ole China has been doing USA 'we can get it done for you and at less cost'. ...:helpsmilie:

USA needs to get back to work. :bowdown:

Remember the glass headlights. :dontknow:
They were changed to plastic. ....:gaah:

Now most of us have the 'Faded Yellow Lens. But some vehicles are now available with the 'superior bright white lights'.
I call these night blinding, because that's what they do to my eyes. ......:banghead:

That is my story. Have a Good Day. ......:thumbup:

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

:coffee: My .02 on the plastic headlights (lens).
Good Ole China has been doing USA 'we can get it done for you and at less cost'. ...:helpsmilie:

USA needs to get back to work. :bowdown:

Remember the glass headlights. :dontknow:
They were changed to plastic. ....:gaah:

Now most of us have the 'Faded Yellow Lens. But some vehicles are now available with the 'superior bright white lights'.
I call these night blinding, because that's what they do to my eyes. ......:banghead:

That is my story. Have a Good Day. ......:thumbup:

YES on the glass headlight covers ..... MY first car had them ( Jag XKE roadster ) .... then Fed. DOT banned them :gaah: mid year back in 67, some early 67's had them but then they stopped ..... I am pretty sure they were D.O.T certified compliant, so why they were banned I don't know...... Mike :thumbup:

[UtahPete]

@utahpete, There is a coating on every plastic headlamp, to protect from UV light, it is applied as a sort of laquer, the coating I use is a two component "UV clearcoat, with an accelerator"
Due to heat and cold cycle of the plastic lens, the coating cracks, moisture gets under it, and that will cause the yellowness.

@blueknight, be aware when you take of the coating, the lens will deteriorate, very quickly, a solution would be to use a clearcoat in a spraycan, this will protect you for a few months.
this can be repeated a few times, but I recommend, you use the more expensive way.

I do use the expensive 3-step process. I'm not advocating the cheapie solutions mentioned here, because I know the yellowing and fogging is in the coating, not the lens itself.

[UtahPete]

YES on the glass headlight covers ..... MY first car had them ( Jag XKE roadster ) .... then Fed. DOT banned them :gaah: mid year back in 67, some early 67's had them but then they stopped ..... I am pretty sure they were D.O.T certified compliant, so why they were banned I don't know...... Mike :thumbup:

So, I guess all the luxury brands in Europe (i.e. cost and DOT are not an issue), use the superior glass headlight covers?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

So, I guess all the luxury brands in Europe (i.e. cost and DOT are not an issue), use the superior glass headlight covers?

Well anything imported into the US must be compliant to the CURRENT regs ..... and they may have changed since 1967 .... that's my best guess ..... Any Jag XKE's are selling for Big money right now ..... and the ones from 61 to 67 with the covered heaflights sell for lots more ( there is actually a company that created a kit to convert the later model E's to have glass covers ) ...... Mike :thumbup:

[askitee]

I had the same on my daughters Ford Focus. The headlight lenses are ABS, and were quite 'brown'. I used Kitten Car polish to cut but the browned surface then used Silvo to to buff to a smooth finish. That was two years ago, they came up excellent. , and stayed good until she sold it about 6 months ago.

[Piratezz]

European Cars, are also equipped, with plastic lenses, simply because it's cheaper to produce, and less harmfull for pedestrians, when hit, nowadays NCAP, rating is very important for the Manufacturers, cause customers want to buy safety...
It seems that most carmanufacturers these days, are making the cars as cheap as possible, by using the same components in every model.

As for the UV coating on the headlights, Utahpete is right, it's not the lens, but the coating, that turns yellow, and to do the right job, that has to be removed, and replaced.
All the other solutions, are just fairytales. just an upsell, on secondhand vehicles

[trikermutha]

Never had any yellowing on any of my vehicles if you keep up on the cleaning on it.:thumbup:

[UtahPete]

Never had any yellowing on any of my vehicles if you keep up on the cleaning on it.:thumbup:

How old are they? Are they garaged or kept outside? If outside are they in the shade?

It's UV light over time that damages the coating.

[trikermutha]

How old are they? Are they garaged or kept outside? If outside are they in the shade?

It's UV light over time that damages the coating.

Example. One car sits outside all the time. I put over 500 miles a week on the car. I like to use light buffing compound and then coat with a good wax or now use a ceramic coating. Includes doing the windows and headlight covers. Its amazing what gets stuck to paint and windows over time.