Sorry double post.

 

I tried Meguiar’s Headlight and Clear Plastic Restoration Kit today. Got it for $22 at Kragen. It promises "one step solution to headlight restoration".

It didn't really work. My lights had very bad yellow tint to the top half and weird crusted-over look. I used the kit as the directions specified and the results were unimpressive.

While the lights do look better than before, they still don't look good. The yellow is gone but the weird crusted-over look is still visible and very ugly. I'm assuming the reason is that my lights are bad enough that they need the wet sanding. But still the product promised a one-step solution (and specified no sanding required) so I'm going to take the company up on their refund policy.

 

Mine were in pretty bad shape. I've done this repair on other cars before. I start by wet sanding by hand. The first pass takes the longest since you need to make sure you get through all the damaged plastic. I started with 220 grit, then 400 > 600 > 800 > 1000 > 1500, then finish up with 2000 grit. Once I'm satisfied with the sanding, I get my cordless drill with a sponge buffing pad and make several passes using 3M™ Perfect-It ™ Rubbing Compound.

Before


After


However, I just noticed 3m has a kit now that looks pretty good (scroll to the bottom):
Car Care Products

 

Mine looked almost exactly the same, tiny little hairline cracks & pitted everywhere. Though I didn't start quite as aggresively with the sandpaper (not being sure if I'd permanently screw them up!) my end result is pretty decent.
I've noticed a few pits still left after 2 or 3 hours of work so I'll go back & work on them again in the near future.

Before:
IMG_0990.jpg

After:
IMG_0989.jpg

 

WOW! Very Very Nice job! I'm thinking I should follow your steps this weekend.

 

Are there any recommendations for protective UV films or any other form of UV protection for the plastic that can be applied once the lenses are clean? Reason I ask is on my LHS, I had cleaned the headlights but they turned yellow again in a fraction of the time it took the first time they changed. I would imagine the plastic is coated with some form of UV protection in the factory during manufacturing. It would make sense whatever compound they apply breaks down over time and as a result, yellow and cracks form.

Any suggestions or opinions on this?

 

IF YOU CLEAN LIGHTS WHEN YOU WAX OR WASH CAR WITH JUST THE PLASTIC X OR 3M OR WHAT EVER PRODUCT YOU USE THEY WILL USUALLY STAY CLEAR .

HAS WORKED FOR ME

OTIS

 

For what it's worth, the kit referred to above averages in the ball park of $330+.
3M #02516 Headlight Cleaner & Lens Restoration Kit

I am sure the final product is very good, but from what I have seen here, 1) it's cheaper to do it yourself following the above instructions, and 2) if you don't want to do it yourself, it's still cheaper to pay for it to be professionally done.

vipr1ab - Do you mind putting together some instructions on the steps you took including tools and materials you used and posting them? I am very impressed by your final product. Better job than some detailers I've seen in Tampa.

 

Santorini just how bad are your headlight covers? Haze, etching and pits are about the extent of what happens on the outside. If your headlights are badly pitted then you may get most of that out by the sanding method. If it just hazing and etching a Porter cable, orange cutting pad and a bottle of Plastx will do the trick. I've done several of the folks on this forum's headlights and got them to sparkle. The pits are another issue, they are much tougher to deal with and take a more aggressive approach.

 

Here are pics of my right light. They're both about the same. Not nearly as bad as some I've seen on here, but bad enough to annoy me. Let me know what you think. I'm hesitant to start sanding away only to ruin them.

 

Hey Mouse did you buy your Crossfire second hand?
I ask because My SRT was second hand and the crusting you speak of sounds like my lights looked. Turns out that some dealerships will spray the clear covers with a clear coat looks pretty good at leazt til they can get them off the lot.

 

Hey Mouse did you buy your Crossfire second hand?
I ask because My SRT was second hand and the crusting you speak of sounds like my lights looked. Turns out that some dealerships will spray the clear covers with a clear coat looks pretty good at leazt til they can get them off the lot.

 

Hey Mouse did you buy your Crossfire second hand?
I ask because My SRT was second hand and the crusting you speak of sounds like my lights looked. Turns out that some dealerships will spray the clear covers with a clear coat looks pretty good at leazt til they can get them off the lot. They also have a tendency to yellow as you mentioned.
Seems there are Detailers and then there are detailers. There's a lot of legal crooks in this country.
Mike

 

Don't worry, Santorini. I was hesistant to do so at first but with the proper grit sandpaper & some decent headlamp polish it's almost impossible to screw it up. If they're not too pitted start with the 1000 grit & then move up to 1500 & then 2000. Then follow with the polish.
Follow the instructions above & allow yourself a couple of hours of careful work & voila', new headlamp covers!

 

I think in your case the sandpaper route would be the way to go unless you have access to a buffer. It doesn't look like they are pitted but those are pretty hazy. The look about as bad as Sennaspirits when I did his a few weeks ago. I got them about 75% better but I didn't want to sand them, I used my PC buffer which did get most of the haze out. I know Meguiars makes a kit, you might want to check that out. If you were here I'd be glad to help you with them. Once you do get them polished I'd strongly urge you to at least once a month use the Plastx and wax/polish them. I also use my spray detailer after the weekly wash.
Pat

 

I think by now most of us are sick of hazy, foggy, crusted etc, headlights. At a cost of more then$1000.00 to replace them, elbow grease is cheap. Mine are not only hazy BUT Crazy(ed). My 10 month battle with the dealers and the annointed one (Jack Brinks, Service and Parts District Manager of the San Antonio area, I think the war is coming to an end. I have won a few battles and lost a few, unfortuneatly he is the FINAL WORD in this area. My car, a 2005 is still under 3yr/36,000mile warrenty until Aug 2009. My headlights have multiple crazing areas that cannot be polished out. Jack's recent decision was to have the dealer order a "special"kit and polish the lenses. After 2 hours labor the lenses now look worse than before. This mightier than thou Manager has NEVER seen my car, and has failed to give me the time of day. Recently the owner of the dealership talked to him and he bent over in half. Trouble is, he wants me to bend over in half too. He told the dealer to offer me a 50/50 split on replacing the lights. I told the dealer I was not a happy camper in as much it would still cost me $500 bucks. I am still pursuing this, and still have 3 months warranty left. I demand unconditional surrender and am finding my way little by little to the higher echelons of the Chrysler network. Win or lose, I will not go down without a fight. To be Cont'd

Original subject: I have used with good success a product made by JANVIL for polishing the lenses. It is a 3 part with wet or dry papers included.
check this out: Janvil Plastic Polish, Cleaner & Restorer

Good Luck, and say Goodnight Gracie--

John P
FTroopChief

 

John - Have you tried another dealership? Sounds like these guys are incompetent. I sure would look into that before your warranty runs out. My drivers side has both the haze and the etching and what I have found is the longer you let it go the harder it is to fix. I've done 4-5 other Crossfires and got them pretty darn clear but I met my match a few weeks ago. These hadn't been "fixed" for about 2 years. I know becasue the first time I worked on them I got them perfect and the guy just let them go. I buffed them with Plastx, 3M and a few other products we have and while they got a lot better they still were not up to my standards. Sanding may have brought them back a bit more but these had deep pits in them and that is something that is very difficult if not impossible to get out. I told Dave to try and get them replaced. I know I put a good hour of buffing time into them.
I suggest again you look into another dealer and try and get them replaced and then take care of them as if they had the same problem. Mine still etch and start to haze after several months and I get out the buffer and they are as good as new.
pat

 

After wetsanding and polishing my lenses I went with the Xpel headlight protection kit.

Paint Protection Film - XPEL Technologies Corp.

For $70 + shipping you get protective films for the headlights and fog lights. The film is surprisingly thick. Since the areas you are covering are relatively small it is fairly easy to work with the material. As long as you follow the instructions carefully the application is quite easy. Any moisture trapped between the film and lense will disappear in a few days as described in the instructions.

After nearly a year the film looks great. There is no discoloration in the film and no further visible oxidation in the lenses.

You are correct regarding the lenses losing their original UV protective coating. Once they start to deteriorate the lenses will quickly haze after each polishing or waxing. It's a lot easier to just add a protective film or coating.

 

The Xpel material is some very good stuff, however I was told by an installer that that on some installations the thicker films can start to peel and tatter on the edges, making them look old before their time. He talked me into installing Lamin-x. When installed by the distributor, warrantied for life.

BTW- he sells both!

http://www.paintdefender.com/

Chrysler Crossfire (04- ) Headlight Covers

http://www.lamin-x.com/8oz-Concours-...nt-p/303-8.htm

Lamin-x Protective Films - Protect with Style

Came to the house and was finished in 1/2 hour. Perfect. $65 for headlights, fogs and side markers.

 

Pat, thanks for the respond. Odd, this AM before I left the house I checked my mail, and you suggested what I was about to do. I went to San Antonio to speak to a large dealer I had been to before. The service manager looked at my car and said he would talk to the district manager and call me. I got home about 2 hours later and had a message waiting from SLC with "new" information. unforunately she is now "gone for the day". I'm not hanging up 'till I get some answers.
My problem is not the surface or interior of the light, it is in the plastic itself and when light hits it a certain way it's like starbursts in it. Looks like I'm back to sq one. Thanks for your help, but I'm not going down without a fight. There is an office in the State's Attorney General's Office for Consumer Protection Division I will go to if I have to. They have never had a hemorrhoid as bad as me!

John P