This is retarded that we're dealing with this on EVERY model out there...Manufacturers can prevent this but they don't want to. The deterioration is just a way to make you feel like your car is crap and helps convince you need a new car.

When I come to power, I will require all cars be made with yellow-crack proof headlights and easily removable doors for beach days!!

 

I believe you are correct. Since most of the damage is near the top of the lens, that is where I do the heaviest sanding, while the lower areas I only lightly sand with the finer grit just to smooth out the rock chips. There is some sort of coating on the lens that breaks down over time. The areas that haven't sustained damage are smoother and shinier after finishing with 2000 grit, and still slightly noticeably smoother after buffing if the light hits it right.

I did this process on my Neon two years ago, and after I did, I used an acrylic enamel clear coat on them, followed by 1000-2000 grit wet sanding and buffing to get rid of the orange peel. They are still in excellent condition two years and 70k+ miles later (I will take pictures and post them this weekend). It's important that you use an enamel-based, not a lacquer-based product, as lacquer will soften the plastic and ruin the lens. However, I was unable to find an acrylic enamel clear coat this time, so I have tried another product on our Town & Country (it's my guinea pig) and will be wet sanding and buffing it this weekend to see how it turned out.

Ouch! I didn't look at the price. Yes, you can do it a lot cheaper than that.

I'd be happy to. I'll try to put something together this weekend.

 

Hi all
Is there any one that produces a plastic lens cover for the Xfire , So to protect from stone chip etc , I know you can tints but not sure they would be strong enough .


Cheers

Andy

 

Read my post #59?

These are American products, but the DIY kits are very reasonable.

You seem to be a very capable guy.

 

Plastic X did the job for me. Used a paper towel to apply. Rubbed it in and wiped off with another towel. Took about 2 minutes per light. Could not be easier.

 

What grit did you use for wet sanding? Great result pictures btw.

 

Originally Posted by vipr1ab
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.

I'm pretty sure that he wetsanded ALL of these grits.

 

Correct. You should always wet sand plastic to keep the sandpaper from getting clogged and to help lubricate the surface.

• 3M Imperial Wetordry sanding sheets 220, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 grit
• 3M Scotch 2" Masking Tape
• 3M Perfect It II Rubbing Compound
• Microfiber Cloth
• Cordless Drill
• Polishing Pad
• Water

You can find most of these supplies at local hardware and automotive stores, or online at TCP Global.

You can either remove your headlight assembly or simply mask off the areas around your lens. Start wet sanding with a grit that's appropriate for the level of damage your lens has sustained, but keep in mind the higher the grit you start with, the more sanding you'll need to do to cut through the damage. On the other hand, the lower the grit you start with, the more levels of grit you'll need to go through. Work with the first grit until you are confident you have removed all the damaged plastic. When moving onto the next grit, you will want to sand until you have removed all the sanding marks from the previous grit.

After finishing sanding, make a few passes using the cordless drill, polishing pad and rubbing compound.

That's about it. Should take about 2 hours per lens.

For the final step, in the past, I have used an acrylic enamel clear coat. However, I am trying another product--KRYLON Fusion for Plastic - UV Resistant Clear Coat--but I don't know how it holds up long-term.

Results - acrylic enamel clear coat
June 2007


June 2009


The attachments are of our Town & Country, renewed using the process above and finished with 5 coats of KRYLON UV Resistant Clear Coat, wet sanded with 1000 to 2000 grit, then buffed with rubbing compound to make it smooth as glass.

 

3 M KIT Shop 3M: 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, 39008

OTIS

 

I meant to post a link to that last night. FYI: TCP Global has it for $16.99. That $300+ kit that was mentioned earlier is for professionals who want to provide a service. The smaller kit includes:

• 1 – 3" Soft Interface Pad
• 6 – 3" P500 Sanding Discs
• 4 – 3" P800 Finishing Discs
• 1 – 3" P3000 Trizact™ Disc
• 1 – 3" Disc Pad Holder
• 1 – Headlight Lens Polish, 1 oz.
• 1 – 3" Buffing Pad
• Step by Step Directions Brochure

It looks like a well-priced kit and includes everything you'll need.

 

I'm planning to pick up my 7424XP as soon as possible. So, Pat, do you think this will fix my problem? Do I use the restorer on the buffer pad and just puff away? (There are photos of my lights under the Blue Magic thread)

 

that Maguire's restoration compound looks great.....until it rains, then they get cloudy and patchy again

 

Just an update on my situation for whatever help it might be~ I started out with Blue Magic headlight restorer and after the first go-round found that it did a very nice job on the "good" areas - which really made the problem areas look much worse.
Since then, I've tried it a couple more times - not any long term polishing, just 5 minutes or so when I wash the car. I will say that with each try it's showing improvement so there's something to be said for patience and perseverance.
My last experience was when I was polishing the Xfire with the Swirl Remover 2.0 and a LC white pad, I figured what the heck, and did the lights, too. Huge improvement and again, I didn't spend too long on them.
So, I could see that with a more aggressive pad and polish it might be possible to get this done without wet sanding.

 

I had the foggy hazy headlights. They felt rough and crackled. I found the 3M Headlight restoration kit and they look like new now. This was for the outside though, not inside.

Not bad for $20 kit and 2 hours of time. Pickup up kit at Autozone but saw it at Walmart too.

Here's a link to the kit and video by 3M: Restoring a Headlight 3M

Here's some before and after photos. The overcast day put a grainy look to the after shots but they're shiny and way better than before!

 

They look fantastic

 

Remarkable way to spend $20, don't you think? I ended up buying the 20 and 30 pad refill boxes of the 500, 800 and 3000 Trizcut pads and keep re-using the drill tool mount. I've done 8 different cars so far with great success. Just friends and family!

 

Another 3M kit user here, works the best so far.

 

A drill with a small buffer wheel and a bottle of Liquid Wrench worked for me...

 

My local Sam's Club in Las Vegas will restore a pair of headlights for $30 with a 5-year warranty. I had mine done, and you would swear they are brand new.

 

It does work pretty well, and it leaves your headlights minty fresh! Use only the white paste, not the gel.